Performance Enhancing Drugs

Some causes for the use of performance enhancing drugs are peer pressure, role models, media influences, and self body image. There are many types of performance enhancing drugs that people do not often consider "harmful" ranging from anabolic steroids, human growth hormones, to strength training, or carbo-loading. Strength training- the use of weights or resistance training to help build muscle- is often overlooked to have potential risks since many people consider that since it is exercise and builds muscle, how could it have risks? In order to create larger muscles, the muscles are subjected to enough force to overload the muscles themselves. If done improperly or not monitored, possible risks include herniated disks in the back, bone fractures, growth plate injuries, and cartilage damage. What concerns me about performance enhancing drugs is both the cause and effect of the drugs itself. In the media today, there is a very narrowed skew of "desired" bodies and a high level of performance in athletes, which causes many individuals to turn to unhealthy methods in order to obtain and sustain this unrealistic view. Many stimulants and performance enhancing drugs "benefits" seem to be overshadowed by the risks and consequences, as they can cause dehydration, increased blood pressure, organ damage, severe mood swings, or anxiety attacks. If there are dramatic and severe effects of performance enhancing drugs, why does society keep pushing one specific body type and such high level of human performance in sports?

Chicken Dissection Analysis

1. Initially, we skinned the chicken in order to gain a better perspective of the muscles, bones, and tendons. With the muscle, its main role in the movement of the body is helping stabilize joints as well as maintains postures and body position. Specifically, the pectoralis major muscle allows for the adduction of the chickens wings. Bones provide the organism with structure, which allows for movement. Lastly, tendons, which are a cord of dense regular connective tissue composed of collagen, attaches muscle to periosteum to bone, which allows the organism to function and move in its daily life. For example, within the chickens wing, the tendons attached to the brachioradialis allowed movement and stretching in the muscle to keep it from tearing.

As for the tendon of the insertion, it allowed for much more range of motion for the chicken, rather than the tendon of the origin, which has a smaller range of motion and depends on the synovial joints for movement.  As for physical differences, the tendon of the insertion was smaller, smoother, and shinier than the tendon of the orgin- which was thicker and less shiny. Compared to a human, the chicken has similar biceps and triceps-even though the muscles were on a smaller scale- they were easily identified. Continuing with similarities, the pectoralis major and minor both allow for the adduction and abduction of the arms or wings, and as for the size, of each they are proportional to the roles played in the movement of the arms. However, not all the muscles in the chicken are similar to that of a humans. However, even though the pectoralis major and minor are proportional to the body of the chicken, they are much more elongated protrude more than that of a human.

2.

This muscle pulls the wing ventrally,
which allows for flight in the chicken.

The pectoralis muscle in the chicken
allows for the abduction of the wings.

The tricep in the bird allows for extension
of the wing. 

The trapezius muscle in the bird
is perpendicular from the backbone
to the shoulder and pulls the
shoulder back.

In the bicep femoris, it helps the chicken
power running as well as flexes the leg.

The gastrocnemius muscle attaches
to the Achilles tendon around the hock
of the bird, extends the foot, and flexes
the lower leg.

The brachioradialis runs from the elbow to the thumb side of the hand, and this muscle pulls the hand back.

The flexor carpi ulnaris muscle runs
from the back of the elbow to the
"pinky finger" side of
the hand and allows the
hand to flex. 

The sartorius muscle allows for the
flexing of the thigh and allows
for the legs to cross.

The chicken leg thigh includes the sartorius, iliotibialis,
biceps femoris,
semimembranosus, semitendinosus,
and the quadriceps femoris.

The quadriceps femoris allows the chicken
to flex the thigh and extends the lower part of the leg.

The iliotibialis muscle covers the
lateral side of the thigh in birds, and extends
the thigh and flexes the leg.

The tendons are the shiny ends of the muscle
that attach the muscle to the bone.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        

The semimembranosus muscle defines the
caudal edge of the thigh as well as extends the thigh.

The semitendinosus muscle is on the inner part of the
thigh and extends the thigh. 

                                                                          

What Happens When You Stretch?

"Just as the total strength of a contracting muscle is a result of the number of fibers contracting, the total length of a stretched muscle is a result of the number of fibers stretched- the more fibers stretched, the more length developed by the muscle for a given stretch."

