GASTROINTESTINAL SYSTEM

The gastrointestinal system is also called digestive or alimentary system. It

begins with the mouth or the oral cavity where food enters the body, and
terminates at the anus where solid waste materials leave the body. The
functions of the digestive system are threefold: ingestion of food, absorption of
nutrients, elimination of solid metabolic waste material.
The consumed food must be prepared for absorption. Digestive enzymes are
substances that speed up chemical reactions and help in the breakdown
(digestion) of complex nutrients. Complex proteins are digested to simpler
amino acids, complex sugars to simple sugars, and large fat molecules are
broken down to fatty acids and tryglicerides. Digestion is a complete process of
changing the chemical and physical composition of food so that nourishing
ingredients are assimilated by the cells.
Anatomy
Oral cavity
The structures within the oral cavity are the cheeks, tongue and its muscles.
The main functions of tongue are manipulation of food during the chewing
process, speech, swallowing, speech production and determination of taste.
The elevetions on tongue are called taste buds and they perceive flavours
found in food, such as bitterness, sweetness, saltiness and sourness.
The teeth are located in front of the oral cavity, incisors and cuspids, they cut
and tear the food into small pieces. The teeth located in the rear of the mouth
are called molars. They further crush and grind the food into finer particles.
Teeth are covered with enamel, which gives them white and smooth
appearance. The enamel is the hardest substance in the body. In the innermost
part of the tooth is pulp, a soft delicate layer, which stores nerves and blood
vessels of the tooth. The teeth are embedded in pink fleshy tissue, known as
gums or gingiva. There are also hard and soft palates, located in the mouth.
After the food is chewed, it is formed into a round, sticky mass called bolus. The
bolus is pushed by the tongue from the mouth into the pharynx. Its downward
movement is guided by a fleshy V-shaped tissue called uvula. Uvula hangs from
the soft palate and also aids in producing sounds and speech. The pharynx is a
muscular tube which serves as a common passageway for air from the nasal
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cavity to the larynx (voice box), as well as for food going from the mouth to the
esophagus. The laryngopharynx is divided into two tubes: one which leads to
the lungs, called the trachea (wind pipe), and one which leads to the stomach,
called the esophagus (gullet). Epiglottis prevents food from entering the wind
pipe, but allows all food to be chanelled to the stomach through the
esophagus.
Stomach
The stomach is located in the abdominal cavity directly below the diaphragm.
The stomach mixes the undigested food with gastric juices to further break it
down for digestion. There are two valves in the stomach. The first one is called
the cardiac valve or sphincter and it connects the esophagus to the stomach.
The second valve is called the pyloric valve or sphincter and it connects the
stomach to the small intestine. Both sphincters contract and expand to allow
food to enter and leave the stomach.
Small Intestine (Small Bowel)
The small intestine is a continuation of the gastrointestinal tube. The small
intestine is 20 feet (6 meters) long and has three parts:
1. duodenum
2. jejunum
3. ileum
There are many digestive glands located in the mucous membrane of the small
intestine. These glands secrete additional digestive juices. Pancreas and liver
produce digestive juices. With the exception of some forms of fat, water and
waste products, all food ingested into the body is absorbed through the walls
of the small intestine.
Large Intestine (Large Bowel)
The large bowel extends from the end of ileum to the anus. It consists of four
parts: cecum, colon, sigmoid colon and rectum. The large intestine has an
average diameter of 6 cm and is 1,5 m long.
Liver
Liver is the largest glandular organ in the body and weighs approximately three
to four pounds. It is located beneath the diaphragm in the right upper quadrant
of the abdominal cavity. The liver produces so many vital functions that the

