Download Study Guide U-4

Study Guide: Unit- 4
1. What are the structures that make up the human heart and how are they
organized?
2. How do the heart and lungs work together to pick up and deliver oxygen to the
cells?
3. What is the pathway that blood takes as it passes through the heart?
4. What is the function of valves in the heart?
5. How does the structure of arteries and veins relate to their functions?
6. In what ways can technology be used to collect and analyze cardiovascular
data?
7. Why is it important to monitor the rate at which the heart beats?
8. What factors can influence heart rate?
9. What is blood pressure?
10. How do systolic and diastolic blood pressure values relate to the movement of
blood in arteries?
11. What factors can influence blood pressure?
12. What is an EKG?
13. How can an EKG be used in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease?
14. What is cholesterol?
15. What roles does cholesterol play in our cells and in the body?
16. What are LDL and HDL?
17. How are LDL, HDL, and cholesterol related to heart disease?
18. How do doctors interpret the results of a cholesterol test?
19. What is familial hypercholesterolemia and how is it inherited?
20. How can techniques of molecular biology be used to analyze DNA for the
presence of the FH mutation?
21. What lifestyle changes may help a patient obtain healthy cholesterol levels?
22. What are the pros and cons of using cholesterol lowering medications?
23. How does the heart work as a pump?
24. What is atherosclerosis?
25. How can cholesterol plaques affect the overall function of the heart?
26. What is heart disease?
27. What happens inside the heart to cause a heart attack?
28. How do doctors treat a blocked blood vessel?
29. What are risk factors for the development of heart disease?
30. How can a person decrease his or her risk of heart disease?
31. What is metabolic syndrome?
Key Terms
Aorta The large arterial trunk that carries blood from the heart to be distributed by
branch arteries through the body.
Aortic Valve The semilunar valve separating the aorta from the left ventricle that
prevents blood from flowing back into the left ventricle.
Artery Any of the tubular branching muscular and elastic-walled vessels that carry blood
from the heart through the body.
Atrium
An anatomical cavity or passage; especially a chamber of the heart that
receives blood from the veins and forces it into a ventricle or ventricles.
Cardiovascular System The transport system of the body responsible for carrying
oxygen and nutrients to the body and carrying away carbon dioxide and other wastes;
composed of the heart, blood vessels, and blood.
Cell The smallest structural unit of living matter capable of functioning independently.
Inferior Vena Cava A vein that is the largest vein in the human body and returns blood
to the right atrium of the heart from bodily parts below the diaphragm.
Mitral Valve A valve in the heart that guards the opening between the left atrium and
the left ventricle; prevents the blood in the ventricle from returning to the atrium.
Alternative name is bicuspid valve.
Pulmonary Circulation The passage of venous blood from the right atrium of the
heart through the right ventricle and pulmonary arteries to the lungs where it is
oxygenated and its return via the pulmonary veins to enter the left atrium and participate
in systemic circulation.
Superior Vena Cava
A vein that is the second largest vein in the human body and
returns blood to the right atrium of the heart from the upper half of the body.
Systemic Circulation
The branch of the circulatory system that supplies all body
organs and then returns oxygen-poor blood to the right atrium via the veins.
Tissue
An integrated group of cells with a common function, structure, or both.
Tricuspid Valve
A valve that is situated at the opening of the right atrium of the
heart into the right ventricle and that resembles the mitral valve in structure but consists
of three triangular membranous flaps.
Valve A body structure that temporarily closes a passage or orifice, or permits
movement of fluid in only one direction.
Vein A vessel that returns blood to the heart.
Atrioventricular Node
A specialized mass of conducting cells located at the
atrioventricular junction in the heart.
Blood Pressure
Pressure exerted by the blood upon the walls of the blood vessels,
especially arteries, usually measured by means of a sphygmomanometer and
expressed in millimeters of mercury.
Cardiology The study of the heart and its action and diseases.
Diastole
The stage of the heart cycle in which the heart muscle is relaxed, allowing
the chambers to fill with blood.
Diastolic Pressure Blood pressure that remains between heart contractions.
Electrocardiogram (EKG) A measurement of heart electrical activity.
