6.6 Hormones, homoeostasis and reproduction Flashcards Preview

Biology 6. Human Physiology > 6.6 Hormones, homoeostasis and reproduction > Flashcards

Flashcards in 6.6 Hormones, homoeostasis and reproduction Deck (68)
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1
Q

What is the menstrual cycle controlled by?

A

controlled by negative and positive feedback mechanisms

2
Q

What hormones are involved in the menstrual cycle?

A

Ovarian and pituitary hormones

3
Q

What is the first half the menstrual cycle called?

A

Follicular phase

4
Q

What occurs during the follicular phase?

A

a group of follicles is developing in the ovary

5
Q

Which organ responds to changes in blood glucose levels?

A

Pancreas

6
Q

What happens when blood glucose level is low?

A

alpha cells synthesize and secrete GLUCAGON which stimulates breakdown of glycogen (found in liver) into glucose

7
Q

What happens when blood glucose level is high?

A

beta cells synthesize insulin which stimulates uptake of glucose by other tissues ( skeletal muscles and liver)
- stimulates conversion of glucose to glycogen

8
Q

What is thyroxin?

A

Is a hormone secreted by thyroid gland (in neck) and regulates body’s metabolic rate and controls body temperature

9
Q

What happens when thyroxin is deficient?

A
  • lack of energy(tiredness)
  • forgetfulness depression
  • weight gain
  • less heat generated
  • constipation
10
Q

What is leptin?

A

hormone secreted by ADIPOSE CELLS that controls appetite by targeting hypothalamus (region in the brain). It binds to receptors in the membrane of these cells.

11
Q

What is melatonin?

A

Hormone secreted by pineal gland to control circadian rhythms (High melatonin = sleepy)

12
Q

What is Type I Diabetes?

A
  • Early onset diabetes
  • Individual has inability to produce sufficient quantities of insulin
  • This is an autoimmune disease of beta cells
  • Symptoms are very sudden
  • Inherited
13
Q

What happens to most hormones when they act upon cells?

A

They are broken down, so secretion needs to be continuous (Insulin deficiency causes diabetes)

14
Q

What is Type II Diabetes?

A
  • Late onset diabetes
  • Individual has inability to process or respond to insulin because of deficient insulin receptors/glucose transporters
  • Symptoms occur slowly (may go unnoticed for years)
15
Q

What are risk factors for getting Type II diabetes?

A
  • Sugary foods/Fatty diets
  • Prolonged obesity
  • Unhealthy habits (no exercise/overeating)
  • Some genetics may make people more vulnerable
16
Q

How is type I diabetes treated?

A
  • By testing blood glucose level regularly –> inject insulin
  • Timing of injection is important because insulin molecules do not last long in the blood
  • New treatments include: implanted devices for exogenous insulin
  • A permanent cure may be achieved: coaxing stem cells to become fully functional replacement beta cells
17
Q

How is type II diabetes treated?

A

Adjusting diets to reduce blood glucose

  • small amount of food should be eaten frequently instead
  • Food with high sugar content should be avoided
  • Starchy food should be avoided (only allowed if low glycemic index)
  • More high fiber foods
  • Weight loss/exercise are beneficial (increase insulin uptake)
18
Q

What does the chemical structure of thyroxin contain?

A

Iodine

19
Q

What could prevent the synthesis of thyroxin?

A

Prolonged deficiency of iodine in the diet

20
Q

Why does thyroxin target almost all cells in the body?

A

It regulates metabolic rate so all cells need to respond

21
Q

What are the most metabolically active parts of the body?

A

Liver, muscle and brain

22
Q

What do higher metabolic rates support?

A

more protein synthesis, growth and increased generation of body heat

23
Q

How is concentration of leptin controlled in the blood?

A

food intake and amount of adipose tissues

24
Q

What happens if adipose tissues increase?

A

Blood leptin concentrations rise, causing long-term appetite inhibition and reduced food intake

25
Q

Why was the injection of leptin to increase blood leptin concentration unsuccessful in most cases?

A

Most obese humans already have exceptionally high blood leptin concentrations. So the target cells in the hypothalamus may be resistant to leptin, so fail to respond (even at high concentrations).

So appetite is not inhibited -> food intake is excessive

26
Q

What does excessive food intake cause?

A

More adipose tissues develop, causing rise in blood leptin concentration but the leptin resistance prevents inhibition

27
Q

In what cases was the leptin injection successful?

A

humans who had a mutation in genes for leptin synthesis or its various receptors on target cells

28
Q

Why do most people refuse the leptin treatment when it works for them?

A

It’s a short-lived protein and has to be injected several times a day

29
Q

What us a circadian rhythm?

A

Rhythms in behaviour that fit a human’s 24-hour cycle

30
Q

What cells does the circadian rhythm depend on?

A

the suprachiasmatic nulcei (SCN) in the hypthalamus

31
Q

What does SCN do?

A

set daily rhythm, by controlling secretion of melatonin by pineal gland

32
Q

When does melatonin secretion increase?

