Blood Sugar and Click
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Endocrine System Physiology
O B J E C T I V E S 1. To define the following terms: metabolism, hormone replacement therapy, type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and glucose standard curve. 2. To explain the role of thyroxine in maintaining an animal’s metabolic rate. 3. To explain the effects of thyroid-stimulating hormone on an animal’s metabolic rate. 4. To understand how estrogen affects bone density. 5. To explain how hormone replacement therapy works. 6. To explain how fasting plasma glucose is used to diagnose diabetes. 7. To understand how levels of cortisol and ACTH can be used to diagnose endocrine diseases.
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he endocrine system exerts many complex and interrelated effects on the body as a whole, as well as on specific tissues and organs. Studying the effects of hormones on the body is difficult to do in a wet lab because experiments often take days, weeks, or even months to complete and are expensive. In addition, live animals may need to be sacrificed, and technically difficult surgical procedures are sometimes necessary. This computer simulation allows you to study the effects of given hormones on the body by using “virtual” animals rather than live ones. You can carry out delicate surgical techniques with the click of a button and complete experiments in a fraction of the time that it would take in an actual wet lab environment.
Hormones and Metabolism
Metabolism is the broad term used for all biochemical reactions occurring in the body. Metabolism involves catabolism, a process by which complex materials are broken down into simpler substances, usually with the aid of enzymes found in the body cells. Metabolism also involves anabolism, in which the smaller materials are built up by enzymes into larger, more complex molecules. When larger molecules are made, energy is stored in the various bonds formed. When bonds are broken in catabolism, energy that was stored in the bonds is released for use by
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E
R
C
I
S
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4
Endocrine System Physiology
O B J E C T I V E S 1. To define the following terms: metabolism, hormone replacement therapy, type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and glucose standard curve. 2. To explain the role of thyroxine in maintaining an animal’s metabolic rate. 3. To explain the effects of thyroid-stimulating hormone on an animal’s metabolic rate. 4. To understand how estrogen affects bone density. 5. To explain how hormone replacement therapy works. 6. To explain how fasting plasma glucose is used to diagnose diabetes. 7. To understand how levels of cortisol and ACTH can be used to diagnose endocrine diseases.
T
he endocrine system exerts many complex and interrelated effects on the body as a whole, as well as on specific tissues and organs. Studying the effects of hormones on the body is difficult to do in a wet lab because experiments often take days, weeks, or even months to complete and are expensive. In addition, live animals may need to be sacrificed, and technically difficult surgical procedures are sometimes necessary. This computer simulation allows you to study the effects of given hormones on the body by using “virtual” animals rather than live ones. You can carry out delicate surgical techniques with the click of a button and complete experiments in a fraction of the time that it would take in an actual wet lab environment.
Hormones and Metabolism
Metabolism is the broad term used for all biochemical reactions occurring in the body. Metabolism involves catabolism, a process by which complex materials are broken down into simpler substances, usually with the aid of enzymes found in the body cells. Metabolism also involves anabolism, in which the smaller materials are built up by enzymes into larger, more complex molecules. When larger molecules are made, energy is stored in the various bonds formed. When bonds are broken in catabolism, energy that was stored in the bonds is released for use by