Feb 14, 2012

FUNCTIONAL ANATOMY OF THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

A. Functions
              1. Storage
              2. Mechanical breakdown of food
             3. Chemical breakdown of food
             4. Production of intrinsic factor [a glycoprotein required for absorption of


vitamin B12 in the small intestine]
               5. Protection
B.    Gross Anatomy
1.     The adult stomach varies from 15–25 cm long; its diameter and volume vary depending on the amount of food it contains.
a.  The major regions of the stomach include the cardiac region, fundus, body, and pyloric region.
b.  The convex lateral surface of the stomach is its greater curvature, and its convex medial surface is its lesser curvature.
c.  Extending from the curvatures are the lesser omentum and the greater omentum, which help to tie the stomach to other digestive organs and the body wall. 
  C.  Microscopic Anatomy
1.     The surface epithelium of the stomach mucosa is a simple columnar epithelium composed of goblet cells, which produce a protective two-layer coat of alkaline mucus.
2.     The gastric glands of the stomach produce gastric juice, which may be composed of a combination of mucus, hydrochloric acid, intrinsic factor, pepsinogen, and a variety of hormones.
        a. Mucous neck cells; mucus
        b. Parietal cells: hydrochloric acid and intrinsic factor
        c. Chief cells: pepsinogen
        d. Enteroendocrine cells: histamine, serotonin, somatostatin, gastrin, etc.
3. H. pylori [You da, man, Barry Marshall!]



D.   Digestive Processes Occurring in the Stomach
1.     Gastric secretion is controlled by both neural and hormonal mechanisms and acts in three distinct phases: the cephalic phase, the gastric phase, and the intestinal phase.
2.     The reflex-mediated relaxation of the stomach muscle and the plasticity of the visceral smooth muscle allow the stomach to accommodate food and maintain internal pressure.
3.     The interstitial cells of Cajal establish the stomach’s basic electrical rhythm of peristaltic waves.
4.     Regulation of Gastric Secretion
        a. Phase 1: Cephalic [Reflex]
        b. Phase 2: Gastric
        c. Phase 3: Intestinal

5. Regulation of Gastric Emptying




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