Lifestyle And Health Flashcards
Topic 1
Why do animals need a heart?
- to generate pressure to pump blood around the body
-mass transport
-to overcome the limitations of diffusion
Define an open circulatory system
A simple heart pumps blood between cavities. Blood circulates in open areas. Substances diffuse between blood and cells.
Define a closed circulatory system.
Blood is enclosed within vessels, generating higher pressure. Blood travels from arteries to arterioles to capillaries and returns by venules to veins.
What are the properties of water that make it a good transport medium?
Water is polar as hydrogen is slightly positive and oxygen is slightly negative, forming a dipole. Other polar substances, as well as ionic and hydrophilic substances, can easily dissolve in water.
The specific heat capacity of water is very high to maintain homeostasis.
Water has a high boiling point due to the hydrogen bonds.
Describe the structure of an artery.
Narrow lumen, thick walls, more collagen, smooth muscle and elastic fibres
Describe the structure of a vein.
Wide lumen, thin walls, valves to prevent backflow.
Describe the structure of a capillary
Endothelium is one cell thick, small lumen.
What is the function of the coronary arteries?
To supply oxygen rich blood to the heart muscle.
What is the function of the thick smooth muscle layer in the artery?
To allow for contraction and relaxation (vasoconstriction) to control blood flow and maintain high blood pressure.
What is the function of the elastic fibre layer in the artery?
Allows artery to stretch and recoil and maintain high blood pressure.
What is the function of the smooth endothelium in the artery?
Reduces resistance to blood flow.
What is the function of the narrow lumen in the artery?
To maintain the high blood pressure
Why is capillary wall very thin (one cell thick)
Reduced diffusion distance/ pathway speeds up gas exchange.
Why do capillary walls have pores?
To allow the passage of molecules through the wall.
Why do capillaries have very narrow lumens?
Decreases the rate of blood flow to allow more time for exchange of substances.
What is the function of the outer collagen coat/ tissue in the artery?
Durable and strong to withstand high blood pressure.
Describe atrial systole.
High pressure. Atria fill with blood from the Vena Cava/Pulmonary Vein. Atrioventricular valves open. Blood flows into the ventricles. Atria contract.
Describe ventricular systole.
High pressure. Ventricles fill with blood. Semi-lunar valves open, atrioventricular valves close. Ventricles contract.
Describe diastole.
Low pressure. Atria and ventricles relax. Semi-lunar valves close. Coronary arteries fill.
Describe blood pressure
Measure of the hydrostatic force of blood against the vessel walls.
Elevated blood pressure is known as hypertension.
Units are millimetres of mercury - mmHg.
What is peripheral resistance?
Contact between the blood and vessel wall causes friction which slows the flow of blood.
What is systolic pressure?
The pressure during ventricular systole (highest).
What is diastolic pressure?
The pressure during ventricular diastole (lowest).
Describe the process of atherosclerosis.
The endothelium becomes damaged.
There is an inflammatory response causing white blood cells to move into the artery wall.
A fatty deposit (atheroma) builds up.
Calcium salts and fibrous tissues build up, causing a plaque.
The artery loses elasticity, narrows and hardens.
Causes a rise in blood pressure and dangerous positive feedback.
Describe the consequences of atherosclerosis.
Increases chance of blood clots blocking the artery. Cells are permanently damaged. May result in heart attack, stroke, tissue death or gangrene. An artery may burst due to build up of blood.
Describe the effects of Coronary Heart Disease.
Narrowed coronary arteries may lead to angina. Heart muscle lacks oxygen and has to respire anaerobically. Arteries blocked and are ischaemic (not enough blood flowing). If muscle cells are starved of oxygen for too long it results in an infarction.
Describe the clotting cascade reaction.
Platelets at the site of the damaged blood vessel release the protein thromboplastin.
Calcium ions and vitamin K from the plasma, with thromboplastin, trigger the conversion of soluble prothrombin protein into enzyme thrombin.
Thrombin then catalyses soluble fibrinogen into insoluble fibrin.
Fibrin is sticky and traps platelets and red blood cells to form a mesh.
Platelets in contact with damaged vessels become spheres instead of flattened discs. They stick to exposed collagen.