Connective Tissue

Functions of Connective tissue:

→ joins together other tissues

→ supporting framework for the body (bone)

→ fat stores energy

→ blood transports substances

Connective tissue is usually characterized by large amounts of extracellular materials that separate cells from each other, whereas epithelial tissue is mostly cells with very little extracellular material. The extracellular substance of connective tissue consists of protein fibers which are embedded in ground substance containing tissue fluid.

Fibers in connective tissue can be divided into three types:

→ Collagen fibers are the most abundant protein fibers in the body.

→ Elastic fibers are made of elastin and have the ability to recoil to original shape.

→ Reticular fibers are very fine collagen fibers that join connective tissues to other tissues.

Connective tissue cells are named according to their functions:

 → Blast cells produce the matrix of connective tissues

→ Cyte cells maintains the matrix of connective tissues

→ Clast cells breaks down the matrix for remodeling (found in bone)

Sternum

o    Forms the medial part of the anterior chest wall
o    Manubrium (upper part)-clavicle and first rib articulate with the manubrium .
o    Body (middle blade)-second and tenth ribs articulate with the body via the costal cartilages
o    Xiphoid (blunt cartilaginous tip)

Ribs (12 pairs)

o    Each rib articulates with both the body and the transverse process of its corresponding
o    thoracic vertebra
o    The second to ninth ribs articulate with the body of the vertebra above'
o    Ribs curve outward, forward, and then downward
o    Anteriorly, each of the first seven ribs joins a costal cartilage that attaches to the sternum
o    Next three ribs (eighth to tenth) join the cartilage of the rib above
o    Eleventh and twelfth ribs do not attach to the sternum; are called "floating ribs"

Skeletal Muscle:  1-40 cm long fibres, 10- 60 µm thick, according to myoglobin content there are:

Red fibres: lots of myoglobin, many mitochondriam slow twitching - tire slowly

White fibres:  less myoglobin,  less mitochondria, fast twitching - tire quickly

Intermediate fibres:

mixture of 2 above

Most muscles have all three - in varying ratios

Structure of skeletal muscle:

Light Microscopy:  Many nuclei - 35/mm,  Nuclei are oval - situated peripheral,  Dark and light bands

Electron Microscopy: Two types of myofilaments

Actin

- 5,6 nm

 3 components:

 -actin monomers,  

 -tropomyosin - 7 actin molecules long

- troponin

 actin monomers form 2 threats that spiral

- tropomyosin - lie in the groove of the spiral

- troponin - attach every 40 nm

- one end attach to the Z line

- other end goes to the middle of the sarcomere

- Z line consists of á actinin

Myosin:

- 15 nm

- 1,6 µm long

- The molecule has a head and a tail

- tails are parallel

- heads project in a spiral

- in the middle is a thickening

- thin threats bind the myosin at thickening (M line)

Contraction:

A - band stays the same, I - band, H - bands become narrower

Myosin heads ratchet on the actin molecule

Sarcolemma: 9 nm thick,  invaginate to form T-tubule,

 myofibrils - attach to the sarcolemma

Sarcoplasmic Reticulum:

specialized smooth EPR,  Consists of T-tubules, terminal sisternae and sarcotubules

It is speculated that there are gap junctions between the T-tubule and terminal sisterna

An impulse is carried into the fiber by the T-tubule from where it goes to the rest of the sarcoplasmic reticulum

Connective tissue coverings of the muscle

Endomycium around fibres, perimycium around bundles and epimycium around the whole muscle

Blood vessels and nerves in CT

CT goes over into tendon or aponeurosis which attaches to the periosteum

Nerves:

The axon of a motor neuron branches and ends in motor end plates on the fiber

Specialized striated fibres called spindles (stretch receptors) form sensory receptors in muscles telling the brain how far the muscle has stretched

• Articulations

  Classified according to their structure, composition,and movability
  •    Fibrous joints-surfaces of bones almost in direct contact with limited movement
      o    Syndesmosis-two bones united by interosseous ligaments
      o    Sutures-serrated margins of bones united by a thin layer of fibrous tissue
      o    Gomphosis-insertion of a cone-shaped process into a socket

  •    Cartilaginous joints-no joint cavity and contiguous bones united by cartilage
      o    Synchondrosis-ends of two bones approximated by hyaline cartilage
      o    Symphyses-approximating bone surfaces connected by fibrocartilage

  •    Synovial joints-approximating bone surfaces covered with cartilage; may be separated by a disk; attached by ligaments 
      o    Hinge-permits motion in one plane only
      o    Pivot-permits rotary movement in which a ring rotates around a central axis
      o    Saddle-opposing surfaces are convexconcave. allowing great freedom of motion
      o    Ball and socket - capable of movement in an infinite number of axes; rounded head of one bone moves in a cuplike cavity of the approximating bone

  Bursae
  •    Sacs filled with synovial fluid that are present where tendons rub against bone or where skjn rubs across bone
  •    Some bursae communicate with a joint cavity 
  •    Prominent bursae found at the elbow. hip, and knee'

  Movements
  •    Gliding
      o    Simplest kind of motion in a joint
      o    Movement on a joint that does not involve any angular or rotary motions
  •    Flexion-decreases the angle formed by the union of two bones
  •    Extension-increases the angle formed by the union of two bones
  •    Abduction-occurs by moving part of the appendicular skeleton away from the median plane of the body
  •    Adduction-occurs by moving part of the appendicular skeleton toward the median plane of the body
  •    Circumduction
      o    Occurs in ball-and-socket joints
      o    Circumscribes the conic space of one bone by the other bone
  •    Rotation-turning on an axis without being displaced from that axis
   

The Palate

• The palate forms the arched roof of the mouth and the floor of the nasal cavities.
• The palate consists of two regions: the anterior 2/3 or bony part, called the hard palate, and the mobile posterior 1/3 or fibromuscular part, known as the soft palate.

Initially, four clefts exist; however, only one gives rise to a definite structure in adults.