Heart Rate A measure of cardiac activity usually expressed as the number of beats
per minute.
Hypertension
An abnormally high blood pressure.
Pacemaker An electrical device for stimulating or steadying the heartbeat or
reestablishing the rhythm of an arrested heart.
Pulse The rhythmic expansion and recoil of arteries resulting from heart contraction;
can be felt from the outside of the body.
Sinoatrial Node
A small mass of tissue that is made up of Purkinje fibers, ganglion
cells, and nerve fibers, that is embedded in the musculature of the right atrium, and that
originates the impulses stimulating the heartbeat -- called also S-A node, sinus node.
Sphygmomanometer
An instrument for measuring blood pressure and especially
arterial blood pressure.
Systole
The stage of the heart cycle in which the heart muscle contracts and the
chambers pump blood.
Systolic Pressure The pressure generated by the left ventricle during systole.
Allele Alternative versions of a gene that produce distinguishable phenotypic effects.
Atherosclerosis Changes in the walls of large arteries consisting of lipid deposits on
the artery walls.
Cholesterol A lipid that forms an essential component of animal cell membranes and
acts as a precursor molecule for the synthesis of other biologically important steroids.
Electrophoresis The movement of suspended particles through a fluid or gel under
the action of an electromotive force applied to electrodes in contact with the suspension.
Familial Hypercholesterolemia A metabolic disorder that is caused by defective or
absent receptors for LDLs on cell surfaces, that is marked by an increase in blood
plasma LDLs and by an accumulation of LDLs in the body resulting in an increased risk
of heart attack and coronary heart disease, and that is inherited as an autosomal
dominant trait.
Genotype All or part of the genetic constitution of an individual or group.
HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) A cholesterol-carrying particle in the blood, made up
of cholesterol and other lipids surrounded by a single layer of phospholipids in which
proteins are embedded. An HDL particle carries less cholesterol than a related
lipoprotein, LDL, and may be correlated with a decreased risk of blood vessel blockage.
Heterozygous
Having two different alleles for a given gene.
Homozygous
Having two identical alleles for a given gene.
LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) A cholesterol-carrying particle in the blood, made up
of cholesterol and other lipids surrounded by a single layer of phospholipids in which
proteins are embedded. An LDL particle carries more cholesterol than a related
lipoprotein, HDL, and high LDL levels in the blood correlate with a tendency to develop
blocked blood vessels and heart disease.
Mutation
A rare change in the DNA of a gene, ultimately creating genetic diversity.
PCR(Polymerase Chain Reaction)
A laboratory technique for amplifying DNA in
vitro by incubating with special primers, DNA polymerase molecules, and nucleotides.
Phenotype The physical and physiological traits of an organism that are determined
by its genetic makeup.
Restriction Enzyme
A degradative enzyme that recognizes specific nucleotide
sequences and cuts up DNA.
Angiogram The radiographic visualization of blood vessels after the injection of
radiopaque substance.
Angioplasty Surgical repair or recanalization of a blood vessel.
Coronary Bypass A surgical bypass operation performed to shunt blood around an
obstruction in a coronary artery that involves grafting one end of a segment of vein
removed from another part of the body into the aorta and the other end into the
coronary artery beyond the obstructed area to allow for increased blood flow.
Heart Attack An acute episode of heart disease marked by death or damage of heart
muscle due to insufficient blood supply to the heart muscle usually as a result of
coronary thrombosis or a coronary occlusion and that is characterized especially by
chest pain.
Heart Disease
An abnormal organic condition of the heart or of circulation.
Metabolic Syndrome
A syndrome marked by the presence of usually three or
more of a group of factors (as high blood pressure, abdominal obesity, high triglyceride
levels, low HDL levels, and high fasting levels of blood sugar) that are linked to
increased risk of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes.
Risk Factor Something which increases risk or susceptibility.
Stenting
A surgical procedure or operation for inserting a stent, a mold to keep a
passageway open, into an anatomical vessel.
Stroke
Sudden loss of consciousness, sensation, and voluntary motion caused by
rupture or obstruction (as by a clot) of a blood vessel of the brain.