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Anatomy & Physiology: Cardiovascular System and Genetics

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Terms in this set (34)

  • Define artery, capillary, and vein
    Artery: blood vessel carrying blood away from the heart; Capillary: smallest blood vessels where exchange occurs; Vein: blood vessel carrying blood toward the heart.
  • What are the three tunics of blood vessels?
    Tunica intima (inner layer), tunica media (middle muscular layer), and tunica externa (outer connective tissue layer).
  • Compare tunic thickness among arteries, capillaries, and veins
    Arteries have thick tunica media, veins have thinner tunica media and larger lumen, capillaries have only tunica intima for exchange.
  • Describe elastic and muscular arteries
    Elastic arteries conduct blood and have many elastic fibers; muscular arteries distribute blood and have more smooth muscle for vasoconstriction.
  • Define vasoconstriction and vasodilation
    Vasoconstriction: narrowing of blood vessels; vasodilation: widening of blood vessels.
  • Name types of capillaries and their locations
    Continuous: most tissues; fenestrated: kidneys, intestines; sinusoidal: liver, bone marrow.
  • What is the venous reservoir?
    Veins that store blood and can constrict to increase venous return during demand.
  • Define anastomosis and its significance
    Connection between blood vessels providing alternate blood flow routes, e.g., Circle of Willis.
  • Describe systemic and pulmonary circuits
    Systemic circuit delivers oxygenated blood to body; pulmonary circuit carries deoxygenated blood to lungs.
  • What is a portal system?
    A blood flow pathway where blood passes through two capillary beds before returning to the heart.
  • Describe the hepatic portal system
    Carries nutrient-rich blood from digestive organs to the liver for processing.
  • Role of placenta and fetal shunts in fetal circulation
    Placenta provides oxygen/nutrients; ductus venosus, foramen ovale, and ductus arteriosus bypass lungs and liver.
  • Changes in fetal cardiovascular structures at birth
    Umbilical vessels close; foramen ovale and ductus arteriosus close, becoming ligaments.
  • Define blood flow, blood pressure, and peripheral resistance
    Blood flow: volume of blood moving through vessels; blood pressure: force blood exerts on vessel walls; peripheral resistance: opposition to flow.
  • Equation relating fluid flow, pressure, and resistance
    Flow = Pressure difference / Resistance, or \(Q=\frac{\Delta P}{R}\).
  • Role of arterioles in blood flow regulation
    Arterioles control blood flow to tissues and systemic blood pressure via vasoconstriction and vasodilation.
  • Factors affecting peripheral resistance
    Local (e.g., chemicals), hormonal (e.g., epinephrine), and neural (e.g., sympathetic stimulation) factors.
  • Calculate pulse pressure (PP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP)
    PP = systolic - diastolic pressure; MAP ≈ diastolic + 1/3 pulse pressure.
  • Equation relating MAP, cardiac output, and total peripheral resistance
    MAP = CO × TPR, or \(MAP=CO \times TPR\).
  • Explain capillary exchange mechanisms
    Exchange occurs via diffusion, filtration, and reabsorption driven by hydrostatic and osmotic pressures.
  • What causes edema related to net filtration pressure (NFP)?
    Increased NFP causes excess fluid filtration into tissues; lymphatic system normally prevents edema.
  • How do muscular compression and respiratory pump aid venous return?
    Muscle contractions and pressure changes during breathing push blood toward the heart.
  • Role of precapillary sphincters in autoregulation
    They regulate blood flow into capillaries based on tissue needs.
  • Examples of chemicals causing vasodilation or vasoconstriction
    Vasodilators: nitric oxide, histamine; vasoconstrictors: norepinephrine, endothelin.
  • Describe the baroreceptor reflex
    Baroreceptors detect blood pressure changes and trigger autonomic responses to maintain homeostasis.
  • Role of autonomic nervous system in blood pressure regulation
    Sympathetic increases heart rate and vasoconstriction; parasympathetic decreases heart rate.
  • Define chromosome, gene, allele, homologous chromosomes
    Chromosome: DNA molecule with genes; gene: DNA segment coding traits; allele: gene variant; homologous chromosomes: chromosome pairs.
  • Difference between homozygous and heterozygous genotypes
    Homozygous: identical alleles; heterozygous: different alleles for a gene.
  • Define genotype and phenotype
    Genotype: genetic makeup; phenotype: observable traits.
  • Explain dominant and recessive alleles
    Dominant alleles express traits when present; recessive alleles express only if homozygous.
  • Compare incomplete dominance and codominance
    Incomplete dominance: blended phenotype; codominance: both alleles expressed equally.
  • Difference between monogenic and polygenic inheritance
    Monogenic: trait controlled by one gene; polygenic: trait controlled by multiple genes.
  • Role of sex chromosomes in sex determination
    XX = female, XY = male; sex-linked traits are carried on sex chromosomes.
  • Inheritance of ABO blood types and Rhesus factor
    ABO blood type determined by multiple alleles; Rh factor is either positive or negative based on presence of antigen.