5 - integument physiology Flashcards
Which 2 body systems in particular work closely with the integumentary system?
Nervous and vascular systems
Name the 5 skin mechanoreceptors and what they detect
- Ruffinis end organ or bulbous corpuscle - skin stretch
- Krause end bulb or bulboid corpuscle - cold
- Meissners corpuscle or tactile corpuscle - changes in texture and slow vibrations.
- Pacinian corpuscle or lamellar corpuscle - pressure and fast vibrations
- Merkels disc (a free nerve ending with discoid terminals) - sustained touch and pressure.
What can act as nociceptors and what do they detect?
Free nerve endings can act as nociceptors
They detect pain
What can act as thermoreceptors?
What do they detect?
Free nerve endings can act as thermoreceptors.
They detect hot or cold
What is the definition of homeostasis?
Maintenance of constant conditions in the bodies internal environment in the face of disturbances.
What 6 things in the body need balancing by homeostasis
- Concentration of water, salt and electrolytes
- pH
- Concentration of blood gasses
- Concentration of waste products in blood
- Response to infection, injury and pain
- temperature
What percentage of body mass does water account for?
60-65%
What 3 ways do we get water input to the body?
- Drinking
- Water in food (eating)
- Metabolic water (oxygen receiving final electron)
What 3 ways do we output water from the body?
- Urine
- Faeces
- Insensible losses (things we cannot control) like evaporation from skin and airways.
What are electrolytes?
Minerals in blood and other body fluids that carry an electric charge.
What does maintaining the right balance of electrolytes help?
Helps the organism maintain blood chemistry, muscle action and other processes.
What do electrolytes impact on?
Water balance, blood acidity (pH) and other important physiological functions.
How are electrolytes lost from the body?
In sweat
How are electrolyte levels maintained by the body?
By adjusting water concentration which is detected by osmoreceptors in the hypothalamus.
What is acid base homeostasis?
The balance between acids and bases (a constant hydrogen ion concentration).
