OCAT Practice #1

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Across
  1. 1. The ultimate betrayal: when a gentle touch or a soft breeze is perceived as a sharp injury. (9 letters)
  2. 2. The ion whose excessive escape through CFTR channels drives the secretory watery disaster. (8 letters)
  3. 6. A shift in membrane potential making it more negative, typically reducing the chance of an action potential. (16 letters)
  4. 8. A powerful peptide agonist that triggers VSM contraction through pharmacomechanical coupling and RhoA/ROK signalling. (11 letters)
  5. 10. The active fire-starter in hot peppers that tricks ion floodgates into opening for a spicy "heat" perception. (9 letters)
  6. 12. The biological process that converts DNA into the blue-printed alarms needed for antiviral protein synthesis. (13 letters)
  7. 17. A conversation starter from enteric neurons that tells parietal cells to start the calcium-mediated acid flow. (13 letters)
  8. 19. Max Von Frey's 1895 theory—one wire, one sensation; dedicated VIP lines for every distinct stimulus. (11 letters)
  9. 20. Local gossips that protect the stomach by inhibiting acid through Gi protein agreements. (14 letters)
  10. 22. The most effective measurement tool in the lab; a quick, involuntary autonomic movement away from a hot pan. (6 letters)
  11. 25. The process by which activated sentinel cells release their soluble mediators into the fray or the bloodstream. (9 letters)
  12. 26. The body's "smoke detectors" that transduce chemical, thermal, or mechanical threats into a language the brain can hear. (11 letters)
  13. 28. The cell face pointing toward the lumen, where surface area amplifies when secretors get busy. (6 letters)
  14. 33. The neural equivalent of "never forget"; enduring changes in synaptic response that encode pain memories into the system. (3 letters)
  15. 34. The specific viral target Isaacs and Lindemann were studying when they first described these cytokines. (9 letters)
  16. 35. Pharma lab molecules that rudely inhibit the production of protective prostaglandins, risking a mucosal crater. (5 letters)
  17. 37. The branch of the system providing immediate, non-specific protection; it responds much faster than adaptive antibodies. (6 letters)
  18. 39. A severe secretory disaster characterized by massive diarrhea and a 75-year delay in discovering its toxin. (7 letters)
  19. 40. Antiviral "necessary evils" from 1957 that clear infections but leave you with all the classic flu-like aches. (11 letters)
  20. 43. The "favourite" excitatory amino acid; low levels mean poor focus, but high levels mean seizures and neural damage. (9 letters)
  21. 46. The enzyme P4 stimulates to produce nitric oxide, promoting blood vessel growth and dilation in the endometrium. (4 letters)
  22. 47. The kinase enzyme that phosphorylates the regulatory light chain to initiate the vascular squeeze. (4 letters)
  23. 48. GM1 is the specific surface receptor that uninvited toxin molecules bind to before riding lipid pathways inward. (11 letters)
  24. 52. A steroid from the adrenal gland that gossips with kidneys about salt and water reabsorption to regulate pressure. (11 letters)
  25. 53. The muscular tone-setters of blood vessel walls, balancing on a see-saw of constriction and dilation. (3 letters)
  26. 56. The yellow pigment accumulated by the ovarian command center, giving the "yellow body" its name. (6 letters)
  27. 58. The organs that release renin to kick off a cascade resulting in a potent vasoconstrictor peptide. (6 letters)
  28. 59. Max von Frey's 1896 kit of calibrated filaments used to find the exact threshold where skin sensation begins. (16 letters)
  29. 60. Glands that join the placenta and ovaries in the peripheral production of our mystery molecule for both sexes. (7 letters)
  30. 63. The biological struggle to maintain cell integrity against the cut and thrust of aggressive factors. (14 letters)
  31. 65. The comma-shaped, gram-negative, mobile bacterium that caused widespread panic across Upper Canada. (8 letters)
  32. 67. The "Grandmother of all steroid hormones," acting as the common parent to androgens, estrogens, and adrenal steroids. (12 letters)
  33. 69. A non-receptor tyrosine kinase that interacts with PR-B to mediate rapid actions, especially in tumor cell survival. (4 letters)
  34. 71. Aggressive HCl from the fundus that causes tissue damage when the protective barrier fails. (4 letters)
  35. 74. Formally defined in 2020 as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience where tissue damage might be real, or just a nasty potential. (4 letters)
  36. 77. The essential sugar in ORT that co-transports sodium and water back into the cells to save a life. (7 letters)
  37. 78. The "water-fearing" nature of steroids that allows them to diffuse across lipid membranes without a lobbyist. (11 letters)
  38. 80. The specialized fundus cells responsible for the H+, K+-ATPase-driven secretion of hydrochloric acid. (8 letters)
  39. 81. Melzack and Wall's 1965 security booth in the spinal cord; some signals pass, while others are turned away by bidirectional orders from the brain. (4 letters)
  40. 85. A type of sensitivity shift happening right at the "crime scene"—the free nerve endings outside the CNS. (10 letters)
