Chinese General Hospital Colleges College of Nursing Anatomy and Physiology: Gastrointestinal System A.

Anatomy

Oral Cavity - the first space of the mouth is the mouth cavity, bounded laterally and anteriorly by the alveolar arches (containing the teeth), and posteriorly by the isthmus of the fauces. Salivary Glands - glands with ducts, that produce saliva. They also secrete amylase, an enzyme that breaks down starch into maltose. Pharynx - is an organ found in animals, including humans. It is part of the digestive system and also the respiratory system. The pharynx is also part of the conducting zone of the respiratory system which is made up of the nose, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, and terminal bronchioles; their function is to filter, warm, and moisten air and conduct it into the lungs. Esophagus - an organ in vertebrates which consists of a muscular tube through which food passes from the pharynx to the stomach. During swallowing, food passes from the mouth through the pharynx into the esophagus and travels via peristalsis to the stomach. Liver - is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion. Stomach - is a muscular, hollow, dilated part of the digestion system which functions as an important organ of the digestive tract. Located between the esophagus and the small intestine. It secretes protein-digesting enzymes called proteases and strong acids to aid in food digestion, (sent to it via esophageal

peristalsis) through smooth muscular contortions (called segmentation) before sending partially digested food (chyme) to the small intestines. Spleen - is an organ found in virtually all vertebrate animals. Similar in structure to a large lymph node, it acts primarily as a blood filter Gall Bladder - is a hollow system that sits just beneath the liver. In adults, the gallbladder measures approximately 8 centimetres (3.1 in) in length and 4 centimeters (1.6 in) in diameter when fully distended. It is divided into three sections: fundus, body and neck. The neck tapers and connects to the biliary tree via the cystic duct, which then joins the common hepatic duct to become the common bile duct. At the neck of the gallbladder is a mucosal fold called Hartmann's pouch, where gallstones commonly get stuck. The angle of the gallbladder is located between the costal margin and the lateral margin of the rectus abdominis muscle. When food containing fat (and amino acids) enters the digestive tract, it stimulates the secretion of cholecystokinin (CCK) from I cells of the duodenum and jejunum. In response to CCK. Pancreas - is a glandular organ in the digestive system and endocrine system of vertebrates. It is both an endocrine gland producing several important hormones, including insulin, glucagon, somatostatin, and pancreatic polypeptide, and a digestive organ, secreting pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes that assist the absorption of nutrients and the digestion in the small intestine. These enzymes help to further break down the carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids in the chyme. Small intestine - is the part of the gastrointestinal tract following the stomach and followed by the large intestine, and is where much of the digestion and absorption of food takes place. It receives bile juice and pancreatic juice through the hepatopancreatic duct, controlled by Sphincter of oddi. Large intestine - is the last part of the digestive system in vertebrate animals. Its function is to absorb water from the remaining indigestible food matter, and then to pass useless waste material from the body. This article is primarily about the human gut, though the information about its processes are directly applicable to most mammals. Rectum - acts as a temporary storage site for feces. As the rectal walls expand due to the materials filling it from within, stretch receptors from the nervous system located in the rectal walls stimulate the desire to defecate.

B. Physiology
The Gastrointestinal tract consists of a hollow muscular tube starting from the oral cavity where food enters the mouth, continuing though the pharynx, esophagus, stomach. And intestine to the rectum and anus, where food is expelled there are carious accessory organs that assist the tract by secreting enzymes to help break down food into its component nutrients. Thus the salivary glands, liver, pancreas, and gall bladder have important functions in the digestive system. Food is propelled along the length of the GIT by peristaltic movements of the muscular walls. The primary purpose of the gastrointestinal tract is to break food down into nutrients, which can be absorbed into the body to provide energy. First food must be ingested into the mouth to be mechanically processed and moistened. Secondly, digestion occurs mainly in the stomach and small intestine where proteins, fats and carbohydrates are chemically broken down into their basic building blocks. Smaller

molecules are then absorbed across the epithelium of the small intestine and subsequently enter the circulation the large intestine play a key role in reabsorbing excess water. Finally, undigested material and secreted waste product are excreted from the body can defecation.