Connective Tissue Matrix
What cells produce the fibers and ground substance that form the matrix of fibrous connective tissue?
Fibroblasts
What specialized epithelial surface structure increases absorption in the small intestine?
Microvilli (brush border)
What structure at the base of a hair provides its only source of nutrients?
Dermal papilla
What substance produced partly from ear canal glands forms earwax?
Cerumen
Which epidermal layers are most susceptible to cancer development?
Stratum basale and stratum spinosum
What molecules help give connective tissue ground substance its ability to retain water and maintain electrolyte balance?
Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs)
Which epithelial tissue type lines the urinary bladder and allows it to stretch?
Transitional epithelium
What is the anatomical term for a hair?
Pilus
Which glands produce watery secretions primarily responsible for thermoregulation?
Merocrine (eccrine) sweat glands
What rule is used clinically to detect early melanoma based on asymmetry, border, color, and diameter?
ABCD rule
Which connective tissue cells produce the rubbery matrix of cartilage?
Chondroblasts
Which epithelial cell junction prevents substances from passing between adjacent cells?
Tight junctions
What hair cycle stage represents the active growth phase?
Anagen
Which glands produce pheromones and are concentrated in the axillary and genital regions?
Apocrine glands
Which type of skin cancer is the least common but most deadly?
Melanoma
Which connective tissue defect causes Marfan syndrome due to abnormal elastic fibers?
Defect in elastin fibers
Which epithelial transformation occurs in smokers when pseudostratified epithelium changes into stratified squamous epithelium?
Metaplasia
What condition describes excessive hair growth in abnormal locations?
Hirsutism
Which glands produce sebum that lubricates hair and skin?
Sebaceous glands
What burn degree destroys the epidermis, dermis, and sometimes deeper tissues?
Third-degree burn
Which connective tissue is highly vascular and commonly found within serous membranes, showing large open spaces under the microscope?
Areolar connective tissue
Which epithelial gland type secretes products through cell rupture, releasing the entire cell?
Holocrine glands
Which two pigments determine the variation in human hair color?
Eumelanin and pheomelanin
Which modified sweat glands produce milk in females?
Mammary glands
What is the most immediate life-threatening complication of severe burns?
Fluid loss & bacterial infections