NEET MDS Lessons
Physiology
Red Blood Cells (erythrocytes)
- Women average about 4.8 million of these cells per cubic millimeter (mm3; which is the same as a microliter [µl]) of blood.
- Men average about 5.4 x 106 per µl.
- These values can vary over quite a range depending on such factors as health and altitude.
- RBC precursors mature in the bone marrow closely attached to a macrophage.
- They manufacture hemoglobin until it accounts for some 90% of the dry weight of the cell.
- The nucleus is squeezed out of the cell and is ingested by the macrophage.
RBC have characteristic biconcave shape
Thus RBCs are terminally differentiated; that is, they can never divide. They live about 120 days and then are ingested by phagocytic cells in the liver and spleen. Most of the iron in their hemoglobin is reclaimed for reuse. The remainder of the heme portion of the molecule is degraded into bile pigments and excreted by the liver. Some 3 million RBCs die and are scavenged by the liver each second.
Red blood cells are responsible for the transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
Carbohydrates:
- about 3% of the dry mass of a typical cell
- composed of carbon, hydrogen, & oxygen atoms (e.g., glucose is C6H12O6)
- an important source of energy for cells
- types include:
- monosaccharide (e.g., glucose) - most contain 5 or 6 carbon atoms
- disaccharides
- 2 monosaccharides linked together
- Examples include sucrose (a common plant disaccharide is composed of the monosaccharides glucose and fructose) & lactose (or milk sugar; a disaccharide composed of glucose and the monosaccharide galactose)
- polysaccharides
- several monosaccharides linked together
Examples include starch (a common plant polysaccharide made up of many glucose molecules) and glycogen (commonly stored in the liver)
Oxygen Transport
In adult humans the hemoglobin (Hb) molecule
- consists of four polypeptides:
- two alpha (α) chains of 141 amino acids and
- two beta (β) chains of 146 amino acids
- Each of these is attached the prosthetic group heme.
- There is one atom of iron at the center of each heme.
- One molecule of oxygen can bind to each heme.
The reaction is reversible.
- Under the conditions of lower temperature, higher pH, and increased oxygen pressure in the capillaries of the lungs, the reaction proceeds to the right. The purple-red deoxygenated hemoglobin of the venous blood becomes the bright-red oxyhemoglobin of the arterial blood.
- Under the conditions of higher temperature, lower pH, and lower oxygen pressure in the tissues, the reverse reaction is promoted and oxyhemoglobin gives up its oxygen.
Ventilation simply means inhaling and exhaling of air from the atmospheric air into lungs and then exhaling it from the lung into the atmospheric air.
Air pressure gradient has to exist between two atmospheres to enable a gas to move from one atmosphere to an other.
During inspiration: the intrathoracic pressure has to be less than that of atmospheric pressure. This could be achieved by decreasing the intrathoracic pressure as follows:
Depending on Boyle`s law , the pressure of gas is inversely proportional to the volume of its container. So increasing the intrathoracic volume will decrease the intrathoracic pressure which will allow the atmospheric air to be inhaled (inspiration) . As decreasing the intrathoracic volume will increase the intrathoracic pressure and causes exhaling of air ( expiration)
So. Inspiration could be actively achieved by the contraction of inspiratory muscles : diaphragm and intercostal muscles. While relaxation of the mentioned muscles will passively cause expiration.
Contraction of diaphragm will pull the diaphragm down the abdominal cavity ( will move inferiorly) , and then increase the intrathoracic volume ( vertically) . Contraction of external intercostal muscle will pull the ribs upward and forward which will additionally increase the intrathoracic volume ( transversely , the net result will be increasing the intrathoracic volume and decreasing the intrathoracic pressure.
Relaxation of diaphragm will move it superiorly during expiration, the relaxation of external intercostal muscles will pull the ribs downward and backward , and the elastic lungs and chest wall will recoil. The net result is decreasing the intrathoracic volume and increasing intrathoracic pressure.
All of this occurs during quiet breathing. During forceful inspiration an accessory inspiratory muscle will be involved ( scaleni , sternocleidomastoid , and others) to increase negativity in the intrathoracic pressure more and more.
During forceful expiration the accessory expiratory muscles ( internal intercostal muscles and abdominal muscles ) will be involved to decrease the intrathoracic volume more and more and then to increase intrathoracic pressure more and more.
The pressure within the alveoli is called intralveolar pressure . Between the two phases of respiration it is equal to the atmospheric pressure. It is decreased during inspiration ( about 1 cm H2O ) and increased during expiration ( about +1 cm H2O ) . This difference allow entering of 0.5 L of air into the lungs.
Intrapleural pressure is the pressure of thin fluid between the two pleural layers . It is a slight negative pressure. At the beginning of inspiration it is about -5 cm H2O and reachs -7.5 cm H2O at the end or inspiration.
At the beginning of expiration the intrapleural pressure is -7.5 cm H2O and reaches -5 cmH2O at the end of expiration.
The difference between intralveolar pressure and intrapleural pressure is called transpulmonary pressure.
Factors , affecting ventilation :
Resistance : Gradual decreasing of the diameter of respiratory airway increase the resistance to air flow.
Compliance : means the ease , which the lungs expand.It depends on both the elastic forces of the lungs and the elastic forces , caused by the the surface tension of the fluid, lining the alveoli.
Surface tension: Molecules of water have tendency to attract each other on the surface of water adjacent to air. In alveoli the surface tension caused by the fluid in the inner surface of the alveoli may cause collapse of alveoli . The surface tension is decreased by the surfactant .
