Get to Know Your Pancreas Trivia Quiz

Answer: Glucagon

The substance which works with insulin to maintain safe blood-sugar levels is glucagon. Insulin and glucagon are essential to life and when a reduced or lack of production arises in the body, then diabetes results. Diabetics have to be supplemented with injected insulin in manual homeostasis of their blood-sugar. Glucagon is a substance that converts glycogen (which is stored in the liver) into glucose. Urea is the end product of filtration of the blood through the renal vessels and the kidneys.

It travels through the ureters to be stored in the bladder until the process of urination. Sucrose is a type of sugar.

Answer: Islets of Langerhans

Insulin and glucagon are both produced in the islets of langerhans within the pancreas. The other three options are nothing to do with the pancreas but are all parts of nephrons within the kidney. The loop of Henlé is the site of selective re-absorption after the process of hyperfiltration has occurred in a mass of blood vessels called the glomerulus.

The Bowman's capsule is the structure which supports the glomerulus.

Answer: All of These

This stresses the huge importance of the pancreas in the process of digestion. Firstly, it contains amylase enzymes which break down starch into maltose. The molecules of maltose are then broken down by the maltase enzyme in to glucose. Proteases are the group of enzymes responsible for the digestion of proteins into shorter polypeptides and amino acids and lipase breaks fats into fatty acids and glycerol.

The reason this is so important is because in their normal state, proteins, fats and carbohydrates are large insoluble molecule chains.

They cannot pass through the walls of the small intestine and as a result, no nutrients can be passed around the body. This effects the cells in particular as they cannot therefore gain the necessary elements to partake in reactions. Examples of which is using glucose to produce energy in the process of respiration within the mitochondria.

The mitochondria are tiny organelles in the site of cell activity, the cytoplasm.

Answer: Duodenum

The duodenum is the first part of the intestinal tract. Despite not being even a foot in length, the duodenum is a critical area for digestion. The enzymes released by the pancreas pass through the pancreatic duct and into the duodenum. Bile is a substance created by the liver and is stored in the gall bladder.

When the bile is needed it passes down the bile duct which also leads to the duodenum. Bile, an alkaline substance, emulsifies fats found in the chyme which is a mixture of undigested food and hydrochloric acid from the stomach.

This breaks the fats down into smaller droplets which increases the surface area for lipase enzymes to digest the fats.

Answer: False

There are three general parts of the pancreas. The head, the body and the tail. The head is closest to the small intestine and is also the thickest part of the gland organ. The body is the main central section and the tail is the thinnest section and is close to the spleen.

Answer: Wirsung

Johann Georg Wirsung was a late 16th century to early 17th century German anatomist. He discovered the pancreatic duct and it is now named after him. Anatomists refer to it as the,'Duct of Wirsung'.
In general, people tend to have the one pancreatic duct. In some cases, two ducts have been found. This also has two names which are the accessory pancreatic duct or the,'Duct of Santorini'.

Answer: Gallstones

Gallstones are a main cause of pancreatitis. The stones can leave the gallbladder and get trapped in the main bile duct and this can lead to the inflammation of the pancreas. Other more infrequent causes are viral infections and cysts. In about one in ten cases, the condition is diagnosed as idiopathic, the medical term for a condition with an unknown cause.

Answer: Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis is a condition which is inherited from parents and affects the respiratory, reproductive, endocrine and digestive systems. It is a condition which makes the mucus on organ linings become thicker than general. This allows bacteria to grow faster than normal due to the perfect surroundings it gives to the micro-organisms. Cystic fibrosis can affect the pancreas as the thick, sticky mucus can clog the pancreatic tubes and ducts.
Huntington's Chorea affects the nervous system, sickle cell anaemia affects the blood and meningococcal meningitis is a brain related condition.

Answer: Magnetic and Resonance

MRCP stands for magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography. It is a form of MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan which involves the whole body being placed within the scanner. It works using the principles of magnetism and as a result the hydrogen atoms in the body move around due to the increased magnetic field.

This gives a clearer picture than the CT (computed tomography) scanning method. The MRI scan is also preferred to the CT method which uses ionising radiation to produce clear images. This can negatively affect the patient's health.

Answer: Yes

It is an available option, however, gastroenterologists and endocrinologists see this as a last resort when all else fails. There are two types of pancreatectomy which are total and partial. How much of the pancreas that is removed in each procedure is self-explanatory.

Thanks for taking the time to play this quiz and I, as ever, hope you enjoyed!