Paper One: Macvsc s2

Australian College of Veterinary Scientists Membership Examination June/July 2009

Veterinary Physiology General Physiological Principles

Paper 1

Perusal time: fifteen (15) minutes

Time allowed: two (2) hours after perusal

Answer four (4) from the six (6) questions only

All questions are of equal value

Subsections of questions are of equal value unless stated otherwise

Veterinary Physiology Paper 1 Page 1 of 2 Paper 1: Veterinary physiology

Answer four (4) from the six (6) questions only.

1. Discuss the effects of the different phases of digestion on gastric function in monogastric animals. Explain how these phases are initiated and controlled.

2. Explain the main renal and non-renal mechanisms involved in the regulation of potassium balance.

3. Sympathetic stimulation has profound effects on the cardiovascular system. Use the example of a bolting horse to explain the effects on intestinal, myocardial and skeletal muscle perfusion; cardiac return; and blood pressure. Draw a diagram of these responses to show how cardiac homeostasis is restored when the horse comes to a halt.

4. Answer one (1) of the following questions:

a) Explain the key functions of skin and its accessory structures. Compare and contrast the function of skin and accessory structures in a horse and a sheep. b) Explain the source, blood transport, hepatic metabolism and excretion, and fate, of bilirubin.

5. Answer one (1) of the following questions:

a) Using the response to an acute haemorrhage as the example, explain the mechanisms involved in the maintenance of cardiac output and mean arterial pressure. b) Explain the exchange of water, gas and solutes between the systemic bloodstream and the interstitial fluid. What factors influence their movement across capillaries?

6. Describe the structure of the peripheral receptors of the vestibular system and explain the role of the vestibular system in the maintenance of balance.

End of paper

Veterinary Physiology Paper 1 Page 2 of 2 Australian College of Veterinary Scientists Membership Examination June/July 2009

Veterinary Physiology Applied and Comparative Physiology

Paper 2

Perusal time: fifteen (15) minutes

Time allowed: two (2) hours after perusal

Answer five (5) questions only Answer three (3) from the five (5) questions in Section A And two (2) from the four (4) questions in Section B

All questions are of equal value

Subsections of questions are of equal value unless stated otherwise

Veterinary Physiology Paper 2 Page 1 of 3 Paper 2: Veterinary physiology

Section A: Applied physiology Answer three (3) from the following five (5) questions only.

1. Explain the function of upper and lower motor neurons in normal movement. How would you distinguish between upper and lower motor neuron damage in an equine neurological examination?

2. Compare thermoregulatory function in a horse with hyperthermia and a horse with fever. Identify the key differences in these thermoregulatory responses and explain how they would be differentiated.

3. Explain the regulation of airway diameter by the autonomic nervous system and relate this to the pharmacologic management of recurrent airway obstruction in horses.

4. Explain the water, electrolyte and acid-base disturbances that can occur in endurance horses competing in a 160 km event held in hot, humid conditions. Relate these disturbances to one (1) of the clinical abnormalities that can occur in horses under these conditions.

5. Compare the oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations in a normal, standing horse (breathing air), and a horse in lateral recumbency undergoing intravenous general anaesthesia (breathing air). Your answer should include reference to the effects of tidal volume, dead space, pressure on the diaphragm from abdominal contents, and ventilation/perfusion mismatching.

End of Section A

Veterinary Physiology Paper 2 Page 2 of 3 Section B: Comparative physiology Answer two (2) from the following four (4) questions only.

1. With specific regard to their role in the maintenance of water balance, compare the kidneys of domestic animals to those of desert-dwelling mammals with limited access to water.

2. Contrast the regulation of the ovarian cycle of a spontaneous ovulatory species, such as the horse, and an induced ovulator, such as the cat. For each species, explain how appropriate these reproductive strategies are in free-living animals and the implications for intensive breeding programs.

3. Compare the physiology of diving in humans with that of marine mammals that can survive at great depths for prolonged periods.

4. Compare the differing responses in sheep, horses and kangaroos that have access to very poor-quality, scarce feed during drought.

End of paper

Veterinary Physiology Paper 2 Page 3 of 3