Integumentary System Flashcards
What does the term “integumentary system” refer to?
All the structures and tissues related to the skin and accessory organs
What does the skin include?
Epidermis and dermis
What are the accessory organs in the integumentary system?
Hair, nails and glands such as subcutaneous and sweat glands
What is controversial regarding the integumentary system?
It has many elements but is not regarded as a system in medicine
What are the four main tissue types regarding the human body?
Epithelial: covers body surfaces and lines body cavities
Connective: binds and supports body parts
Muscular: moves body parts
Nervous: receives, interprets and sends signals
What are the features of epithelial tissue?
Covers whole surface of the body
Made up of cells that are closely packed and arranged in 1 or more layers
Tissue is specialised to form the covering or lining of all internal and external body surfaces
Epithelial tissue occurring on surfaces on the interior of the body known as the endothelium
Epithelial cells are packed together tightly, with no intercellular spaces and only a small amount of intercellular substance
Epithelial tissue (regardless of type) usually separated from underlying tissue by a thin sheet of connective tissue a.k.a. basement membrane
Basement membraneprovides structural supportfor the epithelium and alsobinds it to neighboring structures
What are the five types of epithelial tissue and where can they be found?
Squamous (flat): lungs and blood
Cuboidal (cube): kidney tubes
Columnar (pillars): digestive tract
Pseudostratified (ciliated columnar): respiratory tract
Stratified squamous epithelium (more than 1 layer, flat): oesophagus
What are the functions of the epithelium tissue?
Protection
Sensation
Secretion
Absorption
Excretion
Diffusion
Cleaning
Reduces Friction
How can the epithelial tissue provide protection?
Epithelial cells from the skin protect underlying tissue from mechanical injury, harmful chemicals, invading bacteria and from excessive water loss
How can the epithelial tissue provide sensation?
Sensory stimuli penetrate specialised epithelial cells
Specialised epithelial tissue containing sensory nerve endings is found in the skin, eyes, ears, nose and on the tongue
How can the epithelial tissue aid secretion?
In glands, epithelial tissue is specialised to secrete specific chemical substances such as enzymes, hormones and lubricating fluids
How can the epithelial tissue aid absorption?
Certain epithelial cells lining the small intestine absorb nutrients from the digestion of food
How can the epithelial tissue aid excretion?
Epithelial tissue in the kidney excrete waste products from the body and reabsorb needed materials from the urine
Sweat is also excreted from the body by epithelial cells in the sweat glands
How can the epithelial tissue aid diffusion?
Simple epithelium promotes the diffusion of gases, liquids and nutrients
Because they form such a thin lining, they are ideal for the diffusion of gases (e.g., walls of capillaries and lungs)
How can the epithelial tissue aid cleaning?
Ciliated epithelium assists in removing dust particles and foreign bodies which have entered the air passages
How can the epithelial tissue reduce friction?
Smooth, tightly-interlocking, epithelial cells that line the entire circulatory system reduce friction between the blood and the walls of the blood vessels
What causes skin to sag?
Gravity weighing down- constant downward pull on faces, shoulders, backs, necks, chests, organs, legs and feet cause skin to also drag down
How do populations respond to ageing?
Millions of dollars are spent every year to tighten sagging, drooping skin
Face lifts, Botox, creams, serums and muscle exercises have been developed as a counter method
How is epithelial tissue attached to the body?
Via the basement membrane
How does the basement membrane act as an anchor?
Attaches epithelium tissue to the connective tissue below
How many layers of the skin are there and what are their names?
Epidermis, Dermis and Subcutaneous
What are features of the epidermis layer?
Outer layer
Composed of epithelial cells
What are the features of the dermis layer?
Composed of connective tissue such as: blood vessels, sweat glands, sebaceous glands and temperature sensors
What are features of the subcutaneous layer?
Lowest layer