Sheep Heart Dissection

The pericardium is the outer most membrane of the heart that secretes a fluid that lubricates the heart to prevent friction.

The arteries of the heart are made of smooth muscle and are more elastic and thicker than the veins.

The auricles are ear-like flaps on the top of the heart that allow the heart to receive more blood.

The ventricles have thicker and more muscular walls than the atria because they are responsible for providing the body with oxygenated blood.

Coronary Sinus:


Inferior Vena Cava:


The Right Atrioventricular Valve (Tricuspid Valve) and the Left Atrioventricular  Valve (Bicuspid Valve (Mitral)



Tricuspid Valve

If the valves were not "anchored," blood would leak back into the atrias which can lead to heart failure.

Semilunar Valves make sure the blood is going in the right direction. They prevent backflow from the arteries to the ventricles during ventricle diastole. The semilunar  valve also helps maintain pressure on major arteries.

The right of the heart is responsible for receiving blood, if one of the right side valves was not working, then blood would get stuck in the lower part of the body, causing swelling in the feet and ankles.

The left side of the heart is responsible for pumping blood to the body. If one of the left side valves was not working, then blood flow would be reduced to the body, causing in low oxygen to the body, creating tiredness.



The left side of the heart is thicker and more muscular than the right side, because the left side of the body is responsible for pumping blood to the entire body, whereas the right side is thinner and smaller because the blood only has to go the lungs.

Video of our sheep heart dissection:
Part 1: https://youtu.be/tQwVt3rncsI
Part 2: https://youtu.be/Wlam1BY1SXk

Citations:
"ANATOMY - Health And Human Sciences Mbbs Year 2 with X at University of Queensland - StudyBlue." StudyBlue. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.
"Pericardium and Heart Dissector." Electronic Companion Guide for Dissection of the Human Body. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.
"Heart Valve Surgery - Series." Mercury Web. Mercury Web, n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.

Unit 3 Reflection: The Circulatory and Respiratory System

The circulatory system is a fluid-filled network of tubes (or vessels) throughout which materials move between the environment and the cells of a multi cellular animal; it's a system that transports materials like oxygen and glucose needed by the cells and removes wastes like carbon dioxide and urea, fro the cells.
The respiratory system delivers O2 and removes CO2 through the nose, pharynx, larynx, tranchea, bronchi, bronchial branches, and lungs.
The cardio system works by pumping blood through the four chambers of the heart to deliver oxygenated blood to the body's cells via the arteries and return deoxygenated blood via the veins. Deoxygenated blood enters the heart via the superior/inferior vena cava into the right atrium then it gets pumped through the tricuspid valve into the right ventricle. From there it is pumped through the pulmonary semilunar valve into the pulmonary artery and to the lungs  where the deoxygenated blood is converted to oxygenated blood and reenters the heart via the pulmonary veins into the left atrium. From there the blood is pumped through the bicuspid mitral valve into the left ventricle and then pumped through the aortic semilunar valve into the arch of aorta. From there the oxygenate blood is transported through the entire body. The oxygen is used up by the body and once again deoxygenated returns to the heart and the cycle begins again. But else is in the blood? What is blood?

Blood is composed of red and white blood cells, platelets, and plasma. RBCs, cells that lack nuclei, mitocondria, and cannot divide function for regulation, transportation, and protection. WBCs main function is to fight different types of infection.

This is all great but there are many reasons why these systems can go wrong.

Cardiovascular health is a measurement of how well your cardio system can work. A heart attack can happen when blood supply to the myocardium, the middle thickest muscular tissue of the heart that is responsible for contraction is severely reduced and is usually caused by atherosclerosis, the build up of plague along your blood vessels. A stroke is a brain injury that occurs when blood suppl to part of the brain is interrupted and is usually caused by blood clots.

One can improve their cardio vascular health by excising, not smoking, choosing a healthy diet high in HDL (good cholesterol) and low in LDL (bad cholesterol).

I hope to learn more about the diseases of the respirator system, like Cystic Fibrosis and Chronic Bronchitis. What is mucus and why do those people with those diseases make more of it? Also I want to know more about how a stroke can affect the brain in long-term situations. How does not getting blood to a certain place of the brain affect the brain. Are there more sensitive parts of the brain, more susceptible for a stroke, brain injury?

Reflecting on my progress:

I was really able to understand this unit because of the clear system, the diseases got kind of confusing but I was still able to understand it by thinking about it in terms of the systems. I enjoyed working in collaborative situations for example in the chalk drawing activity of the heart and sheep heart dissection.

In terms of my health goals, I am actually getting more sleep as I am trying to push myself to sleep before 12 and wake up no later than 4:30. I also am eating more eggs to get my protein in my diet, something that was lacking two months ago.