Surfactant is a mixture of phospholipids , proteins and ion m produced by type II pneumocytes.
Immature newborns may suffer from respiratory distress syndrome , due to lack of surfactant which is produced during the last trimester of pregnancy.
The elastic fibers of the thoracic wall also participate in lung compliance.
Remember the following principles before proceeding :
- Reabsorption occurs for most of substances that have been previously filterd .
- The direction of reabsorption is from the tubules to the peritubular capillaries
- All of transport mechanism are used here.
- Different morphology of the cells of different parts of the tubules contribute to reabsorption of different substances .
- There are two routes of reabsorption: Paracellular and transcellular : Paracellular reabsorption depends on the tightness of the tight junction which varies from regeon to region in the nephrons .Transcellular depends on presence of transporters ( carriers and channels for example).
1. Reabsorption of glucose , amino acids , and proteins :
Transport of glucose occurs in the proximal tubule . Cells of proximal tubules are similar to those of the intestinal mucosa as the apical membrane has brush border form to increase the surface area for reabsorption , the cells have plenty of mitochondria which inform us that high amount of energy is required for active transport , and the basolateral membrane of the cells contain sodium -potassium pumps , while the apical membrane contains a lot of carrier and channels .
The tight junction between the tubular cells of the proximal tubules are not that (tight) which allow paracellular transport.
Reabsorption of glucose starts by active transport of Na by the pumps on the basolateral membrane . This will create Na gradient which will cause Na to pass the apical membrane down its concentration gradient . Glucose also passes the membrane up its concentration gradient using sodium -glucose symporter as a secondary active transport.
The concentration of glucose will be increased in the cell and this will enable the glucose to pass down concentration gradient to the interstitium by glucose uniporter . Glucose will then pass to the peritubular capillaries by simple bulk flow.
Remember: Glucose reabsorption occurs via transcellular route .
Glucose transport has transport maximum . In normal situation there is no glucose in the urine , but in uncontrolled diabetes mellitus patients glucose level exceeds its transport maximum (390 mg/dl) and thus will appear in urine .
2. Reabsorption of Amino acids : Use secondary active transport mechanism like glucose.
3. Reabsorption of proteins :
Plasma proteins are not filtered in Bowman capsule but some proteins and peptides in blood may pass the filtration membrane and then reabsorbed . Some peptides are reabsorbed paracellulary , while the others bind to the apical membrane and then enter the cells by endocytosis , where they will degraded by peptidase enzymes to amino acids .
4. Reabsorption of sodium , water , and chloride:
65 % of sodium is reabsorbed in the proximal tubules , while 25% are reabsorbed in the thick ascending limb of loob of Henle , 9% in the distal and collecting tubules and collecting ducts .
90% of sodium reabsorption occurs independently from its plasma level (unregulated) , This is true for sodium reabsorbed in proximal tubule and loop of Henle , while the 9% that is reabsorbed in distal ,collecting tubules and collecting ducts is regulated by Aldosterone.
In proximal tubules : 65% of sodium is reabsorbed . The initial step occurs by creating sodium gradient by sodium-potassium pump on the basolateral membrane . then the sodium will pass from the lumen into the cells down concentration gradient by sodium -glucose symporter , sodium -phosphate symporter and by sodium- hydrogen antiporter and others
After reabsorption of sodium , an electrical gradient will be created , then chloride is reabsorbed following the sodium . Thus the major cation and anion leave the lumen to the the interstitium and thus the water follows by osmosis . 65% of water is reabsorbed in the proximal tubule.
Discending limb of loop of Henle is impermeable to electrolytes but avidly permeable to water . 10 % of water is reabsorbed in the discending thin limb of loob of Henle .
The thick ascending limb of loop of Henly is permeable to electrolytes , due to the presence of Na2ClK syporter . 25% of sodium is reabsorbed here .
In the distal and collecting tubules and the collecting ducts 9% of sodium is reabsorbed .this occurs under aldosterone control depending on sodium plasma level. 1% of sodium is excreted .
Water is not reabsorbed from distal tubule but 5-25% of water is reabsorbed in collecting tubules .
Cystic Fibrosis
→ Thick mucus coagulates in ducts, produces obstruction, Too thick for cilia to move
→ Major Systems Affected: Respiratory System, G. I. Tract,Reproductive Tract
→ Inherited, autosomal recessive gene, most common fatal genetic disorder
→ Major characteristic, Altered electrolyte composition (Saliva & sweat Na+, K+, Cl-)
→ Family history of Cystic Fibrosis
→ Respiratory Infections & G.I.Tract malabsorption
→ Predisposes lung to Secondary infection (Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas)
→ Damages Respiratory Bronchioles and Alveolar ducts, Produces Fibrosis of Lungs, Large cystic dilations)
Respiratory system plays important role in maintaining homeostasis . Other than its major function , which is supplying the cells with needed oxygen to produce energy and getting rid of carbon dioxide , it has other functions :
1 Vocalization , or sound production.
2 Participation in acid base balance .
3 Participation in fluid balance by insensible water elimination (vapors ).
4 Facilitating venous return .
5 Participation in blood pressure regulation : Lungs produce Angiotensin converting enzyme ( ACE ) .
6 Immune function : Lungs produce mucous that trap foreign particles , and have ciliae that move foreign particles away from the lung. They also produce alpha 1 antitrepsin that protect the lungs themselves from the effect of elastase and other proteolytic enzymes