Why is the heart so important?

A study reveals that the heart is the most important organ in the human body. It is responsible for pumping blood throughout your entire body, which serves to power our brains, hearts, and other organs. Without a healthy heart, we can’t live for long. 

Many of us usually think about the heart as a symbol of love. The heart is surely one of the most important organs in our bodies because it is the pump that sends oxygen-rich blood to all body parts. But why is it so important? Why is the heart one of the strongest muscles in our bodies?

 There are a lot of organs in the human body — some weigh as much as twelve pounds and others are so little you can hold them in your hand. But the heart, as we all know, is the most important one because, without it, we would die. If you have ever wondered why this rudimentary muscle is so important and has become a symbol of love, I have the answer for you in this blog.

Reasons why our heart is so important

  1. The heart is the centre of all life

 It’s the centre of all life.

Why? Because it’s literally the centre of your body.

That means you can’t live without it, and you know what that means? It means that when your heart is sick or broken, you’re basically screwed. Your life as you know it will come to an end because, without a heart, there are no more days for you to live.

 The heart is pretty important—but not just because we need it to survive. We need it because it’s where all our emotions live and play out their drama. It’s where we feel joy, sadness, love… even hate! And those feelings are what make us human! Without them, we’d be robots with artificial intelligence programmed by humans who don’t care about us at all (if they even exist).

  1. It pumps blood throughout the body

 Our heart is so important because it pumps blood to all parts of the body.

Without a heart, we would die.

We need our hearts to pump blood through our arteries, veins, and capillaries. Blood carries nutrients and oxygen to every cell in our bodies, as well as waste products like carbon dioxide. Without blood, we couldn’t survive for more than a few minutes.

Our hearts also help us stay healthy by providing an outlet for excess emotions like stress, anger, or sadness. It’s like there’s always a little kid inside of us whose only job is to yell at the sky when he or she is upset about something!

  1. Carries oxygen and nutrients to tissues

For starters, our hearts carry oxygen and nutrients to tissues throughout our bodies. If our hearts stopped beating for just five seconds, we would die. It’s pretty essential to life!

Your heart is also responsible for keeping your blood pressure under control. If your blood pressure went up too high or too low, you might have a stroke or cardiac arrest (which means you’d stop breathing).

  1. Removes waste products

Our blood vessels are like little arteries and veins that carry blood through our bodies. They also have valves that help keep blood flowing in one direction, preventing backflow.

Waste products are carried along with the blood as it pumps through your body. The heart removes these waste products from your bloodstream and sends them back to the lungs to be breathed out again. 

  1. It makes sure that the right amount of oxygen comes into your lungs so you can breathe!

The heart makes sure that the right amount of oxygen comes into your lungs so you can breathe. And it does this by pumping blood through your body, which contains oxygen. That’s why it’s important to keep your heart healthy—if something happens to the heart, you might have trouble breathing or even die.

The heart is important because the heart does one thing that is significant and good for the body. It makes the blood circulate in the body to allow it to function and remain alive. Without this vital organ, a person could cease to live and their organs would stop functioning which would result in their death.

Moreover, the heart is not just important because it can be squeezed. It is also very important to our everyday lives because, unlike most of our major organs, it is active and needs a regular increase in blood flow to keep it functioning.

The heart is the centre of all that we are, the centre of life. It is our soul and it tells us when there’s something wrong with our body.

Learn more about the heart here!

Learn how blood flows through the heart here:

How does the heart pump blood?

Ever wondered how and why our heart pumps blood? We don’t think about it all that often, but we certainly should. Your heart is an extremely important muscle inside your chest. Whenever you are awake or even when you are sleeping, your heart is constantly working to pump blood through your body.

When there is a problem with our heart, that is when we realize how important it is to us. As a matter of fact, the heart is one of the most important organs in our body. It works day and night so that we can continue to live healthy lives. But how does the heart pump blood? And what happens when it is not working correctly? Let’s find out how our “pump” works.

What is a HEART? 

The heart is the center of blood and is one of the major organs of your body. It does most of the work since all of your blood passes through it many times per day. The heart has four chambers which assist in pumping, and you must know how a heart pumps its blood to keep your body working properly.

How does the heart pump blood?

 It’s the heart that pumps blood through your body, but how exactly does it do that?

