L05 The Control and Regulatory Systems Flashcards
What are hormones?
Hormones are chemical messengers carried in the blood which regulate many different important bodily functions
How are hormones transported round the body?
through the bloodstream
What is the pituitary gland known as?
mastergland
Where is the pituitary gland?
attached to the brain
What gland is found in our neck?
thyroid
Name one function of the hormone thyroxine?
regulates the rate of metabolism
Give an example of a hormone produced by the pituitary gland which acts on other glands?
thyroid stimulating hormone
Where are the adrenal glands found?
on top of the kidneys
What hormone is released by the adrenal gland? What does this hormone do?
- adrenaline
- acts as our fight or flight response
What hormone is produced by the pancreas? What does it do?
- insulin
- regulates blood glucose concentration
How is the endocrine system different to the nervous system?
- endocrine system relies on hormones transported by blood
- nervous system relives on electrical impulses which travel along the nerves cells
What are the symptoms of diabetes?
- thirsty
- frequently urinating
- fatigue
- type 1 - weight loss
- poor healing of wounds
- recurrent infections
- nerve damage
- kidney disease
What makes up the renal system?
- kidneys
- bladder
- ureters
- urethra
What makes up the renal system?
- kidneys
- bladder
- ureters
- urethra
What are the two functions of the renal system?
- filter the blood and remove waste products from the body, known as ultrafiltration
- maintain water balance in the body, known as osmoregulation
What is each kidney encased in? and what does it ensure?
- a tough connective tissue called the renal capsule
- ensures the delicate contents of the kidneys are protected
How does the kidney filter blood?
- there are two large blood vessels, the renal artery, which delivers blood to the kidney, and the renal vein which takes the filtered blood away from kidney and eventually back to the heart via the inferior vena cava
- when the blood enters the kidneys, it is carried through the cortex, a soft tissue layers filled with blood vessels. Blood then passes into the kidney medulla, which are pyramid shaped structures containing a dense network of nephrons, where the process of osmoregulation, ultrafiltration and reabsorption occur
What are ureters?
the tubes that take urine from the kidneys to the bladder
What is the urethra?
the tube that takes the urine from the bladder and out of the body
Where are nephrons found?
in the medulla and cortex of the kidneys
What is each renal pyramid within the kidney made up of?
a network of multiple nephrons
What are the main parts of the nephron?
- the renal corpuscle (made up of the glomerulus and bowman’s capsule)
- convoluted tubules (proximal and distal)
- loop of henle
- collecting duct
What is ultrafiltration and where does it happen?
- This is when waste products are filtered from the blood
- happens in the kidney nephrons
What is osmoregulation and where does it happen?
- process of maintaining the balance of water in the body
- happens in the kidney nephrons
What are the functions of the liver?
control and regulating cells in the body
- deamination
- detoxification
- production of bile
What is deamination?
the process of turning proteins from food into a usable form for the cells in our body
When proteins are digested, what is one of the compounds that is left?
amino acids
Why does the body need amino acids?
to make different products in the body, eg white blood cells, hormones or enzymes
When proteins are deaminated, what is removed?
the amine group is removed from the protein so that it can be remade into new proteins
What is an example of detoxification, which occurs in the liver?
- when proteins are deaminated, a part of this molecule called amine group is removed from the protein so that it can be remade into new proteins
- when the amine group has been removed, it turns into ammonia, which is highly toxic to the body
- the liver converts the ammonia into the less toxic urea, which is transported to the kidneys in the blood, where it is removed and excreted in urine
True or false, the liver breaks down alcohol by a process called deamination?
false
True or false, the liver produces bile?
true
True or false, the liver produces the toxic waste, urea?
true
True or false, the liver stores vitamins?
true
What is the function of the autonomic nervous system?
regulates body functions that are not consciously controlled such as breathing and heart rate
What is the function of the central nervous system?
consists of the brain and spinal cord, takes a main role in control and coordination of most body functions
What is the function of the peripheral nervous system?
consists of sensory and motor neurons that transmit nerve impulses to and from the brain and spinal cord
What is the function of the spinal cord?
connected to the brain by nerve, allows communication between the brain and the body
Which component of the brain has a role in the regulation of body temperature and thirst?
hypothalamus
Which two components of the brain have a role in decision-making and processing information?
- frontal lobe
- cerebral cortex
Which component of the brain has a role in automatic functions such as breathing and swallowing?
medulla
Describe two main functions of the kidney carried out by kidney nephrons?
- osmoregulation is the process of maintaining the balance of water in the body
- ultrafiltration and reabsorption, where waste products are filtered from the blood and then reabsorbed in the convoluted tube
What are the malfunctions of the control and regulatory system?
- stroke
- multiple scleorsis
- diabetes
- nephrotic syndrome
- cirrhosis
What are the symptoms of a stroke?
- face dropped on one side
- can’t lift both arms
- slurred speech
How is a stroke caused?
- blood flow to the brain has become restricted
- caused by
- a blood clot
- a blood vessel inside the skull bursts and bleeds around the brain
What are the risk factors a stroke?
