LIFE PROCESSES

INTRODUCTION
Various functions are going to inside our body and inside the body of all organisms. These
functions are necessary to maintain the living beings. The maintenance functions of living
organisms must go on even they are not doing anything particular even when we are just sitting in
front of computer or just asleep. This maintenance job has to go on .the processes which together
perform this maintenance job are life processes.
DEFINITION
THE BASIC PROCESSES AND FUNCTION WHICH TOGETHER KEEP THE LIVING ORGANISM
ALIVE AND PERFORM THE JOB OF MAINTENCE IS CALLED LIFE PROCESSES
MOST IMPORTANT LIFE PROCESSES IN HUMAN BODY
1) NUTRITION
Nutrition is the process of getting energy from outside sources. Next process of nutrition is
to break down these sources to release energy .process of getting nutrition can vary from
organism and is affected by the external environment
METABOLISM -- is the sum of all the chemical processes that occur in the body one phase of
metabolism is catabolism the breakdown of complex chemical substance into simpler
(components ) the other phase of metabolism is anabolism . the building up of complex
chemical substances from smaller ,simpler components e.g digestive processes catabolism
protein in food into amino acids .these amino acids are then used to anabolize new protein
that make up body structure such as muscles and bones
2) RESPIRATION
Breaking down of nutrients to release energy is called respiration .the way cooking gas is
burnt to produce energy for kitchen the living organism burns food to release energy .a
complex series of oxidation reduction goes inside the cell to burn food to carry out different
activities inside a living organism
Oxygen is required for oxidation of glucose during cellular respiration. In larger organisms
complex system is needed to carry out transportation of oxygen inside the body .this
process is called external respiration and is different from cellular respiration.
3) MOVEMENT
It includes motion of the whole body. Individual organs, single cells for example the coordinated action of leg muscles moves your whole body from one place to another after you
eat a meal that contains fats gallbladder contracts and squirts bile into the gastrointestinal
tract to aid in the digestion of fats. When the body tissue damaged or infected, certain white
blood cells move from the blood into the affected tissue to help clean up and repair the
area. Inside the cell. Various parts move from one position to another to carry out their
functions
4) GROWTH
Growth is an increase in body size that results from an increase in the size of existing
cells ,an increase in the number of cells or both .in addition a tissue sometimes increase in

size because the amount of material between cells increases in a growing bone to grow in
length and width
5) EXCRETION
As burning petrol or diesel cause release of obnoxious fumes out of car, our body also
produces such obnoxious substances. They are harmful and need to be expelled out of our
body. Expulsion of harmful substances which byproducts of life processes is called
excretion .in human body many organs help in excreting harmful substances out of the
body .e.g. lungs expel carbon dioxide skin expels some waste product through sweating.
Mouth expels some waste through spit and rectum expel waste through faeces .but the
main excretory organ in the human body is kidney. kidney filters harmful substances from
blood and expels them through urine .after all the metabolic activities, blood collects
byproducts from different parts of the body and passes through kidney to filter out harmful
products , then only it goes to the heart for oxygenation . This is the reason a
malfunctioning kidney is a life threatening condition. People with bad kidney need to
undergo dialysis. in this process blood is filtered using artificial kidneys or dialysis machine
6) REPRODUCTION
Refers either to the formation of new cells for tissue growth. Repair or replacement or to the
production of a new individual in human . The former process occurs continuously
throughout life which contains from one generation to the next through the latter process,
the fertilization of an ovum by a sperm cell.
When the life processes cease to occur properly the result is death of cells and tissue which
may lead to death of the organism clinically called loss of the heart beat. Absence of
spontaneous breathing and loss of brain functions indicate death in the human body