Well, the heart has four chambers: the left and right atria and left and right ventricles. It also has a thick wall between the two sides of each chamber—that is, between the atria and the ventricles. The wall is called an interventricular septum.

When the atria contract and the ventricles are relaxed, it allows blood to flow into the ventricles (the chambers on the bottom of your heart). When the ventricles contract, they squeeze the blood out of the ventricles through the semilunar valves into one of two passages: the pulmonary artery or aorta. The right ventricle pushes blood through the pulmonary artery to the lungs to get oxygenated. The left ventricle pushes oxygenated blood through the aorta to the entire body.

Your heart contracts involuntarily, that means you don’t have to think about it! Even though your heart beats regularly without any help from you at all, it’s still important that you take care of yourself so it stays healthy!

The heart has four chambers

  1. The right atrium is the heart’s top part. It takes blood from the body and transports it to the right ventricle.
  1. The right ventricle pumps blood to the lungs (the pulmonary circulation). The superior and inferior vena cava supply it with deoxygenated blood. It also uses the pulmonary valve to pump deoxygenated blood into the pulmonary artery.
  1.  The left atrium is a part of the heart that is responsible for receiving blood from the pulmonary veins and pumping it into the left ventricle. The pulmonary veins receive this blood from lungs and it is oxygenated.
  1. The left ventricle is the hardest-working part of your heart. It pumps oxygenated blood from your lungs to the aorta to the rest of your body, and it’s the only part of your heart that pumps blood to places outside of your cardiovascular system.

When the left ventricle contracts, it squeezes the blood out into a larger artery called the aorta, which carries blood all over your body.

The heart significantly impacts our lives. It pumps blood through our arteries around our body. Blood is filled with nutrients (from the food we eat) to help feed and give energy to our cells and organs, as well as oxygen (from the air we breathe) which allows cells to carry out the chemical reactions they need. We can’t live without a heart, so remember not to forget it!

The heart is something we all take for granted, but it’s actually a pretty amazing piece of machinery. The heart works tirelessly and flawlessly every single day. It never takes a vacation and never asks for time off.

In the end, I hope that the blog above has given you a deeper sense of how our heart pumps blood. With all of the distractions and responsibilities in our lives, sometimes it’s good to take a step back and reexamine some of the basics.  

To learn about all the steps it takes as blood flows through the heart check out my video here:

To learn more about the heart and the circulatory system, click here:

Kid’s Korner Resources

To follow along in the “Kid’s Korner: How Does Blood Flow Through the Heart?” video on my YouTube channel, click here to download the PDF:

kids-korner-how-does-blood-flow-through-the-heartDownload

You can find the video that goes along with this PDF here: https://youtu.be/Q9P-sFmAjgA

To follow along in the “Kid’s Korner: Why are there different Blood types” video on my YouTube channel, click here to download the PDF:

kids-korner-blood-type-videoDownload

You can find the video that goes along with this PDF here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5s_tTcn0Lw

5 Signs Of A Heart Attack

What is a heart attack? What are the signs of a heart attack? Find out here! For more information, scroll down to the bottom to see my video on heart attacks.

 Many people don’t realize the risk of a heart attack, which can be deadly. Even if you are not having any symptoms, high blood pressure or other cardiovascular problems often develop into full-blown heart attacks. 

 Heart attacks are a serious condition that can be deadly. They occur when the heart’s blood vessels become blocked, causing a sudden rise in pressure and pain in the chest.

 If you have ever had a heart attack and you pass out, it is important to know what the signs of a heart attack are. This blog will give you the information you need to recognize if your heart is experiencing problems.

What Is A Heart Attack?

 A heart attack is a medical term for an abnormal heartbeat that occurs within the heart muscle itself. A heart attack can lead to a heart attack, but many other health problems can be associated with a heart attack. The following symptoms may serve as a warning sign of impending heart trouble.

 When you have a heart attack, a lot of things happen very quickly. Your blood vessels may begin to spasm because they are partially blocked. This can cause less blood flow to your brain and other vital organs. A heart attack can also damage blood vessels in your legs which can cause them to hemorrhage or bruise easily — these are signs that aren’t always obvious by themselves. After a heart attack, some people may feel dizzy or nauseated for several hours or longer after the event has occurred.

