Pancreas and calcium Balance Questions Key

Draw a map which includes all of the following:

islets of Langerhans anabolism proteins

a cells catabolism triglycerides

b cells glucose uptake free fatty acids

insulin increased blood glucose amino acids

glucagon decreased blood glucose blood pH

liver glycogen

What will happen to someone who:

1. has hyperactive a cells – too much glucagon, too much catabolism, too much glucose, amino acids, and fatty acids in the blood

2. has hypoactive a cells – too little glucagon, low blood sugar

3. has hyperactive b cells – too much insulin, too much sugar enters cells, low blood sugar

4. has hypoactive b cells – too little insulin, sugar can’t enter cells, high blood sugar

5. lacks insulin receptor proteins on the liver cells – sugar can’t be stored as glycogen; high blood sugar after eating, probably low blood sugar when not eating.

6. A woman with diabetes mellitus presents with the following:

blood glucose = 320 mg/dL

urine and breath have odor of ketones

muscle wasting

weight loss

heavy breathing

increased blood amino acid (aa) levels

increased blood free fatty acid (ffa) levels

Draw a map explaining why she has these problems.

7. The woman was given an injection of insulin. Was this the right treatment? Why or why not? – Yes: insulin will let her cells pick up glucose, and then the alpha cells will stop releasing glucagon.

8. After the injection, she passed out. Her blood sugar was 20 mg/dL. What has happened? Why? – They gave her too much insulin and her cells picked up too much sugar. The brain needs sugar to run on, so it passed out when its supply was taken up by the other cells.

9. A doctor writes, "Fred's diabetes improved when I convinced him to stop taking steroids for his asthma." Why was Fred being given steroids to treat asthma? Why did removing them help his diabetes? – ‘steroids’ refers to cortisol. This helps with inflammatory diseases by inhibiting the inflammatory and immune systems, but it also raises blood glucose levels.

10. How does each of the following affect blood calcium levels?

Vitamin D – needed to absorb Calcium from the diet.

Kidneys – must activate Vit D before it can help you absorb calcium from the diet.

Parathyroid Hormone – causes the bones to release Ca2+ into the blood. Also promotes absorbtion of Ca2+ from the diet and its reabsorbtion in the kidneys – basically, raises blood Ca2+.

11. To treat his ulcers, Mr. F took large doses of Calcium carbonate. He developed high serum calcium. How will his body correct this problem? – his thyroids will release thyrocalcitonin, which causes the bones to store the Ca2+ away. He will also excrete it in his urine.

12. While Mr. F had high serum Calcium, he began to show signs of weakness. How could his high Calcium levels have caused this? – Ca2+ blocks the Na+ gates on nerve and muscle cells, decreasing their ability to fire.

13. Mrs. P has severe inflammation of the pancreas. She shows the following signs and symptoms: weight loss, stools containing fat and meat fibers, protein-digesting enzymes in her blood, low blood Calcium, and hyperglycemia. Why?

14. Mr. K had a thyroidectomy and his parathyroid glands were also removed by mistake. Why could this happen? What will it do to his blood Calcium levels? – it can happen because the parathyroids are tightly attached to the thyroid. Without PTH, his blood Ca2+ will drop.