Respiratory System: Exploring Key Terms, Functions, and Processes

This assignment provides a comprehensive overview of the human respiratory system, covering key anatomical components, physiological processes, and related concepts. It begins by defining and explaining 16 key terms, including alveoli, bronchi, carbon dioxide, cilia, diaphragm, epiglottis, esophagus, larynx, lungs, mucous, oxygen, oxygen saturation, pulse, respiration, surfactant, and trachea. The assignment then outlines the five main functions of the respiratory system, encompassing pulmonary ventilation, external and internal respiration, phonation, and olfaction. Further, it explains the respiratory control center, detailing its location and function in regulating breathing. The assignment also describes the pathway of air through the respiratory system, from inhalation to gas exchange, and differentiates between external and internal respiration. Additional topics include peak expiratory flow rate and blood pressure, including factors that can affect blood pressure recordings. Finally, it discusses the pulse, its relevance, and factors affecting it. The assignment concludes with a list of references including books, journals and online resources.

Respiratory System

QUESTION 1
Answer:
1. Alveoli
: It is the hollow cavities in anatomy and found in many parts of the human-body. Generally, for
mammals these are small air sacs of the lungs known as pulmonary alveoli having diameter of
0.2 to 0.5 mm. A average person has 480 million alveoli and appears in bunch forming blood
capillaries (Gilbert-Barness, Spicer and Steffensen, 2014).
2. Bronchi
: It is main pathway into the lungs and are of two types. Primary are present in upper portion of
the lungs while secondary at the centre. When a person takes breath, air travels into the larynx.
After that it enters the trachea, then to left and right bronchus. It becomes smaller as it goes
inside.
3. Carbon Dioxide
: The oxygen inhaled by person goes to the respiratory system so that body can get rid of carbon-
di-oxide in the air breathed out. Too much CO2 is harmful for the body as due to this blood will
become acidic so it is necessary to maintain the pH level and hyperventilate in the body. The
CO2 then moves with your blood back to your lungs and is diffused to the alveoli which then
exhale it out (Hogan and et. al., 2014).
4. Cilia
: These are the minute hair like organelles structures that forms the lining of certain cells and are
similar to flagella. It provides locomotion and moves liquids to ciliate protozoans or internal
epithelial tissue of human body. They are of two types, Motile and Primary and have size of 1-
10-micrometres and width is less than 1-micrometre.
5. Diaphragm
: For respiration, it is main muscle that separates the thoracic cavity from the abdomen.
Contraction of the diaphragm-muscle enlarge lungs during inhalation of air. It is controlled by
the phrenic nerve that arise at vertebral level C3-C5.
6. Epiglottis
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: It is elastic-cartilage covered with a mucous-membrane and is connected to the vocal organ
(larynx). It is thin, leaf-shaped structure and at unstrained point the epiglottis-projects into the
tubular cavity, or pharynx, and at the tongue backside.
7. Oesophagus
: It is a well-developed muscles tube that connects the pharynx with the internal organ(stomach).
For normal people it is 8 inches-long and is lined by slightly wet pink-tissue known as mucosa.
Its working is behind the cartilaginous tube, heart, and on frontal of the backbone. There are two
sections of it, upper and lower oesophageal sphincter.
8. Larynx:
: Vocalisation box, that is involved in respiration, sound-production, and protecting the
cartilaginous tube against food-articulation. It is flexible segment, tough part of the respiratory-
tract connecting the tubular cavity to the windpipe in the neck. It show life-sustaining role at
time of food intake in maintaining the respiration.
9. Lungs
: In human-body there are two large pair of spongy-organs that aid in gas exchanging between
the blood-and-air. Lungs help in the exchange process and removing the CO2 before it reaches to
dangerous level. It is located near the backbone, within the thoracic cavity of the chest, either
side of the heart. They are primary organs for humans.
10. Mucous
: These are membranes which secrete the fluid we call mucus. For the protection of various
cavities in the body and surrounds internal organs it forms membrane lines. Its purpose is to stop
pathogens and dirt to get inside the human body and to prevent bodily tissues from becoming
dehydrated.
11. Oxygen
: Human body requires oxygen for the survival. It is the main component of human body that is
65% of human body comprise of it. On observation and appearance, it is odourless and
colourless gas. Cellular respiration is part of digestive process in which food-breaks down sugar
to produce ATP, (Adenosine Tri-Phosphate) for energy. The by-products are CO2 and water.
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12. Oxygen Saturation
: Inside the blood it is the fraction of oxygen-saturated haemoglobin relative to total
haemoglobin. The body requires specific amount of oxygen that is 95-100 percent. If it is below
90, person can have hypoxemia and below 80, person may have organ dysfunction. There are
various ways it can be measured.
13. Pulse
: It is perceptible by touch, arterial-palpation of the pulsation (heartbeat). In simple words they
are same as measuring the heartbeat. It is rhythmic-beating in the blood vessel caused by the
beating of the heart. Pulse rate are used for the health and fitness level of heart. For a new born
baby, it is 99-149 and for adults it is 59-99.
14. Respiration
: It is the bio-chemical process in which cells obtain energy from the integration of glucose and
oxygen. It results in carbon dioxide, water, and ATP release. It is of two types, Anaerobic and
maintenance respiration. In human-body lungs plays major role for the respiration.
15. Surfactant
: These are used to lower the surface-tension of the two liquids or solid and liquids. In biology,
