Growth and Growth Patterns Lecture Review Questions

1. What is an anabolic process? 2. What is a catabolic process? 3. In the growth curve shown in class that shows height vs. years for boys, what is the shape of the curve? 4. What does the shape of the curve represent? 5. What age group has the same growth curve shape as the boy’s height? 6. At birth, what proportion of the body’s length is the head? What about at age 25? 7. During the postnatal life, what organ has the fastest initial growth? What takes the longest time to start growing and then grows very rapidly? 8. What prenatal and environmental factors affect growth? 9. What are some of the congenital abnormalities which are caused by thalidomide during gestation? 10.What type of diet causes kwashiorkor? What type of diet causes marasmus? 11.What does growth depend on? 12.What is an endocrine hormone? Paracrine hormone? Autocrine hormone? 13.Note: Please study the hormone chart provided in class. It’s important to know the hormones and what they do. Please refer to the Growth Hormone Handout which I will post Monday (11/3). Look for it on a website near you!!

Answers to Review Questions:

1. An anabolic process is a constructive metabolism: simple  complex 2. A catabolic process is a destructive metabolism: complex  simple. 3. The shape of curve is sigmoid. 4. The shape of curve represents an initial period of rapid growth in the first three years, then a more steady growth from 3 – approximately 12 (or time of puberty) when the increased slop represents another period of rapid growth. 5. The postnatal growth curve also has a sigmoid shape which represents an initial peak growth in the first 6 months with a more steady, linear gain after 6 months. 6. At birth, the head takes up 25% of the total body length. At 25, the head is a mere 1/8 of the body’s length. 7. The brain has the most rapid growth initially and then it levels off. The reproductive organs (ie uterus) has the slowest initial growth and then at age of puberty, growth is very rapid. (Note: for the exam please read pp. 280 – 292 in your reader paying particular to attention to the graph which depicts differential postnatal growth rates for organs). 8. Prenatal effects on growth include congenital malformations and genetic factors. Environmental factors include parental age, parity (number of births), multiple births (twins, triplets, etc), fetal sex (male fetuses are generally smaller than female fetuses), and mechanical and chemical factors. 9. Thalidomide, a drug given to mothers in the 1950’s and early 1960’s to prevent morning sickness, is a severe teratogen which cause major abnormalities including absence or reduction of ears, facial defects including cleft lip and palette, defects of limbs (phocomelia – defects of limbs that make them appear like flippers, oligodactyly– presence of fewer than five digits), heart defects, duodenal stenosis (closed duodenum) and other problems. Moral of the story: don’t take intake anything teratogenic ESPCECIALLY during the embryonic period (<8 weeks from conception which is time of critical growth and development of most major organ systems) 10. Kwashiokor is generally said to be caused by a diet of adequate calories but deficient in protein. The lack of protein causes edema because the circulatory system cannot may oncotic pressure and fluid leaks into the interstitial space. Children are usually underweight, have the “moonface” from edema, and can have lighter or reddish hair. Marasmus is generally said to be caused by a diet that’s lacks calories and micronutrients. Children are wasted (having very little body fat), have the “old man wisened” face, no edema and very underweight. Note: While these two malnourishment states are thought to be the “classic” types, in reality, these conditions generally are mixed with children having characteristics of both. 11.Growth depends on the availability of nutritional substances and appropriate hormonal activity including endocrine, paracrine and autocrine function. 12. An endocrine hormone is one that comes from the hypothalamus, pituitary or peripheral endocrine glands. Paracrine hormones are those that act locally (between cells). Autocrine hormones are those that acts within an individual cell.