HUBS 1406 EXAM PREP AND REVISION QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED
ANSWERS
HUBS 1406 Exam Prep
Patients who have suffered strokes often suffer more brain damage after the stroke
because of oedema (swelling) of the brain cells. To try to reduce this oedema, a
carbohydrate known as mannitol is given intravenously. Mannitol is a large sugar
which cannot get out of the blood vessels. Why should this reduce the swelling of
the brain cells? - ANS... -Since mannitol cannot leave the blood vessels, and since
it is a solute, the extra solute will make the blood hypertonic relative to the
surrounding fluids, which will mean water will move from the tissue fluids into the
blood, and also from the cells into the tissue fluids.
A trauma patient presents to the Emergency Department. You set up an
intravenous line and begin infusing isotonic 0.9% normal saline. As the saline
surrounds the blood cells at the injection site, the cells will: - ANS... -remain the
same
A patient is suffering from a liver condition, resulting in a reduced production of
the protein albumin. Albumin is usually present at significant concentration in the
blood. What will be the result of the reduced albumin concentration in the patient's
blood? - ANS... -Water will move out of the blood vessels since the solution
outside the blood vessels will be hypertonic to the solution inside
What kind of solution would a cell have to be placed into in order for water to
move into the cell? - ANS... -a hypotonic solution
A critically ill patient in hospital who requires fluid replacement is given a large
infusion of hypertonic saline by mistake. What would be the likely result of this? -
ANS... -Hypertonic saline would cause water to move out of the patient's cells into
the blood, resulting in cell shrinkage. If this occurred in the brain, then brain
function would be compromised.
,A menopausal woman who eats a well-balanced diet with adequate vitamins and
minerals is showing signs of mild osteoporosis. Which of the following changes is
likely to be the most beneficial in terms of reversing this? - ANS... -An exercise
regime of daily walking/jogging, to increase stress on the bones
A patient has suffered central nervous system damage after a car accident. This
could mean that there was direct damage to: - ANS... -the brain and/or the spinal
cord
Anxiety disorders are becoming increasingly common in our society, and may also
be helping to increase the incidence of a number of other illnesses such as heart
disease, infections and cancer. What is the most likely link between anxiety and
these other diseases? - ANS... -An anxious state of mind results in an increase in
the release of the stress hormone cortisol. This hormone also suppresses immune
function, leaving an individual more vulnerable to infections and cancers.
Body fluids such as blood and intracellular fluid have their pH strictly controlled.
There are some body fluids, however, that are acidic. In which of the following
locations would you expect to find strongly acidic fluids and what would the
purpose be ? - ANS... -the stomach, to destroy incoming organisms
If a person does some very intense exercise, what is likely to happen to the acidity
of their blood? - ANS... -The pH will go down slightly, meaning the fluids are
more acidic
Patricia is suffering from emphysema which is limiting gas transfer in her lungs.
Her arterial oxygen is low and her arterial carbon dioxide is high. However, the
acidity of her arterial blood is still within normal limits. What is Patricia's body
doing to keep the pH within normal limits? - ANS... -Patricia's kidneys will be
excreting more acid to compensate for the high arterial carbon dioxide level.
People who suffer from asthma attacks are sometimes taught to breathe out
through a small tube while they are having an attack. What good would this do? -
ANS... -The narrow tube would cause the air pressure inside the airways to
increase, preventing the collapse of small airways during expiration.
Premature babies may deveop great difficulty breathing immediately after birth,
and have to make huge efforts to breathe - a condition known as infant respiratory
distress syndrome. If this occurred, they would be given a particular drug via a
breathing tube. What would this drug do? - ANS... -It would reduce the surface
,tension in the alveoli of the lungs, allowing the babies to inflate their lungs more
easily
Soft bones (osteomalacia) and rickets can be a problem in people who keep their
entire skin surface covered most of the time, for example, muslim women who
wear a burka. Why would this be? - ANS... -Bones rely on their calcium content to
make them hard, and calcium absorption into the body is dependent on the active
form of vitamin D. Vitamin D is converted to an active form by the action of
sunlight on the skin. If the skin does not get any sunlight on it, then this process
will not occur, and bones will become soft.
The glucose tolerance test is used to diagnose diabetes. The test involves giving the
subject a glucose drink, and then monitoring the blood level of glucose at intervals
afterwards. How does this test show whether a person has diabetes or not? - ANS...
-In a healthy person, the blood glucose level should rise rapidly after drinking the
glucose drink, but should drop to pre-test levels within 2 hours, as insulin will have
caused the removal of glucose from the blood stream into cells.
Urine dipsticks are a quick and easy way to check for a range of substances in the
urine. If the dipstick indicates that significant protein and blood is present in a
urine sample, is this normal or abnormal? - ANS... -Neither blood nor protein
should be present in significant amounts in urine, so both results suggest something
is not quite right.
