Systems Flashcards
musculoskeletal system
Consists of the skeletal system (bones and joints) and the skeletal muscle system (voluntary or striated muscle). Working together, these two systems protect the internal organs, maintain posture, produce blood cells, store minerals and enable the body to move
Skeletal System
Consists of the bones and joints
Skeletal Muscle System
Voluntary or striated muscle
Skeleton
The bones or shell of an animal that support and protect it as well as allowing movement
Bones
The pieces of hard tissue that make up the skeleton of a vertebrate
Bone Marrow
A substance inside bones in which blood cells are made
Cartilage
A waxy, whitish, flexible substance that lines or connects bone joints or, in some animals such as sharks, replaces bone as the supporting skeletal tissue. The ears and tips of noses of people are shaped by cartilage.
Calcium
An element occurring in limestone, chalk, also present in vertebrates and other animals as a component of bone, shell etc. It is necessary for nerve conduction, heartbeat, muscle contraction and many other physiological functions.
Phosphorus
A substance that plays an important role in almost every chemical reaction in the body. Together with calcium, it is required by the body to maintain healthy bones and teeth.
Minerals
Any of the inorganic elements that are essential to the functioning of the human body and are obtained from foods
Ossification
Hardening of bones
Brittle
Breaks easily into many pieces
Ligaments
Band of tough tissue that connects the ends of bones or keeps an organ in place
Synovial Fluid
The liquid inside the cavity surrounding a joint that helps bones to slide freely over each other
Pivot Joint
Joint that allows a twisting movement
Hinge Joints
Joints in which two bones are connected so that movement occurs in one plane only
Ball and Socket Joints
Joints where the rounded end of one bone fits into the hollow end of another
Immovable Joints
Joints that allow no movement except when absorbing a hard blow
Muscles
Tissue consisting of cells that can shorten
Involuntary Muscles
Muscles not under the control of the will; they contract slowly and rhythmically. These muscles are at work in the heart, intestines and lungs.
Voluntary Muscles
Muscle attached to bones; it moves the bones by contracting and is controlled by an animal’s thoughts
Tendons
Tough rope-like tissue connecting a muscle to a bone
Greenstick Fracture
A break that is not completely through the bone, often seen in children
Fracture
A break in a bone
Stem Cells
Undeveloped cells found in blood and bone marrow
Osteoporosis
Loss of bone mass that causes bones to become lighter, more fragile and easily broken
Arthritis
A condition in which inflammation of the joints causes them to swell and become painful
Tennis Elbow
An injury due to strain or overuse that causes the elbow’s lining to become inflamed and painful
Torn Hamstrings
A common sporting injury caused by overstretching the hamstring muscle, which joins the pelvis to the knee joint
Sprains
Injury caused by tearing a ligament
Erythrocytes
Red blood cells
Leucocytes
White blood cells
Plasma
The yellowish, liquid part of blood that contains water, minerals, food and wastes from cells
Red blood cells
Living cells in the blood that transport oxygen to all other living cells in the body
Haemoglobin
The red pigment in red blood cells that carries oxygen
Oxyhaemoglobin
Haemoglobin with oxygen molecules attached
White blood cells
Living cells that fight bacteria and viruses as part of the human body’s immune system
Platelets
Small bodies involved in blood clotting. They are responsible for healing by clumping together around a wound.
Circulatory system
The body system that circulates oxygen in blood to all the cells of the body. The circulatory system consists of the heart, the blood vessels and blood.
Arteries
Hollow tubes (vessels) with thick walls carrying blood pumped from the heart to other body parts
Veins
Blood vessels that carry blood back to the heart. They have valves and thinner walls than arteries.
Capillaries
Minute tubes carrying blood to body cells. Every cell of the body is supplied with blood through capillaries.