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human organism cannot survive without it. The following are some of its most
important functions:
1. Produces bile, which absorbs fats. Bile contains cholesterol (a fatty
substance), bile acids and bile pigments. One of these pigments is
bilirubin. Bilirubin is a waste product of hemoglobin destruction (which
occurs in the liver as red blood cells are destroyed).
2. Removes glucose from blood, which it synthesizes and stores as glycogen
(starch) in liver cells.
3. Stores vitamins, such as B12, A, D, E and K.
4. Breaks down or transforms some toxic products into less harmful
compounds.
5. Maintains normal level of glucose in blood.
6. Produces various blood proteins, which aid in coagulation.
Pancreas
Pancreas secretes and produces pancreatic juices that help break down all
types of food during the digestive process. These juices empty into the
pancreatic duct and eventually are absorbed by the small intestine. Insuline is
another hormone secreted by pancreas. It exerts major control over utilization
of sugar in the body. Insulin is produced by the cells located within the
pancreatic tissue. These cells are called the islands of Langerhans. Pancreas is
both an exocrine and endocrine organ.
Gallbladder
Gallbladder serves as the storage area for bile. Iti s a pear-shaped sac under the
liver.

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 I. Fill in the missing fields
English Croatian
pancreas
žučni mjehur
enamel
gums
žvakanje
gutanje
molars
incisors
cuspids
žuč
tanko crijevo
saliva
hard palate
soft palate
žlijezda
dvanaesnik
želučani sokovi
esophagus
dušnik
uvula
ošit
jetra
large intestine
grlo
taste buds

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 II. Answer these questions or fill in the gaps:
a) What are the functions of tongue?
b) What do incisors do?
c) Gums are ________________________________________.
d) What are the three functions of the digestive system?
e) Bile is ____________________________________________.
f) After the food is chewed, it is formed into a round, sticky mass
called _________________________.
g) Stomach is located in the _______________________ cavity.
h) Stomach mixes undigested food with ___________________
juices.
i) Valves in the stomach are also called ______________________.
j) Liver is a ______________________ organ and the human
organism _______________ survive without it.

III. Give the opposite of each term:

1. hard palate ____________
2. bitter _________________
3. sufficient ______________
4. empty ________________
5. upper ________________
6. harmful _______________
7. inner _________________

IV. Explain the meaning of the following terms:

1. anorexia
2. constipation
3. hernia
4. hypoglycemia
5. diarhhea
6. gallstones
7. dental caries

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V. Provide the adjective form for each of the following:
1. abdomen _______________
2. ulcer ______________
3. intestine________________
4. face _______________________
5. pain _____________________

VI. Give appropriate medical terms for the following:

1. complete process of changing the chemical and physical
composition of food ______________________________
2. process of visually examining the stomach ________________
3. the practitioner who specializes in diseases in the digestive tract
_____________________________________
4. abnormal frequency and liquidity of fecal discharges
_________________
5. simple sugar; blood sugar ___________________
6. digestive juice produced by salivary glands
____________________

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VII. Hemorrhoids
Watch the video on hemorrhoids, answer the questions and
fill in the gaps.

https://youtu.be/-qX-NgyZmQA
1. What causes hemorrhoids?
2. Are they painful?
3. How many symptoms of hemorrhoids are there? What are
they?
4. Is treatment always necessary?
5. Causes of hemorrhoids are being overweight,
_________________, lifting heavy objects,
________________, ___________________, sitting on the
toilett for too long and sometimes ___________________.
6. What are laxatives? What is a numbing cream?
7. What prevents hemorrhoids?

VIII. Ulcers
Listen to the video and fill in the missing words.

https://youtu.be/djWdEZ9h2D8

An ulcer can develop in the ________________, stomach or a

__________________.
Patients may ___________________ ongoing
_________________, heartburn or __________________.
I would recommend that they go to a medical provider for an
__________________.
The most common cause is ___________________.
Other causes may be infection, _________________, even
_________________.
Ulcers can develop at _____________ age.
The quick procedure uses a camera to locate the ulcer and
_________________________________.

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 If the patient has an ulcer, the doctors can prescribe
____________________ and ______________________ to
help treat and prevent future ulcers.

Homework: Watch the video on constipation and write a summary (200

words)

https://youtu.be/0IVO50DuMCs