Unit 6 Reflection

In this unit I learned about bones, which provide our body with support and the ability to move around. The skeleton system is divided into bones, joints, cartilage, and ligaments. There are two types of bone, compact an spongy. The microscopic characteristics of the bone include the cells, blood vessels, and the matrix. The types of bones cells are osteoblasts(bone-builders), osteoclasts (bone-breakers), and osteocytes (muture bone cells capable of dividing), which work together in the process of bone remodeling, The harvesian system is the organized system of interconnecting canals and blood vessels in the bone. Bones can be classified by their shape: long, short, flat, and irregular.
There are many disorders of the skeletal system that affect different types or parts of bones. Arthritis is inflammation  of the joints and there are more than 206 types of arthritis. Osteoporosis is a condition in which bones have lost minerals especially calcium, which is most common in elderly people. Scoliosis is caused by excessive lateral curvature of the vertebral column. Lordosis is the excessive curvature of the lumber spine and Kyphosis is the excessive curvature outwardly of the thoracic spine. Rickets is the softening/weakening of the bones in children, caused by a lack of Vitamin D.
Ossification is the process by which bones with the help of epiphyseal disks grow longitudinally. As we grow bone forms faster than it breaks. Minerals in the bone like calcium is necessary for maintaining pH of the blood and body fluids. Bone remodeling is needed because it allows injured bone to be replaced, and it maintains homeostasis of blood levels, and maintains skeleton by replacing old bone with new bone. Hormones like PTH and calcitonin are responsible for regulating vitamin D, vitamin K, and calcium levels and effects in the the bone. You can keep your bones healthy regularly exercising, and drinking a lot of milk because milk contains calcium which needed to make your bones strong.
There are three types of bone fractures: complete, incomplete, and closed. More specific types of complete bone fractures are compound, comminuted, and oblique. Bone repair starts with bleeding/inflammation and after 48 hours a procallus forms. Chrondroblasts and osteoblasts arrive next to start to form cartilage and bone around the procallus.
A joint is the point of connection between elements or of a skeleton. Three functional classifications of joints include synarthoses, amphiarthroses, and diarthoses. Three structural classifications are fibrous, cartilagenous, and synovial.




This unit was relatively easy to understand because of the physical functions of bones. I would have like to know more about how bones interact with other organs and systems of the body. For example if a fracture punctured the skin could there be a greater chance of an infection sourced at the bone?   I really enjoyed the owl pellet lab which allowed me to tinker with real life bones. As a student I think Iam doing by best to stay on track and not get too lazy with schoolwork and homework. Checking on my New Year's Goals I feel like I am getting more sleep and eating more protein and vegetables but I haven't been able to exercise as often as I intended to. I hope that once my dance classes start in March, I'll be able to get more fit.

Here is youtube video about a journalist who goes to talk to a orthopedic specialist about how to speed up the healing process of bone remodeling after a fracture:

Owl Pellet Lab

In this lab we dissected an owl pellet. An owl pellet is a compact, hard clot that consists of the bones, teeth, fur, claws, feathers, beaks, and other parts of a prey animal that cannot pass through the digestive system of an owl, usually a barn owl. The possible organisms that one might find in an owl pellet are mice, shrews, voles, rats, and birds.

After dissecting our owl pellet, we concluded that the bones most resemble a vole skeleton. Although moles and voles are very similar the bones we concluded that the bones belonged to that of a vole because the scapula had a more defined corner rather than a round edge. The pellet was 4.7cm long and 2.6cm wide. We found a lot of small bones in the pellet that were most likely the voles's phalanges, carpals, metacarpals, tarsals, and metatarsals. There were a lot of little long bones which were most likely the voles's many ribs. There were also many small short and cubodial irregular looking bones that were the voles's vertebrae.

The first major difference between a human skeleton and a vole skeleton when looking at the picture of the whole skeleton is the skull. The cranium is less spherical and more curved forward. Also the teeth that were attached to the mandible and maxilla were more incisor like which is very different than the teeth of a human. Also the eye socket in the crium is to the side versus a human eye socket is more towards the front of the skull. Otherwise the scapula (the shoulder blades), the clavicle (the collarbone), and the vertebrae looks very similar to that of a human's.

The vole's skeleton in the picture is oriented like a human skeleton but it should rather be oriented sideways because a vole's whole vertebrae is more curved than a human's.

I really enjoyed this lab because it was a fun and relaxing task to carve away the fur and feathers away from the bones in the owl pellet form. I had to do it with care because the bones were fragile and could break easily. I really learned a lot from this experiment because it was cool to work with real life bones than fake ones. I even took home the bones.

