Question 1

The production of estrogen and progesterone decreases during menopause. This can cause thinning of bones and brief moments of feeling hot. What is another biological effect of low amounts of these hormones in women?

Accepted Answer

Low levels of estrogen and progesterone can lead to infertility and difficulty in reproducing, hence option B is the correct answer.

Question 2

Gathering good data on hormone release from water treatment plants in a particular area would require all but one of these actions. Choose the exception.

Accepted Answer

The variety of soils in the area would not really impact the hormone release from water treatment plants. A, B, and D are all relevant actions to take in order to gather good data on hormone release from water treatment plants in a particular area. Preventing unused drugs and preventing large mammals from urinating in the area would reduce the number of chemicals and hormones in the water that could interfere with the study. Additionally, recording data from an area where there is no water release from a water treatment plant would provide a control group for comparison.

Question 3

Recent studies suggest that flame retardants, chemicals that are used to slow down burning, can mimic estrogen hormones found in the human body. Scientists investigating this phenomenon developed three-dimensional images to show how the chemical structure of certain flame retardants allows the retardants to bind to and inhibit an enzyme (estrogen sulfotransferase) that metabolizes estrogen.
Suppose the scientists want to conduct a study of the effects of flame retardants on estrogen levels. In a hypothetical study, the scientists use frogs to test the effects of flame retardants because the frogs' skin is highly permeable and therefore allows for easy absorption of chemicals.
The scientists collected 20 wild adult frogs and brought them to a laboratory. Ten of the frogs (group 1: five male and five female) were kept in tanks mimicking their natural environment. The other ten frogs (group 2: five male, five female) were kept in tanks like those of group 1 except they were introduced to low amounts of flame retardants in the shallow water in their tank. Estrogen levels were measured on the first day of the experiment and then every 4 days for 20 days.
-Why is group 1 needed in this experiment?

Accepted Answer

Group 1 is needed in this experiment as a standard of comparison for the experimental group. By comparing the results of group 2 to group 1, the scientists can determine whether the flame retardants had any effect on the estrogen levels of the frogs.

Question 4

Which step in this figure portraying lipid-soluble hormone action shows transcription in response to the bound hormone-receptor complex?

Accepted Answer

Step 4 shows the binding of the hormone-receptor complex to DNA, which then leads to transcription of specific genes.

Question 5

When environmental estrogens trigger premature puberty in girls, the main organs affected are the

Accepted Answer

Environmental estrogens primarily affect the ovaries, leading to premature puberty in girls by mimicking the action of the natural hormone estrogen, which is crucial for the development and functioning of the ovaries.

Question 6

A mutation in the gene for hormone A causes it to be unable to bind to its receptor protein. What do you predict will likely happen?

Accepted Answer

If hormone A is unable to bind to its receptor protein, the receptor protein will not be activated and therefore will not initiate a signal transduction pathway. This means the downstream effects of the hormone signal will not occur, leading to an altered physiological response.

Question 7

Prolactin is a hormone whose molecular structure has remained stable over evolutionary time but whose hormonal role has changed dramatically in different animal species. This is an excellent example of how evolution

Accepted Answer

Prolactin's stable molecular structure demonstrates the preservation of unity in evolution, while its changing role in different animal species displays the promotion of diversity. This shows that evolution can both maintain continuities and facilitate adaptations.

Question 8

How are steroids able to cross cell membranes and enter cells?

Accepted Answer

Steroids are lipid-soluble molecules that can easily diffuse through the phospholipid bilayer of the cell membrane. This is because the structure of steroids is similar to that of phospholipids, which make up the majority of the cell membrane. Therefore, when steroids encounter the cell membrane, they can simply pass through it without the need for a specific transport protein or channel.

Question 9

Glucocorticoids help reduce inflammation, but they can also cause liver cells to produce extra sugar. In some people, this could lead to high blood sugar levels and bring about steroid-produced

Accepted Answer

Glucocorticoids can cause steroid-induced diabetes mellitus in some people by increasing the liver's production of glucose. High blood sugar can result from this condition.

Question 10

Recent studies suggest that flame retardants, chemicals that are used to slow down burning, can mimic estrogen hormones found in the human body. Scientists investigating this phenomenon developed three-dimensional images to show how the chemical structure of certain flame retardants allows the retardants to bind to and inhibit an enzyme (estrogen sulfotransferase) that metabolizes estrogen.
Suppose the scientists want to conduct a study of the effects of flame retardants on estrogen levels. In a hypothetical study, the scientists use frogs to test the effects of flame retardants because the frogs' skin is highly permeable and therefore allows for easy absorption of chemicals.
The scientists collected 20 wild adult frogs and brought them to a laboratory. Ten of the frogs (group 1: five male and five female) were kept in tanks mimicking their natural environment. The other ten frogs (group 2: five male, five female) were kept in tanks like those of group 1 except they were introduced to low amounts of flame retardants in the shallow water in their tank. Estrogen levels were measured on the first day of the experiment and then every 4 days for 20 days.
-Flame retardants are an example of

Accepted Answer

Flame retardants are classified as endocrine disruptors because they can mimic the effects of natural hormones and interfere with the endocrine system.

Question 11

Scientific investigation of the exact effects of environmental steroids on humans is extremely difficult since there are multiple sources of hormones in the environment. A valid study would require a control group that has not been exposed to the chemicals being studied. Since everyone has had some exposure to environmental hormones, no control group is available to use as a reference.
Another way to assess the environmental hazard due to steroid hormones is to analyze the amount of residual hormones present following commercial water treatment by water treatment plants.
-Which situation would make researchers suspect that there was an excess of steroid hormones in the environment?

Accepted Answer

Premature puberty in girls is a known effect of exposure to environmental steroids, which suggests an excess of steroid hormones in the environment. The other options (A, B, and D) do not have a known association with environmental steroid exposure.