  41. 86. The solute gradient that provides the driving force for water movement across the epithelial barrier. (13 letters)
  42. 90. The essential lipid precursor stored in droplets as a rapid-access repository for ramped-up steroidogenesis. (11 letters)
  43. 93. A chemical fashion statement featuring multiple carbon double bonds, common in the pigments of the CL. (7 letters)
  44. 95. The spiral-shaped "bug" in "drugs for bugs," now recognized as a primary cause of chronic gastritis. (12 letters)
  45. 96. Rapid-action membrane receptors that mediate physiological effects within mere minutes rather than genomic hours. (4 letters)
  46. 98. Histamine's preferred second messenger for turning on the proton pumps in the gut. (4 letters)
  47. 99. Specifically the ISG variety; these are the actual effectors that block viral replication at every stage. (4 letters)
  48. 100. The family of pigments, including lutein, that give the corpus luteum its distinct hue. (11 letters)
  49. 101. The stomach's inflamed inner lining; when it's broken, surgeons and endoscopes get busy. (6 letters)
  50. 102. A heterotrimeric protein janitor that allows relaxation by dephosphorylating myosin heads when calcium levels drop. (4 letters)
  51. 106. Non-neuronal "synaptic janitors" like astrocytes that decide to adapt to chronic signals, usually by making the neural excitement worse. (5 letters)
  52. 107. The "thin" filament that provides the scaffold for phosphorylated motor proteins to pull against during a contraction. (5 letters)
  53. 110. A process of PKC-mediated tuning where the pain system decides to turn the volume up and keep it there. (13 letters)
  54. 111. A direction-dependent physical property, often contrasted with isotropic systems in complex tissues. (11 letters)
  55. 112. The cellular relay from the ubiquitous receptor to the nucleus, typically riding the JAK-STAT highway. (12 letters)
  56. 114. Molecular grappling hooks used by bacteria to anchor themselves firmly to the gastric epithelium. (8 letters)
  57. 115. A peptidergic product of alternative RNA splicing, released from the nociceptor to broadcast the alarm during the pain surge. (4 letters)
  58. 116. Glial janitors responsible for mopping up glutamate; in chronic pain, their immature replacements just can't keep the floor clean. (10 letters)
  59. 117. The "yellow body" endocrine gland that provides the high P4 levels necessary to keep an early embryo safe. (2 letters)
  60. 118. A lack of regulatory enzymes like USP18, leading to uncontrolled signalling and severe interferonopathy disorders. (10 letters)
  61. 119. The catecholamine messenger from sympathetic nerves that dictates adrenergic tone to the vascular smooth muscle. (14 letters)
  62. 120. The systemic bouncer responsible for recognizing molecular fashion statements as "self" or "non-self." (6 letters)
Down
  1. 1. A potent neurosteroid and P4 breakdown product that acts as a positive allosteric modulator for GABA-A. (15 letters)
  2. 3. The primary female command centers where 3beta-HSD ramps up P4 production during the luteal phase. (7 letters)
  3. 4. An ECL cell resident that acts on H2 receptors, using cAMP to dial up the fundic acid production. (9 letters)
  4. 5. The ISG objective: stopping viral entry, synth, and egress to ensure the host survives the invasion. (7 letters)
  5. 7. The "thick" motor protein whose head is far more excited by phosphorylation than dopamine is by minds. (6 letters)
  6. 9. A reactive oxygen species that rudely interferes with NO, inhibiting the message of vascular relaxation. (10 letters)
  7. 11. P4 blocks these channels in smooth muscle cells to decrease vasoconstriction and help the uterine lining relax. (7 letters)
  8. 13. The cellular "eyes" (like TLRs or NLRs) that sense the presence of uninvited molecular patterns. (4 letters)
  9. 14. What happens when fast cation influx makes a cell's interior more positive, driving rapid muscle contraction. (14 letters)
  10. 15. Essential keto functional groups required for stable binding in the receptor's ligand-binding pocket. (3 letters)
  11. 16. The brain's resident immune sentinels that get involved in the long-term drama of persistent neural signalling. (9 letters)
  12. 18. Robert Koch considered its effects negligible, but it's where the secretor really sets up its watery colony. (9 letters)
  13. 21. A normal process of taking in water and nutrients that is rudely inhibited by the cholera toxin. (10 letters)
  14. 23. A "mixing" of progestin and luteosteron that eventually gave our mystery molecule its name. (5 letters)
  15. 24. The gossiping cellular networks of the CNS, constantly changing their sensitivity to enduringly encode memories of your worst experiences. (7 letters)
  16. 27. A root-based steroid source, like sarsaparilla, that was essential for early chemical degradation research. (5 letters)
  17. 29. A sulphenamide intermediate often discussed in the "gut wars" phase of acid control. (12 letters)
  18. 30. Small protein messengers acting as autocrine, paracrine, or endocrine soluble mediators to coordinate the body's defense. (9 letters)
  19. 31. A hormonal aggressor that stimulates acid both directly and by triggering its histamine neighbor. (7 letters)
  20. 32. The molecule that follows salts into the lumen via osmosis, leading to rapid, systemic dehydration. (5 letters)
