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Understanding Homeostasis: Body's Internal Engineering

Learn about homeostasis, the body's ability to maintain a stable internal environment through physiological mechanisms controlling variables like temperature, blood sugar, and more.

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Understanding Homeostasis: Body's Internal Engineering

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  1. What is Homeostasis? The maintenance of a constant environment in the body is called Homeostasis

  2. ICF ISF plasma organs external environment internal environment Exchange and communication are key concepts for understanding physiological homeostasis.

  3. Examples of Homeostatically Regulated Variables • Body Temperature • Blood Composition (ions, sugars, proteins) • Concentrations of O2 and CO2 in the blood • Acid-Base balance (pH) • Blood osmolarity • Blood pressure, cardiac output, cardiac rate • Respiratory rate and depth • Secretions of endocrine glands • Rate of chemical reactions intracellularly

  4. Controlling body temperature • All mammals maintain a constant body temperature. • Human beings have a body temperature of about 37ºC. • E.g. If your body is in a hot environment your body temperature is 37ºC • If your body is in a cold environment your body temperature is still 37ºC

  5. What mechanisms are there to cool the body down? • Sweating • When your body is hot, sweat glands are stimulated to release sweat. • The liquid sweat turns into a gas (it evaporates) • To do this, it needs heat. • It gets that heat from your skin. • As your skin loses heat, it cools down.

  6. Homeostatic Regulation of Body Temperature through Negative Feedback Heat receptors in the skin Hypothalamus Hyperthermia Stress Control Center Sensors Stress is reduced shutting down mechanism Increased activity of sweat glands Perspiration evaporates cooling the skin Increased blood flow to the skin Effect Effectors

  7. Homeostasis Using a Neural Pathway Many homeostatic mechanisms use a nerve pathway in which to produce their effects. These pathways involve an afferent path which brings sensory messages into the brain and an efferent path which carries outgoing nerve messages to effectors. Control center

  8. Controlling Glucose levels • Your cells also need an exact level of glucose in the blood. • Excess glucose gets turned into glycogen in the liver • This is regulated by 2 hormones (chemicals) from the pancreas called: Insulin Glucagon

  9. Glycogen If there is too much glucose in the blood, Insulin converts some of it to glycogen Insulin Glucose in the blood

  10. Glycogen If there is not enough glucose in the blood, Glucagon converts some glycogen into glucose. Glucagon Glucose in the blood

  11. Negative Feedback

  12. Homeostatic Regulation of Blood Sugar through Negative Feedback Insulin is releasedinto blood Hyperglycemia Pancreas-beta cells Stress Sensor and Control center Stress is reduced shutting down mechanism Liver and Muscle cells take up glucose from the blood Blood glucose is reduced Effectors

  13. Diabetes • Some people do not produce enough insulin. • When they eat food, the glucose levels in their blood cannot be reduced. • This condition is known as DIABETES. • Diabetics sometimes have to inject insulin into their blood. They have to be careful of their diet.

  14. Glucose levels rise after a meal. Insulin is produced and glucose levels fall to normal again. Glucose Concentration Normal Time Meal eaten

  15. Glucose levels rise after a meal. Glucose Concentration Diabetic Insulin is not produced so glucose levels stay high Time Meal eaten

  16. Glycogen The glucose in the blood increases. But there is no insulin to convert it into glycogen. Glucose concentration rises to dangerous levels. Insulin Glucose in the blood

  17. Controlling water levels • The control of water levels is carried out by the KIDNEYS. • It is closely linked to the excretion of urea. • Urea is a waste product that is made when the LIVER breaks down proteins that are not needed by the body. • Urea contains the element Nitrogen.

  18. The kidneys The kidneys “clean” the blood of waste products and control how much water is kept in the body. The waste products and water make up urine which is excreted via the ureter. “Dirty” blood enters the kidney through the renal artery. Then, several things happen to clean the blood...

  19. Positive Feedback Mechanisms • Homeostatic systems utilizing positive feedback exhibit two primary characteristics: • Time limitation – Processes in the body that must be completed within a constrained time frame are usually modified by positive feedback. • Intensification of stress – During a positive feedback process, the initial imbalance or stress is intensified rather than reduced as it is in negative feedback. • Typical Positive Feedback Process Stress Sensor Control Center Intensifies Effector

  20. Harmful Effects of Positive Feedback • Positive feedback can be harmful. Two specific examples of these harmful outcomes would be: • Fever can cause a positive feedback within homeostasis that pushes the body temperature continually higher. If the temperature reaches 45 degrees centigrade (113 degrees Fahrenheit) cellular proteins denature bringing metabolism to a stop and death. • Chronic hypertension can favor the process of atherosclerosis which causes the openings of blood vessels to narrow. This, in turn, will intensify the hypertension bring on more damage to the walls of blood vessels.

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