Human Body Systems: EOC

The release of energy occurs in 3 steps

1. Glycolysis 2. Kreb's Cycle 3. Electron Transport

Glomerulus

A ball of capillaries surrounded by Bowman's capsule in the nephron and serving as the site of filtration in the vertebrate kidney.

Valve

A bodily structure that closes temporarily a passage or orifice of permits movement of fluid in one direction only.

Atherosclerosis

A cardiovascular disease in which growths called plaques develop on the inner walls of the arteries, narrowing their inner diameters.

Blood Pressure

A chamber of the heart that receives blood from the veins and forces it into a ventricle or ventricles.

Ventricle

A chamber of the heart which receives blood from a corresponding atrium and from which blood is forced into the arteries.

Arteriosclerosis

A chronic disease characterized by abnormal thickening and hardening of the arterial walls with resulting loss of elasticity.

Carpal tunnel syndrome

A condition caused by compression of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel and characterized by weakness, pain, and disturbances and sensation in the hand and fingers.

Actin

A contractile protein that is part of the thin filaments in muscle fibers.

Ureter

A duct leading from the kidney to the urinary bladder.

Pancreas

A gland with dual functions. Non-endocrine Portion: Secretes digestive enzymes and an alkaline solution into the small intestine. Endocrine Portion: Secretes the hormones insulin and glucagon in the blood.

Endorphin

A hormone produced in the brain and anterior pituitary that inhibits pain perception.

Polymer

A large molecule composed of repeating structural units or monomers.

Axon

A long nerve cell process that usually conducts impulses away from the cell body.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

A measure of body fat that is the ratio of the weight of the body in kilograms to the square of its height in meters.

Heart Rate

A measure of cardiac activity usually expressed as number of beats per minute.

Epithelium

A membranous cellular tissue that covers a free surface. Protects other parts of the body and produces secretions and excretions.

Gallbladder

A membranous muscular sac in which bile from the liver is stored.

First-degree burn

A mild burn characterized by heat, pain, and reddening of the burned surface but not exhibiting blistering or charring of tissues.

Monomer

A molecule that can combine with others to form a polymer.

Action Potential

A momentary reversal in electrical potential across a plasma membrane that occurs when a cell has been activated by a stimulus.

Esophagus

A muscular tube that in passes from the pharynx down the neck between the trachea and the spinal column behind the left bronchus. Then to the diaphragm and joins the cardiac end of the stomach.

Neuron

A nerve cell; the fundamental unit of the nervous system, having structure and properties that allow it to conduct signals.

Neurologist

A physician skilled in the diagnosis and treatment of disease of the nervous system.

Enzyme

A protein serving as a catalyst. A chemical agent that changes the rate of reaction without being consumed by the reaction.

Elastin

A protein that is similar to collagen and is the chief constituent of elastic fibers.

Pulse

A regularly recurrent wave of distension in arteries that results from the progress through an artery of blood injected into the arterial system at each contraction of the ventricles of the heart.

Stomach

A sac-like expansion of the alimentary canal. A strong complex muscular wall that contracts rhythmically. It consists of a mucous lining membrane that contains gastric glands.

Salivary Amylase

A salivary gland enzyme the hydrolyzes starch.

Exocrine Gland

A salivary gland that releases a secretion external to or at the surface of an organ by means of a canal or duct.

Fascicle

A small bundle or cluster, especially of nerve or muscle fibers.

Bolus

A soft mass of chewed food.

Neurotransmitter

A substance that transmits nerve impulses across a synapse.

Smooth Muscle

A tissue specialized for contraction, composed of smooth muscle fibers (cells), located in the walls of hollow internal organs, and innervated by the autonomic motor neurons.

Urethra

A tube that releases urine from the body.

Varicose Veins

An abnormal swelling of a superficial vein of the legs.

Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)

An adenine-containing nucleoside triphosphate that releases free energy when its phosphate bonds are hydrolyzed. This energy is used to drive all reactions in the cell.

Pharynx

An area in the vertebrate throat where air and food passages cross.

Ion

An atom or group of atoms that carries a positive or negative electric charge as a result of having lost or gained one or more electrons.

Reflex

An automatic and often inborn response to a stimulus that involves a nerve impulse passing inward from a receptor to the spinal cord and then outward to an effector with reaching the level of consciousness and often without passing to the brain.

Collagen

An insoluble fibrous protein of vertebrates that is the chief constituent of the fibrils of connective tissue and of the organic substance of bones.

Connective Tissue

Animal tissue that functions mainly to bind and support other tissues.

Venule

Any of the minute veins corresponding the capillaries with the larger systemic veins.

Arteriole

Any of the small terminal twigs of an artery that ends in capillaries.

Capillary

Any of the smallest blood vessels connecting arterioles with venules and forming networks throughout the body.

Artery

Any of the tubular branching muscular-and elastic-walled vessels that carry blood from the heart through the body.

Vein

Any of the tubular branching vessels that carry blood from the capillaries toward the heart and have thinner walls than the arteries and often valves at intervals to prevent reflux of the blood which flows in a steady stream and is in most cases dark-colored due to the presence of reduced hemoglobin.

Dendrite

Any of the usually branching protoplasmic processes that conduct impulses toward the body of a neuron.

Melanin

Any of the various black, dark brown, reddish brown, or yellow pigments of animal or plant structures.

