This past week, the temperature in Maryland started going down. It started becoming cooler. Winter is definitely around the corner. I've used my jacket almost every day of this week and I see people around me layering up clothes on their body.
I was wondering, when I was putting on my jacket one morning, why and how we get cold. Is it that our blood needs to be at a certain temperature for it to be fully healthy and functioning? I was also thinking why our muscles tend to weaken when it is colder outside. Interestingly, in Histology class, we just had an exam on chapters that included the connective tissue, blood, and muscle tissue.
Here are reasons as to what happens to our body and why these things happen when we feel cold:
Pink cheeks: When the body temperature drops to 50 degrees (F), our blood vessels narrow to reduce blood flow near the body’s surface. Sometimes the blood vessels dilate and burst, which causes redness. This can also numb your hands.
Runny nose: At 45 degrees or below, cold and dry air causes difficulty for your lungs. Your nose wants to moisturize, but it can try to make up for this, which can cause it to run.
Shivering caused by cold: Your core body temperature has dropped about a degree below its normal temperature around 98.6 degrees. This can be the first sign of hypothermia. At 96 degrees, your muscle movements (motor movements) begins to fail. Body temperature of 90 degrees is immediately life-threatening.
As seen, there are many things that occur when we feel cold. The first, is that our body temperature drops, and we see many results because of this. Our muscles become weak because there is less blood flow near the body surface, restricting the muscles' ability to function to its fullest potential. This is why we feel like our muscles have weakened. And, to try to keep the blood to be at a normal temperature and muscles working fine, or bodies feel uncomfortable being cold, and thus we put on extra layers to keep warm and be comfortable. Stay warm this winter!
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Reflections #2
Six weeks of Histology class gone by. Where has almost half the semester gone? It feels like the first day of class was sometime last week.
There has been a total of 11 chapters completely covered, with one exam taken, which constituted chapters 1-8. This exam that I took last Monday was like one I've never taken before. The format, the method of asking questions, and the questions themselves being challenging: it was different. The format of the exam consisted of eclectic types of questions. It had a combination of questions that were multiple choice, true or false, matching, short answer, and, the most unique, questions based on a picture identification method on the screen of a microscopic slide for students to identify, label, and know the function of the structure.
This unique question challenged me not only to carefully observe and know the difference in structure between the various tissue types, but it also made me realize that in the medical world, knowing the difference between the type of cell or what is comprised in the matrix is crucial in finding out the problem in the body and later treating it. It is critical and significant to look at how various tissue types are made in order to differentiate their functions.
The picture on the left is similar to the microscopic slide pictures shown during the exam (1).
Although I did well on the exam, I didn't do as well as I wanted to. I have much more to work on. However, I feel challenged and motivated to do better, especially after realizing the importance of looking at different tissue types and identifying the structures and functions of them.
Until then, I'll be studying for the next exam!
Picture reference:
(1) http://www.scrigroup.com/files/biologie/85_poze/image023.jpg
There has been a total of 11 chapters completely covered, with one exam taken, which constituted chapters 1-8. This exam that I took last Monday was like one I've never taken before. The format, the method of asking questions, and the questions themselves being challenging: it was different. The format of the exam consisted of eclectic types of questions. It had a combination of questions that were multiple choice, true or false, matching, short answer, and, the most unique, questions based on a picture identification method on the screen of a microscopic slide for students to identify, label, and know the function of the structure.
 |
| Epithelial Tissue (1) |
This unique question challenged me not only to carefully observe and know the difference in structure between the various tissue types, but it also made me realize that in the medical world, knowing the difference between the type of cell or what is comprised in the matrix is crucial in finding out the problem in the body and later treating it. It is critical and significant to look at how various tissue types are made in order to differentiate their functions.
The picture on the left is similar to the microscopic slide pictures shown during the exam (1).
Although I did well on the exam, I didn't do as well as I wanted to. I have much more to work on. However, I feel challenged and motivated to do better, especially after realizing the importance of looking at different tissue types and identifying the structures and functions of them.
Until then, I'll be studying for the next exam!
