Which part of the digestive system comes before the stomach?

Theaging processaffects hormone activity in one of three ways: their secretion can decrease, remain unchanged, or increase.

Hormones thatdecrease secretioninclude the following:

• Estrogen (in women)
• Testosterone (in men)
• Growth hormone
• Melatonin

Inwomen, the decline in estrogen levels leads to menopause. Inmen, testosterone levels usually decrease gradually. Decreased levels of growth hormone may lead to decreased muscle mass and strength. Decreased melatonin levels may play an important role in the loss of normal sleep-wake cycles (circadian rhythms) with aging.

Hormones that usually remainunchangedorslightly decreaseinclude the following:

• Cortisol
• Insulin
• Thyroid hormones

Hormones that mayincrease secretionslevels include the following:

Parathyroid hormone

• Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)
• Luteinizing hormone (LH)
• Norepinephrine
• Epinephrine, in the very old

The autonomic nervous systemis responsible for activities that arenonvoluntaryand under unconscious control. This system controls glands and the smooth muscles of internal organs, heart rate, breathing, and digestion. The autonomic nervous system is further divided into the following:

• Sympathetic nervous system: The sympathetic nervous system focuses on emergency situations by preparing the body forfight or flight. (Sympathetic = Stress)
• Parasympathetic nervous system: The parasympathetic nervous system controls involuntary processes unrelated to emergencies. This system deals with “rest or digest” activities. (Parasympathetic = Peace)

Thesomatic nervous systemprimarily controlsvoluntaryactivities such as walking and riding a bicycle. Thus, this system sends information to the CNS and motor nerve fibers that are attached to skeletal muscle.

The main male reproductive organs are thepenisand thetesticles, which are located external to the body. The penis is composed of a long shaft and a bulbous end called the glans penis. The glans penis is usually surrounded by an extension of skin called the foreskin.

Thetestes(analogous to the female ovaries), or testicles, are retained in a pouch of skin called thescrotum, which descends from the base of the penis. The scrotum contains nerves and blood vessels needed to support the testicles’ functions. Each testicle (or testis) produces sperm (analogous to the female ova), which are passed into a series of coiled tubules called theepididymis. The epididymis stores and nurtures sperm until they are passed into thevas deferens, a tubule that is about 30 centimeters long, extending from the testicle into the pelvis and ending at the ejaculatory duct.

The epididymis and vas deferens are supported by several accessory glands (the seminal vesicles, the prostate gland, and the Cowper glands) that produce fluid components of semen and support the sperm cells.

The primary organ of the urinary system is the kidney. Blood from the heart flows through the kidneys via the renal artery. As blood drains from the kidney, it exits through a series of veins, the most prominent of which is the renal vein. When urine is produced, it does not drain through the tubes through which blood flows. Rather, urine flows through two ureters before emptying into the urinary bladder.

The following steps outline how the urinary system works:

• Kidney filters and excretes wastes from blood, producing urine.
• Urine flows down the ureters.
• Urine empties into the bladder and is temporarily stored.
• Bladder, when filled, empties urine out of the body via the urethra.

The cardiovascular system is closely associated with hematopoiesis because it includes the heart and blood vessels, which are responsible for circulating blood throughout the body. Hematopoiesis, the process of blood cell formation, primarily occurs in the bone marrow, which is part of the skeletal system. However, the cardiovascular system plays a crucial role in transporting these blood cells to various parts of the body once they are produced in the bone marrow.

So, while the skeletal system provides the site for hematopoiesis, the cardiovascular system is responsible for distributing the blood cells, making it the most closely associated system in this context.

Oral Cavityis the first part of the digestive system. It is bounded by the lips and cheeks and contains the teeth and tongue. Its primary function is to masticate, or chew, and moisten the food.

Pharynx, or throat, connects the mouth to the esophagus.

Esophagusis a muscular tube about 25 centimeters long. Food travels down it to the cardiac sphincter of the stomach.

Pyloric sphincter. The exit of the stomach.

Small intestineis about 6 meters long and consists of three parts: duodenum, jejunum, and ileum.

Large intestine, consists of the cecum, colon, rectum, and anal canal. The cecum is located where the small and large intestine meet. The primary function of the large intestine is to compress the waste and collect any excess water that can be recycled.

Colonis about 1.5 to 1.8 meters long and consists of four parts: the ascending, transverse, descending, and sigmoid colon.

Before mitosis or meiosis occurs, interphase must happen. This is when the cell cycle takes place. The cell cycle is an organized process divided into two phases:interphaseand theM (mitotic) phase. During interphase, the cell grows and copies its DNA. After the cell reaches the M phase, division of the two new cells can occur. The G1, S, and G2phases make up interphase.

Taxonomy is the process of classifying, describing, and naming organisms. There are seven levels in the Linnaean taxonomic system, starting with the broadest level, kingdom, and ending with the species level. For example, in the image the genus level contains two types of bears, but the species level shows one type. Additionally,organisms in each level are found in the level above it. For example, organisms in the order level are part of the class level. This classification system is based on physical similarities across living things. It does not account for molecular or genetic similarities.

Homeostasisis the existence and maintenance of a relatively constant environment within the body. Each cell of the body is surrounded by a small amount of fluid, and the normal functions of each cell depend on the maintenance of its fluid environment within a narrow range of conditions, including temperature, volume, and chemical content. These conditions are known asvariables. For example, body temperature is a variable that can increase in a hot environment or decrease in a cold environment.

There are two types of feedback mechanisms in the human body: negative and positive.

• Negative Feedback: Most systems of the body are regulated by negative feedback mechanisms, which maintain homeostasis. Negative means that any deviation from the set point is made smaller or is resisted. The maintenance of normal blood pressure is a negative-feedback mechanism. Normal blood pressure is important because it is responsible for moving blood from the heart to tissues.
• Positive Feedback: Positive-feedback mechanisms are not homeostatic and are rare in healthy individuals. Positive means that when a deviation from a normal value occurs, the response of the system is to make the deviation even greater. Positive feedback therefore usually creates a cycle leading away from homeostasis and, in some cases, results in death. Inadequate delivery of blood to cardiac muscle is an example of positive feedback.

Blood continually flows in one direction, beginning in the heart and proceeding to the arteries, arterioles, and capillaries. When blood reaches the capillaries, exchanges occur between blood and tissues. After this exchange happens, blood is collected into venules, which feed into veins and eventually flow back to the heart’s atrium. The heart must relax between two heartbeats for blood circulation to begin.

Two types of circulatory processes occur in the body:

Systemic circulation

• The pulmonary vein pushes oxygenated blood into the left atrium.
• As the atrium relaxes, oxygenated blood drains into the left ventricle through the mitral valve. 3. The left ventricle pumps oxygenated blood to the aorta.
• Blood travels through the arteries and arterioles before reaching the capillaries that surround the tissues.

Pulmonary circulation

• Two major veins, the Superior Vena Cava and the Inferior Vena Cava, brings deoxygenated blood from the upper and lower half of the body.
• Deoxygenated blood is pooled into the right atrium and then sent into the right ventricle through the tricuspid valve, which prevents blood from flowing backward.
• The right ventricle contracts, causing the blood to be pushed through the pulmonary valve into the pulmonary artery.
• Deoxygenated blood becomes oxygenated in the lungs.
• Oxygenated blood returns from the lungs to the left atrium through the pulmonary veins.