How Can I Tell if Something Is Wrong With My Heart?

You’ll probably notice that you have some type of pain or discomfort when you’re having this type of attack—so you must always get checked out by a doctor as soon as possible! If you have any other symptoms that aren’t explained here or elsewhere on this page, like swelling around the fingers or toes, weakness in an arm or leg, chest pain during exertion such as climbing stairs or running up steps and unexplained weight gain/loss, you have to seek medical help. 

Heart attack symptoms can be hard to recognize. They can include:

•Chest pain that’s new or gets worse with exercise

The most common symptom of a heart attack is chest pain. The pain can be sharp and stabbing, or it may feel like indigestion, but it’s more severe than either of those. This is because the pain can feel like your heart has stopped beating, which is not something you want to experience!

•Dizziness 

The most obvious sign is dizziness, especially when you stand up from a sitting or lying position. You may feel like your heart isn’t beating as strongly as it should be.

•Pain in the arm

You may feel pain in your arm because blood flow to the arm is interrupted. Your arm will feel numb, warm or cold, and you may have difficulty moving it. You may also feel like your arm is “twitching” or “jumping” inside your body.

•Nausea and vomiting

When your heart is under stress or strain, it can begin to pump harder in an attempt to pump more blood through your body. This makes it easier for blood to pass through the arteries. But too much pressure can cause a blood clot (also called an embolism) to form in one of your arteries or veins, which can block the flow of blood away from your heart. 

•Shortness of breath

 When you experience shortness of breath, you may feel like you’re about to pass out. That’s because the heart muscle is being damaged by a heart attack. If you have chest pain or have had chest pain in the past, chances are that it was caused by a heart attack.

An attack will usually occur slowly over time: there might be mild chest pain that becomes progressively worse, or the pain might come on suddenly with no warning. Either way, if you suspect that you are experiencing an actual heart attack, it is critical to seek immediate medical attention.

To learn more about the heart, how it works and how a heart attack effects the heart, see my video here:

To help prevent heart attacks, make sure you are keeping your heart healthy, eating proper nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and having your physicals once a year.

*Disclaimer: The Dr. in my name comes from the PhD I have earned. I am in no way a medical doctor. This information is not to be used in lieu of medical advice. If you have an issue, please make sure to consult with your medical doctor. This information is for educational and informational purposes only.

What is Health Literacy?

 Many people just don’t understand health literacy — it sounds like a foreign language to them. If you don’t know what it is, you’re not alone. Health literacy is essential because understanding health issues can be difficult without clear-cut definitions and instructions.

Health literacy is a crucial component in the complex healthcare system. Health literacy is focused on helping people make better health decisions by gaining an understanding of health concepts and how to find useful information.

 In this blog, I’m going to explain what health literacy means and then provide some specific examples of health literacy failure. Everyone should learn more about health literacy. Learn more about it!

What is the meaning of Health Literacy?

Health literacy is defined as the ability to be able to obtain, process and understand basic health information. The ability that individuals have to be able to understand the diagnosis their doctor is giving them, ability to ready pamphlets, medication use and so much more. It is an essential component of self-care, enabling individuals to make informed decisions about the care they receive and how best to manage chronic conditions for which there may be no cure. A patient’s ability to understand medical information can help them make better treatment decisions or be more successful in following through with recommended treatments.

The lack of health literacy is linked to lower rates of preventive care, early detection and treatment of disease, increased medical costs and worse patient outcomes.

Health literacy includes the following:

  • Reading a prescription label.
  • Reading and understanding nutrition labels on food packaging.
  • Understanding instructions for taking medications including dosage, frequency, or duration of treatment.
  • Understanding warning signs of complications from an illness or disease, such as fever or chills.
  • Understanding instructions for doing self-care tasks such as taking blood pressure readings at home.

How does low health literacy affect people’s lives?

Health literacy skills are important for everyone but especially for people with low health literacy because they may have problems understanding their health care providers or reading medication labels.

People who have low health literacy may find it difficult to:

  • understand written information about healthy living
  • follow doctor’s orders for medication
  • understand instructions for taking medications as prescribed
  • take control of their health

Low health literacy has been associated with poor self-reported physical and mental health status; increased morbidity; worse outcomes after surgery; increased emergency department use; higher hospital costs; higher prescription drug costs; greater risk of falls among older adults; poorer medication adherence; and poorer functioning after stroke.

