Abstract The stress response is a complex neuroendocrine response to physiological stress. The most commonly encountered stressors are trauma, burns, surgery and critical illness; the magnitude of the neuroendocrine response…
Abstract Starvation is defined as the failure to ingest or absorb sufficient dietary calories to sustain normal body function, resulting in behavioural, physical and metabolic changes. Chapter 78 Starvation Describe…
Abstract The word ‘acid’ is derived from the Latin acidus, meaning sour. Early chemists defined an acid as a chemical substance whose aqueous solution tastes sour, changes the colour of…
Abstract Erythropoiesis, the production of red blood cells (RBCs), occurs within the bone marrow. Erythrocytes differentiate through several cell types during their development. Chapter 74 Anaemia and Polycythaemia What steps…
Abstract ‘Haemostasis’ is a collective term for the mechanisms that stop blood loss. Macroscopically, the most obvious haemostatic mechanism is the conversion of liquid blood to a solid gel –…
Abstract As discussed in Chapter 8, red blood cells (RBCs) can be thought of as ‘bags of haemoglobin’ (Hb). However, the composition of the ‘bag’ itself differs between patients. The…
Abstract The bladder is a hollow, muscular organ situated in the pelvis. Its role is the storage and voiding of urine. Urine is produced in the kidneys, enters the bladder…
Abstract Water is the most abundant component of the human body. On average, 60% of the body is composed of water (this value varies with sex, body habitus and age)….
Abstract The kidneys are solid, ‘bean-shaped’ retroperitoneal organs located at vertebral levels T12 to L3. From inside to outside, the kidney is surrounded by the renal capsule, perirenal fat, renal…
Abstract The basic filtration unit of the kidney is the renal corpuscle, consisting of a glomerulus surrounded by a Bowman’s capsule. The high glomerular capillary hydrostatic pressure forces a fraction…
