Anatomy Laboratory: Gastro-Intestinal (GI) and Urinary system in 3D- Teacher

Key Concepts:
The organs are positioned relative to each other in the gastro-intestinal and urinary tract through dense and efficient packing of organs within our abdominal cavity. The many differnt organs in our body vary in size, scaling with water, diameter, and length.

Materials:
1. 2. 3. 4. 2 packs of water- balloons (a pack of small and large ones) 2 Graduated 250 ml water balloon filling bottles Plastic tub to model the Abdominal Cavity Models for the small intestine, large intestine and oesophagus 5. Felt images of the lungs, heart, stomach, liver, intestines (both small and large) and the kidneys

Intro:
This part of the Anatomy Lab is designed to give students a sense of the 3dimensional positioning of organs in the Gastro-intestinal and urinary tract, as analogously viewed in the MRI image the students explored.

Procedure: The body model will be laid down in two stages. Divide students into two
groups of half: group A can work on the MRI parts of the lab, while group B can work on the 3D model. 1st Stage: This stage comprises of sticking the felt images onto the felt background that represent the body at the bottom of the tub. The students can do so by following the organization of the organs on a projected image of the GI and urinary tract. Order of the Organs on the felt background (top down): 1) First come the lungs. (There are velcro pieces attached to the back of the felt organs and on the corresponding parts on the felt background as well.) 2)Right in between the two lungs will be the heart. 3)Below the lungs will be the stomach on the right, and then the liver over the stomach on the left. 4)Right below the liver and the stomach will the intestinal system.

5)On top of the intestinal system will go the kidneys. 2nd Stage: This stage will require student to make up the water/ air balloon models of the different organs. The balloons will be filled using graduated fillers measuring out the appropriate amount of water. For the lungs dimensionality is maintained by blowing out the balloon to the appropriate diameter. Instructions on how to set up the organ models and arrange them in the tub: 1) At least 2 students should be assigned to take two of the bigger balloons and blow them up till the diameter corresponds to the 11cm long stick we have provided.
2)

They should then tie the balloons and set them aside to model lungs. Students should be made aware that they lungs are not spherical but more flat-like. The 11cm value for its diameter was arrived at by modeling the lungs as spheres with the average maximum volume of 6000cm3 and using the formula for the volume of a sphere: 4/3*pi*(radius)3.

3) At least two students should take one of the bigger balloons and fill it up with 750ml of water (equivalent to three fillers full of water) to model the stomach. (All water balloon filling should be carried out on top of the tub) The students should begin with one of them blowing up the balloon, and then holding the mouth over the nozzle of the filled bottle, while the other student squeezed water into the balloon. 4) Between each squeeze, the student holding the balloon should cinch the balloon tight as the other student refills, or squeezes the bottle again. 5) Once they have filled the balloon up with three equivalents of the bottle, the balloon should be tied shut and put aside. It is important for the students to realize that the real stomach actually has the potential to hold twice as much food as the volume of water the students filled the balloon with. For the convenience of the project, the volume of the stomach was scaled by one-half. 6) At least two students should take two of the smaller balloons and fill each of the balloons up with 75ml of water to model kidneys, using the same techniques described above. The balloons should then be tied shut and put aside. Students should be aware that the kidney volume was also scaled by one-half. 7) At least two students should take one of the small balloons and fill it up with 175ml of water to model as a heart. They should do so using the same techniques used for filling the stomach and kidney models. Students should be aware that the kidney volume was also scaled by one-half. Following is a table summarizing the scaling and the actual dimensions of the organs the students modeled:

Organ

Construction Material

Real-World Dimensions

Analog Dimensions (water balloon models altered by a factor of 0.5)*

Esophagus Heart Lungs (x2) Stomach Large Intestine Small Intestine Liver Kidneys (x2)

Rope (pre-sized) Small balloon filled with water

2cm < diameter 2cm < diameter <5cm; 25cm < length <5cm; 25cm < length < 30cm < 30cm 300g < mass < 350g 175 ml Balloon diameter of approximately 11cm 750 ml 6cm in diameter; 1500cm in length 2.5cm in diameter; 6m in length approximated as a felt diagram 75 ml

Large balloons filled 6000 ml with air Large balloon filled with water Rope (pre-sized) Rope (pre-sized) Felt (pre-cut) 1500g when full 6cm in diameter; 1500cm in length 2.5cm in diameter; 6m in length 1400g < mass <1600g

Small balloons filled 125g < mass <175g with water

*We have altered the balloon dimensions by a factor of 0.5 because these dimensions were optimal for the water balloons. Instructions on how to fit the organ models inside the abdominal cavity modelled by the tub: 1) Students should lay down the map of the GI and urinary tract made on the felt background with the felt organ images. Students should begin by first laying down their two air balloon lungs on top of the lung image they had velcroed earlier. 2) They should then place the water balloon heart in between the two lungs. 3) Next step would be to place the rope oesophagus model on top of the lungs, pointing towards the stomach. 4) Students should then take the water balloon stomach and place it below the lungs on to the right (of the viewer) of the lungs. 5) Students should then place the felt liver model below the lungs, to the left of the lungs, overlaying the stomach. [Advanced]: Figure out how stomach and liver should be placed. 6) Students should then place the two water balloon kidney model on either side of the tub right below the stomach and liver. [Advanced]: Figure out where kidneys should be.

7) The next step would be to pack the 6m long rope model of the small intestine within the space left between the stomach and the lower edge of the tub (including over the kidneys). 8) They will have to figure out how they should fold the intestine to fit it all within that cramped space. 9) Finally, students should lay down the red rope large intestine model bordering the left, top and right edge of the small intestine. QUESTIONS: Students should then proceed to answer the following questions in their worksheets: How much do you know about the Gastro-Intestinal and Urinary tracts? 1. In the table above we have approximated the organ masses as volumes of water. Why can we make this approximation? (The density of water = 1g/cm^3 and 1cm^3 = 1ml) Ans: The majority of our body is composed of water, so it is reasonable to use the density of water in our approximations. 2. [Advanced]:We approximate the shape of the lung as a sphere, and are given the following: (4500/)^(1/3) = 11.27, V= (4/3)**r^3. Perform the appropriate calculation to find the real-world diameter approximation. [Basic]: Only make an estimate, no calculations. Ans: 22.54cm is the real world diameter. 3. Your esophagus is quite small in diameter. How do you think that it is possible for food to fit in the esophagus? Ans: You chew food to break it into smaller pieces, and your esophagus has smooth muscles that allows it to stretch (is elastic). 4. What did you have to do with your 6m long small intestine in order to pack it within the small space inside the body cavity? What do you think is the advantage of packing the small intestine this way inside the body? Ans: They should have repeatedly folded the long model to fit it within the small space. The folds help increase surface area for digestion and absorption of food to occur efficiently. 5. There is a structure that separates the pulmonary space from the abdominal space in your body that was not modeled in this activity. What is this muscular structure called? Ans: The diaphragm