  21. 36. An essential ion lost through malabsorption, following chloride out into the intestinal space. (6 letters)
  22. 38. Enterochromaffin-like neighbors that release histamine to keep the parietal cells excited. (3 letters)
  23. 41. The autonomic branch that sends norepinephrine to finish the conversation with the blood vessel walls. (11 letters)
  24. 42. The inhibitory "red light" in the CNS; it even counts its excitatory rival, glutamate, as its chemical parent. (4 letters)
  25. 44. Receptors that behave like GPCR cousins but prefer microbial fashion statements on the cell surface or in endosomes. (4 letters)
  26. 45. The physiological state VSM enters when nitric oxide whispers and the see-saw tilts toward dilation. (10 letters)
  27. 49. The hollow intestinal space where salts and water accumulate during the height of the secretory struggle. (5 letters)
  28. 50. The bicarbonate-rich environment the stomach surface tries to maintain, much to the delight of V. cholerae. (8 letters)
  29. 51. The active movement of ions into the lumen; cholera toxin co-opts cellular biology to hyper-activate this process. (9 letters)
  30. 54. A phosphorylating enzyme like JAK1; it acts as a catalytic switch to propagate the immune signal inward. (6 letters)
  31. 55. The process by which lipophilic substances build up in your genomic Lego blocks over time. (15 letters)
  32. 57. Visible breaks or lesions in the gastric mucosa; the end result of losing the "gut wars." (6 letters)
  33. 61. The cellular HQ where phosphorylated STAT molecules arrive to turn on the transcriptional alarm. (7 letters)
  34. 62. An aggressive digestive enzyme that teams up with acid to tilt the gastric balance toward a crater. (6 letters)
  35. 64. A common clinical drug that blocks the proton pump, putting an end to the reflux struggle. (10 letters)
  36. 66. The energy currency converted to cAMP when adenylyl cyclase joins the gastric conversation. (3 letters)
  37. 68. A system of circulating hormones, like aldosterone, that help govern the muscular tone of your resistance arteries. (9 letters)
  38. 70. Transcription factors that, upon activation, translocate to the nucleus to initiate the production of antiviral proteins. (4 letters)
  39. 71. An "old friend" and endogenous ligand; sometimes it's a partial agonist, but it's a full agonist when the receptor population is high. (10 letters)
  40. 72. A widening of blood vessels politely agreed to when nitric oxide whispers through guanylate cyclase. (12 letters)
  41. 73. A protective physical barrier; the stomach's way of ensuring it doesn't digest its own tissues. (5 letters)
  42. 75. Plato's 4th-century BCE vibe check; it's not just the touch that hurts, but the total magnitude crossing a set boundary. (9 letters)
  43. 76. A dangerous state of "volume shock" caused by losing blood or secretory fluids at a massive rate. (11 letters)
  44. 79. A vital steroid "for gestation" with non-genomic minutes and genomic hours of biological action. (12 letters)
  45. 82. A clinical state where the VSM see-saw is permanently tilted toward constriction, often by overproduced Ang II. (12 letters)
  46. 83. The wave-like muscular contractions of the gut that keep the "morbid matter" moving through the lumen. (11 letters)
  47. 84. Molecular "fashion statements" of invaders, like viral RNA or bacterial flagellin, recognized as uninvited guests. (5 letters)
  48. 87. A chloride channel that remains constitutively open when cAMP levels are overproduced in the intestinal epithelium. (4 letters)
  49. 88. The spinal cord's greeting room where primary afferent neurons drop off their heavy neural baggage for relay neurons to carry upward. (6 letters)
  50. 89. The equation used to calculate direction-dependent ion flow based on concentration gradients and electrical charge. (6 letters)
  51. 91. When a standard "ouch" becomes an unbearable "OW," thanks to an over-responsive and sensitized nervous system. (12 letters)
  52. 92. A narrowing of the vascular path, increasing resistance and dropping flow while Ang II looks on. (16 letters)
  53. 94. Biological catalysts like USP18 that act as the essential "off switch" to terminate potent immune signalling. (7 letters)
  54. 95. The "water-loving" nature that steroid hormones definitely lack, unlike their peptide cousins. (11 letters)
  55. 97. A temporary organ that joins the liver and ovaries as a major peripheral site for P4 production. (8 letters)
  56. 101. A substance like allopregnanolone or PdG formed by the enzymatic breakdown of our mystery molecule. (10 letters)
  57. 103. A specific sensory modality integrated by TRPV1; think the sting of a chili pepper rather than just a high thermometer reading. (4 letters)
  58. 104. The invited guest that enters through L-type channels to trigger the sliding filament model of muscular squeeze. (7 letters)
  59. 105. Protein disulfide isomerase; the cellular helper that assists in unfolding the toxin once it breaches the cytosol. (3 letters)
  60. 108. External threats inhaled in a daily dose of 100,000 fungal spores or found by the billion in a teaspoon of soil. (8 letters)
  61. 109. The primary barrier cells; bacterial adhesins must stick to them to colonize the gut. (10 letters)
  62. 113. Oral Rehydration Therapy; the simple clinical solution for replacing a massive loss of blood-volume fluid. (3 letters)