Human Physiology Flashcards
What are the three main functions of the digestive system?
- Break down nutrients (physical/chemical breakdown)
- Absorption of nutrients (taken into the body from digestive tract)
- Assimilation (basic macromolecules used as energy, or to build larger + more complex structures)
What is the path that food takes as it travels through the digestive system?
Oral cavity –> pharynx –> esophagus –> stomach –> small intestine –> large intestine –> rectum –> anus
Wild carrrrrrd! See how well you can label the structures of the digestive system. If not, look at slide 8 of the slide pictured on the answer.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1PEhG_FD1Me5Emw5nfJYbiEn-9c_yxpRUCGB6v8aOflQ/edit#slide=id.p8 and
Define and describe peristalsis.
The rhythmic and sequential contraction of muscles surrounding the digestive tract.
It pushes food through the digestive system. It involves longitudinal and circular muscle; their contractions mix the food with enzymes and move it along the gut.
- Contraction of smooth muscles behind bolus forces it forward
- Waves of muscle contractions move bolus toward stomach.
What are the two types of digestion?
Mechanical - the physical breakdown of food into smaller pieces through chewing, grinding etc
Chemical - breakdown of food into its basic components, using enzymes to enact a chemical change
Define absorption with regards to the body and nutrients.
The movement of nutrients from the digestive system into the circulatory system.
Name one enzyme used to break down carbohydrates, proteins, and fats respectively, and what they get broken down into.
Carbohydrates –>
- Amylase
- Sucrase-isomaltase
- Maltase
- Lactase
–> Glucose
Proteins –>
- Pepsin
- Protease trypsin
- Peptidase
–> Amino acids
Fats –>
- Lipase
–> Fatty acids and glycerol
Describe how starch is digested.
Pancreatic amylase –> comes from the pancreas, location of digestion is small intestine (lumen) + optimal pH of 7.5-7.8
Salivary amylase –> comes from the salivary glands, location of digestion is mouth and esophagus (optimal pH of 6-7)
End product: maltose.
Describe how protein is digested.
Pepsin –> comes from stomach lining, location of digestion is stomach (optimal pH of 2)
Trypsin –> comes from pancreas, location of digestion is small intestine (optimal pH of 7.8-8.7)
End product: small polypeptides and single amino acids
Describe how lipids (triglycerides) are digested. (extrapolate just a bit more about location of digestion)
Pancreatic lipase –> comes from pancreas, location of digestion is small intestine (lumen), which requires liver bile to emulsify fats and pancreatic bile to neutralize pH (optimal pH of 7.2)
End product: glycerol, fatty acids, monoglycerides
Describe how lactose is digested.
Lactase –> comes from gland cells of intestine wall, location of digestion is in small intestine (optimal pH of 6.5)
End products: glucose, galactose
Describe how nucleic acids are digested.
Nuclease –> comes from the pancreas, location of digestion is small intestine (optimal pH of 8.0 - 9.0)
End product: nucleosides
How does pH affect enzyme activity in the digestive system?
It results in certain enzymes being active at specific locations of the digestive tract.
What is dialysis tubing?
–> Partially permeable cellulose tubing that contains microscopic pores
–> Allows water, small molecules, and ions to pass through freely, but restricts movement of large molecules
How is dialysis tubing used as a model of the small intestine?
–> Medium outside (water) represents the blood into which digested products are absorbed
–> Tubing represents epithelium of the small intestine
–> The high concentration of glucose solution inside tubing is observed after a starch-filled meal has been digested
–> The glucose molecules diffuse from a region of higher concentration in the tubing to lower concentration in the beaker.
–> The starch molecules are too big to pass through the pores of the tubing.
What are the two locations of mechanical digestion, and what are the three locations of chemical digestion?
Mechanical:
- mouth (teeth/tongue)
- stomach
Chemical:
- mouth
- stomach
- small intestine
What are the four locations where chemicals for digestion are created?
- Salivary glands
- Liver
- Pancreas
- Small intestine
Define the jobs of the esophagus and stomach.
