The mucosal epithelium lining the nasal passages ensures that a constant supply of mucus maintains the health of upper respiratory tract. The movement of air has a drying effect so the mucus keeps the area moistened. Dust and airborne microbes are trapped in the mucus and not allowed to travel deeper into the respiratory >> Read More ...
The inner ear has several structures that are responsible for the sense of hearing and balance. It has a passage known as the labyrinth which can be divided into the a bony part which lies in the temporal bone of the skull and a membranous part that runs within the bony labyrinth. These two parts of the labyrinth are >> Read More ...
The organs of urinary system includes the kidneys, ureters, urinary bladder and urethra. Collectively, these organs produce urine, store it and pass it out of the body. The process, however, has far reaching consequences in the body and an integral role in maintaining homeostasis. Since the kidney controls the fluid volume >> Read More ...
Breast cancer is the abnormal growth of breast cells which invades and destroys surrounding tissue and may spread to other parts of the body. It is also referred to as a malignancy or malignant breast tumor and must be differentiated from a benign tumor which is abnormal mass of normal cells that is less serious in nature. >> Read More ...
The kidneys are important organs that have several functions in the body. The primary function is the filtration of waste products from the blood, but in the process, the kidneys also regulate the water and electrolyte levels in the body. The latter therefore impacts on blood volume and blood pressure. It can influence >> Read More ...
The liver is an important organ that is responsible for several different functions, particularly the processing of nutrients, wastes and other substances. Hepatitis is the term for inflammation of the liver and may be due to infectious or non-infectious causes. The five types of hepatitis viruses are common infectious >> Read More ...
The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs lying on either side of the back of the upper abdomen. It is tucked under the ribcage. On a daily basis, the kidneys filter over 1.5 liters of blood and forms approximately 1 liter of urine containing waste products, water and electrolytes. This is then passed down the ureters into >> Read More ...
A heart attack, or myocardial infarction (MI), is the death of a portion of the heart wall when there is an interruption in its blood supply. The heart wall is composed of three layers – the inner lining (endocardium), middle muscle layer (myocardium) and outer lining (epicardium) – and has its own supply of >> Read More ...
Blood pressure is the force that blood exerts against the walls of the vessels it travels through it. Arterial pressure, that is the pressure within arteries which are the blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrient-rich blood through the body, and it is higher than venous pressure (pressure in the veins). There are >> Read More ...
The heart is a muscular pump that fills with blood when the muscle relaxes (diastole) and forces blood out during contraction (systole). The heart sounds are normally a ‘lub dub’ sound when heard with the aid of a stethoscope. It is a result of the closing or snapping back of the heart valves and the flow of >> Read More ...