- age - over 55
- obesity - high levels of cholesterol
- smoking - arteries are stickier, plaque is more likely to build up
- diet high in fat, salt or cholesterol
- hypertension - high pressure increase chance of plaques breaking off the artery walls and creating a blockage
- medical history - likely to have a second one
What are the methods of monitoring a stroke?
- brain scans - CT
- allow detailed pictures
- dye may be given to help clarity of the image
- damage will appear darker
- blood pressure monitoring - tests if blood pressure is high
- ECG - tests if irregular heart patterns have caused the stroke
- blood cholesterol level tests
What are the treatments of a stroke?
- anticoagulants - medication which prevents blood clots forming
- clot-busters injections which dissolve blood clots
- thrombectomy - emergency surgery to remove blood clots
- physiotherapy - help mobility after stroke
- speech language therapists
- diet low in fat and salt
What are the symptoms of multiple scleorsis? (MS)
- fatigue
- difficulty walking
- problems with balance
- muscle stiffness
- cognitive problems
What are the causes of MS?
- the body’s immune system mistakenly attack cells within the central nervous system
- nerve cells begin to die
What are the risk factors of MS?
- family history
- gender - female 2-3x more likely
- lack of vitamin D
- smoking
- obesity
What are the 3 methods of monitoring MS?
neurological examination
- physical examination by a neurologist
- non invasive
- subjective as there’s room for human error
- MRI scan
- identify lesions (scars)
Lumbar puncture
- sample of cerebral spinal fluid, white blood cells and neurofilaments
What are the treatments for MS?
- drugs to reduce relapses
- muscle relaxants to reduce stiffness and spasms
- steroids - reduce immune response and reduce inflammation
- painkillers
- laxatives - manage bowel symptoms
What are the symptoms of diabetes?
- fatigue
- weight loss (type 1)
- thirsty
- frequently urinating
What are the causes of type 1 diabetes?
- cells in the pancreas have become damaged and can no longer produce insulin
- this causes high glucose levels
What are the causes of type 2 diabetes?
body develops insulin resistance - may be due to fat
What are the risk factors of diabetes?
- family history
- obesity
- inactive
- high fat diet
- age - type 2 is more common in over 40
How can diabetes be monitored?
- blood tests - fingerprick - done by individual, several times a day
- flash glucose monitor
- annual review - urine sample
- eye screening
How can diabetes be treated?
Medication
- type 1 - insulin
- type 2 - reduces insulin resistance
- prevents the liver generating blood glucose
- stimulates pancreas to produce insulin
Analysis:
insulin has to be kept in the fridge, side effects, may forget
easy and effective
Weight loss
Bariatric surgery (weight loss surgery)
What are the symptoms of nephrotic syndrome?
- swelling - caused by fluid build up
- foamy urine - increase in protein content
- increase risk of infection as antibodies are lost
- blood clots
- high blood pressure
How is nephrotic syndrome caused?
- glomeruli become inflamed and portions pass out of the blood into the filtrate
- protein gets lost in the urine
- when the blood is low in protein, fluid accumulates in body tissues causing swelling
What are the risk factors of nephrotic syndrome?
- family history
- chronic kidney disease - damages glomeruli
- high blood pressure
How can nephrotic syndrome be monitored?
Blood tests
- measure the protein the blood
+ accurate
+ quick results
- fear of needles/ injury/ bruising
- time consuming
Biopsy
- small tissue sample kidney examined under microscope
+ accurately identifies nephron damage
- invasive
- aesthetic needed/ surgery/ risks/ long recovery period
Urine test
- measure the protein in urine
- not quite as accurate as blood tests
+ cheap/ quick/ can be done by individual
+ non invasive
What are the lifestyle changes of nephrotic syndrome?
- low salt diet
- regular check ups
- take medication
- improve dietary knowledge
What are the symptoms of cirrhosis?
- jaundice
- severe fatigue
- vomiting
- itchy skin
- weight loss
How is cirrhosis caused?
- when the liver is not passing the bilirubin out into bile
- instead, it passes into the blood and accumulates in the skin and whites of eyes
What are the risk factors of cirrhosis?
- alcohol - damages the liver causing cells to die and the liver cannot keep up repairing damage
- obesity - as the liver tries to repair itself, scar tissue is formed and the liver cannot function properly
What are the methods of monitoring cirrhosis?
- liver biopsy - fine needle to remove a sample of liver tissue which can be examined under a microscope
- done under local anaesthetic
- require hospital stay
- blood tests - identify excess bilirubin, certain enzymes may indicate liver damage
- accurate
- quick/easy
- fear/ pain/ requires appointment
- scans eg ultrasound
- can detect structural changes
- non invasive
- accurate
- require appointment
- have to stay still/ claustrophobia
What are the treatments of cirrhosis?
- anti viral infections to treat infections
- diuretics - remove excess fluid from the body, manage symptoms
- cheaper
- patient administered
- quick effect/ but not always effective
- excessive need to pass urine
