Human Aanatomy and Physiology - Essay Example

Anatomy and Physiology Comparing meiosis in spermatogenesis to meiosis in oogenesis, we see that in the testes, spermatogenesis is a never ending process in adult males. This means that cells are continually undergoing meiosis in order to produce haploid cells, or gametes. Meiosis is a process of cell division that allows a cell to go from one diploid cell to four haploid cells. Meiosis has two parts. Each part consists of a prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase. These stages of meiosis act to align and separate DNA pairs and strands in order to recombine with another haploid cell from the organism or individual being mated with.

Human males are capable of producing sperm throughout their lives that numbers in the millions. In females however, eggs are produced only in the hundreds. In fact, when females are still in utero, they produce all of the eggs that they will produce in a lifetime. These eggs then enter into Prophase I and stay dormant in this state until such time that the female begins puberty. At this time, eggs may continue undergoing meiosis to completion. This takes place with each egg one by one until menopause, resulting in monthly cycles until then.

It is also important to note that not all of a female’s eggs will ever resume meiosis. Some will simply be reabsorbed by her body. In addition, at time of menstruation, the female will release one egg from the ovaries into the uterus to await fertilization. Males on the other hand have millions of sperm that can be released in mass proportion upon each ejaculation. The pathway taken by sperm as they leave the testes and travel through the body is as follows: sperm originate in the seminal vesicles which are located at the bladder’s base.

Each seminal vesicle is joined with a vas deferens in order to form an ejaculatory duct. These ducts are fused with the urethra. During the path taken from the vasa deferentia into the urethra, the sperm acquire a thick, alkaline liquid. This liquid id provided by the prostate and is a nutrient rich solution for the health and motility of the traveling sperm. Upon ejaculation, the bulbourethral glands emit a mucous like secretion, followed by expulsion of sperm from the male body. The structure and function of male accessory glands are as follows: male accessory glands are composed of the ductus deferens, the epididymis, the urethra and the ejaculatory duct.

This is a network of ducts in which the sperm travels to get from inside the body (the testes) to the outer portion of the body (the penis). The testes are essentially a pair of gonads which are contained in a sac called a scrotum. Shortly after birth, the male’s gonads descend from inside the male’s abdomen down into the scrotum. It is inside the testes that sperm maturation takes place. The scrotum is the protective sac containing the gonads or testes. The spermatic cord is simply a connective type tissue that serves to cover and protect nerves, blood vessels and lymphatics.

Part 2 Diabetes is essentially an insulin deficiency. The body does not produce insulin and the blood in turn accumulates glucose. This glucose is then excreted thought the kidneys. In addition, the body is forced to break down protein and fat for energy thus expelling ketones into the blood stream and urine. Ketones are a byproduct of metabolized proteins and fats. Type 1 Diabetes is often times the result of a virus which inhibits the pancreas from producing insulin. Type II Diabetes is a result of obesity and is a matter of the body’s cells simply not responding to the insulin that is produced by the pancreas.

In the case of type I Diabetes, individuals with this disease are said to be insulin dependent. Individuals with type II Diabetes are said to be non-insulin dependent. The buildup of ketones in the bloodstream and in the urine can result in kidney damage and even death. The body is meant to utilize glucose as its way of attaining the energy molecule ATP (adenosine tri-phosphate). In a state of ketoses, the body is breaking down fat and protein for energy as it is not able to access insulin or it is not responding to the insulin presence in the case of type II Diabetes.

Symptoms of Diabetes type 1 can include fatigue, fainting, sores on the fee, coma, polyuria, polyphagia and polydipsia. The affects of diabetes on the kidneys are that the kidney tubules are unable to reabsorb water resulting in polyuria. This means that an excessive amount of urine ins expelled which depletes blood volume significantly. This not only results in kidney damage but can lead to polydipsia which is extreme thirst. This is due to the electrolyte imbalance caused by polyuria. These factors put enormous stress on the kidneys and result in damage.

If untreated, Diabetes can lead to coma and death. Works Cited:Marieb, Elaine Ph.D., 2005, Anatomy and Physiology, San Francisco, California, Pearson-Benjamin Cummings