Facts/Triva (part 2)

Cardiovascular System

Inflammation of the pericardium, pericarditis, often results in a decrease in the amount of serous fluid. This causes the pericardial layers to bind and stick to each other, forming painful adhesions thet interfere with heart movements.

Respiratory System

Smoking inhibits ciliary activity and ultimately destroys the cila. Without these cilia, coughing is the only means of preventing mucus from accumulating in the lungs. Smokers with the respiratory congestion should avoid medications that inhibit cough reflex.

Reproductive System

Since many potentially harmful substances can cross through the placenta barrier into the fetal blood, the pregnant woman should be very much aware of what she is taking into her body. Substances that may cause life-threatening birth defects (and even fetal death) include alcohol, nicotine, and many types of drugs (anticoagulants, antihypertensives, sedatives and some antibiotics). Maternal infections, particularly German measles (rubelle), may also cause severe fetal damage. Termination of a pregnancy by loss of a fetus during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy is called abortion.

Abnormal separation of chromosomes during meiosis can lead to congenital defects of thos system. For example, males who have an extra female sex chromosomes have the normal male accessory structures, but ther testes atrophy, causing them to be sterile. Other abnormalities occur when a child has only one sex chromosome. An XO female appears normal but lacks ovaries; YO males die during development. Other much less serious conditions affect males primarily; these include phimosis, which essentially is narrowing of the foreskin of the penis and misplaced urethral openings.

During an extremely prolonged or difficult stage 2, a condition called dystocia may occur. In dystocia, oxygen delivery to the infant is inadequate, leading to fetal brain damage ( resulting in cerebral palsy or epilepsy) and decreased viability of the infant. To prevent this outcomes, a cesarean section, also called C-section may be performed. A C-section is delivery of the infant through surgical incision made through abdominal and uterine walls.

Source: Essentials of Human Anatomy & Physiology Eight Edition

Reproductive System

The reproductive system produces male and female gametes, enhances fertilization of an oocyte by a sperm, nurtures the new individual until birth in female and produces sex hormones. The reproductive system is divided into two: the female reproductive system and the male reproductive system.

In male reproductive system, it consists of the testes, a series of ducts, accessory glands and supporting structures. The testes is the male gonads where sperm cells develops. It also produces testosterone. Epididymis is the storage area of the sperm, the sperm produced in the tests moves into the epididymis to mature before it passes through the other male reproductive organs. Other parts of the male reproductive system is the vas deferens, scrotum, seminal vesicle and others. There is also a process called Spertmatogenesis which is the formation of sperm cells which is important for the males. They also secrete Semen which is a mixture of sperm cells and secretions from the male reproductive glands. The male’s hormone which is the testosterone is responsible for spermatogenesis and development of secondary sex characteristics.

In the female reproductive system, it consists of ovaries, uterine tube, the uterus, vagina, the external genitalia and mammary glands. The two ovaries are small organs suspended in the pelvic cavity by ligaments produces estrogen and progesterone which are the female hormones. An oocyte is the female sex cells. They are formed in the process of Oogenesis. The females also has menstrual cycle which refers to the series of changes that occur in sexually mature, non-pregnant females and culminate in menses. This happens when females undergo puberty. Menopause happens when the female reaches to the age of 40-50 years old. Menopause is the cessation of menstrual cycle.

 The reproductive system is also responsible for child birth. Fertilization is the union of a sperm cell and an oocyte, with their genetic material, to produce a new individual. There are so many stages that an zygote undergo for it become a grown fetus. It takes 9 months for the baby to be able to get out of their mother’s womb. A newborn baby is called a neonate. After that, he or she will undergo many changes in different life stages.

Urinary System

The Urinary System is also known as the renal system which produces, stores and eliminates urine. The kidneys are the key players in the urinary system. There are two major functions that this process of elimination goes through, one is that the kidneys filters the waste from our blood and two, produce urine to get rid of it. If this didn’t happen, toxins will quickly build in your body and make your immune system weaker. It also keeps levels of electrolytes, such as potassium and phosphate, stable. Another important thing is these thin tubes of muscles which act as a pathway to the bladder known as the ureters. The bladder, located in the pelvis between the pelvic bones, is a hollow, muscular, balloon-shaped organ that expands as it fills with urine. Although a person does not control kidney function, a person does control when the bladder empties. There are also effects of the amount of urine a person produces depends on many factors, such as the amounts of liquid and food a person consumes and the amount of fluid lost through sweat and breathing. Certain medications, medical conditions, and types of food can also affect the amount of urine produced. Children produce less urine than adults; the amount produced depends on their age.

Digestive System

Our body needs a lot of nutrients and the digestive system is the one who delivers the nutrients throughout the body. It is the one responsible for the breaking down of food to convert it into energy and distribute or provides nutrients in all the parts of the body. Other functions of the digestive system is to absorb the digested molecules and eliminate wastes inside our body. The parts of the digestive system is the oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small & large intestine, liver and pancreas. Each of these organs has an enzyme that breaks down the small particles of the food into a very small molecules which are absorbed into the circulation and transported all over the body. Some of these enzymes are the salivary amylase which breaks down starch in the mouth, Pepsin which breaks down covalent bonds from proteins to form a smaller peptide chains, Peptidases which breaks down peptide bonds in proteins to form amino acids, and others.

