Homeostasis (FRQ)

Temperature
Humans thermoregulate to a near-constant body temperature. The
hypothalamus maintains the set point for body temperature through reflexes
that cause vasodilation/sweating when body is too warm, or
vasoconstriction/shivering when body is too cold.
Example:
When a bacterium is destroyed by phagocytic leukocytes, endogenous
pyrogens are released into the blood. The pyrogens circulate to the
hypothalamus and reset the thermostat. This allows the bodys temperature
to increase, causing a fever (Positive Feedback Mechanism). An increase in
body heat also increases the activity of the enzymes & protective cells while
inhibiting the enzymes & activity of the invading microorganism.

Blood Glucose Level

Insulin & Glucagon are the two hormones primarily responsible for
maintaining homeostasis of blood glucose levels; additional regulation is
mediated by the thyroid hormones.
Example:
A high concentration of sugar in the blood triggers secretion of insulin by the
beta cells of the pancreas. Insulin lowers blood glucose levels by enhancing
rate of glucose uptake & utilization by target cells, which use glucose for ATP
production. It also stimulates the liver to convert glucose to glycogen, which
is stored by cells for later use. Insulin also increases glucose transport into
muscle cells & liver. This results from an insulin-mediated increase in the
number of glucose transporter proteins in cell membranes, which remove
glucose from circulation by facilitated diffusion. As insulin binds to its target
cell via insulin receptors and signal transduction, it triggers cell to
incorporate glucose transport proteins into its membrane. This allows
glucose to enter the cell, where it can be used as an energy source. Insulin
also stimulates the conversion of glucose to fat in adipocytes and the
synthesis of proteins. These actions mediated by insulin cause blood glucose
concentrations to fall, called a hypoglycemic low sugar effect, which
inhibits further insulin release from beta cells through a negative feedback
loop. Once blood sugar levels reach homeostasis, the pancreas stops
releasing insulin.

Retaining Water
Salty foods are valuable in maintaining homeostasis by helping the body
retain water and by providing ions necessary for cells to function.

pH of Blood
Blood helps maintain homeostasis by stabilizing pH.
Example:
Blood pH may become unbalanced if the rate of breathing is too fast/slow.
Increased respiration causes carbon dioxide levels to decrease, which raises
blood pH. Respiratory alkalosis, a negative feedback system, begins. The
body senses a high concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood through the
receptors in arteries, which then signals the controller in the brain. The
controller detects that the pH level is above the set point and needs to return
the body to homeostasis. To return the body to homeostasis and bring the
blood pH back to the set point, the brain signals the muscles around the
lungs to decrease the breathing rate. This causes carbon dioxide levels to
causes carbon dioxide levels to rise, effectively lowering the blood pH and
returning the body to homeostasis. Similarly, respiratory acidosis, in which
arterial blood contains too much carbon dioxide, which causes a drop in
blood pH. triggers faster breathing. As the body leaves homeostasis, a
negative feedback occurs. The lungs exhale more frequently, which removes
carbon dioxide from the body more quickly. This causes carbon dioxide levels
to drop, which raises the pH of blood.

Vocabulary:
Homeostatic imbalance an inability of the body to restore a functional,
stable internal environment.
Insulin is a hormone that helps cells absorb sugar from the blood.
Positive Feedback Mechanism maintains direction of stimulus, possible
accelerating it.
Negative Feedback Mechanism any homeostatic process that changes
direction of stimulus; may increase/decrease stimulus but stimulus will not
continue as it did before receptor sensed it.