The dermis contains which of the following?

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The dermis contains blood vessels, among other structures, making it a complex layer. Its papillary region has capillaries nourishing the epidermis, while the reticular layer hosts larger vessels for circulation and thermoregulation. Sweat glands, originating in the epidermis, extend into the dermis, releasing sweat through ducts. Sensory nerve endings, like Meissner's and Pacinian corpuscles, detect touch and pressure, abundant in the dermis. Sebaceous glands, also epidermal-derived, reside in the dermis, secreting sebum into hair follicles. All listed elements vessels, glands, and nerves are present, but the question seeks one correct answer, often emphasizing blood vessels for their prominence in dermal function. Their role in nutrient delivery and heat exchange underscores the dermis's vascularity, a feature visible in histological sections and critical to skin physiology, distinguishing it from the avascular epidermis.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The integument includes the epidermis and dermis, and the stratum corneum is the most superficial layer, a dead, keratinized barrier atop the epidermis. The hypodermis lies below the dermis, not part of the integument proper. The stratum granulosum is an epidermal layer beneath the corneum, involved in keratinization. The reticular dermal layer is deep in the dermis. The corneum's position as the outermost shield against the environment, subject to wear and shedding, confirms it as the most superficial, per skin anatomy.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Sweat glands, or sudiferous glands, include eccrine (merocrine), which secrete watery sweat to the skin surface, and apocrine, which secrete into hair follicles. 'Merocrine gland' is synonymous with eccrine, describing its secretion method, so it's a sweat gland. Endocrine glands, like the thyroid, secrete hormones into the bloodstream, not sweat onto the skin, making them unrelated to sudiferous glands. Apocrine glands are a distinct sweat gland type. The misfit is endocrine, as it doesn't belong to the skin's sweat-producing category, per glandular classification.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Skin produces melanin (via melanocytes) for UV protection, regulates temperature through sweat and blood flow, and minimizes water loss with the stratum corneum. Fat storage is in the hypodermis, not skin. Bile excretion is a liver function. Trapping air via hair aids insulation, but it's less central than the chosen trio. Keratin production and immunity (via Langerhans cells) are valid, but dendrocytes (dendritic cells) aren't produced by skin. The set of melanin, temperature regulation, and water retention captures key skin roles effectively.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Sudiferous glands, meaning sweat glands, include eccrine (merocrine), which secrete to the skin surface, and apocrine, which secrete into hair follicles both types fall under this term. Sebaceous glands produce oil (sebum), not sweat. Ceruminous glands make earwax, and mammary glands produce milk, neither being sudiferous. Pairing eccrine and apocrine captures the full range of sweat glands, aligning with the definition of sudiferous in skin physiology, making this the correct synonym.