When the muscle is stretched, the fibers can either lengthen or remain at a rest. The current length of the muscle depends on the the number of stretched fibers within it. As the quote says the more fibers that are stretched in the muscle, the more length is developed by the muscle for a specific stretch.

"The nerve endings that relay all the information about the musculoskeletal system to the central nerve system are called proprioceptors. Proprioceptors are the source of all proprioception: the perception of one's own body position and movement."

I chose this quote because I found it interesting that the nerve endings that relay information about the muscular system to the nervous system also perceive one's own body movements. These proprioceptors are found in all nerve endings of joints, muscles, and tendons. These nerve endings also detect the changes in movement or position as well as changes in tension or force.

"The muscle spindle records the change in length and sends signals to the spine which convey this information. This triggers the stretch reflex which attempts to resist the change in muscle length by causing the stretched muscle to contract. The more sudden the change in muscle length, the stronger the muscle contractions will be. "

The main reason that a stretch should be held for a extended period of time is because the muscle spindle has to become accustomed to the new length and reduce its signaling. Even though the more sudden change in muscle length will create a muscle contraction, an individual can train their stretch receptors to allow for the greater lengthening of muscles.

In this reading, it described the many things that occur when an individual is stretching a certain muscle. When a muscle is being stretched, it triggers the stretch reflex, which resists the change in the muscles length by causing the muscle itself to contract. The more sudden this change is, the more contraction of the muscle will occur. Stretches are held for an extended period of time, the muscle spindle becomes accustomed to the new length and this reduces its signaling. This signaling is caused by prioprioceptors, which are nerve endings that relay information about the muscular system to the central nervous system, and their main job is to detect any changes in movement or position of "tension, or force, within the body". Continually stretching out of muscles can allow your receptors to endure the greater lengthening.

Unit 6 Reflection

In this unit, we learned about the classification of bones, the general anatomy of each type of bone, the functions and dysfunctions of the skeletal system, bone health, and the relationship between: bones, tissue, and joints. Initially, we learned about ossification- the process where the bone is formed- and the many different cells that participate both in the building and destroying of bones. From there we learned about the importance of different vitamins and the affect they have on our bones. Continuing on the theme of bones, we learned that there are four different classifications of the bones- long, short, flat, and irregular. Then we learned the different types of fractures that can range from the bone being totally broken through, to not extending through the bone, to the bone piercing through the skin. After that, we learned how the bone begins to heal itself by inflammation, clots, producing proteins, and then the osteoblasts arrive and begin repairing the bone itself.  After bones, we began to look at joints and how they affect the movement of bones, as well as their different classifications- synarthroses, amphiarthroses, and diarthroses.

I would have loved to learn more about the functions of joints and how they effect the movement of bones. I still have questions about the causes of the different disorders of bones and how they effect the daily lives of those who have them. Second semester, while being closer to the end of the year, I find it easier to stay motivated because there isn't much time left. There are more tests and larger assignments than last semester, so as a result it's harder for me to get a "healthy" amount of sleep each night, and I'm trying to find ways to cope with the stress of the many tests and assignments.

Owl Pellet Lab

We completed a dissection of an owl pellet, identified each bone, reconstructed the skeleton to the best of our capability, and defined what the animal was based on the varying bone shape and size. Once we reconstructed the skeleton, as much as we could, we found that it was once a smaller bird. The evidence that supported this claim was that the animal had a rather large breast bone-which mirrored that of the basic bird skeleton-, and had an elongated femur and leg bones- which eliminated the possibility of it being a smaller rodent.

In comparison to a human skeleton, the bird bones vary in many different ways- both in shape and size. One of the differences is the breast bone. On the bird, the breast bone is more rounded, protrudes from the ribs and spine, and is much longer- as it starts at the cervical spine and ends near the femur. The breast bone on the human, however, is flat and smaller than that of the bird. A second difference would be the size and angle of the talus, as it lies vertical and is much longer than the humans talus- which is small and semi-round. The third difference between the bird and human skeleton is that the curvature of the birds cervical vertebrae is much more drastic than that of the human.
Despite some differences, the human and bird skeleton do have similarities. As the picture above shows, the bird looks as though it is a tiny human skeleton, but once muscle and joints are added into the birds skeleton, the orientation and movement of the bones change. Continuing, the birds pelvis- similar to a humans- is curved and lies at the beginning of the femur. Lastly, many of the bones in the bird-the femur, mandible, and spine- all mirror that of the humans, even though the orientation of the bones change.

