The gastrointestinal system

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 132-137
Author(s):  
Ian Peate
Keyword(s):  
Life Span ◽  
Alimentary Canal ◽  
Digestive System ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
The Body ◽  
Gastrointestinal System ◽  
Main Function ◽  
And Function

The gastrointestinal system is sometimes known as the digestive system or the alimentary canal. It is around 10m in length, travelling the length of the body; it begins at the mouth and ends at the anus. The main function of the digestive system is to convert food from what is eaten into a form that can be used by the cells of the body to enable them to perform their functions. This article offers readers an overview of the structure and function of the gastrointestinal system. Understanding the gastrointestinal system can help to provide care to a range of people in a range of environments, across the life span in a safe and effective way. The article includes a glossary of terms, along with a short quiz that is designed to test understanding and to aid recall.

IX.—The Structure and Function of the Alimentary Canal of Æolid Molluscs, with a Discussion on their Nematocysts

1938 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alastair Graham
Keyword(s):  
Alimentary Canal ◽  
Digestive System ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Gastropod Mollusc ◽  
Food And Feeding ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Almost All ◽  
And Function ◽  
Great Advance

During recent years there has been a very great advance in our knowledge of the minute structure and function of the various regions and glands of the alimentary canal of the prosobranch and pulmonate gastropods, without any corresponding increase in our understanding of the opisthobranch and, in particular, of the nudibranch gut. That the emphasis should be laid on the streptoneurous and the land-living forms is obviously due to their abundance and to the fact that they include almost all the familiar types of gastropod mollusc, but it is disappointing that, at the moment of writing, there exists only one account of the histology and function of the digestive system of either a dorid or an æolid—to confine attention to the two main types of nudibranch molluscs which occur in British waters—that of Millott (1937b). This is perhaps more noticeable when it is recalled that the nudibranchs have specialised along distinctly unusual lines, many of which are intimately associated with the food and feeding habits which the animals have adopted. The æolids, it is true, have attracted a lively interest in connexion with their possession of nematocysts, but the majority of investigators have apparently been content to trace these into the cnidosacs without concerning themselves over the other constituents of the animal's food.

The Alimentary Canal of Calliphora erythrocephala L., with Special Reference to its Musculature and to the Proventriculus, Rectal Valve and Rectal Papillae

Parasitology ◽  
1934 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 176-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. S. Graham-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Special Reference ◽  
Body Fluid ◽  
Alimentary Canal ◽  
Liver Cells ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
The Body ◽  
Calliphora Erythrocephala ◽  
And Function

A detailed description of the musculature in the different regions of the alimentary canal of Calliphora erythrocephala is given, and an account of the structure and function of the crop, proventriculus, ducts of the Malpighian tubes, rectal valve and rectal papillae. It has been shown by dissections and experiments that a system of channels exists in the rectal papillae through which the body fluid probably circulates, and it is suggested that the very large cells may have functions resembling those of liver cells.

scholarly journals Evidence of Regeneration of Testicular and Epididymal Tissue Structure and Function Following Withdrawal from Sub-chronic Khat Exposure: Studies in the Rabbit Animal Model

2020 ◽  
pp. 10-23
Author(s):  
Albert W. Nyongesaa ◽  
Esther M. Malukib ◽  
Jemimah A. Simbaunib
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Chronic Exposure ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
The Body ◽  
Endocrine Function ◽  
Eastern Africa ◽  
Blood Samples ◽  
Middle East Countries ◽  
Group I ◽  
And Function

Khat, Catha edulis, use is rampant in Eastern Africa and Middle East countries with associated reports of reproductive function impairment in the body of the user. Reports on recovery post long-term khat exposure are obscure. The present study investigated evidence of restoration of testicular and epididymal structure and function during withdrawal from cytotoxic damage caused by sub-chronic exposure of khat extract. Twenty-eight male rabbits were divided into 7 groups of 4 rabbits each. Group I (control) was administered normal saline while groups II, III and IV were administered 1.0 g/kg, 10 g/kg and 20 g/kg body weight of khat extract, respectively, via oral gavage on alternate days of the week for 12 weeks. Blood samples from animals were collected for hormonal assays followed by euthanasia using 26.4 mg/kg body weight of Sagatal sodium intramuscularly for testicular and epididymal histology. Group V, VI and VII were administered 1.0 g/kg, 10 g/kg and 20 g/kg body weight of khat extract, respectively, orally on alternate days of the week for 12 weeks followed by 1-month withdrawal period, blood samples collected for hormone assays and animals sacrificed for testicular and epididymal histology. High khat dose, 20 g/kg body weight, at sub-chronic exposure caused degeneration in spermatogenic cells with accompanying decrease in plasma FSH and testosterone. Histological output of Sertoli cells, Leydig cells and epididymal epithelium appeared unaffected in treatment groups. Post withdrawal data showed apparent regeneration of seminiferous epithelium and restoration of plasma FSH and testosterone comparable to control. It appears khat extract preferentially affected germ cell spermatogonia and subsequent daughter cells while stem cell spermatogonia were unaffected and contributed to regeneration of germinal epithelium and endocrine function.