HOMEOSTASIS MECHANISM
It is define by Claude Bernard and later Walter Cannon in 1926 is the property of a system,
either open or closed, that regulates its internal environment and ends to maintain a stable,
constant condition. Multiple dynamic equilibrium adjustment and regulation mechanisms
make homeostasis possible
DEFINITION
Homeostasis is the condition of equilibrium in the bodys internal environment due to the
constant interaction of the bodys many regulatory processes
A homeostatic system consists of the basic components
1) DETECTORS :- detectors are sensory organs that monitor variables in the external and
internal environment .e.g photoreceptors in the retina , bororeceptors monitoring blood
pressure in the great vessels and chemoreceptor which continual information about
levels of carbon dioxide in the plasma
2) EFFECTORS :- effectors are the organs that bring about the changes necessary to
restore homeostasis muscles bring about movement glands secrete chemicals and
many other organs including the heart and kidneys can be regarded as effectors
because they are capable of responding to environmental changes
3 CO-ORDINATING MECHANISMS
Detector and effectors communicate with one another via-co- ordinating mechanisms which
generally take the form of nervous impulses or hormones
CONTROL MECHANISM

When the receptors senses a stimulus .it sends information to a control centre ,the components
that sets the range at which a variable is maintained .the control centre determines an appropriate
response to the stimulus. In most homeostatic mechanisms the control centre is the brain . the
control centre then send signals to an effectors which can be muscles, organs or other structures
that receives signals from the control centre, after receiving the signal .a change occurs to correct
the deviation by either enhancing it with positive feedback or depressing it with negative feedback.
POSITIVE FEEDBACK
Positive feedback mechanisms are designed to accelerate or enhance the output created by a
stimulus that has already been activated.
It perpetuates the chain of events set in motion by the original disturbance instead of
compensating for it .as the system becomes more unbalanced, disorder and disintegration occurs
e.g. events in the body is blood platelet accumulation ,which in turn causes blood clotting in
response to a break or tear in the lining of the blood vessels
e.g normal child birth provides a good example . the first contraction of labour push part of the
fetus into the cervix ,the lowest part of the uterus which opens into the vagina . Nerve cells monitor
the amount of stretching of the cervix .as stretching increases they send more nerve impulses to
the brain which turn releases the hormone oxytocin into the blood causes contraction of muscles
and push the fetus down the uterus.
NEGATIVE FEEDBACK
Negative feedback mechanism consist of reducing the output or activity of any organ or system
back to the normal range of functioning
E,g regulating blood pressure
B.P. is the force exerted by blood as it presses against the walls of blood vessels when the heart
beats faster or harder B.P. increases. If some internal or external stimulus causes blood pressure
to rise the following sequence of events occurs bororeptors pressure sensitive nerve cells located
in the wall of certain blood vessels , detect the higher pressure. The bororeceptors send nerve
impulses to the brain which interprets the impulses and respond by sending nerve impulses to the
heart and blood vessels heart rate decreases and blood vessels dilate which cause B.P. to
decrease . this sequence of events quickly returns the controlled condition blood pressure to
normal and homeostasis is restored .notice that the activity of the effectors causes B.P. to drop a
result that negates the original stimulus . this is why it is called a negative feedback system
HOMEOSTATIC IMBALANCE
Many diseases are a result of disturbances of homeostasis a condition known as homeostatic
imbalance .as it ages; every organism will lose efficiency in its control system. The inefficiencies
gradually results in an unstable internal environment that increases the risk for illness .in addition
homeostatic imbalance is also responsible for the physical changes associated with ageing. Heart
failure has been seen where nominal negative feedback mechanisms become overwhelmed and
destructive position mechanisms become overwhelmed and destructive position mechanisms take
over

Pathways That Alter Homeostasis

A variety of homeostatic mechanisms maintain the internal environment within tolerable limits.
Either homeostasis is maintained through a series of control mechanisms, or the body suffers
various illnesses or disease. When the cells in the body begin to malfunction, the homeostatic
balance becomes disrupted. Eventually this leads to disease or cell malfunction. Disease and
cellular malfunction can be caused in two basic ways: either, deficiency or toxicity. When
homeostasis is interrupted in your cells, there are pathways to correct or worsen the problem. In
addition to the internal control mechanisms, there are external influences based primarily on
lifestyle choices and environmental exposures that influence our body's ability to maintain cellular
health.