Nutrition is the process by which food is taken into and used by the body. Our body needs nutrients which provides energy and building blocks for new molecules in the body. There are essential nutrients which are nutrients that must be ingested by the body because our body cannot manufacture them. Our body needs carbohydrates, some lipids, proteins, vitamins and minerals.

Respiratory System

                The Respiratory System consists of organs that help our body to breathe. It exchanges oxygen and carbon dioxide between the air and blood, regulates blood pH, helps produce sounds, moves air over the sensory receptors that detect smell, and protects against some microorganisms. Air passes through many organs before the process of gas exchange like the nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx, trachea, lungs and many more. Gas exchange usually occurs in the alveoli. Every living thing on earth needs air to be able to breathe, this process is called ventilation or breathing which air moves in and out of the lungs. Inspiration or inhalation happens when air moves in the lungs and Expiration or exhalation happens when air moves out of the lungs. There is also a process called Cellular Respiration where breathing provides the oxygen needed to make ATP from glucose.  Breathing gets rid of the potentially toxic carbon dioxide, the waste products during cellular respiration. All of these means that the Respiratory System is very important in our body. We need to breathe for us to be able to live.

Circulatory System

The Circulatory System functions as a highway for nutrients and oxygen transport in the body. It is astounding to learn that the blood, who we normally think of as something only vampires drink as portrayed in the books and movies, play such a very vital role in the functions of our body. The blood carries oxygen that our brain and lungs need in order to not collapse and keep us living. It supplies nourishment to our vital organs too. It also helps protect our body from pathogens to keep us healthy. It aids in the healing when we get wounded. As I learn more about the blood, I cannot help but admire the heart more. Yes, the heart. More than the thing that we see hanging around during Valentine's Day and more than the hearts we find on little girls' notebooks when they dot their "I"s and they write their crush's name, he heart, in reality, pumps the blood that does all the wonders I have previously mentioned. The heart is the one responsible for the delivery of oxygen to and from the lungs, therefore, without the heart, our lungs and the brain that requires oxygen for functioning will cease to do their jobs! The heart really is very vital in our life. Like the song goes, "please be careful with my heart", for without it, we will really die. Did you know that the heart can still function even if the brain is already dead? It is a truly wonderful thing. Getting more in depth with this knowledge makes me love my heart more. Lastly, who would forget the veins and arteries? We already have the transportation, the blood, and the main terminal, the heart, therefore we also need streets and highways to complete their purpose and those are what the veins and arteries are for! It truly is amazing how the human body functions as an entirety.

10 interesting facts about the Circulatory System!!

1. If you put your circulatory system on a straight line, it is actually long enough to orbit the earth two and a half times!

2. The heart beats around 3,000,000,000 (3 billion times) in the average person's life.

3. About 8 million blood cells die in the human body every second, and the same number are born each second.

4. Inside a tiny droplet of blood, there are around 5 million red blood cells and up to 7,000 to 25,000 white blood cells.

5. Blood that is high and rich in oxygen is a bright, healthy red, while, blood that is poor in oxygen is a dull red.

6. The reason why red blood cells are red is because they contain a protein chemical called hemoglobin which is bright red in colour.

7. As blood passes through the lungs, oxygen molecules attach to the hemoglobin. As the blood passes through the body's tissue, the hemoglobin releases the oxygen to the cells. The empty hemoglobin molecules then bond with the tissue's carbon dioxide or other waste gases, transporting it away.

8. The body's circulatory system has three different parts: pulmonary circulation (the Lungs), coronary circulation (the Heart), and systemic circulation (The System).

9. As blood begins to circulate, it leaves the heart from the left ventricle and goes into the aorta. The aorta is the largest artery in the body. The blood leaving the aorta is full of oxygen. This is important for the cells in the brain and the body to do their work. The oxygen rich blood travels throughout the body in its system of arteries into the smallest arterioles.

10. On its way back to the heart, the blood travels through a system of veins. As it reaches the lungs, the carbon dioxide (a waste product) is removed from the blood and replace with fresh oxygen that we have inhaled through the lungs.

Source: http://scienceharris08-10.wikispaces.com/The+10+MOST+interesting+facts+about+the+Circulatory+System

Lymphatic System

Every day we struggle from big stuff, small stuff, and micro stuff. We might not even know that we are fighting for our lives when we deal with the micros. Fortunately, we survive, out-win, and resist this "micros"

There are plenty of microorganisms that can potentially harm our body, but thanks to our lymphatic system, we are able to defend ourselves. The lymphatic system has lymph and lymph nodes which filters microorganism that enter the body. From there the body projects symptoms. The red bone marrow then produce more T and B cells to immunize the body. If there is an infection T and B cells increase in number for the body to resist infection. Immunity has two types: innate and adaptive. In innate immunity the body recognizes and destroys foreign substances, but the response is the same every time the body is exposed to the same substance. On the other hand, adaptive immunity has specificity and memory that the body remembers the particular substance and destroy it.  The substance is acquired again, the body responds much faster and stronger. Adaptive immunity is acquired, it may be: one is exposed to the infection, through experience, artificially like those of vaccines or from the mother when a baby is still in the womb. Concluding, the lymphatic system is literally "what-doesn’t-kill-you-makes-you-stronger"