Final quizzes Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Final quizzes - Coursework Example eacts to the presence of the bolus by initiating the process of swallowing by compressing the bolus and forces it down the esophagus, which is a 10 inches long muscular tube. Subsequently, this mass traverses behind the trachea, heart and passes through the diaphragm or muscular partition that separates the abdomen and the chest, and arrives in the stomach. The stomach is akin to a sack and it is situated in the upper abdomen, beneath the diaphragm. It has the capacity to expand sufficiently so that it can contain the food mass produced by chemical as well as mechanical processing. The small intestine is the site where the digested food is absorbed. It is a narrow twisted tube, with a 1 inch diameter and it occupies the major portion of the lower abdomen. It is 20 feet in length. It takes anywhere between three to six hours for the peristalsis process to move the food in the small intestine through the duodenum into the jejunum part of the small intestine and then into the ileum, which constitutes the final portion of the small intestine. During this process, bile is secreted, through the bile duct, into the small intestine. The aqueous unabsorbed undigested food is shifted by peristalsis and arrives in the large intestine, where it remains from 12 to 24 hours. This process of digestion is performed in a highly coordinated fashion, so that the body obtains nutrients and energy in the best possible manner (Digestive System). First, foods like meat, poultry and eggs should be cooked adequately. Special care should be taken to ensure that the internal portion of meat is thoroughly cooked, and it is recommended to use a thermometer for this purpose. Second, different foods should be stored separately, so as to prevent cross contamination. Utensils, cutting boards and hands should be thoroughly cleansed, if they have come into contact with poultry or raw meat. Other food items should on no account be touched if such cleansing has not been resorted to. Fourth,

Homeostasis in humans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Homeostasis in humans - Essay Example Core to this is the human body’s management of a variety of highly complex relations, critical in maintaining either a return to, or a balance of, normal functionality of the body (Guyton & Hall, 2006:310). This is achieved through three core types of processes i.e. thermoregulation, osmo-regulation and chemical regulation. Such interactions vitally facilitate changes, which are compensatory in nature and hence supportive of both psychological and physical human functionality. In the case of an imbalance, a function is usually altered, causing a reversal of the functionality back to its normal settings (Guyton & Hall, 2006:317). This is exemplified by the function of human skin, with an increase in temperature necessitating thermo-receptor feedback to the brain’s hypothalamus. This results in increased sweating, as a way of balancing the temperature. In the case of blood pH imbalance, chemoreceptors send messages to the brain’s respiratory center, thus enhancing the affected individual’s respiratory rate (Guyton & Hall, 2006:324). Other processes crucial in the maintenance of homeostasis include the body’s balance of electrolyte and blood pressure levels. Core to this body functionality, is the input of various body organs i.e. the human brain, the kidneys and the liver. The latter two’s role in maintaining homeostasis is undisputed, with the brain’s endocrine system, hypothalamus sector, and its autonomic nervous system being core to this functionality. The human pair of kidneys is on their part essential for a number of roles i.e. the re-absorption of substances into the blood circulation; the excretion of human waste matter and urea; the regulation of blood water levels and blood pH, in addition to maintaining iron and salt levels in circulation (Maton et al., 1993:35). As Marieb and Hoehn (2007) allude, the liver provides core maintenance of