AQA B3 Topic 3

Homeostasis

Removal of waste & water control (osmoregulation)

Key words:
Excretion the removal of waste products from the body eg. carbon dioxide & urea
Homeostasis the maintaining of a constant internal environment
Internal conditions
have to be kept within
a narrow range of
values so the cells can
function properly. This
is homeostasis.

Waste products have to be removed from the body

so levels do not become toxic.
Waste product

Why is it
produced?

How is it
removed?

Carbon dioxide

Produced through
aerobic
respiration

Through the
lungs when we
breathe out
(exhale)

Examples of
homeostasis:
Urea
Produced in the
removal of waste
liver when excess
products
amino acids are
water & ion
broken down
concentration
bodyhappens
temperature
What
if the water or ion content is wrong?
(thermoregulation)
Too much water may & leave the cells damaging them.
blood glucose levels
Ions are lost from the body via - sweating & urine
Ions are gained via eating & drinking

The kidneys
remove it from
the blood and
make urine
which is
temporarily
stored in the
bladder

Water control the kidney

Key words:
Urea produced from the breakdown of amino acids toxic
Urine mixture of water, excess ions and urea created in the kidney & stored in the
bladder
Selective reabsorption when the kidney takes back different amounts of water
and ions into the blood depending on the bodys demand for them
A healthy kidney produces urine by:

Water is lost
from the body
via
Exhaling
Sweating

Water
is
gained
via

Drinkin

1. Filtering the blood glucose, amino acids,

mineral ions, urea & water move from the blood to
kidney tubles by diffusion. Proteins & red blood
cells are too large to be filtered out the blood.
2. Reabsorbtion- all the sugar via active
transport
3. Selective reabsorbtion - the dissolved ions
needed by the body via active transport
4. Selective reabsorbtion - as much water as the
body needs is selectively reabsorbed by osmosis
5. Releasing urea, excess ions and water as urine
Little drunk & hot day = little dark yellow,
concentrated urine
Lots drunk & cool day = lots of dilute, almost

Kidney failure - dialysis

If a persons kidney stops working properly
transplant
Dialysis
Treatment by dialysis restores the
concentrations of dissolved
substances in the blood to normal
levels and has to be carried out at
regular intervals.

there are 2 options: 1) Dialysis 2) Kidney

Advantages
Available to all kidney patients (no
shortage)
No need for immune-suppressant
drugs

In a dialysis machine a persons

blood flows between partially
permeable membranes.
The dialysis fluid contains the same
concentration of useful substances
as the blood.
This ensures that glucose and useful
mineral ions are not lost.
Disadvantages
Urea passes out from
the blood into
the dialysis fluid. Patient must limit their salt and protein intake between
dialysis sessions
Expensive for the NHS
Regular dialysis sessions (8hrs) impacts on the patients

Kidney failure kidney transplant

Key words:
Antigen proteins on the surface of cells which identify a cell as self or foreign to
the body
Antibody - protein used in the immune response to fight off foreign cells
Kidney transplant
A diseases kidney is replaced by a healthy
donor kidney.
Organ rejection is a problem as the
antigens on the surface of the donor kidney
are recognised by the immune system as
foreign and can be attacked by the patients
antibodies
To reduce the chances of this happening 2
precautions are taken:
1) Immune-suppressant drugs are give
2) A donor kidney with a similar tissue type
isAdvantages
used
Patients can lead a more normal life
without having to watch what they eat
and drink
Cheaper for the NHS overall

Disadvantages
Must take immune-suppressant
drugs which increase the risk of
infection
Shortage of organ donors
Kidney only lasts 8-9 years on
average
Any operation carries risks

Temperature control - thermoregulation

Body temperature is monitored and controlled by the thermoregulatory centre in
the brain. This centre has receptors which are sensitive to the temperature of the
blood.
Receptors in the skin also send impulses to the thermoregulatory centre about the
skin temperature.
Consequences of your
core body
temperature raising
too high:
Enzymes are
denatured so can no
longer catalyse reactions
in your cells.
Consequences of your
core body
temperature dropping
too low:
Enzyme reaction rate is
slowed.
Not enough energy is
released & cells begin to
die

Temperature control - thermoregulation

Responses to
decreased body
temperature:
1. Vasoconstriction narrowing of blood
vessels in the skin.
Blood flow through
the skin is reduced,
therefore heat loss is
decreased. Body
temperature
increases.
2. Shivering - tiny
muscles under the
skin contracting and
relaxing very quickly.
The muscle cells
release heat.
3. Body hair rises away
from the skin,
trapping a layer of air

Increased body
temperature

Decreased body
temperature

Responses to increased body

temperature:
1. Vasodilatation - widening
of blood vessels. Blood flow
is increased and more heat is
lost through the skin. Nerve
impulses pass along the
nerves from the
thermoregulatory centre to
the muscles in the walls of
blood cells, stimulating
contraction and causing
them to narrow. When the
muscles relax the blood
vessels widen.
2. Sweat is produced. Heat
from the body evaporates
the water in sweat. when
it is hot more water is lost so
more has to be taken in.

Blood glucose control

Blood glucose concentration is controlled by the release of hormones from the
pancreas
Insulin
Hormone released from the
pancreas when blood
glucose levels have
increased.
Allows glucose to move
from the blood to the cells
where it is used or stored
as glycogen in the liver.
Glycogen
Hormone released from the
pancreas when blood
glucose levels fall.
Causes glycogen stored in
the liver to be converted
into glucose and released
into the blood

Problems with blood glucose control - diabetes

Diabetes is a disease where a persons blood glucose concentrations are not
controlled properly because of either a lack of insulin (type 1) or cells not
responding to insulin (type 2)
Type 1 Diabetes
1. Pancreas does NOT produce any or
enough insulin
2.Inject insulin daily (into the fat layer
beneath the skin) traditionally this
was from pigs, but now we use
genetically engineered human insulin as
it is more effective.
3. Exercise and diet are used to help lower
blood glucose levels too
Type 2 Diabetes
1. Cells respond less well to insulin (they
become resistant)
2. Risk factors of developing it are:
1. High-fat diets
2. Lack of exercise
3. Getting older
4. Obesity
3. Control by changes in diet and exercise eg.
-. eating a balanced diet with fewer
carbohydrates