Week 1 - Accessory Organs + Intestines Flashcards
Describe the anatomical position of the liver
Occupies most of the Right hypochondriac and epigastric regions
State the 7 functions of the liver
- Bile production
- Phagocytosis of red blood cells and bacteria
- Processing nutrients (carbohydrates, fats, proteins)
- Storage (vitamins, glycogen)
- Formation of blood components
- Detoxification of alcohol, drugs and converts toxic ammonia to urea
- Heat production
Describe the blood flow to, within and from the liver
- Heart
- Abdominal Aorta
- Hepatic Artery (Blood flow also comes from GI tract to the..)
- Liver
- Hepatic Veins
- Back to the heart
How many sources of blood supply are there to the liver?
2 - Hepatic artery and GI tract
Name the two blood vessels that supply the liver & the vein that exits the liver
- Hepatic artery and Portal Vein supply the Liver
- Hepatic Vein exits the liver
Name the functional cells of the liver, and describe what they do
Hepatocytes within each Lobule. These cells contain large amounts of RER (Protein synthesis), SER (Lipid synthesis), Golgi complexes (sort & package proteins for transportation) and mitochondria (ATP production)
- play pivotal roles in metabolism, detoxification, and protein synthesis
State the function of the stellate reticuloendothelial (Kupffer’s) cells
They remove debris, like bacteria and worn out blood cells, from the blood as it flows past
Name the cells that produce bile
Hepatocytes
State what stimulates the production of bile
Production is increased when there is fatty chyme in GI tract
Describe the pathway of bile from the liver to the duodenum
- Bile ducts merge to form the hepatic ducts (right and left)
- Hepatic ducts connect to form common hepatic duct
- Cystic duct from gallbladder & common hepatic duct join to form common bile duct
- Common bile duct & pancreatic duct form common duct
- Common duct empties into duodenum
Name the structure that stores bile
Gallbladder
Describe the main function of bile
- Neutralise acid from the stomach,
- Emulsification of fat to enable digestion
- Absorption of lipids, remove waste (bilirubin)
Describe the anatomical position of the pancreas
Posterior to the stomach in the epigastric region
State one exocrine function of the pancreas
Produce enzymes that help digest food
In correct sequence from the beginning name the three portions of the small intestine
- Duodenum
- Jejunum
- Ileum (longest portion)
Describe two functions of the small intestine
- The walls of the small intestine make digestive juices, or enzymes, that work together with enzymes from the liver and pancreas to do this.
- Absorbing almost all of the nutrients you get from foods into your bloodstream.
Name the four structural features of the small intestine
- Circular folds
- Villi
- Microvilli
- Length of small intestine
What is the overall function of the 4 structural features of the small intestine?
Increase the surface area to maximise absorption
Specific function of the circular folds
Force chyme to spiral through the lumen, slowing its movement and allowing more time for absorption
Specific function of the villi
- Finger-like projections of the mucosa
- Contain blood capillaries, and lacteals (lymphatic capillaries) for fat absorption
Specific function of the microvilli
- Tiny projections of the plasma membrane of the cells on the surface of the villi
- Required for secretion of intestinal enzymes and absorption of nutrients
State four functions of the large intestine
- To complete the absorption of water, ions & vitamins
- Production and absorption of vitamin K and some B vitamins by bacteria
- Movement of contents of the colon to the rectum
- Formation of faeces
State the function of intestinal juice
- Neutralises hydrochloric acid coming from the stomach
- releases gastrointestinal hormones into the bloodstream
- contains digestive enzymes that facilitate the digestion and absorption of food.
What are the sections of the large intestine in order
- Caecum
- Ascending colon
- Hepatic flexure
- Transverse colon
- Splenic flexure
- Descending colon
- Rectosigmoid colon
- Rectum
Where is the Caecum located?
Between the ileum (distal small bowel) and the ascending colon.
Where is the appendix located?
Appendix hangs off the end of your cecum - lower right side of abdomen
Where is the Ascending colon located?
This segment extends along the right side of your abdomen
Where is the Hepatic Flexure located?
In the upper right part of your abdomen, under your liver
Where is the transverse colon located?
This segment travels across the upper part of your abdomen, from right to left.
Where is the splenic flexure located?
The bend where the transverse colon and descending colon meet in the upper left part of your abdomen. It is the highest point your colon reaches in your body.
Where is the Descending colon located?
In the left side of your abdomen
Where is the Rectosigmoid colon located?
“S” shaped portion of the large intestine that begins in front of the pelvic brim as a continuation of the descending colon and becomes the rectum at the level of the third sacral vertebrae
Where is the rectum located?
The lower part of the large intestine that connects to the sigmoid colon
What does the rectum store?
It receives waste from the colon and stores it until it passes out of the body through the anus.
What is Peristalsis?
A series of wave-like muscle contractions that move food through the digestive tract. It starts in the oesophagus where strong wave-like motions of the smooth muscle move balls of swallowed food to the stomach (chyme).
What is Segmentation?
Alternating contractions and relaxations of non-adjacent segments of the intestine that move food forward and backward, breaking it apart and mixing it with digestive juices.
The ducts that transport bile from the liver are called
Right hepatic duct, left hepatic duct, common hepatic duct
The blood vessel that carries nutrient rich blood to the liver from the digestive system is the
Hepatic portal vein
The structure that controls the movement of chyme from the small intestine to the large intestine is the
Ileocecal sphincter
