integument system essays

integument system essays 1. Integument - a natural outer covering or coat, such as the skin or a membrane enclosing an organ 2. Protection - skin serves as a protective barrier from mechanical injury and penetration of harmful chemicals Defense - first line of defense against any disease organism Prevention of Dehydration - immersed in an internal sea carefully regulated, dilute salt, solution that is essential to life Maintenance of Body Temperature - by sweating it helps regulate the body temperature Excretion of Wastes - sweat glands also excrete excess water and waste Reception of Stimuli - sensors for stimuli of (touch, pressure, heat, cold, and pain) and sends message to central nervous system Vitamin D Synthesis - when ultraviolet rays hit the skin, a cholesterol compound is changed into Vitamin D 3. Epidermis - the outer most layer of the skin including dead cells of the stratum corneum and the living sub-layers of cell that give rise to them The epidermis contains: stratum, corneum. stratum granvlosm, stratum spinosum, and stratum basale. Dermis - the thick layer of skin composed of irregular, dense, connective tissue beneath the skin The dermis contains: ducts, eccrine sweat gland, connective tissue papilla, hair follicle, root, sebaceous gland, arrector pili muscle Subcutaneous Layer - the layer of loose connective tissue and apidase tissue beneath the skin The subcutaneous layer contains: loose connective tissue and appendage tissue. 4. keratin - a fibrous protein that forms the basic structural component of hair and nails. It is located between the phospholipid membranes to form the stratum corneum. Any one of a class of fibrous protein molecules that serve as structural units for various living tissues. The keratins are the major protein components of human hair. These proteins generally contain large quantities of the sulfur-containing amino acids, particularly cytosine. The helical k ...