Digestion Lecture Flashcards

Flashcards about the digestive system including organs, anatomy, and disorders.

Name the major organs of the digestive system

Esophagus, gallbladder, liver, large intestine, small intestine, appendix, stomach, pancreas, rectum, anus

What are the essential questions about the digestive system?

How do animals obtain nutrients? What happens when animals don’t get proper nutrients? How is waste eliminated from the body? What disorders can affect the working of the digestive system?

What disease is described by swelling and bleeding gums, followed by swelling of the legs and black limbs?

Scurvy

What is scurvy?

A condition caused by a lack of vitamin C, leading to tissue breakdown.

What is the function of the digestive system?

Mechanical and chemical breakdown of food and the absorption of nutrients; consists of the alimentary canal and accessory organs.

What is the function of the Mucosa layer of the alimentary canal?

Protects tissues and carries absorption.

What does the submucosa layer contain?

Glands, blood vessels, nerves

What is the function of the muscular layer?

Smooth muscle; pushes food (peristalsis)

What is the function of the serosa layer?

Lubricates surfaces

What is the function of Villi in the small intestine?

Increase surface area for absorption of nutrients.

What do mixing movements do in the digestive system?

Mix food with digestive juices

What do propelling movements do in the digestive system?

Peristalsis pushes food down the tube

What is the function of the mouth in digestion?

Begins digestion by chewing and mixing with saliva.

What is the function of the tongue?

Moves food, connects to floor of mouth via frenulum; has papillae.

What is the function of the palate?

Forms roof of oral cavity (hard and soft); uvula is at the back of the mouth.

What is the function of the palatine tonsils?

Part of the immune system.

What is tonsillitis?

Inflammation of the tonsils

What are tonsil stones (tonsilloliths) and what causes them?

Hard white formations that are located on or within the tonsils caused by bacteria and debris accumulating in grooves and ridges.

What are the components of a tooth?

Enamel, dentin, pulp, gums, root, bone, root canal, nerves and blood vessels

What is a root canal?

A treatment to repair and save a badly damaged or infected tooth instead of removing it by cleaning the canals inside a tooth's root and putting a cap on the tooth

What does amylase do?

Breaks down starch into sugars; mucus cells also produce mucus for lubrication during swallowing.

What are the major salivary glands?

Parotid, submandibular, and sublingual glands.

What are the three regions of the pharynx?

Nasopharynx, oropharynx, laryngopharynx

What is the function of the esophagus?

Moves food to the stomach via peristalsis.

What is the esophageal hiatus?

Where the esophagus penetrates the diaphragm

Where is the cardiac (esophageal) sphincter located?

At the entrance to the stomach

What are the three layers of stomach muscles?

Longitudinal, circular, and oblique.

What are the regions of the stomach?

Cardiac, fundic, body, pyloric.

What is the function of stomach lining glands?

Secrete gastric juices to breakdown food, mucus prevents stomach from digesting itself

What is the function of pepsin?

Most important digestive enzyme for breaking down food

What are gastric pits?

Small openings in stomach lining that contain glands

What is chyme?

Paste after food has been broken down, released into the duodenum via the pyloric sphincter valve.

What are rugae?

Folds within the stomach

What is the function of the pancreas?

Secretes insulin which breaks down sugars

What is the function of pancreatic juice?

Breaks down fat, empties into the duodenum

Describe the anatomy of the liver.

Consists of a large right lobe and a smaller left lobe.

What does the Biliary system consist of?

Liver, gallbladder, ducts.

What is the primary function of the biliary system?

Create bile used in digestion.

What are the functions of the liver?

Blood glucose levels, breakdown of lipids and fats, protein metabolism, stores vitamins, recycles RBCs, removes toxins, secretes bile.

What is bile?

Yellowish-green liquid that aids in digestion and the breakdown of fat.

What are Bili Lights?

Therapeutic procedure for infants to reduce elevated bilirubin levels

What are the three parts of the small intestine?

Duodenum, Jejunum, Ileum

What is the mesentery?

Supports coils of small intestine and contains blood vessels

What is the main function of the small intestine?

Absorption of nutrients.

What is the greater omentum?

Curtain-like membrane that covers the intestines, stores fat

What is the function of intestinal villi?

Increase surface area for absorption of nutrients

What are the parts of the large intestine?

Cecum, colon, rectum, and anus

What is the Cecum?

Start of large intestine, has an attached appendix

What are the four sections of the colon?

Ascending, transverse, descending, sigmoid

What is the function of the Rectum?

Stores waste before it is expelled from the body

What is the function of the Anus?

Muscular sphincter which controls the exit of waste.

What is the function of the large intestine?

Secretes mucus, reabsorbs water, contains bacteria to aid in digestion (intestinal flora).

What is the main job of the large intestine?

Water reabsorption

What do stool types 1-2 indicate?

Indicate constipation

What do stool types 3-4 indicate?

Ideal stools, easy to defecate without excess liquid

What do stool types 5-7 indicate?

Tending towards diarrhea

What is a Gastroenterologist?

Physician specializing in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and liver.

What is GERD?

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (acid reflux)

What is dysentery or diarrhea?

Failure to reabsorb water in the large intestine, which leads to watery stool. Dehydration can lead to death.

What is Gastroenteritis?

Generic name used to describe vomiting and diarrhea

What is Cholera?

Bacteria causes diarrhea, leading to massive loss of water that can be fatal, transmitted through unclean water sources and contaminated food.

What is the human digestive tract's microbiome like?

Home to as many as 1,000 species of microorganisms.

What causes Hepatitis A?

Eating food or water infected with HAV, causes swelling and inflammation in the liver, but doesn't lead to chronic disease; there is a vaccine.

How is Hepatitis B spread?

Spread by contact with an infected person's blood, semen, or other body fluid; there is a vaccine.

What causes Hepatitis C?

Caused by the virus HCV, spread through contact with an infected person's blood, semen, or body fluid, causes swelling of the liver and can cause liver damage that can lead to cancer.

What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?

The bowel wall may contract too forcefully or too weakly, too slowly or rapidly at certain times.

What are stomach ulcers and how are they treated?

Burning upper abdominal pain, particularly between meals or after consuming certain substances; treated with antibiotics to kill H. pylori bacteria.

What is constipation?

Difficulty in emptying the bowels, usually associated with hardened feces.

What are hemorrhoids?

Swollen veins in the anus and lower rectum, may result from straining during bowel movements or from the increased pressure on these veins during pregnancy

What is Lactose Intolerance?

Inability to digest milk, can cause stomach upset.

What happens when people with celiac disease eat foods containing gluten?

Immune system responds by damaging villi, leading to malnourishment.

What is the function of the appendix?

Acts as a storehouse for good bacteria, “rebooting” the digestive system after diarrheal illnesses.

What is a hernia?

Intestines poke through abdominal muscles

What are gallstones (Cholelithiasis)?

Made from cholesterol and other things found in the bile; may need gallbladder removal

What is malnutrition?

Lack of proper nutrition, caused by not having enough to eat, not eating enough of the right things, or being unable to use the food that one does eat.

What causes Scurvy?

Lack of vitamin C

What causes Rickets?

Lack of vitamin D

What is an essential nutrient?

Nutrient required for normal body functioning that can not be synthesized by the body.

What is obesity?

BMI is 30 or more.

What is dysphagia?

Problems with swallowing

What is aspiration?

When food or other objects enter the airway

What is a colonoscopy?

Screening technique to detect colon cancer.