Passive Forces in Limb Movements: Help or Hindrance Introduction Most animals are enabled to move because of contractions and relations of muscles. Vertebrates and invertebrates movement is initiated by a combination of both passive and active forces (Linke, Granzier and Kellermayer, 2003). Passive forces in muscles are forces that develop when an inactive muscle is stretched from its resting length in resistance of the induced stretch. Passive force in the limbs movement of both vertebrate and…
Skeletal System The skeletal system is made up of 206 bones. It also includes cartilage, ligaments and tendons. The two main parts of the skeletal system are the axial skeleton with 80 bones and the appendicular skeleton with 126 bones. The primary purpose of the skeletal system is to provide the body with support, protection, movement, storage for minerals and lipids, and to produce red blood cells. The axial skeleton includes the skull, thoracic cage and vertebral column. The…
“A muscle is a tissue composed of cells or fibres, the contraction of which produces movement in the body.” (Dictionary) There are three different types of muscle; voluntary skeletal muscle, involuntary smooth muscle and cardiac muscle. Muscles have many different functions within the body. One function of muscle is movement. It is the only tissue in the body which is able to contract and therefore can move more than other body parts. Another function is the maintenance of posture. The muscles…
Synovial joint consists of a joint capsule, a joint cavity and a layer of cartilage over the ends of two joining bones. These joints are lined with synovial fluid. The articular cartilage over the joint ends absorbs jolts as it acts like elastic and it also provides a smooth surface for the joints to move frictionlessly. This fluid also helps in lubricating and protecting the bones. Cartilage is softer and much more flexible than a bone. The major role of cartilage is to form a model for later…
generalized as either mechanical or biological. One of the mechanical options from the 1970s and 1980s was the Bjork-Shiley valve, which became infamous because of the controversy surrounding its stress fracture failures. These failures resulted the death of about 400 people, causing the valve to be taken off the market. The decisions made leading to this issue must be examined using various ethical frameworks so that an incident like this will not occur in the future. Ultimately, the FDA should…
is the silent killer in this case; heart disease is. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) “About 610,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year” (CDC, n.d.). Out of all of those cases, about forty seven percent of deaths occurred outside of the hospital. This suggested that most people either did not know or did not act on the early warning signs of heart disease. As a result of this data, the CDC surveyed the general public about heart disease in 2005. To…
It has been noted that during breeding season, sharks will fast for an extended amount of time, and live off of lipids stored in their livers. Sharks do not necessarily require mating in order to reproduce, this type of reproduction is referred to as “parthenogenesis”. Shark’s senses are highly developed, most particularly their sense of smell which allows them to detect a subtle smell to its exact source. Shark’s sense of sight and hearing, although not quite as developed as their sense of…
Vascular anomalies are a serious medical condition that affect blood vessel formation in as many as 1 in 10 people (Richter and Suen 2015). Vascular anomalies can be divided into two broad categories: vascular tumors and vascular malformations (Richter and Suen 2015). Vascular tumors, also known as hemangiomas, are characterized by rapid growth with most undergoing involution once the patient has reached a certain age (Richter and Suen 2015). On the other hand, vascular malformations are…
Alpha-actinin-3 is a protein that is encoded by the “athletic gene”, ACTN3, in humans. ACTN3 is located at the long arm of chromosome 11 and encodes for the expression of alpha-actinin-3 protein in fast glycolytic muscle fibers. Fast glycolytic fibers, or type IIb, are responsible for the generation of rapid forceful contractions. There are some individuals who do not have a working version of this gene, which causes the muscle protein to not be created. These individuals are said to have the…
Background Statement: The board of trustees of Cabarrus Memorial Hospital has proposed to add open-hearth surgery to their cardiac services. They would have to consider getting a certificate of need, costs of renovation and staffing. The latter may include the hiring of Dr. R.S. Christy who has been part of the hospital staff for some time and was popular among the staff and patients. He is about to complete his fellowship and will have to make a career choice before soon. The board would like…