What does it mean to be anaemic? - ANS... -It means that your blood is unable to
carry as much oxygen as it should
What is a vaccine? - ANS... -It is a piece of a disease-causing pathogen, which,
when injected into a person, stimulates the production of antibodies to the
pathogen.
You go to your doctor for a checkup and she tells you that your blood pressure is
120 over 80.What does this mean? - ANS... -The pressure in your large arteries as
the left ventricle is contracting reaches 120 mm Hg, and drops to 80 mm Hg
between contractions.
The hormone oxytocin: - ANS... -Stimulates milk "let-down" from the breast and
contraction of the uterus
, Magnesium atoms have two electrons in the outermost shell. As a result, you
would expect magnesium to form ions with a charge of - ANS... -+2.
Diffusion will only occur if there is: - ANS... -a concentration gradient
Terence is in hospital after suffering a heart attack or myocardial infarction. His
cardiologist visits him to dicuss his situation and options for his recovery. She tells
Terence that a few hours after his heart attack, the levels of creatine kinase (CK)
and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in his blood were very high, which is how they
confirmed the initial diagnosis. Terence was confused about this, and the
cardiologist told him that CK and LDH were chemicals found in heart muscle
which leak into the blood if the cells are damaged. From what you know, which of
the following explanations would be most likely to be correct? - ANS... -CK and
LDH are enzymes, which are proteins, and proteins should not normally be able to
cross the membrane. If they leak out of cells into the blood, then those cells must
have burst, releasing their contents.
You would expect a cell with an extensive Golgi apparatus to: - ANS... -secrete a
lot of material.
Lysosomes contain digestive enzymes. These are used for: - ANS... -recycling
worn-out cell components
Most of the ATP required to power the cell is produced in the: - ANS... -
mitochondria
A person with an increased eosinophil count might be suffering from: - ANS... -a
parasitic worm infection.
During a bacterial infection you would expect to see increased numbers of which
cells in the blood - ANS... -neutrophils.
George lives in Sydney. Feeling 'run down', he decides to take a 2-month holiday
of a lifetime in the Mountains of Tibet. He consults his GP before and after his trip,
and sees a change in his blood test results. What change would you expect after his
stay in the mountains? - ANS... -an increase in the number of red cells in his blood
Fibrinogen is a plasma protein that: - ANS... -aids in blood clotting
ANSWERS
HUBS 1406 Exam Prep
Patients who have suffered strokes often suffer more brain damage after the stroke
because of oedema (swelling) of the brain cells. To try to reduce this oedema, a
carbohydrate known as mannitol is given intravenously. Mannitol is a large sugar
which cannot get out of the blood vessels. Why should this reduce the swelling of
the brain cells? - ANS... -Since mannitol cannot leave the blood vessels, and since
it is a solute, the extra solute will make the blood hypertonic relative to the
surrounding fluids, which will mean water will move from the tissue fluids into the
blood, and also from the cells into the tissue fluids.
A trauma patient presents to the Emergency Department. You set up an
intravenous line and begin infusing isotonic 0.9% normal saline. As the saline
surrounds the blood cells at the injection site, the cells will: - ANS... -remain the
same
A patient is suffering from a liver condition, resulting in a reduced production of
the protein albumin. Albumin is usually present at significant concentration in the
blood. What will be the result of the reduced albumin concentration in the patient's
blood? - ANS... -Water will move out of the blood vessels since the solution
outside the blood vessels will be hypertonic to the solution inside
What kind of solution would a cell have to be placed into in order for water to
move into the cell? - ANS... -a hypotonic solution
A critically ill patient in hospital who requires fluid replacement is given a large
infusion of hypertonic saline by mistake. What would be the likely result of this? -
ANS... -Hypertonic saline would cause water to move out of the patient's cells into
the blood, resulting in cell shrinkage. If this occurred in the brain, then brain
function would be compromised.
,A menopausal woman who eats a well-balanced diet with adequate vitamins and
minerals is showing signs of mild osteoporosis. Which of the following changes is
likely to be the most beneficial in terms of reversing this? - ANS... -An exercise
regime of daily walking/jogging, to increase stress on the bones
A patient has suffered central nervous system damage after a car accident. This
could mean that there was direct damage to: - ANS... -the brain and/or the spinal
cord
Anxiety disorders are becoming increasingly common in our society, and may also
be helping to increase the incidence of a number of other illnesses such as heart
disease, infections and cancer. What is the most likely link between anxiety and
these other diseases? - ANS... -An anxious state of mind results in an increase in
the release of the stress hormone cortisol. This hormone also suppresses immune
function, leaving an individual more vulnerable to infections and cancers.
