Anatomy & Physiology Fundamentals Flashcards
7 cards from real CHT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Anatomy & Physiology Fundamentals flashcards as text
Pulmonary surfactant, which reduces alveolar surface tension and prevents collapse, is produced by which cell type?
Answer: Type II pneumocytes
Type II pneumocytes synthesize and secrete surfactant (primarily dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine), maintaining alveolar stability and preventing atelectasis.
Decompression sickness (DCS) Type II (neurological) most commonly affects which region of the spinal cord, producing classic lower-extremity symptoms?
Answer: Thoracic cord white matter
Bubble formation preferentially occurs in the thoracic spinal cord white matter due to its lipid-rich myelin content and relatively poor blood supply, causing paraplegia/paresthesia.
The autonomic nervous system's parasympathetic division uses which neurotransmitter at the neuroeffector junction to slow heart rate (negative chronotropy)?
Answer: Acetylcholine
Parasympathetic postganglionic fibers release acetylcholine, which binds M2 muscarinic receptors on the SA node to decrease firing rate and slow the heart.
Gas emboli in arterial gas embolism (AGE) tend to lodge preferentially in which vascular territories, causing the most clinically significant injury?
Answer: Cerebral and coronary circulations
Because the brain and heart have the highest metabolic demands and least tolerance for ischemia, arterial gas emboli in the cerebral and coronary circulations produce the most life-threatening consequences.
The kidneys regulate acid-base balance by excreting or reabsorbing bicarbonate (HCO₃⁻) in response to blood pH changes. Which tubular segment performs most of this bicarbonate reabsorption?
Answer: Proximal convoluted tubule
Approximately 80–90% of filtered bicarbonate is reabsorbed in the proximal convoluted tubule via carbonic anhydrase-mediated H⁺ secretion.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy enhances angiogenesis and collagen synthesis in chronic wounds. Which growth factor is primarily responsible for stimulating new capillary formation in HBOT-treated tissue?
Answer: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)
HBOT upregulates VEGF expression in hypoxic wound edges, driving endothelial cell proliferation and new capillary sprouting (angiogenesis).
The sinoatrial (SA) node, the heart's primary pacemaker, is located in which cardiac chamber and supplied by which coronary artery in most individuals?
Answer: Right atrium; right coronary artery
The SA node lies in the superior right atrium near the SVC junction and is supplied by the SA nodal artery, a branch of the right coronary artery in ~60% of people.