Anatomy and Physiology
Where is compact bone normally found?
outer part of the bone
What is the structure of dense irregular connective tissue?
primarily irregularly arranged collagen fibers, some elastic fibers, major cell type is the fibroblast.
What is the structure of dense regular connective tissue?
primarily parallel collagen fibers, a few elastin fibers, and the major cell type is fibroblast
What is the structure of blood?
red and white blood cells in a fluid matrix
What kind of fibers are found in the matrix of reticular connective tissue?
reticular fibers
What accounts for about 90% of adipose connective tissues mass?
adipocytes, also known as fat cells
What connective tissue provides reserve food fuel, insulates against heat loss, and supports and protects organs?
adipose connective tissue
How does the matrix in hyaline cartilage appear?
amorphous and glassy blue-white when viewed with the unaided eye
What connective tissue provides a reservoir of water and salts for surrounding body tissue?
areolar connective tissue
What three tissues are known as "loose connective tissues"?
areolar, adipose, and reticular
Why is blood classified as a connective tissue?
because it develops from mesenchyme and consists of blood cells, it is also surround by the blood plasma.
Why is fibrocartilage found where strong support and the ability to withstand heavy pressure are required?
because it is compressible and resists tension well
What is the structure of elastic connective tissue?
a few ligaments, the ligamenta nucrae and flava connecting adjacent vertebrae are very elastic, so that it is referred to as elastic connective tissue.
Where in the body is reticular connective tissue normally found?
in the lymphoid organs like the lymph nodes, bone marrow, and spleen.
Where is spongy bone normally found?
inside the bone
Where is fibrocartilage normally located in the body?
intervertebral discs, pubic symphysis, discs of knee joint
Where can elastic connective tissue sometimes be found?
it can sometimes be found in the digestive tract to expand when you eat, the respiratory tract which allows the lungs to expand and recoil
Where can hyaline cartilage be found in the body?
it forms most of the embryonic skeleton, covers the ends of long bones in joint cavities, forms cartilages of the nose, trachea, and larynx.
Since dense connective tissue has enormous tensile strength, what does it form?
it forms tendons
What is the structure of spongy bone?
it is a honeycomb of small needle-like or flat pieces called trabeculae. In living bones the open spaces between trabeculae are filled with bone marrow.
What is the function of dense irregular connective tissue?
it is able to withstand tension exerted in many directions, provides structural strength
Where is blood normally found in the body?
it is contained within the blood vessels
Where can dense irregular connective tissue be found?
it is found in the skin in the dermis layer, it forms fibrous joint capsules, and the fibrous coverings that surround some organs like the kidney, bones, cartilages, muscles, and nerves.
Where is elastic cartilage found in the body?
it is found where strength and stretchability are needed. It supports the external ear and the epiglottis.
Where is adipose tissue normally located?
it is normally located under skin, around kidneys and eyeballs, and in breasts
What is the structure of elastic cartilage?
it is similar to hyaline cartilage but more elastic fibers in matrix
What is the function of blood?
it is to transport respiratory gases, nutrients, wastes, and other substances
Where are a few places in the body that areolar connective tissue can be found?
it is widely distributed under epithelia of body, forms lamina propria of mucous membranes, packages organs, surrounds capillaries
What is the function of elastic cartilage?
it maintains the shape of a structure while allowing great flexibility
When a body region is inflamed, what does areolar tissue do?
it soaks up excess fluids and the affected area swells and becomes puffy. This is a condition known as edema.
What is the function of bone in the body?
it supports and protects, stores calcium and other minerals and fat, marrow inside bones is the site for blood cell formation
What is the function of hyaline cartilage?
it supports and reinforces, has resilient cushioning properties, and resists compressive stress.
What are some of the functions of areolar connective tissue?
it wraps and cushions other organs, it plays an important role in inflammation, holds and conveys tissue fluid, its macrophages phagocytize bacteria.
What is the function of fibrocartilage?
its has tensile strength with the ability to absorb compressive shock
What is the structure of fibrocartilage?
its matrix is similar to but less firm than hyaline cartilage, the thick collagen fibers are predominate
What is the structure of reticular connective tissue?
network of reticular fibers in a loose ground substance, the reticular cells lie on the network.
What is the structure of hyaline cartilage?
It is amorphous but has a firm matrix, collagen fibers form an imperceptible network, chondroblasts produce the matrix and when mature chondrocytes lie in lacunae.
What is adipose connective tissue's structure?
It's matrix is like areolar but very sparse, it has closely packed adipocytes, and the nucleus is pushed to the side.
What kind of bone looks smooth and solid to the naked eye?
compact bone
What is the difference between the density of compact bone and the density of spongy bone?
compact bone: compact spongy bone: porous
Which type of dense connective tissue can stand tension when it is exerted from many different directions?
dense irregular connective tissue
Which connective tissue contains closely packed bundles of collagen fibers running in the same direction?
dense regular connective tissue
What is the function of dense regular connective tissue?
dense regular tissue attaches muscles to bones or to muscles, attaches bones to bones, and withstands great tensile strength.
What three tissues are known as "dense connective tissues"?
dense regular, dense irregular, and elastic
What kind of fibers are found in elastic cartilage?
elastin fibers
What is the predominant element of dense regular connective tissue?
fibers are the predominant element of dense regular connective tissue
What cartilage is a perfect structural intermediate between hyaline cartilage and dense regular connective tissue?
fibrocartilage
What cartilage is the most abundant cartilage type in the body?
hyaline cartilage
What is the difference between dense regular connective tissue and dense irregular connective tissue?
the bundles of collagen fibers in dense irregular connective tissue are much thicker and they are arranged irregularly.
What is the function of reticular connective tissue?
the fibers form a soft internal skeleton that supports other cell types including white blood cells, mast cells, and macrophages.
What is the most obvious structural feature of areolar connective tissue?
the loose arrangement of its fibers
Where is the nucleus in adipose tissue normally found?
the nucleus is pushed to the side by a large fat droplet
What is the main function of compact bone?
to support the entire body