Esophagus: to carry food from the mouth to the stomach
Stomach: to mix food by churning it in stomach acid, beginning protein digestion
Define the jobs of the liver and gallbladder.
Liver: Creates bile that helps break down fats and get rid of waste in the body.
- Changes food into energy
- Cleans alcohol, some medicines, and poisons from the blood
Gallbladder: Stores the bile made in the liver, then empties it to help digest fats.
Define the job of the pancreas.
It makes enzymes for digestion and the hormone insulin (which helps the body turn food into energy).
Define the jobs of the small and large intestines.
Small intestine: Place where most of the digestion and absorption of nutrients occurs.
Large intestine: (aka colon) Place where water and dissolved minerals are absorbed.
Why does food need to be mechanically and chemically broken down in digestion?
To convert food into energy for our bodies. Macromolecules must be broken down into monomers, which are smaller and absorbable.
What are the functions of the six features lining the villi of the small intestine? (SLIM SR)
Smooth muscle - circular and longitudinal muscle contract to mix the food with enzymes, moving it along the gut
Lacteals - absorb lipids from intestine into lymphatic system
Intestinal glands - exocrine pits release digestive juices
Microvilli - ruffling of epithelial membrane further increases surface area
Single layer epithelium - minimises diffusion distance between lumen and blood
Rich blood supply - dense capillary network rapidly transforms absorbed products
What are the four methods of membrane transport?
- Simple diffusion
–> Small, hydrophobic molecules
–> Products of lipid digestion - Facilitated diffusion
–> Fructose, glucose, hydrophilic monomers
–> Protein channels - Active transport
–> Glucose, amino acids, mineral ions
–> Cells of epithelium synthesize ATP - Pinocytosis
–> Small droplets of liquid surrounded by small section of phospholipid membrane
–> Fat droplets in lumen
Wild carrrrrd! Do your best to draw a labelled diagram of the human digestive system. You can check using the picture linked.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iNxToWFjp5729743pNrfvjtbaj4shzvfIOuICQjHeBM/edit
What is the equation for respiration?
Glucose + Oxygen –> Carbon Dioxide + Water + Energy
C6H12 + 6O2 –> 6CO2 + 6H2O + ATP
Where are the two locations of gas exchange?
- Between the cells and the blood at the capillaries (small blood vessels)
- Between the blood and the external environment at the alveoli (structures in the lungs)
What surfaces do gases exchange across, and what is required for exchange to occur? What is an important feature of exchange surfaces as a result?
They exchange across thin cell membranes. Ventilation is required to maintain a concentration gradient, so exchange can occur between air in alveoli and blood in capillaries. Since this must occur through water, the exchange surface must be moist/wet.
What is diffusion driven by with regards to oxygen and the body?
Diffusion is driven by the difference in oxygen concentration between:
–> the cells and blood
–> the lungs and the external environment
How is gas exchanged in bacteria?
Using non-specialized tissue, gas exchange occurs through the surface membrane in a moist environment.
How does respiration occur in humans? What are some of the features that improve the system?
By gas exchange which occurs through lungs.
- The internal system reduces water loss
- Branching of airways increases surface area
- Specialized alveoli increase efficiency of gas exchange
Wild carrrrrd! Can you label the respiratory system? It’s pictured on the back.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1gyrs0jNWrXmo9A2jj6V4tcoSgKHtLSI07pp5irJtt3I/edit#slide=id.p21
Why is a ventilation system needed for respiration?
- Lungs are not muscular and cannot ventilate themselves
- Ventilation is needed to maintain the concentration gradients in the alveoli.
–> It replaces diffused oxygen to keep the concentration high
–> It removes carbon dioxide to keep the concentration low.
That way, oxygen can diffuse from air –> blood, and carbon dioxide can diffuse from blood –> air.
Explain the aspects of the process of breathing in, and the process of breathing out.
Breathing in:
- external intercostals contract, diaphragm contracts
- chest wall and lungs expand
- expansion of ribs moves sternum upward and outward
Breathing out:
- external intercostals relax, internal intercostals and abdominals contract for active expiration only, diaphragm relaxes
- chest cavity and lungs contract, ribs and sternums repress
Explain the regulation of breathing by the medulla.
