Smooth Muscle

Light microscopic Structure:

cells - long - spindle shaped,  nucleus lies in the widest widest part of the fiber,  when the fiber contract the nucleus become folded, 30 - 200 µm long,between fibres lie endomycium

Electron microscopic structure:

 Mitochondria, ribosomes, golgi, rough EPR, myofilaments are present but no sarcomeres and no Z lines,thin filaments - actin and tropomyosin (7nm), thick filaments - myosin (17nmØ)

- intermediate filaments (10 nm)

- actin and myosin overlap more than in skeletal muscle and can therefore contract more

 A rudimentary sacroplasmic reticulum is present in the form of invaginations on the surface called caveolae , So there are no T-tubules,  Cells communicate through gap junctions.

Dense bodies

Filaments are attached to dense bodies which take the place of the Z line in skeletal muscle

There are two types of dense bodies - cytoplasmic and membrane

contains a percentage actinin (like the Z line)

dense bodies transmit contractile force to adjacent fibres

Arrangement:

Fibres can be single or in groups, normally arranged in sheaths,  In the GIT are 2 or 3 layers

Nerve supply:

2 types:

Where it is arranged in layers a few fibres are innervated together

impulse spread through the gap junctions between fibres (slow contraction)

In the iris and the vas deferens each fiber is individually supplied (quick contraction)

• Ossification

• Intramembranous-found in the flat bones of the face
  • Mesenchymal cells cluster and form strands
  • Strands are cemented in a uniform network. Which is known as osteoid
  • Calcium salts are deposited; osteoid is converted to bone
  • Trabeculae are formed and make cancellous bone with open spaces known as marrow cavities
  • Periosteum forms on the inner and outer surfaces of the ossification centers
  • Surface bone becomes compact bone
• Endochondral-primary type of ossification In the human

• Cartilage model is covered with perichondrium that is converted to periosteum

• Diaphysis-central shaft
• Epiphysis-located at either end of the diaphysis
• Growth in length of the bone is provided by the emetaphyseal plate located between the epiphyseal cartilage and the diaphysis

• Blood capillaries and the mesenchymal cells infiltrate the spaces left by the destroyed chondrocytes

• Osteoblasts are derived from the undifferentiated cells; form an osseous matrix in the cartilage
• Bone appears at the site where there was cartilage

      Microscopic structure

• Compact bone is found on the exterior of all bones; canceIlous bone is found in the interior
• Surface of compact bone is covered by periosteum that is attached by Sharpey's fibers
• Blood vessels enter the periosteum via Volkmann's canals and then enter the haversian canals that are formed by the canaliculi and lacunae

•  

• Marrow
  • FiIls spaces of spongy bone
  • Contains blood vessels and blood ceIls in various stages of development
  • Types
• Red bone marrow
  • Formation of red blood ceIls (RBCs) and some white blood cells (WBCs) in this location
  • Predominate type of marrow in newborn
  • Found in spongy bone of adults (sternum, ribs, vertebrae, and proximal epiphyses of long bones)
•  Yellow bone marrow
  • Fatty marrow
  • Generally replaces red bone marrow in the adult, except in areas mentioned above
•  
• Ossification is completed as the proximal epiphysis joins with the diaphysis between the twentieth and twenty-fifth year

• Long bones (e.g.. femur and humerus)
• Short bones (e.g.. wrist and ankle bones)
• Flat bones (e.g.. ribs)
• Irregular bones (e.g.. vertebrae)

The Pharynx

• The pharynx is the continuation of the digestive system from the oral cavity.
• It is a funnel-shaped fibromuscular tube that is the common route for both food and air.
• The pharynx is located posterior to the nasal and oral cavities, and the larynx.

• For the convenience of description, the pharynx is divided into three parts: (1) the nasopharynx, posterior to the nose and superior to the soft palate; (2) the oropharynx, posterior to the mouth; and (3) the laryngopharynx, posterior to the larynx.

• The pharynx is about 15 cm long.
• It extends from the base of the skull to the inferior border of the cricoid cartilage anteriorly, and to the inferior border of C6 vertebra posteriorly.
• It is widest (about 5 cm) opposite the hyoid bone and narrowest (about 1.5) at its inferior end, where it is continuous with the oesophagus.

• The posterior wall of the pharynx lies against the prevertebral fascia, with the potential retropharyngeal space between them.