医学英语教程Chapter 5.docVIP

Chapter 5 Digestive System I. Introduction The digestive or gastrointestinal system begins with the mouth, where food enters, and ends with the anus, where solid waste material leaves the body. The three functions of the system are digestion, absorption, and elimination. First, complex food material taken into the mouth is digested, or broken down, mechanically and chemically, as it travels through the gastrointestinal tract. Digestive enzymes speed up chemical reactions and aid the breakdown of complex nutrients. Complex proteins are digested to simpler amino acids; complicated sugars are reduced to simple sugars, such as glucose; and large fat molecules are broken down to fatty acids and glycerol. Second, via absorption digested food passes into the bloodstream through the walls of the small intestine. Thus, valuable nutrients travel to all cells of the body. Cells then catabolize nutrients in the presence of oxygen to release energy stored within the food. Cells also use amino acid nutrients to anabolize large protein molecules needed for growth and development. Although the walls of the small intestine also absorb fatty acids and glycerol, these nutrients enter lymphatic vessels rather than blood vessels. Digested fats eventually enter the bloodstream as lymph vessels join with blood vessels in the upper chest region. II. Anatomy and Physiology Oral Cavity The gastrointestinal tract begins with the oral cavity. Oral means pertaining the mouth. Label Figure 5-1 as you learn the major parts of the oral cavity. The cheeks form the walls of the oval-shaped oral cavity, and the lips surround the opening to the cavity. The hard palate forms the anterior portion of the roof the mouth, and the muscular soft palate lies posterior to it. Rugae are irregular ridges in the mucous membrane covering the anterior portion of the hard palate. The uvula, a small soft tissue projection, hangs from the soft palate. It aids production of sounds and speech. The tongue extends acro