Keratin

Any of various sulfur-containing fibrous proteins that form the chemical basis of epidermal tissues and are typically not digested by enzymes of the gastrointestinal tract.

CNS

Central Nervous System. Example: The brain and spinal cord.

Urinalysis

Chemical analysis of urine.

Catabolism

Chemical reactions that break down complex organic compounds into simple ones, with the net release of energy.

Inter-neuron

Connect sensory neurons to motor neurons. Found in CNS.

Coronary Artery

Either of two arteries that arise one form the left and one from the right side of the aorta immediately above the semuilunar valves and supply the tissues of the heart itself.

Salivary Glands

Exocrine Glands associated with the oral cavity. These glans contain substances to lubricate food, adhere together chewed pieces into a bolus, and begin the process of chemical digestion.

Anti-diuretic Hormone (ADH)

Hormone produced by the neurosecretory cells in the hypothalamus that stimulates water reabsorption from kidney tubule cells.

Adrenal Glands

Hormone-producing glands located superior to the kidneys; each consists of a medulla and cortex.

Myelin Sheath

In a neuron, an insulating coat of cell membrane from Schwann cells that is interrupted by nodes of Ranvier.

Filtration

In the vertebrate kidney, the extraction of water and small solutes, including metabolic wastes, from the blood by the nephrons.

Endomysium

Is connective tissue surrounding each individual muscle fiber.

Perimysium

Is made of connective tissue and forms casings for bundles of muscle fibers.

Afferent neurons

Nerve cells that carry impulses towards the central nervous system.

Efferent Neurons

Nerve cells that conduct impulses away from the central nervous system.

Kidney

One of a pair of vertebrate organs situated in the body cavity near the spinal column that excrete waste products of metabolism.

PNS

Peripheral Nervous System.

Sensory Neuron

Pick up signals through senses. Example: Sight, touch, smell, etc. Sending information from PNS to CNS.

Aldosterone

Produced by the adrenal cortex that promotes sodium and water reabsorption by the kidneys and potassium excretion in urine.

Motor Neuron

Receive signals from CNS, causing movement. Takes place in PNS but receives information from CNS.

Cardiac Muscle

Striated muscle fibers (cells) that form the wall of the heart.

Peristalsis

Successive muscular contractions along the wall of a hollow muscular structure.

Anabolism

Synthetic, energy-requiring reactions whereby small molecules are built into larger ones.

Calorie

The amount of heat energy required to raise temperature.

Digestive System

The bodily system concerned with the ingestion, digestion, and absorption of food.

Excretion

The disposal of nitrogen-containing waste products of metabolism.

Glomerular Filtration

The first step in urine formation in which substances in blood pass through the filtration membrane and the filtrate enters the proximal convoluted tubule of the nephron.

Aorta

The large arterial trunk that carries blood from the heart to be disturbed by branch arteries through the body.

Liver

The largest internal organ in the vertebrate body. Performs functions such as producing bile, preparing nitrogenous wastes for disposal, and detoxifying poisonous chemicals in the blood.

Circulation

The movement of blood through the vessels of the body that is induced by the pumping action of the heart and serves to distribute nutrients and oxygen to and remove waste products from all parts of the body.

Urinary System

The organs of the urinary tract comprising the kidneys, ureters, urinary bladder, and urethra.

Epidermis

The outer nonsensitive and non-vascular layer of the skin of a vertebrate that overlies the dermis.

Small Intestine

The part of the intestine that lies between the stomach and colon. Consisting of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. Secreting digestive enzymes and is the chief site of the absorption of digestive nutrients.

Oral Cavity

The part of the mouth behind the gums and teeth that is bounded above by the hard and soft palates and below by the tongue. Also, connecting with the inner part of the mandible.

Systemic Circulation

The passage of arterial blood from the left atrium of the heart through the left ventricle, the systemic arteries, and the capillaries to the organs and tissues that receive much of it's oxygen.

Pulmonary Circulation

The passage of venous blood from the right atrium of the heart through the right ventricle and pulmonary arteries to the lungs where it is oxygenated and its return via the pulmonary veins to enter the left atrium and participate in the systemic circulation.

Synapse

The place at which a nervous impulse passes from one neuron to another.

Urinary Bladder

The pouch where urine is stored prior to elimination.

Digestion

The process of making food absorbable by mechanically and enzymatically breaking down into simpler chemical compounds in the alimentary canal.

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

The rate at which heat is given off by an organism at complete rest.

Dermis

The sensitive vascular inner mesodermic layer of the skin.

Gastrointestinal Tract

The stomach and intestine as a functional unit.

Reaction Time

The time elapsing between the beginning of the application of a stimulus and the beginning of an organism's reaction to it.

Metabolism

The totality of an organism's chemical reactions, consisting of catabolic and anabolic pathways.

Nephron

The tubular excretory unit of the vertebrate kidney.

Cardiac Output

The volume of blood ejected from the left side of the heart in one minute.

Stroke Volume

The volume of blood pumped from a ventricle of the heart in one beat.

Contract

To shorten and thicken.

Peripheral Vascular Disease

Vascular disease affecting blood vessels outside of the heart and especially those vessels supplying the extremities.

Urine

Waste material that is secreted by the kidney, is rich in end products of protein metabolism together with salts and pigments, and forms a clear amber and usually slightly acid fluid.

Large Intestine

Wider and shorter than the small intestine. Typically divided into the cecum, colon, rectum, and concerned especially with the resorption of water and the formation of feces.