The Integumentary System

The Integumentary System

The Integumentary System is the largest organ in the body consisting of skin, nails, hair, and exocrine glands. The skin forms a barrier to protect the body from UV light, chemicals, disease, and physical damage. The Integumentary System is the first line of defense against bacteria, viruses, and other microbes. The skin is a sensory organ which has receptors that detect heat and cold, touch, pressure and pain. The Integument has three layers; the Epidermis, Dermis, And the Hypodermis. The Epidermis is the outermost layer of the skin composed of stratified squamous cells. The Epidermis contains 5 layers; stratum basale, stratum spinosum, stratum granulosum, stratum lucidum, and stratum corneum starting from the bottom up, the stratum basale is made up of keratinocytes and melanocytes. The keratinocytes are what make protein to give off to the cells and make the cells hard. Melanocytes are what make melanin and protect the skin from overexposure of sunlight. The stratum spinosum is the layer that the cells look kind of spiny, its main function is to protect against foreign materials and to produce and retain lipids that prevent moisture loss from the skin. The stratum granulosum is the layer where keratin proteins and water-proofing lipids are being produced and organized. The stratum lucidum is the layer of dead skin cells it's function is to help the body handle friction, that is why it is mostly located where you have thick skin such as the soles of your feet and the palms of your hand. Last but not least the stratum corneum is made up of dead layers that keep bacteria out and keeps in body fluid.

Layers of the skin.

The Integumentary System helps maintain homeostasis because it helps assist in the regulation of body temperature, water balance, protection, sensory reception, biochemical synthesis, and absorption. An example of homeostasis would be when you get cold, your body has to warm itself up to the regular temperature the body is used to being at through and vasoconstriction. When your body is too cold it uses vasoconstriction to keep your body warm and from freezing, it contracts your muscles to produce heat for your body. The muscle arrector pili is what causes goose bumps.When these muscles contract, they make the hair follicles to stand on their ends thus leading to goose bumps. This process is important for insulation of the body and heat retention.



function of the arrector pili


Resources:


 http://www.innerbody.com/anatomy/integumentary
http://www.ask.com/question/what-is-the-function-of-the-arrector-pili-muscle
http://sciencenetlinks.com/student-teacher-sheets/integumentary-system/

3 Question Blog #4

What tasks have you completed recently ?

• This whole week I've been really proud of myself because I finally caught up in math. Also we started a new chapter and its so far going pretty good, I actually understand what we're doing. Along with catching up in math comes falling behind in Anatomy.. so I'm not happy over that at all. Not to mention trying to balance practice, games, fundraisers, and whatever else comes across my schedule. 

What have you learned recently ? 

• I learned that it's not easy to play catch up in anything, especially in my classes. But hopefully I wont have to for long !! In my Medical Terminology class we're learning about the Cardiovascular and Respiratory system, and wow there's so much to know about them. For example, the differences in what a vein, capillary, and an artery are and which one carries non-oxygenated blood and which one carries oxygenated blood. I learned what the anatomy and physiology of the heart is and of respiration. 

What are you planning on doing next ? 

• There's lots of things I plan on doing next, like catching up in Anatomy is my first priority !! After that I can try to balance out everything else in life and hopefully keep it balanced. I also want to start taking tutoring classes for the A.C.T. I'm actually very nervous for that even though its not til a long ways from now. 

3 Questions Blog # 3

What tasks have you completed recently ?

• Well to start off, this week wasn't as crazy busy as last week; which is great for me. I cheered at a football game on Friday in Albuquerque. Hmm what to say about that, let's start off with the bus ride that seemed like it took forever. Albuquerque didn't quite have your typical nice weather like Las Cruces usually did during night games here at the field of dreams. It was freezing during the game. Not to mention we lost to Volcano Vista.. but hey we kept our heads up and well it happens. That night I didn't get home and go to bed 'til around 2 in the morning, talk about a long day. Anyways, that's pretty much what task i completed recently worth sharing.  

What have I learned recently ?

• Something that I would like to share is in my Anatomy class we've been talking about stem cell research. At first I had no clue what it was or what it meant, later on in the week I learned a lot about it. I now know that in a way stem cell research can be very important and an interesting topic to study and or learn about. With the discoveries and beneficial information they have on stem cells it can help cure diseases and change someones life forever. In class we had several conversations; what we thought about it, the benefits, drawbacks, can it be abused, should it be public or private? There's so many things that you can learn from Stem Cell Research, like what Tony Underhill said, " It's the future of medicine."  

What are you planning on doing next ? 

• Something that I definitely plan on doing next is catching up in my Anatomy and Pre-Calc class. I really want to raise my grades in those two classes and I know i'm capable of doing it. I'm just going to have to make a little more time and focus on those two subjects. For right now that's my goal and hopefully by the time the next 3 Questions Blog is due I'll be all caught up. Another thing that i plan on doing are my senior pictures. Hopefully I'll get those done this upcoming Friday, I'm so excited.. but yet nervous. 

Stem Cell Research