Jasimah P.

Gutoc NE-1
LABORATORY ASSIGNMENT
1. One cool evening, skinny x jumps into a hot Jacuzzi. Predict what will happen to skinny's
heart rate.
Based on the lessons tackled in this course, one of the body’s respond to exposure to warm
temperature is sweating. However, since it is impossible for the body to sweat when soaked in water,
Skinny’s body will instead respond by dilating the blood vessels to remove the excess heat. The
dilation of the blood vessels will cause Skinny’s blood pressure to decrease. In response, Skinny’s
heart rate will increase to counteract the drop or lowering of the blood pressure.

2. Predict the effect on starling's law of the heart if the parasympathetic (vagus) nerves to the
heart are cut.
Because heart rate is highly regulated by the parasympathetic innervation of the vagus nerves,
cutting or removing these nerves would cause an increased heart rate. Without the vagus nerves, the
heart will not be able to slow down thus, it may lead to heart failure.
In relation to the Starling’s law of the heart, the absence of the vagus nerves that causes an
increased heart rate reduces the ventricular filling time. The reduced ventricular filling time limits the
amount of blood that could enter or flow towards the ventricles. With this, the ventricular walls or
the cardiac muscles fibers are stretched to a lesser degree. Consequently, a reduced stroke volume
is observed due to the decreased preload.

3. Why are artery walls so much thicker than those of corresponding veins?
Since arteries are the ones that carry the oxygenated blood and are closer to the heart as
compared to the veins, its walls are made thicker in order for them to withstand the great pressure
exerted by the pumping action of the heart. Moreover, their walls have thicker tunica media that
consists of several muscular and elastic components that enable the arteries to stretch in response
to a pulse coming from the heart.

4. What is the function of the hepatic portal circulation? In what way is a portal circulation a
"strange" circulation?
The function of the hepatic portal circulation is to collect the blood that carries nutrients absorbed
from a recently digested food and deliver or transport them to the liver for metabolic processing (e.g.
detoxification and modification) before it is released to the general circulation. A portal circulation is
thought to be a strange type of circulation as the blood pools into two capillary beds through veins
without first passing through the heart.

5. What vital role does blood pressure play?

In order for the body to survive, the different cells and tissues must be fed by the needed nutrients
and oxygen for their normal functioning. These nutrients and the mechanism of gas exchange is
established by the blood. In order for the blood to distribute these nutrients to all parts of the body,
a blood pressure must be exerted by the heart so as to push the blood away from the heart through
a network of blood vessels—arteries, capillaries, veins.