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Anatomy & Physiology Key Concepts

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  • What are the seven maintenance of life functions?
    Maintaining boundaries, movement, responsiveness, digestion, metabolism, excretion, reproduction, and growth.
  • What factors must humans have in appropriate amounts for survival?
    Nutrients, oxygen, water, normal body temperature, and appropriate atmospheric pressure.
  • Describe the standard anatomical position.
    Body erect, feet slightly apart, palms facing forward with thumbs pointing away from body.
  • What are the three most common body planes?
    Sagittal (right and left sections), frontal/coronal (front and back sections), transverse/horizontal (top and bottom sections).
  • What are the two subdivisions of the dorsal body cavity?
    Cranial cavity (encases brain) and vertebral cavity (encases spinal cord).
  • What separates the thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities in the ventral body cavity?
    The diaphragm.
  • What is the function of serous membranes (serosa) in the ventral body cavity?
    Thin double-layered membranes that cover surfaces; parietal serosa lines cavity walls, visceral serosa covers organs, separated by serous fluid.
  • What four elements make up 96% of the human body?
    Carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen.
  • What are the three subatomic particles of an atom and their charges?
    Protons (+), neutrons (0), electrons (-).
  • Define atomic number and mass number.
    Atomic number: number of protons; mass number: total protons and neutrons.
  • Name the three major types of chemical bonds.
    Ionic bonds, covalent bonds, and hydrogen bonds.
  • What are the three common structures found in all cells?
    Plasma membrane, cytoplasm, and genetic material (DNA).
  • Describe the plasma membrane structure.
    Phospholipid bilayer with polar hydrophilic heads and nonpolar hydrophobic tails.
  • What are the three types of cell junctions?
    Tight junctions, desmosomes, and gap junctions.
  • What are the three types of passive transport?
    Simple diffusion, facilitated diffusion, and osmosis.
  • Define tonicity and its three types of solutions.
    Ability of solution to change cell water volume: isotonic (no change), hypertonic (cell shrinks), hypotonic (cell swells).
  • What are the two main types of vesicular transport?
    Endocytosis (into cell) and exocytosis (out of cell).
  • Name the major membranous organelles in a cell.
    Mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, peroxisomes, lysosomes.
  • What are the two major periods of the cell cycle?
    Interphase (growth and DNA replication) and mitotic phase (cell division).
  • List the four stages of mitosis.
    Prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase.
  • What is the role of telomeres and telomerase?
    Telomeres protect chromosome ends; telomerase lengthens telomeres, active in germ and cancer cells.
  • What are the four basic tissue types?
    Epithelial, connective, muscle, and nervous tissue.
  • How are epithelial tissues named?
    First name: number of layers (simple or stratified); second name: cell shape (squamous, cuboidal, columnar).
  • What are the main functions of connective tissue?
    Binding/support, protection, insulation, fuel storage, and transport.
  • Name the three types of muscle tissue.
    Skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle.
  • What are the two specialized cells in neural tissue?
    Neurons (conduct impulses) and supporting cells (support and protect neurons).
  • What are the two major ways tissue repair occurs?
    Regeneration (same tissue replaces) and fibrosis (connective tissue replaces).
  • List the seven important functions of bones.
    Support, protection, movement, mineral storage, blood cell formation, fat storage, hormone production.
  • Name the five types of bone cells and their functions.
    Osteogenic (stem cells), osteoblasts (form bone), osteocytes (mature cells), bone-lining cells (maintain matrix), osteoclasts (resorb bone).