Lecture 1: overview Flashcards
What Einstein’s equation showing the reletionship between diffusion time and distance?
t α x2
What is the average distance of a neuromusclular gap?
How long does it take for diffusion to occur across this?
0.1µm
5x10-6 s
What is the average distance of a diffusion across a capillary wall?
how long does this take?
1µm
5x10-4 s
What is the average diffusion distance from a cell to a capillary?
How long does this take?
10µm
0.05s
What is the distance across the ventricle wall?
How long would it take for blood to diffuse across this distance?
1cm
15.5 hours
Why is pressure in the lungs low?
More time for diffusion since blood travels at a lowe velocity
What is William Harvey known for?
First person to describe the properties of blood being pumped around the body by the heart
How much blood is pumped by the human heart over the average lifetime?
200,000,000 litres
What is the ‘skeleton’ of the heart made from?
What does this form?
Collagen
Junction between atria and ventricles
Where are the cardiac valves held?
The annulus fibrosus
What is the epicardium?
A serous membrane that forms the innermost layer of the pericardium, attached to the muscles of the wall of the heart.
What is the myocardium?
The muscular tissue of the heart (middle layer)
What is the endocardium?
The thin, smooth membrane which lines the inside of the chambers of the heart and forms the surface of the valves
What are the 3 layers of all blood vessels, except capillaries?
Tunica intima
Tunica media
Tunica adventitia
What is the tunica intima?
The single layer of endothelial cells and the supporting internal elastic lamina lining the inside of vessels
What is the tunica media composed of?
A dense population of smooth muscle cells organised concentrically with bands or fibres of elastic tissue
What is the tunica adventitia composed of?
A collagenous extracellular martix containing fibroblasts, blood vessels and nerves
What is the function of the tunica adventitia?
Adds rigidity anf form to the blood vessel
Which layer of blood vessels varies most?
Why is this?
Tunica media
Allows large elastic arteries to stretch and recoil during systole and diastole to smooth pressure surges
Nearly all cells in the body are within what distance of a capillary?
10µm
Does most resistance come from arteries or veins?
Arteries
Why do veins offer low resistance?
Large cross-sectional area
How do veins prevent backflow of blood?
Pocket valves
What proportion of blood in the system is stored in the veins at any given time?
2/3
How do large vessels receive their blood supply?
Via the vasa vasorum
How are valves useful in venepuncture?
Adding pressure to valves makes veins more superficial
Where are nociceptive fibres located within blood vessels?
Tunica adventitia
Does fetal haemoglobin have a higher or lower affinity for oxygen than maternal haemoglobin?
Higher
What does P50 represent in terms of oxygen saturation?
Is this value higher in fetus or mother?
The partial pressure of oxygen at which 50% of the haemoglobin is saturated
Mother
What are the axis of the oxygen dissociation curve?
What shape does it form?
X: Partial pressure of oxygen
Y: Oxygen saturation of haemoglobin
Sigmoidal
What is preferential streaming in the fetus important?
Ensures adequate supply of oxygenated blood to tissues most at risk of hypoxic damage e.g. the brain
What are the fetal shunts?
Ductus venosus
Ductus arteriosus
Foramen ovale
Where does the ductus venosus shunt blood to?
Placenta to right atrium of fetal heart, bypassing most of the fetal liver circulation
Where does the ductus arteriosus shunt blood?
Pulmonary artery to descending aorta