Stomach

December 19, 2009

The stomach is an organ of digestion. It has a saclike shape and is located between the esophagus and the intestines. Almost every animal has a stomach.

The human stomach

is a muscular, elastic, pear-shaped bag, lying crosswise in the abdominal cavity beneath the diaphragm. It changes size and shape according to is position of the body and the amount of food inside. The stomach is about 12 inches (30.5 cm) long and is 6 inches. (15.2 cm) wide at its widest point. The stomach's capacity is about 1 qt (0.94 liters) in an adult.

Food enters the stomach from the esophagus. The connection between the stomach and the esophagus is called the cardiac sphincter. The cardiac sphincter prevents food from passing back to the esophagus. Heart burn is the sensation when stomach juices (gastric juice) is allowed to seep through the sphincter into the esophagus. Once the food enters the stomach, gastric juices are used to break down the food. Some substances are absorbed muscle lining of the stomach. One of the substances the stomach absorbs is alcohol.

The other end of the stomach empties into the duodenum. The duodenum is the first section of the small intestine. The pyloric sphincter separates the stomach from the duodenum.

The stomach is composed of five layers. Starting from the inside and working our way out, the innermost layer is called the mucosa. Stomach acid and digestive juices are made in the mucosa layer. The next layer is called the submucosa. The submucosa is surrounded by the muscularis, a layer of muscle that moves and mixes the stomach contents. The next two layers, the subserosa and the serosa are the wrapping for the stomach. The serosa is the outermost layer of the stomach.

 

Tissue

December 19, 2009
Tissues are made of cells that are specialized for particular functions in the body. Cells are the basic living structure of the human body , but when they are organized into tissues their activity becomes more specialized. The human body has four primary types of tissue : epithelial tissues, connective tissues , muscular tissues , and nerve tissues . Below is a look at each tissue.

Epithelial tissues cover the whole body inside and out. They form the skin , and the inner lining of the body ca...
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Colon

December 19, 2009

To maintain good health, your body must effectively eliminate food and bodily waste! Your colon —  together with your lungs, skin and kidneys — are designed to accomplish this essential task by eliminating toxins in the intestines, blood and lymph systems.

 The colon (large intestine, rectum, and anus) is the end portion of the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract which extends from the mouth to the anus. It is a muscular tube approximately 5 to 5 ½ feet in length and has an average diameter...


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Heart

April 30, 2009
The human heart is a pear-shaped structure about the size of a fist. The heart is an amazing organ.  It is responsible for supplying the body with oxygenated blood.  Each time the heart beats, it exerts a pressure on the veins and arteries called blood pressure.  Blood pressure is extremely important and must be controlled if it is too high or low. Blood pressure can be controlled by medication prescribed by your doctor, proper exercise and a diet filled with plants and v...

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Kidney

April 30, 2009
The kidneys are a pair of vital organs that perform many functions to keep the blood clean and chemically balanced. Understanding how the kidneys work can help a person keep them healthy.

The kidneys are bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist. They are located near the middle of the back, just below the rib cage, one on each side of the spine. The kidneys are sophisticated reprocessing machines. Every day, a person’s kidneys process about 200 quarts of blood to sift out about 2 qu...

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The Lungs

April 30, 2009

The lung is a magnificent organ that performs a multitude of vital functions every second of our lives. Breathing is the most essential of these functions. With each breath, the lungs take in oxygen and remove carbon dioxide.

The air (oxygen) we breathe enters the lungs via the main windpipe (trachea), which branches into two main tubes supplying the right and left lung, respectively. These tubes progressively branch 22 additional times to form more than 100,000 smaller tubes (bronchi, bron...


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Liver

April 30, 2009
The liver is the largest glandular organ of the body. It weighs about 3 lb (1.36 kg). It is reddish brown in color and is divided into four lobes of unequal size and shape. The liver lies on the right side of the abdominal cavity beneath the diaphragm. Blood is carried to the liver via two large vessels called the hepatic artery and the portal vein. The heptic artery carries oxygen-rich blood from the aorta (a major vessel in the heart). The portal vein carries blood containing digeste...
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