Smooth Muscle Contracts Involuntarily in the Digestive Tract, Blood Vessels

question 9

Essay

Smooth muscle contracts involuntarily in the digestive tract, blood vessels, and urinary bladder. Describe the two main ways that smooth muscle contraction and the membrane potential of smooth muscle are controlled.

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Definitions:

Heat Exhaustion

The result of excessive heat and dehydration; signs include pallor, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, fainting, and a moderately increased temperature (38.5°C to 39°C).

Malignant Hyperthermia

A pharmacogenetics disease that can be triggered by exposure to certain anesthetic agents; signs include elevated carbon dioxide production, profuse sweating, tachycardia, and skeletal muscle rigidity, prior to developing a life-threatening rapid increase in core body temperature.

Hyperpyrexia

An extremely high body temperature or fever, typically above 41.1 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit), which can be life-threatening.

Peripheral Vascular Resistance

The resistance that blood vessels outside the heart offer against the flow of blood, playing a crucial role in determining blood pressure.