If patients don’t understand what their doctors tell them about their conditions or treatments, they might not follow through with treatment plans — even if those treatments are critical for keeping them healthy.

What are the ways to improve health literacy?

Health literacy is a critical component of health and wellness because it enables people to make informed choices about their health and wellbeing. In addition, health literacy can help individuals better understand their health status and what they need to do to improve their health.

Here are some ways that can improve health literacy:

  1. Improve access: Health professionals should be able to provide information in a way that is easy for their patients to understand. This means providing written materials in plain language, using pictures and diagrams when possible, avoiding jargon or technical terms, and allowing time for questions from patients who may have difficulty understanding the information provided.
  2. Learn about your health care. Learn about the way your body works and what makes it healthy. If you understand how your body works, you’ll be better able to make choices that will help keep it healthy.
  3. Find trusted sources of health information. The internet is full of resources, but it can be hard to know which ones are accurate or trustworthy! That’s where we come in! We’ve got tons of great articles and videos explaining how to navigate the online world when trying to get information on health issues.
  4. Get connected with others who share your struggles with health literacy. When we’re struggling, it’s always nice to have someone who understands what we’re going through!

    In short, health literacy is communication between you and your doctor or pharmacist about important health-related matters. It may also mean communication between you and your family or friends. It is also an ongoing process. Health literacy means that you can find out about your specific condition and plan the best treatment for yourself. It means that you can make decisions about the treatment you receive and what steps to take next should complications arise.

Health literacy is a phrase that describes the abilities and skills you need to understand health information to use it to make decisions and follow instructions.

For most people, being literate is not enough. They need to be able to understand and analyze data that is relevant to their lives. This means reading material such as drug labels and government websites, and educational material addressing a person’s family history and health. Everyone who strives to “be well” should adopt a holistic approach that includes not just eating well, but also the desire to learn more about individual health.

Follow my website, FB page and YouTube to find out how you can be more health literate! I strive to educate others to be able to understand more about themselves so that they can make better health decisions.

Foldscope Microscope

In an effort to make microscopes affordable and available, the foldscope was invented by Manu Prakash and Jim Cybulski. This invention allows the microscope to be accessible to many places where it once could not be. Many more students can gain access to this microscope and be able to discover the world of cells. Many scientists use the foldscope for their research in the field. It is a wonderful invention!

Are you interested in learning more about how cells look? Do you ever wonder what a piece of hair may be made of or what an ant looks like up close? This microscope can be easily used by anyone!

Check out this video on how the foldscope works.

I just got mine and will be doing a video review soon!

For now, if you would like to grab your own individual kit, click here!

Use code DrVanessa10 for 10% off your purchase!

How Are Foreign Substances Recognized By The Immune System

Your immune system is the body’s first and last line of defense against foreign substances, such as bacteria and viruses. The proteins in your immune system are used to recognize and fight these foreign substances. Most substances that come into contact with your body or fluids cannot enter your cells because they do not have the correct protein key to unlock the cell membrane.

Antibodies recognize and bind to these foreign substances, creating holes in the cell. The hole allows other chemicals to enter the cell, destroying it. Foreign substances entering the body can cause a condition known as an immune response. It’s a broad term that describes what happens when the body recognizes something it doesn’t think belongs there.

These foreign substances can be anything from a virus, to a cut that allows bacteria to enter the body and causes an inflammatory response in the area surrounding it. Keep on reading this blog so  you will understand how the immune system recognizes infectious bacteria or substances that can cause cancer.

Structure Of The Immune System 

The human body has an amazing immune system that protects us from harmful microbes and foreign substances.It is an incredibly complex system, comprising many different types of cells and molecular interactions. One of the most important functions it has is to recognize foreign substances and protect the body from them.

The immune system is made up of lymphocytes, white blood cells that are able to recognize foreign substances in the body. These immune cells are able to recognize and kill foreign invaders like bacteria or viruses, such as when a person gets a cold or the flu. It uses several different mechanisms to recognize pathogens and block their ability to infect the host. 