Question 12

Results of the experiment yield the data shown in the following graph. What is one overall conclusion that you can draw from these results?  The figure shows the percentage of male and female frogs with flame retardants in their blood in two groups: Group 1 was not exposed to flame retardants, and group 2 was exposed to low doses.

Accepted Answer

The data shows that in group 2, there is a lower percentage of male frogs with high levels of flame retardants in their blood as compared to the female frogs in group 2. This suggests that male frogs may metabolize or eliminate flame retardants more efficiently than female frogs when exposed to low doses. There is no information in the graph to support any of the other answer choices.

Question 13

Androgens stimulate

Accepted Answer

Androgens such as testosterone are known to stimulate the growth of facial hair in humans.

Question 14

The hormone prolactin, found in distantly related vertebrates, exerts different effects in different species. From an evolutionary standpoint, this is an indication that prolactin

Accepted Answer

The fact that prolactin exerts different effects in different species suggests that it is an ancient hormone whose function diversified through evolution, rather than a recent adaptation or one only related to childbirth.

Question 15

Recent studies suggest that flame retardants, chemicals that are used to slow down burning, can mimic estrogen hormones found in the human body. Scientists investigating this phenomenon developed three-dimensional images to show how the chemical structure of certain flame retardants allows the retardants to bind to and inhibit an enzyme (estrogen sulfotransferase) that metabolizes estrogen.
Suppose the scientists want to conduct a study of the effects of flame retardants on estrogen levels. In a hypothetical study, the scientists use frogs to test the effects of flame retardants because the frogs' skin is highly permeable and therefore allows for easy absorption of chemicals.
The scientists collected 20 wild adult frogs and brought them to a laboratory. Ten of the frogs (group 1: five male and five female) were kept in tanks mimicking their natural environment. The other ten frogs (group 2: five male, five female) were kept in tanks like those of group 1 except they were introduced to low amounts of flame retardants in the shallow water in their tank. Estrogen levels were measured on the first day of the experiment and then every 4 days for 20 days.
-What will be the result when estrogen sulfotransferase is inhibited?

Accepted Answer

When estrogen sulfotransferase is inhibited, it cannot metabolize estrogen efficiently, leading to an accumulation of estrogen in the body.

Question 16

Prednisone is a synthetic version of what natural hormone that is often prescribed to individuals who are suffering from redness and swelling due to allergies?

Accepted Answer

Prednisone is a synthetic version of the glucocorticoid hormone, which is commonly prescribed to individuals who are suffering from redness and swelling due to allergies.

Question 17

You think about some scary situation and realize that you had the same reaction when you were called on in class to answer a question in front of everyone. Your teacher used that exercise to describe that the hormone ________ can be produced in fearful situations by ________.

Accepted Answer

The hormone that is produced in fearful situations is epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) and it is produced by the adrenal glands. Option A is the correct choice that fits the given explanation. Options B, C and D do not match the given situation.

Question 18

Which molecule in this figure portraying water-soluble hormone action is the receptor protein?

Accepted Answer

Molecule B represents the receptor protein, as it is the only molecule in the figure with a specific receptor site where the hormone (molecule A) binds. Molecule C represents the effector protein, which changes its activity in response to the hormone-receptor complex. Molecule D is the intracellular signaling molecule that transmits the signal from the effector protein to the target cell's response.

Question 19

Feeling tired after a long day of work, you walk across a parking lot at night to get to your car. As you approach the car you see a shadow extending behind the back of the car. You immediately feel a rush of energy, your heart starts pounding, and you feel wide awake and alert. You are experiencing

Accepted Answer

The symptoms suggest that the person is experiencing the fight-or-flight response, which is the body's physiological reaction to perceived danger or threat. The rush of energy, increased heart rate, and heightened alertness are all part of this response, which prepares the body for action. The shadow could have been perceived as a potential threat, triggering the fight-or-flight response.

Question 20

Oxytocin is a hormone produced by the posterior pituitary gland that causes female uterine muscles to contract during childbirth and female mammary glands to eject milk during nursing. Oxytocin also occurs naturally in males and is involved in movement of sperm and production of testosterone. It has been given the common name of "the love hormone" because oxytocin is linked to human behaviors including sexual arousal and trust.
In 2012, The Atlantic (a popular news source) published a brief online news summary that explained that when scientists in Germany gave men who were in a monogamous relationship with a woman a nasal spray containing oxytocin, the men were less attracted to an attractive female stranger than men who were given a nasal spray with no oxytocin. While The Atlantic provided a link to the original scientific study, the summary drew conclusions and stated implications that included the following:
1. In men, oxytocin promotes monogamous relationships because it keeps them from communicating with women who are attractive to them.
2. If a man is unable to obtain a nasal spray with oxytocin, there are other means by which oxytocin release can be stimulated during a monogamous relationship: sexual intercourse, hand-holding, and touching.
-Biologically, why might oxytocin have the nickname "the love hormone"?

Accepted Answer

Oxytocin has a role in reproductive behavior in both males and females, such as causing uterine muscles to contract during childbirth and movement of sperm in males. It is also involved in sexual arousal and trust, behaviors often associated with love.

Answer: None of the options provided 
 The article does not provide conclusive evidence to support the suggested implications. The study only showed that men in monogamous relationships who were given oxytocin nasal spray were less attracted to an attractive female stranger, but it does not necessarily mean that oxytocin promotes monogamous relationships or prevents communication with attractive women. Additionally, the article did not provide evidence that sexual intercourse, hand-holding, and touching stimulate oxytocin release during monogamous relationships. Further research would be needed to confirm these suggestions.

Quiz 26: Hormones and the Endocrine System