03/29/13 - Organs/Nasal Cavity
Before we learn about the organs in The Respiratory System, Do you know what the Respiratory System is?
The Respiratory System is made up of the organs in your body such as the lungs, bronchi, trachea, nasal cavity & mouth...they all have something in common, what is that? they help you to breathe. A easier way to remember this is Respiration = Breathing. Breathing is to deliver oxygen to the body and to take away carbon dioxide.
As you see in the picture on the left side, it is a picture of the man the red area is the nasal cavity. The nasal cavity is one of the organs in the respiratory system. Nasal Cavity is divided into two segments; (1.) Respiratory segment & (2.) Olfactory segment. The Respiratory segment is lined with respiratory epithelium, has vascularized lamina propria (which is a thin vascular layer of connective tissue beneath the epithelium of an organ) allowing the venous plexuses (multiple veins) of the concha mucosa to engorge with blood. Respiratory segment also restricts airflow & cause air to be directed to other side of nose, this cycle occurs every 20-30 minutes. Here is a fact you guys probably all know...nose bleeds are actually very common in this region. The Olfactroy segment is lined with specialized type of pseudostratified columnar epithelium, also known as Olfactory epithelium also contains receptors for the sense of smell. Olfactory segment is located along the dorsal roof of the nasal cavity, sections appear yellowish-brown due to the presence of Lipofusion pigments.
03/29/13 - Oral Cavity
The next organ in the Respiratory System is the Oral Cavity. As you all know the cavity is part of the mouth, behind the gums and teeth that is above. The mouth is bounded by hard & soft palates and below by the tongue and by the mucous membrane connecting it with the inner part of the mandible. The Oral Cavity also communicates with the pharynx by a constricted aperture termed the isthmus faucium. Some facts about the Oral Cavity is that almost every disease/disorder that affects the cavity has a genetic component, even tooth decay & gum disease have heredity influences. According to S. Michele Robichaux, D.D.S. Dry mouth is another complication of diabetes and also Tooth Decay is children with diabetes who does not show incidence of increased tooth decay, in fact studies indicates that tooth decay occurs less in children with diabetes.
03/29/13 - Pharynx
Pharynx is auditory tubes and pharyngeal tonsils. Comes in 3 sections: (1.) Nasopharynx, (2.) Oropharynx & (3.) Laryngopharynx. Let's go through the first one, Nasopharynx is part of the pharynx just above the soft palate that is continuous with the nasal passages also called epipharynx. Oropharynx is between the soft palate and the epiglottis. Last section called the Laryngopharynx (la-ryn-go-phar-ynx) is part of the pharynx as you all know already but it lies below the aperture of the larynx and behind the larynx that extends the esophagus. The Pharynx is the large cavity behind the nose and above the larynx, it amplifies the vibrations of the vocal cords, generating high frequency sounds.
03/29/13 - Tongue
For all of you, I bet you already know that the tongue is the strongest muscle in your entire body....if you didn't know...now you do. The Tongue is a muscular hydrostatic on the floors of the mouth. Primary organ of taste as much as the upper surface is covered by in papillae and taste buds. As you see in this picture of the tongue, there is 4 areas and they are labelled, #1 is sweet which is at the tip of your tongue, then you reach #2 which is salt, then #3 sour and last one #4 bitter. Your tongue is also sensitive if you haven't noticed, I'm sure some of you people have experienced yourself accidentally biting your tongue while chewing gum or maybe just eating. Also your tongue is always kept moist unless you stick your tongue out of your mouth for a long period of time....maybe a couple minutes at least. One thing i didn't know about our tongue is that it is supplied with nerves and blood cells, seems like I've learned something new today also.
03/29/13 - Epiglottis
I actually never knew this word until i searched it over the web but one of the organs are called Epiglottis and it is located as you can see in the picture is what looks like underneath your cheek bone. Epiglottis is a flap that is made of elastic tissue covered with mucous membrane attached to the entrance of the larynx. Epiglottis guards the entrance of the glottis and the opening between the vocal folds.
03/29/13 - Larynx
Larynx which is commonly called the voice box......so I've heard or found out. This organ is located in the neck area of the amphibians, reptiles and mammals including us human beings. This organ is involved in breathing, sound production and protecting the trachea against food aspiration. Larynx manipulates pitch and volume, it houses the vocal folds or "vocal cords" whichever one is easier for you to remember. The vocal folds are situated just where the tract of the pharynx splits into the trachea and the esophagus.
03/29/13 - Trachea
Trachea is an anatomical structure used for breathing also in other words called the windpipe, filters the air we breathe and branches into bronchi. So basically the Trachea is almost like a filter we have in like our fridge where we get clean water from.
03/29/13 - Bronchi/Bronchus
Are two air tubes that branches off of the trachea and carry air directly into the lungs. A passage of airway in the respiratory tract that conducts air into the lungs. As you see in the picture the bronchus is forming into smaller branches called bronchioles. Another way i can explain this picture easier is like a family tree, you're the Trachea alright? and the bronchus is your parents and as it starts to break into smaller tubes that is like your grandparents and great-grandparents and so on if get what i was just trying to explain to you.
03/29/13 - Left/Right Lung
The human lungs are the organs of respiration in humans. As you can see and already know we have two lungs, one on the left and one on the right. The right lung has three lobes while the left lung is slightly smaller only having two lobes. You are probably wondering why the left lung is smaller, i'm not really sure. The left lung has a "cardiac notch" allowing space for the heart within the chest....so could that be the reason why our left lung is smaller than our right? together the lungs contains approximately 2,400 kilometers (1,500 mi) of airways and 300 to 500 million alveoli having a total surface area of about 70 square meters (750 sq ft) i'm not even sure what that just told us. I've read it off wikipedia, but i may say that is a very interesting fact don't you think?
03/29/13 - Diaphragm
I hope you guys know how to say this word correctly. Breathing starts with a dome-shaped muscle at the bottom of the lungs called the Diaphragm. Breath in the diaphragm contracts, while it contracts it flattens out and pulls downward. Movement enlarges the space that the lungs are in. Larger space pulls air into the lungs. As you breathe out, the diaphragm expands reducing the amount of space for the lungs and forcing air out. As i done my research i've found out that the Diaphragm is the main muscle used in breathing.
