The total amount of fluid entering the intestine per day is:

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: ~9 L of fluid enters the gut daily: 2 L ingested, 7 L from secretions (saliva, gastric, pancreatic, etc.).

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Aldosterone is classified as a mineralocorticoid. It promotes conservation of water by acting on the kidneys to retain sodium in exchange for potassium, which is excreted in the urine.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Endocrine disorders are caused by an imbalance in the production of hormone or by an alteration in the body's ability to use the hormones produced. Primary endocrine dysfunction means that an endocrine gland is either oversecreting or undersecreting hormone(s). Tumor or hyperplasia of the endocrine gland may lead to hypersecretion. Infection, mechanical damage, or an autoimmune response may be an inflammatory response in a gland and lead to hyposecretion. Secondary endocrine dysfunction occurs from factors outside the gland itself. Medications, trauma, hormone therapy, and other factors may cause secondary dysfunction. Long periods of limited mobility do not cause endocrine disorders.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: ACTH (adrenocorticotrophic hormone) from the anterior pituitary stimulates the adrenal cortex to release corticosteroids like cortisol.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: Oxytocin, released from the posterior pituitary, induces uterine contractions during labor and milk ejection during breastfeeding.