How do sagittal, frontal and transverse planes divide the body?

Sagittal: right and left portions. Frontal: front and back portions. Transverse: upper and lower portions. A midsagittal plane passes through the midline.

How do pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics differ?

Pharmacokinetics describes drug movement and concentrations over time; pharmacodynamics describes drug effects and mechanisms.

How does negative feedback support homeostasis?

It opposes a deviation in a regulated condition, helping maintain a workable range rather than one permanently fixed value.

How do renal filtration, reabsorption and secretion differ?

Glomerular filtration moves water and small solutes into the nephron; reabsorption returns substances from tubular fluid to blood; secretion adds selected substances to tubular fluid.

What drives gas exchange across the alveolar-capillary barrier?

Oxygen and carbon dioxide diffuse down their respective partial-pressure gradients. Air movement into the lungs is a separate process.

What is elimination half-life in a simple first-order model?

The time for drug concentration to fall by half during elimination. It does not alone determine the duration of action or a dosing interval.

What are the three muscle tissue types?

Skeletal muscle is associated mainly with the skeleton; cardiac muscle forms the heart's muscular wall; smooth muscle occurs in many hollow organs and blood vessels.

Does completing an introductory set establish exam or clinical readiness?

No. Combine foundational review with course work, application practice and supervised clinical training; use the current official resources for the particular exam, such as NCLEX or USMLE.

How do potency and maximal efficacy differ?

Potency concerns the dose or concentration needed for a specified effect; maximal efficacy is the greatest response in the defined system. Compare the same endpoint and conditions.

What happens when a skeletal-muscle sarcomere shortens?

Actin and myosin filaments slide relative to one another, increasing their overlap; the filaments themselves do not shorten.

How does skin help maintain the internal environment?

It limits water loss, provides a protective barrier and contributes to temperature regulation through processes such as sweating and changes in skin blood flow.

What are major lymphatic-system functions?

Return excess interstitial fluid to blood, transport absorbed dietary fats and support immune responses. Lymph nodes filter lymph.

What roles do the testes and ovaries share?

They support gamete development and secrete hormones; the processes of gamete development differ between these organs.

What roles do bone and red bone marrow have?

Bone supports and protects the body and stores minerals; red bone marrow produces blood cells. Not all adult marrow is red marrow.

How do endocrine and exocrine secretions reach their destinations?

Endocrine secretions enter interstitial fluid and circulation; exocrine secretions reach an epithelial surface or lumen, often through ducts.

How is most oxygen carried in the blood?

Most is bound to hemoglobin in red blood cells; a smaller amount is dissolved in plasma.

How do a receptor agonist and antagonist differ?

An agonist activates a receptor response; an antagonist blocks or reduces agonist-mediated activation without producing that agonist response.

What structures form the central and peripheral nervous systems?

The brain and spinal cord form the central nervous system. Peripheral nerves and ganglia are part of the peripheral nervous system.

What does systemic bioavailability F represent?

The fraction of an administered dose reaching systemic circulation unchanged. Intravenous delivery is the absolute reference, with F=1, and bypasses absorption.

What characterizes epithelial tissue?

Closely arranged cells form coverings, linings and glands; their functions include protection, absorption or secretion, depending on the location.

How are arteries and veins defined?

Arteries carry blood away from the heart; veins carry it toward the heart. Direction, rather than oxygen content, defines these categories.

How do neurons and glia contribute to nervous tissue?

Neurons receive and communicate signals; glia support and regulate the neural environment and activity, rather than merely filling space.

How do the liver and gallbladder handle bile?

The liver produces bile; the gallbladder stores, concentrates and releases it into the small intestine.

What does ADME stand for in pharmacokinetics?

Absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion. Metabolism can produce active or toxic metabolites, so it does not always inactivate a drug.

How are pulmonary and systemic circulation connected after birth?

Normally, the right heart pumps blood to the lungs, which return it to the left heart; the left heart pumps it through the body, which returns it to the right heart.

How do digestion and absorption differ?

Digestion breaks food down; absorption transfers substances across the digestive-tract lining. Most nutrient absorption occurs in the small intestine.

How do anatomy and physiology differ?

Anatomy studies body structure; physiology studies how structures function. Histology examines tissues microscopically.

What are the four primary tissue types?

Epithelial, connective, muscle and nervous tissue. An organ usually contains several tissue types working together.

What characterizes connective tissue?

Cells within an extracellular matrix perform varied support, transport and storage roles. Bone, cartilage, fat and blood are examples.

What do medial and lateral mean?

Medial means nearer the body's midline; lateral means farther from it. These terms compare the positions of structures.

What should you check before using a medicine fact from a study card?

Check the drug, formulation, route and context against current approved information in your jurisdiction and authoritative course sources. A generic card is not a dosing instruction.

What is the reference anatomical position?

The body is upright and faces forward, with arms at the sides and palms forward. Right and left refer to the person's body, not the viewer.

Anatomy, Physiology & Basic Pharmacology: Introductory Concepts

32 introductory cards on anatomical terms, tissues, selected organ functions and basic drug concepts. Supports course study; not complete NCLEX or USMLE preparation.