The two systems that the immune system use against foreign substances

  1. Innate Immune System – is the first line of defense against foreign substances. It is nonspecific and exists in most animals in all body systems. Innate immunity begins when a pathogen, such as a bacterium or virus, attempts to enter the body.
  1. Adaptive Immune System – is a network of proteins and molecules that protects our body from foreign substances. This system is capable of identifying and destroying cells that have been altered by viruses and bacteria, which is why it’s able to halt infections. The adaptive immune system works by using T-cells and B-cells. 

Three Types Of Immune System Recognition:

1. T-Cell: Recognizes foreign substances by the interaction between their respective MHC proteins and the foreign substance’s corresponding epitope.

2. B-Cell: Recognizes foreign substances through their interactions with antibodies and other plasma proteins.

3. Antigen: Presenting Cell: Includes macrophages, dendritic cells, Langerhans cells, and B-cells, which all present foreign substances to T-cells for recognition.

How Are Foreign Substances Recognized By The Immune System?

The immune system recognizes foreign substances and responds to them by producing antibodies.Antigens are foreign substances that trigger the immune system to produce antibodies against them.

Antigens are molecules that can be found on the surface of viruses, bacteria, cancer cells, pollen, transplanted organs, transplanted tissues, blood transfusions, and other similar substances. When the immune response identifies an antigen as foreign, it activates an antibody response to ensure that the body does not mistake it for a part of itself.

A substance is considered a foreign substance when it is not normally part of the body’s normal make-up. These substances can be anything from bacteria to cancer cells. Once these foreign substances are identified, the immune system uses a variety of ways to flush them out of the body.

The most common way that the immune system moves foreign substances out of the body is through the lymphatic system. This occurs in many parts of the body, including lymph nodes, tonsils, spleen, and thymus gland. The fluid produced by this process is called lymph fluid, which contains white blood cells for fighting off infections and germs.

Other mechanisms used by the immune system include inflammation, in which fluids cause swelling and redness in infected areas; hypersensitivity reactions, in which immune cells respond to certain proteins in an abnormal manner.

The immune system is an amazing thing. Its role in fighting foreign substances and infection is so critical that the entire human body has been designed to work together to fight off foreign substances. That being said, the immune system only “kicks into action” when foreign substances are recognized as such by white blood cells.

The human immune system serves to protect the human body against attacks of foreign substances by identifying and destroying infectious agents. It maintains barriers for defense. 

If you haven’t already, check out my videos related to the immune system below!

Innate VS. Adaptive Immunity Part 2

In today’s blog, we are going to take a look at part 2 of Innate vs. Adaptive immunity. We will talk about Adaptive Immunity. If you happen to miss the first blog, click this link to read more on innate immunity. 

In part one, I introduced two forms of immunity: innate, and adaptive. I explained to you how innate immunity works. In order for the adaptive immune system to kick in, the innate immune system needs to work first.

Today’s blog is all about adaptive immunity, also known as acquired immunity.

What Is Adaptive Immunity?

  • Also known as acquired or programmed immunity.
  • This immunity is specific because the response that happens is aimed at a particular non-self antigen.

Adaptive immune cells undergo basic training to recognize the difference between self and non-self proteins. 

  1. Self-tolerance – the ability of the cells to learn to recognize the self-antigens and avoid attacking them.
  2. Autoimmune disease – is caused by a loss of self-tolerance. 

NOTE: The purpose of this basic training is that the cells only recognize the non-self proteins and mount an immune response against those foreign invaders. 

Lymphocytes – B cells and T cells.

Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC)

  • their task is to self-bind and non-self antigens and then to

display those antigens on the cell surface.

Two Types of MHC

  1. Class 1 or MHC I

 – they are found on the surface of all body cells except red blood cells because they do not have a nucleus. 

– displays antigen that is internally produced-endogenous antigens. 

 NOTE: In a healthy cell the MHC-1 will have normal body proteins inside of it

2. Class II or MHC II 

  • can be only found on immune cells capable of phagocytosis.
    • can display both MHC I and MHC II.
    • When cells are capable of phagocytosis (cell-eating), the proteins they bring in are exogenous (from the outside cell). 
  • also known as Antigen Presenting Cells (APC).

Cell-mediated immunity – The communication between the T and B cells is a dynamic one, not a compartmentalized one. Cell mediated immunity works together with humoral immunity to fight different diseases that infects us. It is also responsible for fighting cancerous cells when they are fighting normal skin cells within our body. 

