Not all muscles are the same. In this article we will look at the three types of muscle: skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and smooth muscle. Skeletal muscle Skeletal muscle is under conscious control, so is sometimes called voluntary muscle. There are two types of skeletal muscle fibres: fast twitch and slow twitch. Fast twitch fibres... Continue Reading →
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 →
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... Continue Reading →
The cardiac cycle is the sequence of contraction and relaxation that the heart goes through continuously to keep blood pumping around the body. It's fairly complicated, but broken down into steps it makes sense if you think about the direction blood travels through the heart. Two important words you need to know before we start... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