Picture reference:
(1) http://www.scrigroup.com/files/biologie/85_poze/image023.jpg
Friday, October 2, 2015
Encounters #2
Relating what you learn in school, in this case Histology class, to what happens in your practical and everyday life can be interesting.
This past week, I decided to work out for a little bit, especially because I hadn't done any type of weight-bearing exercises in quite a few months. Although I do running and aerobic exercises at least twice a week, I did not do any weight-bearing, or muscle-building, exercises for months. Winter is just around the corner, and this desire to exercise will only weaken as I approach the colder months.
It was a coincidence that I decided to do these muscle-building exercises during the week that my professor had started the chapter on muscle tissue. It was perfect. When I continue with my exercises, I can now imagine what exactly is going on inside my body while I lift the dumbbell or do some push ups. I can now imagine the mechanism of the muscles working in my body while I, for example, do bicep curls with my dumbbell. I can now imagine what I am learning in class occur in my everyday life.
When I do bicep curls, the bicep muscle is contracting when I curl up and relaxing when I curl down. How do these muscles contract anyway? This mechanism is what I learned in my Histology class today.
Calcium is the most important element in muscle contraction. Muscle is composed of muscle fibers, also called myofibrils, are made up of myofilaments. There are two types of myofilaments: actin and myosin; also there is a protein critical for muscle contraction called troponin. These can be visualized on the diagram to your right.
The process:
First, calcium is released, binding to troponin, which exposes the myosin-binding sites on the actin. Then, the myosin binds to actin, releasing ADP and forming a cross-bridge, causing the myosin to slide across the actin. ATP binds to myosin, causing it to let go of actin. Finally, when the calcium is returned, the muscle relaxes. All this occurs during one contraction.
Therefore, when I do those bicep curls, I will not only do it to be healthy and gain muscle so I can look like a strong man, but I will also imagine the beauty of what exactly goes on inside my muscle fibers during its contraction and relaxation.
Picture references:
(1) http://www.ucl.ac.uk/~sjjgsca/Muscleslidingfilament1.gif
(2) http://encyclopedia.lubopitko-bg.com/images/calcium%20and%20myosin%20in%20muscle%20contraction.jpg
This past week, I decided to work out for a little bit, especially because I hadn't done any type of weight-bearing exercises in quite a few months. Although I do running and aerobic exercises at least twice a week, I did not do any weight-bearing, or muscle-building, exercises for months. Winter is just around the corner, and this desire to exercise will only weaken as I approach the colder months.
It was a coincidence that I decided to do these muscle-building exercises during the week that my professor had started the chapter on muscle tissue. It was perfect. When I continue with my exercises, I can now imagine what exactly is going on inside my body while I lift the dumbbell or do some push ups. I can now imagine the mechanism of the muscles working in my body while I, for example, do bicep curls with my dumbbell. I can now imagine what I am learning in class occur in my everyday life.
When I do bicep curls, the bicep muscle is contracting when I curl up and relaxing when I curl down. How do these muscles contract anyway? This mechanism is what I learned in my Histology class today.
 |
| (1) |
Calcium is the most important element in muscle contraction. Muscle is composed of muscle fibers, also called myofibrils, are made up of myofilaments. There are two types of myofilaments: actin and myosin; also there is a protein critical for muscle contraction called troponin. These can be visualized on the diagram to your right.
 |
| Process of muscle contraction (2) |
The process:
First, calcium is released, binding to troponin, which exposes the myosin-binding sites on the actin. Then, the myosin binds to actin, releasing ADP and forming a cross-bridge, causing the myosin to slide across the actin. ATP binds to myosin, causing it to let go of actin. Finally, when the calcium is returned, the muscle relaxes. All this occurs during one contraction.
Therefore, when I do those bicep curls, I will not only do it to be healthy and gain muscle so I can look like a strong man, but I will also imagine the beauty of what exactly goes on inside my muscle fibers during its contraction and relaxation.
Picture references:
(1) http://www.ucl.ac.uk/~sjjgsca/Muscleslidingfilament1.gif
(2) http://encyclopedia.lubopitko-bg.com/images/calcium%20and%20myosin%20in%20muscle%20contraction.jpg
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