ElizabethGutierrez

IntegumentarySystemLabReport

TheIntegumentarySystemconsistsoforganswhichincludetheskinandaccessory
organssuchas:hair,nails,sweatglands,andsebaceousglands.Theyhelpprotectunderlying
tissue,helpregulatebodytemperature,houseavarietyofsensoryreceptors,andsynthesize
certainproducts.Asaprotectivecovering,theskinprotectsmanyharmfulsubstances,aswellas
microorganisms,fromenteringthebody.Theskinisoneofthemoreversatileorgansofthe
bodyandisvitalinmaintaininghomeostasis.Itsmainfunctionistoactasabarriertoprotectthe
body.Itisdividedintotwodistinctivelayerscalledepidermisanddermis.Theepidermisis
composedofstratifiedsquamousepithelium,andthereforelacksbloodvessels.Tightlypacked
deadcellsaccumulateintheepidermis,forminganoutermostlayercalledthestratumcorneum.
Thereisfourdistinguishablelayersintheepidermiscalled,stratumbasale,stratumspinosum,
stratumgranulosum,andstratumcorneum.Anadditionallayer,thestratumlucidumisinthe
thickenedskinofthepalmsandsoles.Specializedcellsintheepidermiscalledmelanocytes
producedarkpigmentmelaninfromtheaminoacidtyrosineinorganellescalledmelanosomes.
MuchoftheMelaninisdepositedabovethenucleus,wherethepigmentcanabsorbUVradiation
fromoutsidebeforetheDNAisdamaged.Theboundarybetweentheepidermisanddermisis
typicallyuneven,becauseridgesfromtheepidermisprojectinwardandconeshapeddermal
papillaeextendfromthedermisintothespacesbetweentheridges.Thedermishastwolayers
calledtheupperorpapillarylayerandthelowerorreticularlayer.Thepapillarylayeris
composedofareolarconnectivetissue.Thereticularlayerisdenseirregularconnectivetissue
thatincludescollagenousfibersandelasticfibers.

Figure1.
Theepidermisinthe
drawinghasthestratum
corneum,stratum
granulosum,andthe
stratifiedsquamous
epithelium.Composed
ofthedermalpapilla,
arrectorpilimuscle.On
thelowerhalfinthe
dermislayerthereis
bloodvessels,adipose
tissue,denseirregular
connectivetissueand
collagenfibers.


Thetemperatureoftheoftheskinvarieswiththeenvironmentaltemperature,
temperatureofthebody,andconditionsintheskinandstructuresbeneathit.Thetemperatureof
theskinsurfaceisloweroversuperficialveinsthanitisoversuperficialarteries.Itislowerover
protrudingandmarkedcurvedparts,suchasthenose,ears,fingersandtoes.Thetemperatureof
theskinishigherovermusclesthanoverboneortendons.Bloodinthedermalvesselsadds
colortotheskin.Thetemperatureoftheskinsurfacesurfaceofthetrunkusuallyvariesbetween
33.5and36.0degreescelsius.Whenthebloodiswelloxygenated,thebloodpigment
hemoglobinisbrightred,makingtheskinoflightcomplexionedpeopleappearpinkish.When
thebloodoxygenconcentrationislow,hemoglobinisdarkred,andtheskinappearsbluish.If
bodytemperaturedropsabnormallyorifapersonisfrightened,theskinappearspale.Stout
peoplehaveamuchlowerskintemperaturethanthinpeoplebecauseoftheirthickerlayerof
subcutaneousfat.Overallfreenerveendingsrespondtotemperaturechangesorfactorsthatcan
damagetissuesandextendintotheepidermis.Theintegumentarysystemisimportantinthe
homeostaticmechanismthathelpsregulatethebodystemperature.Thermoregulationisthe
processbywhichthebodymaintainsitsinternaltemperatureatascaleandaveragetemperature.
Theconclusionsfrommydatawasthattheupperarmhadmorecapillariesinthebloodvessels
thatproducedmoresweatglandsthanthehand(palm),hand(dorsal),andforearm.Meanwhile,
therecoverytimeformypalmwasgreaterthanmyforearmbecausemypalmhasmore
capillaries.

Figure2.Informationcollectedwasthatthe
hand(palm)had20sweatglands,thehand
(dorsal)had38sweatglands,theforearmhad47
sweatglandsandtheupperarmhad88sweat
glands.

Figure3.Theinformationcollected
demonstratesthatthetemperatureofthe
palmwasgreaterthanthetemperatureof
theforearm.

Touchisdefinedasthedirectcontactbetweentwophysicalbodies.InNeuroscience,
touchdescribesthespecialsensebywhichcontactwiththebodyisperceivedintheconscious
mind.Sensoryreceptorscanbeendsofneuronsorothertypesofcellsthatarenearneuron
extensions.Thesensoryadaptationreflectsadecreasedresponsetoaparticularstimulusfromthe
receptorsoralongtheCNSpathwaysleadingtothesensoryregionsofthecerebralcortex.Four
classesofmechanoreceptorsinformthebrainabouttheform,weight,motion,vibrationandhand
posturethatdefineanobject.Overall,thesereceptorsallowustoperceivewhetherobjects
appearhardorsoft,smoothorroughintexture,heavyorlightinweight,hot,coldorneutralin
temperature.Thetactilesensationisoneoftheseveralsubmodalitiesofthesomatosensory
systemwhichisthesenseofourownbody.Mechanicaldeformationisdetectedbyreceptorsthat
signalwherecontactismade.TheprincipaltouchreceptorsintheglabrousaretheMeissner's
corpuscleandtheMerkelCellneuritecomplex.Nervecellprocessesarescatteredthroughout
thedermis.Motorprocessescarryimpulsestodermalmusclesandglands,andsensoryprocesses
carryimpulsesawayfromspecializedsensoryreceptors.Inthedeeperdermis,Pacinian
corpusclesrespondtoheavypressure.PacinianCorpusclesarerelativelylarge,ellipsoidal
structurescomposedofconnectivetissuefibersandcells.Itperceivesheavierpressureand
stretchwhichdetectsvibrationsinthetissues.Intheupperdermis,Meissner'scorpusclessense
lighttouchandtexture.Meissnerscorpusclesaresmall,overallmassesofflattenedconnective
tissuecellsinconnectivetissuesheaths.Twoormoresensoryfibersbranchintoeachcorpuscle
andendastonyknobs.Fromdatacollectedmyconclusionisthatthedensityofsensory
receptorsishighestinthefingertips,toes,upperandlowerlip,andthechin.

Figure4.Thelowerthe
measurement
appearstobethehigher
theskinssensory
reception
responds.

Figure5.Thehomunculusshown
representstherelationshipof
densitysensorytouchreceptorsof
thehead,back,arms,hands,legs,
andfeet.

Sources:

Gardner,EstherP(May2010)Touch.In:EncyclopediaofLifeSciences(ELS).John
Wiley&Sons,Ltd:Chichester.DOI:10.1002/9780470015902.a0000219.pub2

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