Unit 5 Reflection

In this unit, we learned about metabolism, the endocrine system, and the lymphatic system. With metabolism, there are three main states: the fed state, the fasting state, and the starvation state. In the fed state, large molecules are broken down, the small molecules are turned into acetyl coA, and the krebs cycle begins. Sugar is absorbed and the pancreas releases insulin to the body. Moving to the next state, the fasting state, your body begins to break down the glycogen to use for energy; however, if you run out of glycogen, your body then turns to amino acids and triglycerides to turn into glucose so that your body has energy. The last state, the starvation state, occurs after four to five days of not eating. In this state your body begins to turn to other sources as a source for energy, such as adipose tissue and ketone bodies. In the endocrine system, its main functions are to control the process involved in movement and physiological equilibrium and secrete hormones into the blood. The glands in the endocrine system produce hormones that regulate certain parts in the body. For example, the thyroid gland produces the hormone amines, which stimulates and maintains the metabolic processes. The lymphatic systems main functions within the body are: immunity, lipid absorption, and fluid recovery. 
During this unit, I read an article that described how there are three different types of human body types: mesomorphs, athletic builds; endomorphs, "bigger" bodies; and ectomorphs,very thin builds. A lot can effect the "speed" of your metabolism based upon what type of body type an individual may have. Ectomorphs unique build makes them the more likely individuals to have a faster metabolism. These individuals normally have small shoulders and very little muscle mass. Ectomorphs, on the other hand, may have a more difficult time gaining weight and muscle due to their overly fast metabolism. For example of a individuals metabolism could be hyperthyroidism-or a overactive thyroid gland- can potentially be a cause. Other causes can include: "nervousness, fatigue, a rapid heart rate and weight loss are usual signs of hyperthyroidism." Surprisingly, a individual may have a faster metabolism if they smoke, as well as if your body is under stress, this could also speed up your metabolism (http://www.earlytorise.com/fast-metabolism/). I would still like to explore the causes of diabetes and why some individuals have said that it could be hereditary. 
My years goals have been difficult to keep up with, due to the amount of homework, tests, and stress during the semester. I have not been able to balance the work and receive a "healthy" amount of sleep each night; however, I am trying to learn how to balance the work load and keep my sleep debt low. 

The Digestion System Lab Questions

1. Through this activity, it allowed us to be able to visualize how small or large the size of our organs are. Being able to compare the relative size and length of the varying parts of our digestive tract allowed each individual to see how the intestines vary for each person.

DIGESTIVE ORGAN	COLOR and LENGTH (CM)
Mouth	10 centimeters  silver
Esophagus	49 centimeters  gold
Stomach	16.5 centimeters  red
Small Intestine	675 centimeters  white
Large Intestine	168.9 centimeters  green
TOTAL	919.4 centimeters

2. My height is 1.67 meters while my digestive tract is 9.194 meters. This means that my digestive tract is nine times longer than my height. The intestines are folded onto itself and has many ripples reducing its surface area and allows it to fit inside your abdomen. 

3. Depending on what an individual consumes, the time varies. If he or she eats complex proteins, it could take up to eight hours, while water or fruit go much quicker, and leafy greens should take around two to three hours. According to the Mayo Clinic, "Total transit time, from eating to elimination in stool, averaged 53 hours (although that figure is a little overstated, because the markers used by the researchers passed more slowly through the stomach than actual food). The average transit time through just the large intestine (colon) was 40 hours, with significant difference between men and women: 33 hours for men, 47 hours for women." 

4. Digestion breaks down the food that is consumed into smaller pieces, while absorption takes in needed nutrients from the food consumed. Most of the protein digestion occurs in the stomach, and most of the chemical digestion and absorption occurs in the small intestine. 

5. If one organ of the digestion tract shuts down or fails to work, is that fatal to the individual? Can an individual live without any of the digestion tract organs and live a "normal" life?