Level: basic
Languages: en → en
Cards: 32
Markdown: Anatomy, Physiology & Basic Pharmacology: Introductory Concepts (.md)

Flashcards (32)

#	Front (Term / Question)	Back (Definition / Answer)
1	How do sagittal, frontal and transverse planes divide the body?	Sagittal: right and left portions. Frontal: front and back portions. Transverse: upper and lower portions. A midsagittal plane passes through the midline.
2	How do pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics differ?	Pharmacokinetics describes drug movement and concentrations over time; pharmacodynamics describes drug effects and mechanisms.
3	How does negative feedback support homeostasis?	It opposes a deviation in a regulated condition, helping maintain a workable range rather than one permanently fixed value.
4	How do renal filtration, reabsorption and secretion differ?	Glomerular filtration moves water and small solutes into the nephron; reabsorption returns substances from tubular fluid to blood; secretion adds selected substances to tubular fluid.
5	What drives gas exchange across the alveolar-capillary barrier?	Oxygen and carbon dioxide diffuse down their respective partial-pressure gradients. Air movement into the lungs is a separate process.
6	What is elimination half-life in a simple first-order model?	The time for drug concentration to fall by half during elimination. It does not alone determine the duration of action or a dosing interval.
7	What are the three muscle tissue types?	Skeletal muscle is associated mainly with the skeleton; cardiac muscle forms the heart's muscular wall; smooth muscle occurs in many hollow organs and blood vessels.
8	Does completing an introductory set establish exam or clinical readiness?	No. Combine foundational review with course work, application practice and supervised clinical training; use the current official resources for the particular exam, such as NCLEX or USMLE.
9	How do potency and maximal efficacy differ?	Potency concerns the dose or concentration needed for a specified effect; maximal efficacy is the greatest response in the defined system. Compare the same endpoint and conditions.
10	What happens when a skeletal-muscle sarcomere shortens?	Actin and myosin filaments slide relative to one another, increasing their overlap; the filaments themselves do not shorten.
11	How does skin help maintain the internal environment?	It limits water loss, provides a protective barrier and contributes to temperature regulation through processes such as sweating and changes in skin blood flow.
12	What are major lymphatic-system functions?	Return excess interstitial fluid to blood, transport absorbed dietary fats and support immune responses. Lymph nodes filter lymph.
13	What roles do the testes and ovaries share?	They support gamete development and secrete hormones; the processes of gamete development differ between these organs.
14	What roles do bone and red bone marrow have?	Bone supports and protects the body and stores minerals; red bone marrow produces blood cells. Not all adult marrow is red marrow.
15	How do endocrine and exocrine secretions reach their destinations?	Endocrine secretions enter interstitial fluid and circulation; exocrine secretions reach an epithelial surface or lumen, often through ducts.
16	How is most oxygen carried in the blood?	Most is bound to hemoglobin in red blood cells; a smaller amount is dissolved in plasma.
17	How do a receptor agonist and antagonist differ?	An agonist activates a receptor response; an antagonist blocks or reduces agonist-mediated activation without producing that agonist response.
18	What structures form the central and peripheral nervous systems?	The brain and spinal cord form the central nervous system. Peripheral nerves and ganglia are part of the peripheral nervous system.
19	What does systemic bioavailability F represent?	The fraction of an administered dose reaching systemic circulation unchanged. Intravenous delivery is the absolute reference, with F=1, and bypasses absorption.
20	What characterizes epithelial tissue?	Closely arranged cells form coverings, linings and glands; their functions include protection, absorption or secretion, depending on the location.
21	How are arteries and veins defined?	Arteries carry blood away from the heart; veins carry it toward the heart. Direction, rather than oxygen content, defines these categories.
22	How do neurons and glia contribute to nervous tissue?	Neurons receive and communicate signals; glia support and regulate the neural environment and activity, rather than merely filling space.
23	How do the liver and gallbladder handle bile?	The liver produces bile; the gallbladder stores, concentrates and releases it into the small intestine.
24	What does ADME stand for in pharmacokinetics?	Absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion. Metabolism can produce active or toxic metabolites, so it does not always inactivate a drug.
25	How are pulmonary and systemic circulation connected after birth?	Normally, the right heart pumps blood to the lungs, which return it to the left heart; the left heart pumps it through the body, which returns it to the right heart.
26	How do digestion and absorption differ?	Digestion breaks food down; absorption transfers substances across the digestive-tract lining. Most nutrient absorption occurs in the small intestine.
27	How do anatomy and physiology differ?	Anatomy studies body structure; physiology studies how structures function. Histology examines tissues microscopically.
28	What are the four primary tissue types?	Epithelial, connective, muscle and nervous tissue. An organ usually contains several tissue types working together.
29	What characterizes connective tissue?	Cells within an extracellular matrix perform varied support, transport and storage roles. Bone, cartilage, fat and blood are examples.
30	What do medial and lateral mean?	Medial means nearer the body's midline; lateral means farther from it. These terms compare the positions of structures.
31	What should you check before using a medicine fact from a study card?	Check the drug, formulation, route and context against current approved information in your jurisdiction and authoritative course sources. A generic card is not a dosing instruction.
32	What is the reference anatomical position?	The body is upright and faces forward, with arms at the sides and palms forward. Right and left refer to the person's body, not the viewer.