How many hormones are produced by the posterior pituitary?

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The posterior pituitary releases two hormones antidiuretic hormone (ADH) and oxytocin produced by hypothalamic neurons and transported via axons. It doesn't synthesize hormones itself, unlike the anterior pituitary (e.g., six hormones). 'Zero' ignores storage/release, and 'six' overestimates. This dual role distinguishes posterior pituitary function, key to water balance and reproduction, contrasting with anterior synthesis.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: Insulin lowers blood glucose by binding receptors, triggering GLUT4 transporters to move to cell membranes, enhancing uptake. It doesn't transport glucose, breaks glycogen (glucagon does), or act renally (reabsorption is passive). Facilitating transporter movement distinguishes insulin's mechanism, key to glucose regulation, contrasting with glycogenolysis or renal roles.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Neural stimuli, like stress from a car accident, activate the adrenal medulla via sympathetic nerves, releasing epinephrine for pupil dilation, heart rate increase, and rapid breathing classic fight-or-flight. Humoral stimuli respond to blood changes (e.g., PTH to low Ca²⁺). Hormonal stimuli involve hormones triggering others (e.g., TSH for thyroid). Positive feedback amplifies (e.g., oxytocin in labor), not acute stress. Neural triggering distinguishes this rapid endocrine response, key to sympathetic-endocrine integration, unlike blood-based or cascading stimuli.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: Primary hyperaldosteronism (Conn's syndrome) involves excessive aldosterone from the adrenal cortex's zona glomerulosa, raising blood pressure via sodium retention and volume expansion. The pancreas regulates glucose (insulin/glucagon), not BP directly. The thymus produces thymosin for immunity, not hypertension-related hormones. The adrenal medulla secretes epinephrine/norepinephrine, causing acute BP spikes, not chronic aldosterone-driven hypertension. Adrenal cortex's aldosterone excess distinguishes it, key to this pathology, unlike metabolic, immune, or catecholamine sources.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Hyperthyroidism uses beta blockers (4) to manage symptoms (e.g., tachycardia); hypothyroidism requires levothyroxine (3) for hormone replacement; goiter may involve iron-rich drugs (2) if anemia-related, though iodine is typical; adrenal tumors (e.g., pheochromocytoma) use adrenal blockers (1) like alpha-blockers. The match 'a-4 b-3 c-2 d-1' aligns treatments to disorders, distinguishing therapeutic specificity, critical for endocrine management.