Cardiovascular and thoracic biology

Lecture notes from Imperial College London, Medical Biosciences BSc, 2nd year, cardiovascular and thoracic biology (CTB) module. Lecture 7 on cell biology of the cardiovascular system: how cellular components of the cardiovascular system help maintain vascular homeostasis. Homeostasis is a healthy state that is maintained by the constant adjustment of biochemical and physiological pathways. An example of homeostasis is the maintenance of a constant blood pressure in the human body. lear...

Lecture notes from Imperial College London, Medical Biosciences BSc, 2nd year, cardiovascular and thoracic biology (CTB) module. Lecture 9 on respiratory and cardiovascular diseases: investigate what happens when homeostatic processes break down, thereby leading to disease. We will be looking at two respiratory diseases, namely asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and two cardiovascular diseases, namely atherosclerosis and pulmonary hypertension. Learning objectives: ...

Lecture notes from Imperial College London, Medical Biosciences BSc, 2nd year, cardiovascular and thoracic biology (CTB) module. Lecture 3 on ventilation and gas transport: fundamental processes required to achieve effective breathing and gas transport. These processes enable oxygen to get from the atmosphere to the human cells using it for aerobic energy production, and for carbon dioxide (a waste product) to go the other way. Learning objectives: LO1: Differentiate between different f...

Lecture notes from Imperial College London, Medical Biosciences BSc, 2nd year, cardiovascular and thoracic biology (CTB) module. Lecture 5 on some of the techniques that we can use to evaluate the way the heart and lungs are working. These techniques are routinely used in the clinical evaluation of patients, and also in a performance setting where athletes are trying to make small gains in performance. In particular, we’ll explore exercise and how control of cardiopulmonary function changes...

Lecture notes from Imperial College London, Medical Biosciences BSc, 2nd year, cardiovascular and thoracic biology (CTB) module. In this chapter, we are going to take a step into the future to see where current thinking about respiratory and cardiovascular diseases is heading, in particular thinking about where we may be in 10- 15 years’ time. It is a very exciting time for medical research in general, and including respiratory and cardiovascular research, with numerous new technologies ...

Lecture notes from Imperial College London, Medical Biosciences BSc, 2nd year, cardiovascular and thoracic biology (CTB) module. Lecture 4 on the regulation of blood pressure and flow: - Explain the basic physical principles governing flow and pressure in the circulation. - Describe how vascular resistance is regulated. - Explain how exercise affects the circulation. - Summarise how vascular compliance helps maintain steady blood flow. - Define the terms systolic pressure, diastolic p...

Lecture notes from Imperial College London, Medical Biosciences BSc, 2nd year, cardiovascular and thoracic biology (CTB) module. Lecture 2 on the mechanical and electrical properties of the heart and cardiomyocyte biology. learning objectives: LO1: Evaluate the impact of cardiomyocyte structure on its function LO2: Explain mechanical properties of the heart LO3: Explain electrical properties of the heart

Lecture notes from Imperial College London, Medical Biosciences BSc, 2nd year, cardiovascular and thoracic biology (CTB) module. lecture 6 on cell biology of the respiratory tract (airways and lungs): how the tract protects itself from inhaled insult, and is able to control the calibre of the airways to limit penetration by larger objects. learning objectives: LO1: Describe the structure and function of the main cell types in the respiratory tract (aka airways and lungs). LO2: Describe...

Lecture notes from Imperial College London, Medical Biosciences BSc, 2nd year, cardiovascular and thoracic biology (CTB) module. CTB 8 on anaphylaxis: a not uncommon allergic, potentially life-threatening condition that involves both the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. learning objectives: LO1: List the cardinal signs of acute inflammation and anaphylaxis and describe the physiological mechanisms that bring these about. LO2: Summarise the progress of an immune response to an an...