A

in the evening

33
Q

When is melatonin at low levels?

A

at dawn it is rapidly removed from blood by liver

34
Q

What feelings do high melatonin levels cause?

A

drowsiness and promotion of sleep

35
Q

What does the discovery of melatonin receptors in kidney suggest?

A

Decreased urine production at night

36
Q

What does the development pathway of the embryonic gonads depend on?

A

The presence or absence of the SRY gene

37
Q

What happens if the SRY gene is present in the embryonic gonad?

A

Embryonic gonad develops into testes. It codes for DNA binding protein called TDF which stimulates expression of other genes (that caus testes development)

38
Q

Where is the SRY gene located if present?

A

Y chromosome

39
Q

What do testes develop until around the 15th week of pregnancy?

A

testerone secreting cells that cause male genitalia to develop

40
Q

What happens to males at puberty?

A

secretion of testerone increases, and stimulates production if sperm (primary sexual characteristic of males)
- development of secondary sexual characteristics occurs during puberty (enlarged penis, growth of pubic hair and deeper voice)

41
Q

What does testosterone cause?

A

Prenatal development of male genitalia and both sperm production and development of male secondary sexual characteristics during puberty

42
Q

What causes prenatal development of female reproductive organs and female secondary sexual characteristics during puberty?

A

Estrogen and progesterone which are always present in pregnancy

43
Q

What causes the development of female secondary sexual characteristics?

A

Puberty, as it increases the secretion of estrogen and progesterone. (cause enlargement of breast and growth of pubic/underarm hair)

44
Q

Annotate a diagram of the male reproductive system

A

Testis, scrotum, epididymis, sperm duct, seminal vescicle and prostate gland, urethra and penis

45
Q

Annotate a diagram of the female reproductive system

A

Ovary, oviduct, uterus, cervix, vagina, vulva

46
Q

Annotate a diagram of the female reproductive system

A

Ovary, oviduct, uterus, cervix, vagina, vulva

47
Q

What is the first half of the menstrual cycle called?

A

follicular phase

48
Q

What occurs during the follicular phase?

A

group of follicles develop in the ovary. In each follicle an egg is stimulated to grow.

At the same time the lining of the uterus (endometrium) is repaired and starts to thicken.

49
Q

What happens when the follicle breaks

A

It releases egg into the overduct. The other follicles degenerate

50
Q

What is the second half of the cycle called?

A

Luteal phase

51
Q

What occurs during the luteal phase?

A

wall of the follicle (after it has released an egg) becomes a corpus luteum

52
Q

What happens if egg is not fertilized?

A

Corpus luteum in ovary breaks down, and the thickening of the endometrium in the uterus breaks down and sheds during menstruation

53
Q

Which hormones are produced by the pituitary gland?

A

FSH and LH

54
Q

What are ovarian hormones?

A

Estrogen and progesterone

55
Q

Where are ovarian hormones produced?

A

wall of follicle and corpus luteum

56
Q

What do ovarian hormones affect?

A

Gene expression and development

57
Q

What is the order of the hormones in the menstrual cycle?

A

FSH Estrogen LH progesterone

58
Q

When doe FSH peak?

A

End of menstrual cycle

59
Q

What does FSH stimulate?

A

Development of follicles (containing oocyte and follicular fluid). Also stimulates secretion of ESTROGEN

60
Q

When does estrogen peak?

A

End of follicular phase

61
Q

What does estrogen stimulate?

A

repair and thickening of endometrium AFTER menstruation.
It also creates a positive feedback loop by increasing FSH receptors.

At high levels, it stimulates LH secretion

62
Q

When does LH peak?

A

End of follicular phase

63
Q

What does LH stimulate?

A

completion of meiosis in oocyte and partial digestion of follicle wall (so it can burst).

Stimulates follicle wall to develop into corpus luteum. (secretes estrogen/progesterone)

64
Q

When do progesterone levels peak?

A

Start of Luteal Phase

65
Q

What does progesterone promote?

A

thickening and maintance of the endometrium (inhibits FSH and LH secretes)

66
Q

What is it called when fertilization occurs outside the body?

A

In vitro fertilization (IVF)

67
Q

What is the procedure for IVF?

A
  1. Woman takes drugs to stop natural hormone production of pituitary gland so that doctors control timing and amount of egg production
  2. Intramuscular injections of FSH and LH are given to stimulate follicles to develop (IVF has much more than normal) –> called superovulation
  3. injection of HCG stimulates follicles to mature
  4. eggs are harvested from woman’s ovaries
  5. sperm donor needed
  6. sperm is washed before use
  7. eggs are mixed with sperm on petridish
  8. 2-3 embryos are planted into uterus
  9. Pregnancy test to check whether implantation was successful
68
Q

What did William Harvey investigate in deer?

A

He slaughtered and dissected female deer during mating season to see whether eggs were developing in the uterus immediately after mating. But signs of development only arised two or more months after mating season