these are metabolically-active assembly of phospholipids and surfactant-specific-proteins that is
essential for normal-lung-mechanics.
16. Trachea:
: It is also known as windpipe that starts from larynx to the breastbone. The trachea makes two
smaller bronchi for each lung is the size is around 4-inches-long and smaller in size of diameter.
Using 20 rings of tough cartilage it is composed and is made of muscular as-well-as conjunctive
tissue. Inside it, slightly wet, having regular surface body part called mucosa lines are present.
QUESTION 2
Answer: There are 5 main function of the respiratory system:
1. Its main function is pulmonary ventilation, where inhalation and exhalation or breathing
is done.
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2. In order to exchange the gases in the blood vessels and respiratory organ, external -
respiration is required.
3. However, internal-respiration, exchange oxygen and carbon-di-oxide among the blood
and tissues of human body.
4. Its upper parts help in creation of sound, that is for the phonation.
5. Olfaction, or Sensing inside the nasal cavities, is a Chemical Sensation.
QUESTION 3
Answer: The respiratory control centre located the medulla oblongata and pons, that belongs to
lower part of brainstem. It receives controlling signals of chemical, hormonal-nature and neural.
Along with this it helps to control the rate and depth of respiratory movements of the diaphragm
and other respiratory-muscles. The medulla oblongata detects the respiration concentrations and
communicate with muscles in heart, lungs and diaphragm to increase or decrease the breathing.
The pons controls the speed of respiration rate depending on the requirement of body (Hueper,
2013).
QUESTION 4
Answer: The path of the air as it is inhaled into the respiratory system are mentioned
Its primary function is performed by lungs, which continues inhalation of oxygen and expel of
CO2 as human breathe. Gases are exchanged in respiratory organ and other systems. In the
tubular cavity, cartilaginous tube, filters the air. The cartilaginous tubes (trachea) into 2-bronchi,
tubes that lead to the respiratory organ. Oxygen is then moved to bloodstream then to whole
body. RBC (Red Blood Cells) collects CO2 from the human-body and transport to respiratory
organ. However, process starts in alveoli which is part of the lungs and is appears in small charts.
CO2 is breathe out and process continues. 12 to 20 breaths/minute are normal for Adults (Xing
and et. al., 2016).
QUESTION 5
Answer: External-respiration is transfer of gases lungs and outer-environment. It occurs in the
respiratory organ where O2 mixes into the bloodstream and CO2 diffuses into the alveolar
consonant air. It happens before the Internal-respiration takes place. However, oxygen intake
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which is the metabolic process, where O2 mixed in the body-tissues and CO2 absorption is done
by the blood-vessels.
QUESTION 6
Answer: It is the amount of maximum volume of carbon dioxide breathe out from the respiratory
organ(lungs) during a energetic workout. It is supportive in measuring obstructive lung diseases
in the patients as-well-as degree of respiration. Its measurements is quick test known as peak
expiratory flow rate (PEFR) which is calculated through peak flow meter.
QUESTION 7
Answer: Blood pressure is the force exerted in the body to flow the blood around the circulatory
system. It is the main reason for which the arteries supplies the O2 and nutrients to teh tissues
and other internal parts of the body. Moreover, it provides the antibodies for immune strength,
and more hormone capitulation similar to insulin. For normal person, it is 90–129. Measured by
sphygmomanometer, which is, rubber-armband - the cuff of the system is carried out through the
hand or machine pump (Murphy and et. al., 2017).
Through the help of it the pulse stops and after that reading of the pulse is taken, this is
done through an analogue dial or there are electronic devices that can measure it. The reading is
similar as that of pressure. Through this, pressure is generated and mercury around a tube against
gravitational force - hence the unit, millimetres of Hg.
Factors that can affect blood pressure recordings:
 Due to small or large blood pressure cuff.
 Placing the blood pressure cuff over clothing.
 Smoking, drinking or talking.
 Unconditional mind state.
QUESTION 8
Answer: It is tactile arterial palpation of the heartbeat and are equivalent for measuring the heart
rate. It is rhythmic-beating in the blood vessel caused by the beating of the heart. Pulse rate are
used for the health and fitness level of heart. For a new born baby, it is 99-149 and for adults it is
59-99. Pulse reading can be affected due to factors are less immune system, emotional-stress,
exercise and many more (Ionescu, 2013).
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Gilbert-Barness, E., Spicer, D. E. and Steffensen, T. S., 2014. Respiratory system. In Handbook
of Paediatric Autopsy Pathology (pp. 329-354). Springer New York.
Hogan, B. L. and et. al., 2014. Repair and regeneration of the respiratory system: complexity,
plasticity, and mechanisms of lung stem cell function. Cell stem cell. 15(2). pp.123-138.
Hueper, W.C., 2013. Occupational and environmental cancers of the respiratory system (Vol. 3).
Springer Science & Business Media.
Ionescu, C. M., 2013. The human respiratory system. In the Human Respiratory System (pp. 13-
22). Springer London.
Murphy, D. and et. al., 2017, May. Development of an In Vitro Exposure System for Live
Visualization of the Health Impacts of Oily Marine Aerosol on the Human Respiratory
System. In International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings (Vol. 2017, No. 1, p.
2017349). International Oil Spill Conference.
Xing, Y.F. and et. al. 2016. The impact of PM2. 5 on the human respiratory system. Journal of
thoracic disease. 8(1). p. E69.
Online
The Human Respiratory System. 2014. [Online]. Accessed through: <http://www.biology-
pages.info/P/Pulmonary.html>. [Accessed on 10th October 2017].
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