A&P Test 1 Study Questions: Essay Questions – Flashcards

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question
A small family was traveling in its van and had a minor accident. The children in the back seats were wearing lap belts, but still sustained numerous bruises about the abdomen, and had some internal organ injuries. Why is this area more vulnerable to damage than others?
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The abdominal organs are the least protected in the body because they are not surrounded by a bony covering such as the ribs, pelvis, or cranium.
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Judy is 16 years old and collapses on the gym floor in severe pain to her chest wall. She is rushed by ambulance to the emergency room. Judy is diagnosed with pleurisy and is given an anti-inflammatory through the intravenous route. Explain why an anti-inflammatory would be prescribed for someone with pleurisy.
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The pleural space contains a small amount of fluid that acts as a lubricant, allowing the pleurae to slide smoothly over each other as the lungs expand and contract. Pleurisy is an inflammation of the parietal pleura of the lungs. When inflammation occurs in the pleural space, the pleurae do not slide smoothly and this causes severe pain.
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Explain why an 80-year-old woman requires a much longer time to recover from the flu versus a woman who is age 30.
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As we age, our body's control systems become less efficient. As a result our internal environment becomes less and less stable.
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The nurse charted: "Client has an open wound located on lateral aspect of leg." Describe where the wound is located.
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The wound is located on the outer side of the leg.
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The client was admitted to the hospital with hypertension. The development of arteriosclerosis has increased peripheral resistance to blood flow, worsening his hypertension. This is an example of what type of feedback loop and why?
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Positive feedback loops are common in pathophysiological perpetuation of disease. For example, arteriosclerotic hypertension results in positive feedback mechanisms that enhance and propagate the initial step in the chain of events, which is hypertension
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The client was admitted to the hospital for severe dehydration. Explain what changes occur in extracellular and intracellular fluid compartments during dehydration.
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Fluid volume deficit occurs when the body loses both water and electrolytes from the extracellular fluid compartment. Fluid is initially lost from the intravascular compartment. Then fluid is drawn from the interstitial compartment into the intravascular compartment, depleting the interstitial compartment. To compensate for the decreased volume, the body then draws intracellular fluid out of the cells. This could lead to collapse and death.
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Your client has the flu and reports 5-6 loose stools a day. He has experienced an isotonic fluid volume loss. Explain what an isotonic fluid loss means.
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An isotonic fluid volume loss occurs when water and electrolytes are lost in equal proportion.
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You are giving a tap water enema to a patient. An adverse effect of the tap water enema is water intoxication. Explain.
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A tap water enema is a hypotonic solution. Based on osmosis, water diffuses to the solution of higher concentration leading to water intoxication.
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Your patient has a respiratory disease that has literally paralyzed the cilia. Explain why this patient would be at an increased risk for a respiratory infection.
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Ciliated cells that live in the respiratory tract propel mucus, laden with dust particles and bacteria, upward and away from the lungs. If the cilia are paralyzed, bacteria remain in the lungs and may cause infection.
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Research shows that neurofibrillary tangles are the primary cause of Alzheimer's disease. Neurofibrillary tangles are associated with microtubules. Based on your knowledge of microtubules, explain what may happen to microtubules to cause Alzheimer's disease.
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Microtubules determine the overall shape of the cell, among other things. They are dynamic organelles constantly growing from the centrosome, dissembling and then reassembling. In Alzheimer's disease the structure of the microtubule collapses.
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A 45-year-old woman is admitted to the hospital for surgical removal of a tumor on her thyroid gland. The surgeon informs her that she will have only a very small scar. How could this be possible?
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By making a thin incision, the amount of granulation (scar-forming) tissue will be minimal. As the scar tissue beneath matures and contracts, the layer of epithelium thickens and resembles the adjacent tissue. The final result may be only a fine white line.
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John, a 72-year-old grandfather, had been smoking heavily for 24 years and had a persistent cough. A biopsy of his lung tissue revealed considerable amounts of carbon particles. How could this happen considering the natural cleaning mechanism of the respiratory system?
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The sweeping action of the ciliated epithelium is essential in order to propel inhaled dust and other debris out of the respiratory tract. Anything that inhibits this mechanism would allow foreign substances to remain in the tract, which may cause damage. Chemicals such as nicotine may inhibit the action of the cilia, allowing carbon particles found in smoke to remain in the lungs.
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Aunt Jessie woke up one morning with excruciating pain in her chest. She had trouble breathing for several weeks. Following a visit to the doctor, she was told she had pleurisy. What is this condition and what did it affect?
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Pleurisy is an inflammation of the pleura, the serosal membranes covering the lungs and lining the thoracic wall. Pain is caused by the irritation and friction as the lungs rub against the walls of the cavity.
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In adult humans, most cancers are carcinomas or adenocarcinomas. These include cancers of the skin, lung, colon, breast, and prostate. Which of the four basic tissue types is involved? Why do you think this is so?
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Epithelium gives rise to most cancers. This is probably because epithelial cells divide more, leading to more opportunity for damage to growth control mechanisms, and because epithelia are more often in contact with environmental insults such as ultraviolet radiation and carcinogens.
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Without macrophages, wound healing is delayed. Why?
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Macrophages are large, irregularly shaped cells that act as key defenders that avidly phagocytize a broad variety of foreign materials, ranging from foreign molecules to entire bacteria to dust particles. This "big eater" also disposes of dead tissue cells which helps to clean out the wound, allowing for granulation tissue to form.