Oxygenated blood
Describes the bright red blood that has been supplied with oxygen in the lungs
Deoxygenated blood
Describes blood from which some oxygen has been removed
Vena cava
Large vein leading into the top right chamber of the heart
Left atrium
Upper left section of the heart where oxygenated blood from the lungs enters the heart
Right atrium
Upper right section of the heart where deoxygenated blood from the body enters
Left ventricle
Lower left section of the heart, which pumps oxygenated blood to all parts of the body
Right ventricle
Lower right section of the heart, which pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs
Valves
Flap-like folds in the lining of a blood vessel or other hollow organ that allow a liquid, such as blood, to flow in one direction only
‘lub dub’
The sound made by the heart valves as they close
Blood pressure
Measures how strongly the blood is pumped through the body’s main arteries
Systolic pressure
The higher blood pressure reading during contraction of the heart muscles
Diastolic pressure
The lower blood pressure reading during relaxation of the heart muscles
Heartbeat
Contraction of the heart muscle occurring about 60–100 times per minute
Pulse
Alternating contraction and expansion of arteries due to the pumping of blood by the heart
Pacemaker
Electronic device inserted in the chest to keep the heart beating regularly at the correct rate. It works by stimulating the heart with tiny electrical impulses
Cardiac muscle
Special kind of muscle in the heart that never tires. It is involved in pumping blood through the heart.
Oxeygen
A gas in the air (and water) that animals need to breathe in; made up of particles with two oxygen atoms. Plants produce oxygen as part of photosynthesis.
Cellular Respiration
The chemical reaction involving oxygen that moves the energy in glucose into the compound ATP. The body is able to use the energy contained in ATP.
Glucose
A simple carbohydrate and the simplest form of sugar
Carbon Dioxide
A gas in the air produced by respiration and used by plants as part of photosynthesis. The burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide.
Epiglottis
Leaf-like flap of cartilage behind the tongue that closes the air passage during swallowing
Respiratory System
The body system involving the lungs and associated structures, which take in air and supply the blood with oxygen to deliver to the body’s cells so they can carry out their essential functions; it also performs gas exchange to remove the waste gas carbon dioxide
Trachea
Narrow tube from the mouth to the lungs through which air moves
Lungs
The organ for breathing air. Gas exchange occurs in the lungs.
Bronchi
The narrow tubes through which air passes from the trachea to the smaller bronchioles and alveoli in the respiratory system. Singular = bronchus.
Bronchioles
Small branching tubes in the lungs leading from the two larger bronchi to the alveoli
Alveoli
Tiny air sacs in the lungs at the ends of the narrowest tubes. Oxygen moves from alveoli into the surrounding blood vessels, in exchange for carbon dioxide.
Pulmonary Vein
The vessel through which oxygenated blood travels from your lungs to the heart
Aorta
A large artery through which oxygenated blood is pumped at high pressure from the left ventricle of the heart to the body
Arterioles
Vessels that transport oxygenated blood from the arteries to the capillaries
Diaphragm
Flexible, dome-shaped, muscular layer separating the chest and the abdomen. It is involved in breathing.
Vital Capacity
The largest volume of air that can be breathed in or out at one time
Breathing
Movement of muscles in the chest causing air to enter the lungs and the altered air in the lungs to leave. The air entering the lungs contains more oxygen and less carbon dioxide than the air leaving the lungs.
Excretion
Removal of wastes from the body
Skin
External covering of an animal body
Lungs
The organ for breathing air. Gas exchange occurs in the lungs.
Liver
Largest gland in the body. The liver secretes bile for digestion of fats, builds proteins from amino acids, breaks down many substances harmful to the body and has many other essential functions.
Kidneys
Body organs that filter the blood, removing urea and other wastes
Nephrons
The filtration and excretory units of the kidney
Ureters
Tubes from each kidney that carry urine to the bladder
Bladder
Sac that stores urine
Urine
Yellowish liquid, produced in the kidneys. It is mostly water and contains waste products from the blood such as urea, ammonia and uric acid.
Urination
Passing of urine from the bladder to the outside of the body
Urethra
Tube through which urine is emptied from the bladder to the outside of the body
Bowman’s capsule
A cup-like structure at one end of a nephron within the kidney, surrounding the glomerulus. It serves as a filter to remove wastes and excess water.
Glomerulus
A cluster of capillaries in the kidney that acts as a filter to remove wastes and excess water
Haemodialysis
The process of passing blood through a machine to remove wastes