- Brain sends nerve signals to the rib cage and diaphragm
- Rate of breathing controlled by CO2 levels in blood
- When CO2 is produced by cells in cellular respiration, it dissolves in blood plasma and creates carbonic acid
- Low pH levels are sensed in the blood vessels running through the medulla oblongata, sending signals to increase breathing rate
- This causes the pH to return to normal
State everything you know about type I pneumocytes. (Pancake Junction Is Amniotic)
- Involved in the process of gas exchange between the alveoli and capillaries
- Squamous in shape and extremely thin (approx 0.15 micrometers) to minimize diffusion distance for respiratory gases
- Connected by occluding junctions, which prevents leakage of tissue fluid into alveolar air space
- Amniotic, unable to replicate, but type II cells can differentiate into type I cells if needed
State everything you know about type II pneumocytes. (Surfactant Cubes Store 5%)
- responsible for secretion of pulmonary surfactant, which reduces surface tension in alveoli
- Cuboidal in shape, possess many granules for storing surfactant components
- Compose approx 5% of the alveolar surface
Name some qualities of alveoli.
- Only one cell thick
- Moist surface
- Surrounded by capillaries
- Abundant to increase surface area
Explain surface tension with regards to alveoli.
- Alveolar cells have a layer of water, and the top layer interacts only with the layer below due to air in the lungs
- Cohesive forces pull the top layer of water molecules together, resulting in surface tension on the alveolar surface.
- As the alveoli deflate, they become harder to inflate–the force needed to overcome surface tension increases as the diameter of the alveoli decreases.
What does surfactant do and why?
It decreases surface tension during exhalation to prevent the alveoli from becoming too difficult to inflate.
What is the difference between ventilation and gas exchange?
Ventilation is the flow of air in and out of the alveoli, including inspiration and expiration.
Gas exchange is the diffusion of the gases oxygen and carbon dioxide.
It occurs in:
- the alveoli (oxygen diffuses from alveoli into blood, carbon dioxide diffuses from blood into alveoli)
- the tissues (oxygen diffuses from blood into cells, carbon dioxide diffuses from cells into bloods)
What is the pathway that air follows during ventilation?
Mouth / nasal passage –> trachea –> two bronchi –> bronchioles –> alveoli
What is emphysema, and what does it do to a person?
The destruction of lung tissue around the bronchioles
- Makes airways unable to hold their functional shape upon exhalation
- Loss of elasticity makes it difficult to exhale
- Easy to inhale, hard to exhale, leads to shortness of breath.
Name four symptoms of emphysema.
Can name any of these five:
- Shortness of breath
- Phlegm production
- Increased susceptibility to chest infections
- Cyanosis
- Expansion of the ribcage
What causes emphysema?
Long-term exposure to chemical irritants e.g. tobacco smoke, air pollution.
- The irritants cause an inflammatory response in the alveolar cells
- White blood cells (phagocytes) release elastase as part of inflammatory response
- Elastase breaks down walls of alveoli
- Large air cavity lined with carbon deposits forms
What is lung cancer? What are some things that arise from it?
The uncontrolled proliferation of lung cells, which leads to tumour growth.
- Cancer cells divide rapidly and are less able to die.
- Abnormal growth can impact normal tissue.
- The tumours can remain in place (benign) or or spread to other regions of the body (malignant)
Name four causes of lung cancer.
Can name any of these five:
- Smoking
- Asbestos
- Air pollution
- Certain infections
- Genetic predispositions
Why is lung cancer more likely to metastasize?
The lungs possess a rich blood supply, increasing the ability of the cancer to spread.
What are the most common symptoms of lung cancer? What are some symptoms caused by the cancer mass compressing adjacent organs?
- Coughing up blood
- Wheezing, respiratory distress
- Weight loss
- Chest pain
- Difficulty swallowing
- Heart complications.
What are the six purposes of the circulatory system?
- Transport oxygen to cells
- Transport waste away from the cells
- Transport nutrients (minerals, glucose, protein)
- Transport hormones (chemical messengers)
- Distribute heat
- Provide defense - immune system