Respiratory

  Created by Anil Chitrapu, Se-Jin Jeong, Hanna Van Reed, Sharon Shin, Conan Yeung



 Each minute of every day, you breathe in 13 pints of air. This oxygen rich air passes through the oral cavity and embarks on its destination to the blood stream, where it can be used by the entire body. This fascinating process of oxygen transfer runs through what we call the **respiratory system **, and is essential to bodily function. Though many other systems claim to be equally and more important than our respiratory pathway, it is blatant fact that other bodily systems, as well as the entire body, would not function with out an exchange of gases. Please read on, and learn more about the complex system that lies beneath your chest.

 The respiratory system is committed to keeping you alive and providing you with the information you need to know about the system's function and interaction with other systems. In this web-space, we strive to bring you clear and accurate information that will help you make an informed decision as to which bodily system is the most important.



Before one begins to learn about the respiratory system, it is important to know a few terms. The **lungs ** are the system that is responsible for transporting gases to the rest of the body. The **larynx ** is the upper part of the respiratory tract, and the **trachea ** is the windpipe of the system. Now that these have been cleared, it is time to begin the journey down the oral cavity.

Initially, air enters the body through the nostrils. In here, the air is filtered, warmed, humidified, and sampled for odors by hair. By now, the air has reached the **pharynx **, the intersection where paths for air and food cross. As air moves down through the pharynx, it reaches the **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">larynx **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">. Here is where the vocal cords are located, and as air flows by, sound is emitted from the stretching cords. Past the larynx is the windpipe, or the **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">trachea **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">. The trachea branches out into two **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">bronchi **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">, one leading to each lung. Further branching of this "inverted tree" shows **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">bronchioles **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> and **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">alveoli **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">, which are clusters of air sacs. Their high surface area encourages maximum diffusion of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the lungs and the body.

The breathing that occurs in the respiratory system is characterized by the inhalation and exhalation of air by the lungs. The inner layer of the sac sticks to the outside of the lungs, and the outside layer sticks to the wall of the chest cavity. This allows the layers to slide smoothly past each other, but not be easy to pull apart. As breathing occurs, the lung volume varies. Lung volume increases when rib muscles contract and **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">diaphragm **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> moves down; air is rushed in due to an unequal balance of air pressure. Air coming into the lungs is dissolved through the moist epithelium cells, and embarks on its journey to replenish the entire body with essential gases.

media type="custom" key="4781983" align="right" <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-weight: normal;">The respiratory system is located in the center of the chest, and it is interconnected with almost every bodily system. The size and location of the lungs and other respiratory organs make the respiratory system one of the most integral pieces of human composition. The respiration of the lung is one of the respiratory's primary functions, and even that is controlled by the **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">nervous system **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">. **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> The brain stem, medulla oblongata, and pons regions in the brain all account for respiratory movements. In many amphibian creatures, the lungs and **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">skin **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> function as respiratory organs; the skin stays moist through mucus secretion and absorbed from the oxygen-rich water surrounding it. In most mammals, however, gas exchange only occurs in the lungs. As air comes in through the pharynx, it is only stopped from going down into the **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">digestive system **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> by the epiglottis, which folds over the glottis to make sure that oxygen and food both go down the right tract. As the oxygen in the lungs dissolves through the epithelium cells, the nutrients and gases make their way into the **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">cardiovascular system **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">. From here, nutrients and gases are transported through the blood and are used by all parts of the body. Wastes in the form of gas diffuse back into the lungs and are expelled (as CO2), but other wastes are brought to the **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">excretory system ****<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> to be ejected from the body. As you can see, the respiratory system connects to every other system in the body, and plays a fundamental role in bodily function. **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">[[image:connectionschalkboard.jpg width="690" height="56"]]


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">[[image:sowhatchalkboard.jpg width="690" height="56"]]

You may be wondering why the respiratory system is so important to the body's proper functioning. Below are a list of a few of the innumerable reasons why the lungs and respiratory system are so essential to survival. **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> As you can see, the respiratory is essential to life and is one of the central bodily systems. **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Life without breath is death.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Oxygen would not travel through blood stream, causing its deficiency in the body
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Vocalization would not be possible, hindering advancement in society and possibly causing pushes away from advancement
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Heart and cardiovascular system would not be protected by anything
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Food and air would have no definite path to go through-result in jumble of systems and organs
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">All other systems would cease to function due to the extensive range of the lungs and respiratory system

Sources ** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">

Hagens, Gunther Von. Body Worlds The Original Exhibition of Real Human Bodies. 97. Print. http://www.agen.ufl.edu/~chyn/age2062/OnLineBiology/OLBB/www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/BIOBK/BioBookRESPSYS.html [] [] http://health.ucsd.edu/specialties/surgery/otolaryngology/nasal/anatomy.htm [1] http://www.umm.edu/imagepages/19595.htm [2] http://www.pitt.edu/~crosen/voice/anatomy2.html [3] http://www.theodora.com/anatomy/the_pharynx.html [4] http://www.medical-look.com/human_anatomy/organs/Trachea.html [5] http://www.buzzle.com/articles/respiratory-system-functions.html http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/P/Pulmonary.html http://www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/BIOBK/BioBookRESPSYS.html

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Simple explanation of respiratory system:

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