Antibody-mediated immunity – B cells recognize antigens, and it becomes activated into plasma cells and makes antibodies. An antibody mediated immune response is the basis for most vaccination responses. This involves the human body producing antibodies to then fight off potential invaders in the future, from previous infections.

What About MHC II?

  • is responsible for activating t helper cells if an antigen-presenting cell displays a pathogen that it has internalized.
  • APC with MHC II or antigen complex can activate a T helper cell with the appropriate receptor. 
  • Activated T helper cells – memory helper T cells and activated helper T cells.

NOTE: Only APC can display MHC II. 

Now, we are going to distinguish the differences between Innate and Adaptive Immunity. Also, we’ll talk about their similarities as well. Refer to the chart below.

Innate Immunity Adaptive Immunity Similarities 
Non-specificRapid ResponseMast CellsNeutrophilsMonocytesSpecificSlow first responseMemory cells B cells and T cellsCytotoxic and helper T cellsDendritic cellsMacrophagesNK cells

Innate immunity only functions during the intervals between exposure. Our adaptive immunity, on the other hand, is always functional, continuously producing antibodies to help keep us protected from diseases on an ongoing basis. Whereas innate immunity provides the “first line of defense” against roundworms, adaptive immunity builds on this and helps to keep those worms out of our system for good.

It is important to know that what we are calling “adaptive immunity” is a more complicated system than “innate immunity”.

Innate and adaptive immunity are both extremely important to our immune systems. Knowing more about them will help you understand how they work together to protect us from infection.

Below, you will find my video on this topic! Hope this helps you learn more about how the innate and adaptive immune systems are different.

immune-system-fact-sheet-1Download

Innate Vs. Adaptive Immunity Part 1

Innate and adaptive are words that get thrown around a lot but aren’t always clearly understood. They both appear to be universally positive, and when you hear them it is often in the context of individuals who have identified as one or the other. But the reality is that they are more like antonyms, albeit opposites on a sliding scale rather than opposing concepts.


The innate immune system is the body’s way of defense against infection. Read this in-depth blog to gain a better understanding.

What is Innate Immunity?

Innate immunity refers to the immunity that you are born with. 

It is the sum of all the body’s defense systems that are always present and ready to act immediately upon arrival of a foreign invader.

It responds rapidly but it is non-specific.

Components of Innate Immunity

The First Line of Defense

  1. The Skin
    • Keratinocytes – these skin cells provide a barrier against the outside world. These cells continuously remake and slough off.
    • Sweat Glands – produce sweat that goes onto the surface of the skin. It provides skin surface with acidic pH to prevent bacteria growth. 
    • Dendritic cells – also known as Langerhans cells. They capture antigens and display them on their surface. These cells are part of the innate immune system

2. Mucous Membranes
◦Mucus– is important because it traps different pathogens, particles and dust.
◦Urine– has an acidic pH that keeps bacterial growth low. 

2. Second Line of Defense (Internal Defenses)

  1. Natural Killer Cells – They have the power to destroy body cells that have abnormal or unusual plasma membrane proteins. They have the power to kill a wide range of infected body cells as well as certain tumor cells.

2. Phagocytes – are specialized cells, capable of performing phagocytosis. 

Note: Phagocytosis is when a cell ingests those microbes or other particles such as cellular debris.

Two major types of phagocytes:

  1. Neutrophils
  2. Macrophages

5 Steps of Phagocytosis
Chemotaxis -Phagocytes are drawn to a site of damage by a chemical attraction
Adherence -Innate immune attachment to a microbial community or other foreign particles
Ingestion – swallowing of the microbe.
Digestion – it brings that phagosome into itself and it’s going to bond with what is called it fuses with what is called a lysosome.
Killing – it is where the enzymes surround. 

3. Inflammation 

  • innate response to tissue damage.
  • 4 characteristics of inflammation: redness, heat, swelling and pain.
  • The purpose of inflammation is that it is an attempt to dispose of whatever phagocyte microbes, toxins or any other foreign material that could be at the site of injury.

3 basic activities of inflammation

  1. Vasodilation and increased permeability of the local blood vessels
    •  release histamine (increases blood vessel permeability).

