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Bones and Skeletal Tissues - Anatomy & Physiology

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  • What is skeletal cartilage and its main characteristics?
    Skeletal cartilage is made of highly resilient cartilage tissue, primarily water, containing no blood vessels or nerves, and is surrounded by a dense connective tissue layer called the perichondrium.
  • Name the three types of cartilage and a key feature of each.

    Hyaline cartilage: most abundant, provides support and flexibility, collagen fibers only. Elastic cartilage: contains elastic fibers, found in external ear and epiglottis. Fibrocartilage: thick collagen fibers, great tensile strength, found in menisci and vertebral discs.

  • How does cartilage grow?
    Cartilage grows by appositional growth (matrix secreted on cartilage surface) and interstitial growth (chondrocytes divide and secrete matrix from within).
  • List the seven functions of bones.
    Support, protection, movement, mineral and growth factor storage, blood cell formation, triglyceride storage, and hormone production.
  • What are the two main groups of bones based on location?
    Axial skeleton: skull, vertebral column, rib cage.
    Appendicular skeleton: limbs and girdles attaching limbs to axial skeleton.
  • Classify bones by shape with examples.

    Long bones: longer than wide, e.g., humerus, limb bones. Short bones: cube-shaped, e.g., carpals. Sesmoid (patella) Flat bones: thin and flat, e.g., sternum, skull, scapula, ribs. Irregular bones: complex shapes, e.g., vertebrae, hip bones.

  • What are the two types of bone tissue and their characteristics?
    Compact bone: dense, smooth outer layer.
    Spongy bone: honeycomb of trabeculae with spaces filled with marrow.
  • Describe the structure of a typical long bone.
    Consists of diaphysis (shaft), epiphyses (ends), medullary cavity with yellow marrow, articular cartilage on joint surfaces, and epiphyseal line marking growth plate remnant.
  • What are the periosteum and endosteum?
    Periosteum is a double-layered membrane covering external bone surfaces except joints; endosteum is a delicate membrane lining internal bone surfaces and canals.
  • Where is red marrow found and what is its function?
    Red marrow is found in trabecular cavities of spongy bone and flat bone diploƫ; it is the site of hematopoiesis (blood cell formation).
  • Name and describe the three types of bone markings.
    Projections: sites of muscle/ligament attachment.
    Depressions: grooves or cavities for vessels or joints.
    Openings: holes or canals for blood vessels and nerves.
  • List the five major bone cell types and their functions.
    Osteogenic cells (stem cells), osteoblasts (bone-forming), osteocytes (mature bone cells), bone-lining cells (maintain matrix), osteoclasts (bone-resorbing).
  • What is the osteon and its components?
    Osteon is the structural unit of compact bone, consisting of concentric lamellae around a central (Haversian) canal containing blood vessels and nerves.
  • Explain the function of canaliculi in bone tissue.
    Canaliculi are tiny canals connecting lacunae, allowing osteocytes to communicate and exchange nutrients and wastes.
  • What are the organic and inorganic components of bone matrix?
    Organic: osteoid (collagen and proteins) providing tensile strength.
    Inorganic: hydroxyapatites (calcium phosphate crystals) providing hardness and compression resistance.
  • Differentiate between endochondral and intramembranous ossification.
    Endochondral ossification replaces hyaline cartilage to form most bones; intramembranous ossification forms bone directly from fibrous membranes, e.g., skull bones.
  • Describe the zones of the epiphyseal plate involved in bone length growth.
    Resting zone (inactive), proliferation zone (chondrocyte division), hypertrophic zone (cell enlargement), calcification zone (matrix calcifies), ossification zone (new bone forms).
  • How does appositional growth increase bone thickness?
    Osteoblasts beneath periosteum secrete bone matrix on external surface while osteoclasts resorb bone on endosteal surface, thickening bone.
  • What hormones regulate bone growth and remodeling?
    Growth hormone, thyroid hormone, sex hormones (testosterone and estrogens), parathyroid hormone (PTH), and calcitonin.
  • Explain the role of osteoclasts in bone resorption.
    Osteoclasts break down bone matrix by secreting enzymes and acids, releasing calcium into the blood.
  • What is Wolff's law in bone remodeling?
    Bones grow or remodel in response to mechanical stress, becoming thicker and stronger where stressed.
  • Outline the four stages of bone fracture repair.
    Hematoma formation, fibrocartilaginous callus formation, bony callus formation, and bone remodeling.
  • What causes osteoporosis and how can it be prevented?
    Osteoporosis results from bone resorption exceeding deposit, often due to hormonal changes and lifestyle factors; prevention includes calcium, vitamin D, exercise, and avoiding smoking.
  • What is Paget's disease of bone?
    A disorder with excessive and disorganized bone remodeling, leading to weak, deformed bones, commonly affecting spine, pelvis, femur, and skull.

  • Perichondrium

    layer of dense connective tissue surrounding cartilage like a girdle

    -helps cartilage resist outward expansion

    -contains blood vessels for nutrient cartilage

  • Cartilage is made up of..

    chondrocytes

  • Chondrocytes

    cells encased in small cavities (lacunae) within jelly-like extracellular matrix

  • Hyaline Cartilage

    provides support, flexibility, resillience

    -most abundant type, contains collagen only

    -articular (joints), costal (ribs), respiratory (larynx), nasal cartilage (nose tip)

  • Elastic Cartilage

    similar to hyaline, contains elastic fibers

    -external ear and epiglottis

  • Fibrocartilage

    -Thick collagen fibers: has great tensile strength

    -menisci of knee; vertabral discs

  • hemotopoiesis

    occurs in red marrow cavaties of certain bones

  • osteocalcin

    secreted by bones helps to regulate insulin secretion, glucose levels, and metabolisim

  • Types of tissue in bones

    -osseous

    -nervous

    -fibrous connective

    -muscle cells

    -epithetial cells

  • 3 levels of structure

    -gross

    -microscopic

    -chemical