Nutrition: If diet is lacking in a specific vitamin or mineral cells will function poorly, possibly resulting in a
disease condition. For example, a menstruating woman with inadequate dietary intake of iron will become
anemic. Lack of hemoglobin, a molecule that requires iron, will result in reduced oxygen-carrying capacity. In
mild cases symptoms may be vague (e.g. fatigue), but if the anemia (British English: anaemia) is severe the
body will try to compensate by increasing cardiac output, leading to palpitations and sweatiness, and
possibly to heart failure.

Toxins: Any substance that interferes with cellular function, causing cellular malfunction. This is done
through a variety of ways; chemical, plant, insecticides, and/or bites. A commonly seen example of this is
drug overdoses. When a person takes too much of a drug their vital signs begin to waver; either
increasing or decreasing, these vital signs can cause problems including coma, brain damage and even
death.

Psychological: physical health and mental health are inseparable. Our thoughts and emotions cause
chemical changes to take place either for better as with meditation, or worse as with stress.

Physical: Physical maintenance is essential for our cells and bodies. Adequate rest, sunlight, and
exercise are examples of physical mechanisms for influencing homeostasis. Lack of sleep is related to a
number of ailments such as irregular cardiac rhythms, fatigue, anxiety and headaches.

Genetic/Reproductive: Inheriting strengths and weaknesses is part of our genetic makeup. Genes are
sometimes turned off or on due to external factors which can have some control over, but at other times
little can be done to correct or improve genetic diseases. Beginning at the cellular level a variety of
diseases comes from mutated genes. For example, cancer can be genetically inherited or can be caused
due to a mutation from an external source such as radiation or genes altered in a fetus when the mother
uses drugs.

Medical: Because of genetic differences some bodies need help in gaining or maintaining homeostasis.
Through modern medicine our bodies can be given different aids, from anti-bodies to help fight
infections, or chemotherapy to kill harmful cancer cells. Traditional and alternative medical practices
have many benefits, but like any medical practice the potential for harmful effects is present. Whether by
nosocomial infections, or wrong dosage of medication, homeostasis can be altered by that which is
trying to fix it. Trial and error with medications can cause potential harmful reactions and possibly death if
not caught soon enough.

CONCLUSION
The immune response provides a good example of the manner in which the body conserves its
resources at a time when a particular function is not required antibodies are not produced unless
there is a specific need for them as a defence against pathogens. Maintenance of a stable internal
environment through homeostatic mechanisms is the cornerstone of healthy integrated function .if
homeostasis is disrupted disease results.
SUMMARY
In this seminar consist of introduction of life processes and homeostatic mechanism. Which gives
meaning of life processes and homeostatic mechanism also included the most important life
processes of the human body. In a homeostatic mechanism consists of the basic components that
are detectors effectors. Co-ordinating mechanisms and integrating centre control of homeostasis
and feedback system. In feedback systems include the homeostasis involve in the body
systems .homeostatic imbalance and disorders of homeostatic imbalance
BIBLOGRAPHY
1) Shebeer p. Basheer s. Yaseen khan ,Advanced Nursing Practice 1 st Edition 2012
EMMESS Medical publishers page no 194-197
2) Internet
3) en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Human_Physiology/HomeostasisCached

IDENTIFICATION DATA

Name of the student

mrs sandhya saji

Class

M.Sc Nursing Ist Year

Subject

Advance nursing practice

Topic

life processes and homeostasis

Group of students

25

Duration of teaching

1 hour

Venue of Teaching

M.Sc Nursing 1st Year Class Room

Supervisor

Mr Eke Lama Tamang

Method of Teaching

Lecture cum Discussion

Audio Visual Aids

Transparency, chart, flash cards ,Blackboard

Date and Time

16/11 /2015

INDEX
Sr no

1
2

CONTENT

INTRODUCTION
DEFINITION

Page
No
1
1
1

IMPORTANT LIFE PROCESSES IN HUMAN BODY

4

HOMEOSTASIS MECHANISM

2
3

CONTROL MECHANISM
6
7
8
9
10
11

3
POSITIVE FEEDBACK
NEGATIVE FEEDBACK
HOMEOSTATIC IMBALANCE

Pathways That Alter Homeostasis

CONCLUSION
SUMMARY

3
3
4
5
5

Teacher sign