The Ecology and Digestive System of the Struthiolariidae (Gastropoda)

1951 ◽  
Vol s3-92 (17) ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
J. E. MORTON
Keyword(s):  
Digestive System ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Crystalline Style ◽  
Intracellular Digestion ◽  
Mud Flat ◽  
Food Particles ◽  
Gill Filaments ◽  
And Function ◽  
Deposit Feeding ◽  
Muscular Action

The two neozelanic species Struthiolaria papulosa and Pelicaria vermis have been studied as regards ecology, feeding mechanism, and structure and function of the digestive system. They are dwellers on sand or sand-mud-flat, wit h a feeding position just below the surface, where they construct paired siphonal tubes with the rostrum. A ciliary mode of feeding has been acquired by the modification of the gill filaments and the pallial rejection system. The alimentary canal isadapted for deposit feeding and has developed a crystalline style. Food particles are conducted to the stomach by a functionally reduced mucus-secreting oesophagus, where they are subjected to the action of the rotating style, and a complex system of ciliary currents. Digestible par-ticles are passed into paired diverticula, where absorption and intracellular digestion, takes place, while faecal material is surrounded with mucus and formed into firm pellets by the ciliary and muscular action of the intestine. The relationships of the Struthiolariidae are discussed, and their origin from the Aporrhaidae is postulated.

scholarly journals Muscles of mice deficient in α-sarcoglycan maintain large masses and near control force values throughout the life span

2005 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 244-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina M. Consolino ◽  
Franck Duclos ◽  
Jane Lee ◽  
Roger A. Williamson ◽  
Kevin P. Campbell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Connective Tissue ◽  
Life Span ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Null Mouse ◽  
Control Force ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Muscle Structure ◽  
And Function

α-Sarcoglycan-deficient ( Sgca-null) mice provide potential for elucidating the pathogenesis of limb girdle muscular dystrophy type 2D (LGMD 2D) as well as for studying the effectiveness of therapeutic strategies. Skeletal muscles of Sgca-null mice demonstrate an early onset of extensive fiber necrosis, degeneration, and regeneration, but the progression of the pathology and the effects on muscle structure and function throughout the life span are not known. Thus the phenotypic accuracy of the Sgca-null mouse as a model of LGMD 2D has not been fully established. To investigate skeletal muscle structure and function in the absence of α-sarcoglycan throughout the life span, we analyzed extensor digitorum longus and soleus muscles of male and female Sgca-null and wild-type mice at 3, 6, 12, and 18 mo of age. Maximum isometric forces and powers were measured in vitro at 25°C. Also determined were individual myofiber cross-sectional areas and numbers, water content, and the proportion of the cross section occupied by connective tissue. Muscle masses were 40–100% larger for Sgca-null compared with age- and gender-matched wild-type mice, with the majority of the increased muscle mass for Sgca-null mice attributable to greater connective tissue and water contents. Although the greater mass of muscles in Sgca-null mice was primarily noncontractile material, absolute forces and powers were maintained near control levels at all ages, indicating a successful adaptation to the deficiency in α-sarcoglycan not observed at any age in LGMD 2D patients.

Cellular structure and function

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-104
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Nucleic Acids ◽  
Cellular Structure ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
The Body ◽  
Signalling Pathways ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Pharmacological Agents ◽  
Intracellular Organelles ◽  
And Function

‘Cellular structure and function’ covers the roles, structures, and functions of the main four types of macromolecules of the human body, namely proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids. For these macromolecules, the roles and types of each class are discussed (for proteins this includes their roles as structural proteins and enzymes and their kinetics; for lipids, the roles and types of lipid found in the body are considered; for carbohydrates, their roles including structural and metabolic are discussed; and the structure of nucleic acids is described). Then follows a description of the organization of the cell, including the plasma membrane and its components, and the intracellular organelles. Cell growth, division, and apoptosis are covered, as are the formation of gametes, and finally the principles of how cellular functions can be modulated by pharmacological agents through receptors and signalling pathways are discussed.

scholarly journals Structure and Function of the Body

1969 ◽  
Vol 69 (5) ◽  
pp. 1075
Author(s):  
Faustena Blaisdell ◽  
Catherine Parker Anthony
Keyword(s):  
Structure And Function ◽  
The Body ◽  
And Function
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