Module 1 Activity: Small Group

Discussion Views – Homeostasis

Submitted By: Group 4

Alonzo, Maria Mikaela

Balitayo, Anthony James

Caguiat, Joyce Ashley

Gavino, Christine Claire

Lascano, Don Luis

Magat, Joshua

Naguit, Joshua

Rivera, Rose Isabel

Spycher, Janica

Tapang, Jensen Dantley

Submitted to:

Fate Janelle D. Cunanan

Jonas Kirby Solis

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INTRODUCTION

Homeostasis

It is the inclination to uphold an established, relatively constant internal environment. It

maintains homeostasis for many factors in addition to temperature. It detects changes
to help our body to adjust within our internal and external environment. Homeostatic
control mechanism has 3 components; the receptor, which detects the environmental
stimuli, the control center that receives information from the receptor and that organ is
usually the brain that signals the third component which is the effector.

An example would be the concentration of numerous ions in your blood that must be
retaining stability, along with the glucose concentration and pH level. In cases that the
variable exceeds or is insufficient, there is a possibility to end up getting very sick.
Maintenance in many levels of homeostasis occurs, and not just for one variable in a
body (Khan Academy, 2017)

Negative feedback mechanism

The dominant feedback mechanism because most of the body's systems are being
governed by it. The word negative here means that if an on-going activity is not
advantageous or disrupting the balance, the body would bring about its opposite effect
(Jalan, 2019). Another definition would be making the deviation from the set point
smaller. A set point here is a given value that should be kept up to suggest balance. So
if the body's temperature rises then the body itself would lower it by producing sweat
from the sweat glands which would eventually cool (Van Putte, et. al., 2016)

Positive feedback mechanism

Positive feedback mechanism happens to intensify the change. The outcome of a

response is intensified to make it arise rapidly (The Albert Team, 2020). When there is
injury in the body it causes a release of chemicals that activate blood platelets. Platelets
are accountable for preventing bleeding by establishing clots. A stimulated platelet in
turn stimulates more platelets then they are grouped together for it to be able to form a
blood clot (BD Editors, 2019).

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Case Scenario #1 – Diabetes (Hyperglycemia)

Renzo is suffering from a blood sugar disorder (i.e. Diabetes). Before going to school,
he had eaten an energy bar. As the energy bar is digested, his blood sugar level has
risen. Tiny cells embedded in his pancreas respond to the rise in blood sugar by
secreting the hormone insulin.

Renzo did not feel satisfied from the energy bar. He felt dizzy and was still hungry. The
school nurse tested his blood sugar and noted that it was much higher than normal.
After his visit to his doctor, Renzo was prescribed with insulin injection once a day and
his blood sugar levels are mostly within normal.

Diabetes

Diabetes or hyperglycemia is a disorder that occurs if the blood glucose is too high.
Blood glucose is the main source of energy that comes from the food you consume. A
pancreatic hormone called insulin permits the glucose from food to reach the cells for
energy consumption. If your body does not produce enough or any insulin at all the
glucose stays in your blood, which will not enter your cells (Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, 2017).

Before Renzo Visited the Doctor

Renzo's blood sugar levels were already high BEFORE even eating the energy bar
because of high sugar level which could be diabetes (hyperglycemia). His bloodstream
already had a handful of glucose but was increased due to the breaking down of the
energy bar to glucose.

After Renzo Visited the Doctor

He was administered insulin because his pancreas had little or no amount of it at all. His
blood sugar level regulated AFTER taking insulin once a day.

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Schematic Diagram of Case #1 – Diabetes (Hyperglycemia)

Negative feedback mechanism is taken place here to regulate the blood sugar level.
The receptor, specifically the glucoreceptor monitors the glucose levels in the body and
conveys the information to the brain that the variable (blood sugar) has changed. As the
receptor signal is received by the brain which is the control center, it establishes a way
to lower the blood sugar level by signaling pancreas to secrete insulin. The effector is
the beta cells in the pancreas because it directly causes change in the blood glucose
level of the body by secreting insulin. But since Renzo was diabetic, he only had little or
no insulin at all. The doctor then prescribed insulin injection once a day, which resulted
for his blood sugar level to be within normal.

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Case Scenario #2 - Orthostatic hypotension

Mrs. Bayani, a 68-year old female, who lives with her youngest son. For 2 days she
does not feel very well and had on and off fever and mainly stayed in bed. Late
afternoon, on rising to go to the bathroom, she felt dizzy, fainted and fell to the floor.
Mrs. Bayani quickly regained consciousness and managed to call her son, who took her
to the emergency department, where a physician diagnosed orthostatic hypotension.

Orthostatic hypotension is a significant drop in blood pressure upon standing. When a

person moves from lying down to standing, blood “pools” within the veins below the
heart because of gravity, and less blood returns to the heart.

Orthostatic derived from the Greek words 'orthos' (upright) and 'histanai' (to stand), is a
condition in which your blood pressure falls significantly at least 20 mmHg systolic and
10 mmHg diastolic blood pressure. In this case, Mrs. Bayani’s is being mainly bedridden
due to her on-and-off fever. She needs to go to the bathroom, standing up, she feels
light-headed and dizzy, because 500-800ml of blood is displaced to her abdomen and
lower extremities, less blood reaches her heart, and cardiac output is reduced.
Therefore, her blood pressure is dropped in reaction to the gravity.

Here, the three components of a negative feedback mechanism will take place. Initially,
the baroreceptors in the carotid artery and aortic arch act as the receptors that monitor
the value of the variable (blood pressure) and sensing distension in the vessels. This
will stimulate and cause a reflex to the control center that analyses information and
determines the appropriate response that can be found in the brain. The sympathetic
nervous system is responsible for regulating bodily activation responses and can
increase the heart rate by sending a neuron to the effector cell by synapse. This
synapsis will inhibit the parasympathetic response and will increase the sympathetic
outflow causing vasoconstriction, increased heart rate and stroke volume.

Mrs. Bayani experienced syncope (fainting) due to the insufficient blood flow to the brain
and sudden drop in blood pressure and her advancing age may have a serious
underlying cause. In a supine position, it helps her blood to move rapidly and distribute
equally in her body to provide enough blood flow and oxygen to the brain. It is perhaps
why she recovered consciousness quickly and managed to call her son for medical
assistance.

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Schematic Diagram of Case #2- Orthostatic hypotension