Pictures:

Unit 5 Reflection

In this unit, we learned the difference between digestion and absorption. Digestion the chemical and physical breakdown of foods into smaller pieces, which takes place in the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, and small intestine. Absorption is when your body takes in needed nutrients such as water. This takes place in the small and large intestine.
The digestive system starts in the mouth. The food moves down the esophagus through the process of peristalsis. Accessory Organs such as the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas also help in the breakdown of food. The stomach chemically breaks down the food. Waste products leave the body through the large intestine to the rectum and anal canal.
The body uses certain molecules and biochemical pathways to meet its energy demand through the 3 stages of extraction. During the FED state, the body begins to store glucose as glycogen, break down proteins into amino acids, and lipids into fatty acids. The main source of energy during the absorption state glucose and fatty acids. During the starvation state your body begins to dip into the protein reserves stored in muscles.
The endocrine system controls the process involved in movement and physiological equilibrium through hormones secretes by specific organs. Hormones are categorized as steroid hormones and non steroid hormones. Steroid hormones can go into cells directly and change the function of  the cell whereas the non steroid need the help of cAMP to get to the message to the DNA located in the nucleus.
There are two types of diabetes. In Type I the body does not make insulin at all and in Type II the body is insulin resistant.
The major functions of the lymphatic system is immunity, lipid absorption, and fluid recovery. Organs in the lymphatic system include lymph nodes, thymus, lymph vessels and capillaries, tonsils, and spleen.
One of the greatest functions of this unit were the two temp checks which allowed me to stay on top of studying for the test. Another great activity we did for this unit was the digestive tract lab, which allowed me to understand the length of my small and large intestine in a very visceral perspective. One reading that greatly enhanced my understanding of diabetes, metabolism, and the endocrine system was "Stress, Metabolism, and Liquidating your Assets." I especially learned something new about pear-shaped abdominal fat vs apple-shaped abdominal fat.
As for my New Year's Goals, I have not been able to finish a great deal of homework over the weekend but I have been running twice a week which I am proud of. 

How long is your digestive system?

In this lab I made a model of my own digestive system by measuring and cutting  yarn to represent lengths of different parts of the system, and tapping the pieces of yarn together to form one long string.

Digestive Organ	Color and Length (CM)
Mouth	12 cm
Esophagus	22 cm
Stomach	16 cm
Small Intestine	648 cm
Large Intestine	162 cm
Total	860 cm

My digestive system is almost 5.3 times my height but my it is able to fit inside my body because the small and large intestine is folded to increase surface area, which increases the number of reactions needed to break down food. 

I guess it takes 6-8 hours on average for food to move through your entire digestive system. According to MayoClinic, my guess is right in that it does take 6-8 hours on average for food to move through your entire digestive system. There are many factors that influence the time it takes. The complexity of foods, such as the structure and the components of the food, affect the time it takes. For example a juice will digest faster than a salad. Fat takes the longest to digest from of all the possible food macronutrients, because the liver can only produce a certain amount of bile to break down the fats per hour. 

Digestion is the mechanical and chemical breaking down of food into smaller components that can be absorbed into a blood stream. The mouth, pharynx, esophagus, liver , gallbladder, pancreas, and stomach help in the digestive process. 

Absorption takes place in the small intestine where most of the nutrients from ingested food are absorbed. The small and large intestine are responsible for most of the absorption. 

What are some disorders/diseases related to the digestive system other than diabetes? What happens if one of the organs fails to function? What are the chemical components of the fluids (enzymes, such as in bile and amylase) that help breakdown the macromolecules in food?

New Year's Goals

For the last two years I neglected to take care of my physical health. I haven't worked out diligently since my 10th grade P.E. class. Now because I am a second semester senior and I am done with college apps, I will get back into shape. I will do this by running every Friday afterschool at the minimum. If I don't feel like going outside I will do a at home cardio dance routine for 30 minutes minimum. By two months I want to increase it for an hour to two hours. I will also find one other day in the week to workout and by the end of two months I will increase it three days a week, and in three months I will increase it to four days.
Additionally I will try to sleep by 10 to 11 pm everyday and wake up by 5-7 am. 

My second goal would be to finish all written homework on the Sunday before the week starts or Monday. I will watch any podcasts or take notes for Anatomy and Physiology a week ahead so I have a lot of knowledge about the subject when I head into class the day of the lecture. This will allow me to study for upcoming tests/ap tests during the week. Because I don't have any college apps to do anymore I will focus more on school work and scholarships. I will work on finding scholarships on either Thursday or Friday and write any essays on Friday after my workout or Saturday morning.

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.