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A 6-year-old child fell off his bike and scraped his knee. Describe the first stage of wound healing
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The first stage is the inflammatory stage characterized by hemostasis (cessation of bleeding) and formation of blood clots and phagocytosis by leukocytes and macrophages.
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Explain why an infection may occur in a tissue injury.
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The skin is the largest organ in the body and protects underlying tissues from injury by preventing the passage of microorganisms. The skin and the mucus membranes are considered the body's first line of defense.
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Describe local clinical signs and symptoms of the inflammatory stage of wound healing.
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Pain, swelling, redness, and heat.
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A 19-year-old model for Glamour magazine tripped over an extension cord, causing injury to her epidermis. She is afraid the injury will leave a scar. Based on your knowledge of regeneration, what would you say to this patient?
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Regeneration is the replacement of destroyed tissue cells by cells that are identical or similar in structure and function. Scaring would be minimal, if there are no complications such as infection.
question
We are told that every surface we touch is teeming with bacterial cells, and bacteria are found in the pools we swim in, the water we wash with, and on the hands of friends. Why are we not inundated with bacterial infections on our skin?
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The low pH of the skin secretions, otherwise known as the acid mantle, retards the multiplication of bacteria on the skin. Also, in areas where sufficient sebum is produced regularly, many species of bacteria cannot exist.
question
The temperature yesterday was an uncomfortable 98° F. You unwisely chose to play tennis at noon, counting on your body's internal defenses to protect you against heat exhaustion. How did your body respond to this distress?
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The thermoreceptors in the skin relayed a message to the brain; the hypothalamus responded by sending impulses to sweat glands, which released their watery products, which in turn evaporated and cooled the body. Blood vessels in the dermis also responded to neural stimulation by dilating and releasing heat to the exterior.
question
Mary noticed a large, brown spot on her skin. She has been playing tennis in the sun for several years without sun protection. She reported the discovery to a friend, who told her to apply the ABCD rule to determine whether or not she had malignant melanoma. Her friend told her that if her answer was "no" to the questions that were asked by the ABCD rule, she had nothing to worry about. What is the ABCD rule and should she ignore the spot if her answers are negative?
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The ABCD rule refers to the following: asymmetrywhere the two sides of the spot do not match; border irregularitythe borders are not round and smooth; colorthe pigmented spot contains shades of black, brown, tan, and sometimes blues and reds; and diameterthe spot is larger than 6 mm in diameter. It is imperative that Mary have a physician examine the spot immediately. Any unusual lesion on the skin of a sun worshipper should be examined.
question
The Waldorf family was caught in a fire but escaped. Unfortunately, the father and daughter suffered burns. The father had second-degree burns on his chest, abdomen, and both arms, and third-degree burns on his entire left lower extremity. The daughter suffered first-degree burns on her head and neck and second-degree burns on both lower extremities. a. What percentage of the father's body was covered by burns? b. What percentage of the daughter's body received first-degree burns? c. What part of the daughter's body has both the dermis and epidermis involved? d. The father experiences a good deal of pain in the area of the chest and abdomen, but little pain in the leg. Why?
answer
a. 48%, b. 9%, c. 36%, d. Normally, third-degree burns sear nerve endings off. When the tissue regenerates, pain will return. Second-degree burns are usually very painful because of the irritation to the nerve endings
question
John, a younger teenager, notices that he is experiencing a lot of pimples and blackheads, which frequently become infected. What is causing this problem?
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Because of hormonal changes, teenagers frequently have overactive sebaceous (oil) glands, which can clog. Scratching, squeezing, or irritating the tissue can lead to infection.
question
Albinos commonly contract skin cancer. What seems to be their problem and what is a solution?
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Albinos lack melanin and consequently do not have the normal defense against UV light. As a result, skin cells can be affected by UV and skin cancer can occur. Covering all body areas and avoiding bright sunlight can prevent the situation.
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Sarah complains of severe pain after burning her hand from scalding grease. What layer of skin was injured and why is she in pain?
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The dermis layer was affected. The dermis is richly supplied with nerve fibers and a burn would expose the nerve endings to air and cause pain.
question
Melanoma is a form of skin cancer that arises from melanocytes. Melanoma is most common in Caucasians between 40 and 70 years of age. Explain why Caucasians would have a greater incidence of melanoma.
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Melanoma has its beginnings in melanocytes, the skin pigment cells. These cells produce the dark protective pigment called melanin. It is the melanin that is responsible for suntanned skin acting as a partial protection against the sun. Melanocytes of black- and brown-skinned people produce many more darker melanocytes than those of fair-skinned individuals. Dark brown or black skin is not a guarantee against melanoma, but the incidence is higher in Caucasians.
question
The 68-year-old client was admitted to the hospital medical floor with a diagnosis of chronic bronchitis. His wife asks the nurse why his skin looks blue. How would you explain cynosis to the client and his wife?
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Cynosis is a dusky bluish or grayish discoloration of the skin and mucus membranes that occurs with reduced oxygen levels of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin carries oxygen to the tissues. Without enough oxygen getting to the tissues the skin in Caucasians appears blue. In dark-skinned clients, close inspection of the conjunctiva and palms and soles may also show evidence of cynosis.
question
Explain why soap that has an alkaline base may not be healthy for some patients to use daily.
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The skin's acid mantle retards growth of bacteria. Soap may destroy the acid mantle of the skin, causing it to lose its protective mechanism. Some soaps contain antibacterial agents, which can change the natural flora of the skin.
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