What is the esophagus? The esophagus is a stretchable muscular tube that connects the pharynx to the stomach. Primarily, the esophagus ensures the transport of food and fluids through the throat and chest into the abdomen. An outer layer of connective tissue ensures the mobility of the esophagus in the chest cavity during swallowing. Blood … Esophagus: Structure and Function
What is the blood-brain barrier? The blood-brain barrier is a barrier between the blood and the brain substance. It is formed by the endothelial cells on the inner wall of the blood capillaries in the brain and the astrocytes (a form of glial cells) surrounding the vessels. The endothelial cells in the capillary brain vessels … Blood-Brain Barrier: Structure and Function
What is the elbow? The elbow is a compound joint involving three bones – the humerus (upper arm bone) and the radius (radius) and ulna (ulna). More precisely, it is three partial joints with a common joint cavity and a single joint capsule that form a functional unit: Articulatio humeroulnaris (joint connection between the humerus … Elbow: Function, Anatomy and Diseases
What is the hip joint? The hip joint is the articulated connection between the head of the femur – the upper end of the thigh bone (femur) – and the socket (acetabulum) of the hip bone. Like the shoulder joint, it is a ball-and-socket joint that can move about three main axes. In principle, the … Hip Joint: Function, Anatomy, and Diseases
Venous versus arterial Arteries carry blood away from the heart, veins towards the heart. The proportion of the two types of vessels in the circulatory system is very different: compared to the veins, which make up the majority of blood vessels at around 75 percent, arteries are outnumbered at only around 20 percent (capillaries five … Artery: Structure and Function
What is chloride? As a vital electrolyte, more than half (approx. 56%) of the chloride in the body is found outside the cells in the so-called extracellular space. About a third (approx. 32%) is found in the bones and only a small proportion (12%) inside the cells (intracellular space). The distribution of electrolytes and their … Chloride: What is Chloride? What Function does it have?
What is the organ of balance? The sense of balance comes from the interaction of the organ of balance in the inner ear with the eyes and the central processing of information in the brain. The organ of balance (ear) consists of two different systems: The static system responds to linear motion and gravity. The … Balance Organ (Vestibular Apparatus): How it works
What is the brain stem? The brain stem is the developmentally oldest part of the brain. Together with the diencephalon, sometimes also with the cerebellum and parts of the terminal brain, it is often referred to synonymously as the brain stem. However, this is not correct: the brain stem includes all parts of the brain … Brainstem: Function, Structure, Damage
What is the meniscus? The meniscus is a flat cartilage in the knee joint that thickens towards the outside. Each knee contains an inner meniscus (meniscus medialis) and a smaller outer meniscus (m. lateralis). The rather tight, pressure-resistant interarticular discs made of connective tissue and fibrocartilage are easily movable. Due to their crescent shape, the … Meniscus: Function, Anatomy, and Diseases
What is the portal vein circulation? The portal vein circulation is a part of the large blood circulation. The main vessel is the portal vein (Vena portae hepatis). It transports deoxygenated blood from the stomach, intestines and other abdominal organs to the liver. The blood contains numerous substances that have been absorbed from the digestive … Portal Circulation: Structure and Function
What is the pharynx? The pharynx is a 12 to 15 cm long muscular tube lined with mucous membrane. It is divided into three sections lying one below the other. From top to bottom are the nasopharynx, oral pharynx and laryngeal pharynx: The openings of the nasal cavity (choanas) and the two ear trumpets (tuba … Throat: Function, Anatomy, and Disorders
What is the hand? The most important gripping organ of the human body is divided into the carpus, metacarpus and fingers. The carpus is formed by eight small, squat bones, four of which are distributed over two transverse rows and named after their shape: Scaphoid, lunate, triangular and pea bones are arranged toward the forearm, … Hand: Function, Anatomy, and Disorders
