GI Physiology Overview Flashcards
What is a bolus?
a rounded mass of food ready to swallow
What do we call abdominal rumbling sounds
borborygmi
What is chyme?
a semifluid mass of partly digested food passed form the stomach to the duodenum
What is the technical term for eructation?
belching
What’s sitophobia?
fear of eating
What is the term for fatty stools?
steatorrhea
What organs make up the upper GI system?
oral cavity pharynx esophagus stomach stmall intestine
WHat makes up the lower GI system?
large intestine
What are the sections of the small intestine?
duodenum
jejunum
ileum
What are the sections of the large itnestine?
cecum, colon, rectum, anus
What are the accessory organs of the GI system?
salivary glands
exocrine pancreas
liver
gallbladder
What regulates movement in the GI tract and allow some compartments to act as reservoirs?
the sphincters
Can you name all the sphincters in the GI tract?
the upper and lower esophageal sphincters
pylorus leaving the stomach
sphincter of oddi to the liver
ileocecal valve between the small int and the cecum
lastly the internal and external anal sphincters
What sphincters do we ahve voluntarily control over?
upper esophageal and external anal
What organs have vili and crypt? Which have only cryps?
the small intestine has both.
the stomach and large intestine just have the crypts
How do GI epithelial cells differ from most other cell types?
they undergo constant renewal
Describe how GI epithelial cells are renewed?
Stems cells at the base of the crypts divide and differentiate as they migrate up to the tips of the villi where they then slough off as new cells push their way up?
How many days do GI epithelial cells live?
3-6 days
Why is this constant GI epithelial renal so important?
they’re exposed to toxins all the time, which increases their rate of mutation. so sloughing them off is a really good idea
What makes diverticuli of the esophagus “false”?
it means that not every layer bulges out - it’s just the mucosa and serosa that pushes thorugh the others
What is mucus made of?
mucin
Describe the structure of mucin
why is this structure important?
it’s a protein monomer combined into complexes by disulfide links
highly glycosylated to protect protein core from proteases
How may layers of mucus are in the stomach an colon? In the small intestine?
stomach and colon have 2 layers
small intestine has 1
What are the four basic processes that facilitate caloric uptake? Which have excess capacity and which require some control?
digestion, absorption (those two have excess capacity)
secretion and motility (under neural and hormonal control)
What do the teeth and saliva do for digestion?
teeth masticate the food and saliva produces lubrication and amylase to create a bolus
What will further digest the bolus to create chyme?
stomach movements and pepsin
In GENERAL TERMS, what does the small intestine use to digest down the chyme?
enzymes on its brush border and enzymes from the pancreas
Why are the villi so important?
they massively increase surface area for massive absorption of nutrients
What structures are located in the villi to absorb nutrients?
capillaries absorb most nutrients, but lacteals are necessary for fat absorption - the fat is too big to get into the capillaries so they go through the lymph first
In what sections of the small intestine are amino acids, monosaccharides and lipids absorbed?
the duodenum and jejunum
What chemical form the liver helps facilitate absorption of lipids?
bile salts
Where is cobalamine absorbed in the mall intestine?
the ileum
How about the bile salts and acids?
ileum also
About how much of the body’s blood flow goes to the gut at rest?
around 21%, which is amazing because th gut is only 5% of body mass
All the blood flowing thorugh the intestines leaves through what vein? Why?
through the portal vein to the liver for detoxification
THe livers receives approximately 1/4 of it’s blood supply from where? 3/4 from where?
1/4 from hepatic artery and 3/4 from portal vein
How much can blood flow increase during heavy digestion?
4-5 times
In general terms, how are bile salts recycled?
thorugh the enterohepatic circulation
secreted from liver and then brought back in the blood
What are some metabolic vasodilators that increase blood flow in the small intestine?
CO2
H+
K+
Adenosine