The human liver and its functions
The liver is located in the upper right-hand part of the abdominal cavity, below the diaphragm, and on top of the stomach, right kidney, and intestines.
It is cone shaped; it is a dark reddish-brown organ because of the enormous blood volume it carries. In weight it lies between 1.44-1.66kg.
It is supplied with blood from:
a. the hepatic artery bringing in Oxygenated blood
b. the hepatic portal vein bringing in Nutrient-rich blood from the digestive system
The liver consists of two main lobes, and each lobe is made up of thousands of lobules. The lobules are connected to small ducts that connect with larger ducts which join up to form the hepatic duct. The hepatic duct transports the bile produced by the liver cells to the gallbladder and duodenum.
This blog introduces you to health science, scientific explanations to matters of life, healthy lifestyles and basic living tips.
Showing posts with label Science. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Science. Show all posts
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Monday, August 19, 2013
The science about the mouth and its hygiene
The books of science put it that in the human mouth are the; tongue, salivary glands, and
teeth.
The tongue is a very important organ in a way that it aids
speech, tasting of food, rolling of food, and swallowing. The tongue has taste
buds for sweet, bitter, sour and salty chemicals. The foremost part of the
tongue tastes sweet and salty chemicals. Sweet chemicals are also tasted at the
end of the tongue toward the throat. Salt is also tasted from the sides of the
tongue.
Taste buds for bitter chemicals are located mainly at the inner
end of the tongue. There is normally a tendency of vomiting very bitter
substance when they get to this region as we try to swallow. Sour chemical substances
are tasted from the sides (left and right) of the tongue. Because of the tongue
it is easy to sort bad from good foods.
The salivary glands release a fluid called saliva. Saliva is
sticky, colorless, and very useful. Saliva has the following functions:
softening food as we chew; sticking/binding small food particles together to
form a bolus for swallowing; lubricating the mouth cavity; and contains the
enzyme called salivary amylase (ptyalin) which chemically digests starch into maltose. Amylase
starts the chemical digestion of starch.
The teeth are hard bony structures within the mouth. They are
held firmly in the jaws by cement and gums. Their functions are; chewing,
cutting, grinding, tearing and sorting food.the teeth also aid speech and prevent the jaws from falling in more so in old age. They have some little gaps in
between.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)