Cardiovascular disease is a non-communicable disease; it is not caused by a pathogen and cannot be passed from person to person. Most cardiovascular disease begins with atherosclerosis developing in an artery due to factors such as high blood pressure. In this article we will look at how atheromas develop, cardiovascular disease risk factors, and treatments.... Continue Reading →
Control of body temperature is the first example of homeostasis we will look at in this series. For humans, normal body temperature is 37°C. It is important to maintain this temperature as it is the optimum temperature for enzymes involved in many metabolic processes such as respiration. Humans are endotherms, meaning that they control their … Read more
In order for a pathogen to enter the body and cause a disease, it must pass through the body's non-specific defences. The barriers to infection are non-specific because they respond to all pathogens in the same way. Infection routes There are four main routes with a pathogen can take to enter the body: The digestive … Read more
We've been talking about movement of blood a lot over the last few articles, so it's time we looked at blood itself in a bit more detail. But don't worry if like me you're a little squeamish because there will be no pictures of actual blood today. We will take a brief look at all … Read more
Getting blood around the body requires a network of blood vessels. These come in different shapes and sizes depending on their location and function. In this article we will look at the structure of arteries, veins, capillaries. Arteries Arteries carry oxygenated blood away from the heart to the tissues of the body (except the pulmonary … Read more
So far in this series we've looked at how substances are exchanged across membranes, particularly oxygen and carbon dioxide in gas exchange systems. Today, we're going to start looking at how substances get transported around organisms, starting off by looking at the structure of the human heart. The Human Heart The heart is the key … Read more