Body fluids such as blood and intracellular fluid have their pH strictly controlled.
There are some body fluids, however, that are acidic. In which of the following
locations would you expect to find strongly acidic fluids and what would the
purpose be ? - ANS... -the stomach, to destroy incoming organisms
If a person does some very intense exercise, what is likely to happen to the acidity
of their blood? - ANS... -The pH will go down slightly, meaning the fluids are
more acidic
Patricia is suffering from emphysema which is limiting gas transfer in her lungs.
Her arterial oxygen is low and her arterial carbon dioxide is high. However, the
acidity of her arterial blood is still within normal limits. What is Patricia's body
doing to keep the pH within normal limits? - ANS... -Patricia's kidneys will be
excreting more acid to compensate for the high arterial carbon dioxide level.
People who suffer from asthma attacks are sometimes taught to breathe out
through a small tube while they are having an attack. What good would this do? -
ANS... -The narrow tube would cause the air pressure inside the airways to
increase, preventing the collapse of small airways during expiration.
Premature babies may deveop great difficulty breathing immediately after birth,
and have to make huge efforts to breathe - a condition known as infant respiratory
distress syndrome. If this occurred, they would be given a particular drug via a
breathing tube. What would this drug do? - ANS... -It would reduce the surface
,tension in the alveoli of the lungs, allowing the babies to inflate their lungs more
easily
Soft bones (osteomalacia) and rickets can be a problem in people who keep their
entire skin surface covered most of the time, for example, muslim women who
wear a burka. Why would this be? - ANS... -Bones rely on their calcium content to
make them hard, and calcium absorption into the body is dependent on the active
form of vitamin D. Vitamin D is converted to an active form by the action of
sunlight on the skin. If the skin does not get any sunlight on it, then this process
will not occur, and bones will become soft.
The glucose tolerance test is used to diagnose diabetes. The test involves giving the
subject a glucose drink, and then monitoring the blood level of glucose at intervals
afterwards. How does this test show whether a person has diabetes or not? - ANS...
-In a healthy person, the blood glucose level should rise rapidly after drinking the
glucose drink, but should drop to pre-test levels within 2 hours, as insulin will have
caused the removal of glucose from the blood stream into cells.
Urine dipsticks are a quick and easy way to check for a range of substances in the
urine. If the dipstick indicates that significant protein and blood is present in a
urine sample, is this normal or abnormal? - ANS... -Neither blood nor protein
should be present in significant amounts in urine, so both results suggest something
is not quite right.
What does it mean to be anaemic? - ANS... -It means that your blood is unable to
carry as much oxygen as it should
What is a vaccine? - ANS... -It is a piece of a disease-causing pathogen, which,
when injected into a person, stimulates the production of antibodies to the
pathogen.
You go to your doctor for a checkup and she tells you that your blood pressure is
120 over 80.What does this mean? - ANS... -The pressure in your large arteries as
the left ventricle is contracting reaches 120 mm Hg, and drops to 80 mm Hg
between contractions.
The hormone oxytocin: - ANS... -Stimulates milk "let-down" from the breast and
contraction of the uterus
, Magnesium atoms have two electrons in the outermost shell. As a result, you
would expect magnesium to form ions with a charge of - ANS... -+2.
Diffusion will only occur if there is: - ANS... -a concentration gradient
Terence is in hospital after suffering a heart attack or myocardial infarction. His
cardiologist visits him to dicuss his situation and options for his recovery. She tells
Terence that a few hours after his heart attack, the levels of creatine kinase (CK)
and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in his blood were very high, which is how they
confirmed the initial diagnosis. Terence was confused about this, and the
cardiologist told him that CK and LDH were chemicals found in heart muscle
which leak into the blood if the cells are damaged. From what you know, which of
the following explanations would be most likely to be correct? - ANS... -CK and
LDH are enzymes, which are proteins, and proteins should not normally be able to
cross the membrane. If they leak out of cells into the blood, then those cells must
have burst, releasing their contents.
You would expect a cell with an extensive Golgi apparatus to: - ANS... -secrete a
lot of material.
Lysosomes contain digestive enzymes. These are used for: - ANS... -recycling
worn-out cell components
Most of the ATP required to power the cell is produced in the: - ANS... -
mitochondria
A person with an increased eosinophil count might be suffering from: - ANS... -a
parasitic worm infection.
During a bacterial infection you would expect to see increased numbers of which
cells in the blood - ANS... -neutrophils.
George lives in Sydney. Feeling 'run down', he decides to take a 2-month holiday
of a lifetime in the Mountains of Tibet. He consults his GP before and after his trip,
and sees a change in his blood test results. What change would you expect after his
stay in the mountains? - ANS... -an increase in the number of red cells in his blood
Fibrinogen is a plasma protein that: - ANS... -aids in blood clotting