2.  The emigration of phagocytes 

  •  The blood vessel itself starts to stick to the inner surfaces of the blood vessels and then they can squeeze through the wall of the blood vessels to go into the damaged area.

3. Chemotaxis and microbial attack 

  •  neutrophils show up first and then the monocytes. 

Prostaglandins – intensify the effects of histamine. 

Leukotrienes – it increases the permeability of the capillaries. 

Note: The more area that is damaged by the injury the greater this process is going to be. The greater the inflammation is going to be and inflammation is going to be caused by this fluid and cells going to that area.

4. Fever

  • It is part of the innate response. 
  • elevation of temperature either locally or systemically. 
  • When the body temperature is elevated it helps these cells in the body to work much more quickly it intensifies the effects of different things like interferons it helps these cells get to these areas much quicker and then it speeds up these body reactions that are also happening as the temperature increases a little bit.
  • inhibit the growth of microbes. 

5. Antimicrobial Fluid 

  • It can be found in the various fluids of the body.
  • discourage microbial growth.
  • One such type of protein: interferons.
  • Interferons – produced by the cells of the body that have been infected with a virus to INTERFERE with the viral replication in healthy cells. 
  • Complement system – can be found in the blood plasma and is not normally active. 

If you pay attention to your biology, innate and adaptive immunity should be fairly straightforward. Innate immunity is the first line of defense that our bodies have against invading bacteria and viruses. This immunity is inborn, fast acting, and nonspecific. While not always successful, it does provide us with some rudimentary defense against pathogens. Adaptive immunity, on the other hand, is a little more complicated. It involves immune cells that become aware of invaders to specifically target them.

 Innate immunity cells do not need specific previous exposure to a pathogen to be activated. Innate immune cells are first responders, in other words. They act immediately when an infectious agent enters the body and lay the groundwork for further immune defenses.

To view more on the Innate Immune System, watch my video here:

Fact Sheet/ Study Guide

immune-system-fact-sheetDownload

Introduction to the Skeletal System 

Every house you see has its own structure. You can’t build a house without a wooden framework, right? This framework holds up our homes. Just like this, our body also needs these frameworks for support and strength and we call them bones. The skeleton is what holds us together and it allows us to move our body. 

What is a Skeletal System?

  • Composed of bones (cartilage and ligaments)
  • Cartilage is the precursor for most bones.  It also is found on the ends of bones to keep bones from rubbing against each other.
  • Ligaments attach bone to bone.
  • Tendons attach muscle to bone. 

Note: These attachments of bone to bone and muscles to bone allows your skeleton to move freely. 

Functions of the Skeleton

  1. Protection
  2. Support
  3. Movement
  4. Electrolyte balance
  5. Acid-base balance
  6. Blood movement

Bone Tissue aka Osseous Tissue

  • Connective tissue with a matrix hardened by calcium phosphate and other minerals.
  • Even though bone is hardened, it is a living tissue. 

Bone Shapes

  1. Lone bone 

Humerus, radius, ulna, metacarpals, phalanges, femur, tibia, fibula 

  1. Short bone

Bones of the wrist, carpals and tarsals in the ankle.

  3. Flat bones

Cranial bones, ribs, sternum, scapula, and hip bones.

  4. Irregular bones

Vertebrae, and some skull bones.

 When we take a closer look at the features of our bones, we’ll notice that the bone is made up of two different types of the bone:

  1. Compact bone – is a very dense osseous tissue. It covers the surface of most bones.
  1. Spongy bone – is loosely organized tissue. It makes the bone lighter. 
  • Osteogenic cell is a stem cell that gives rise to osteoblasts. 
  • Osteoblasts are bone-forming cells. These are non-mitotic.
  • Osteocytes are mature bone cells that maintain bone tissue. 
  • Osteoclasts function in resorption and break down of bone extracellular matrix. 

Note: Bone Development is a lifelong process.

Ossification –  formation of bone tissue.

  1. Formation of bone in the embryo.
  2. Growth of bones until adulthood.
  3. Remodelling of bone
  4. Repair of fractures

Two types of ossification:

  1. Intramembranous ossification
  2. Endochondral ossification

For a video version of this, with more details, be sure to watch my lecture on the Introduction to the Skeletal System below.