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Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 18e
| Part 10. Disorders of the Cardiovascular System > Section 1. Introduction to Cardiovascular Disorders > |
Chapter 224. Basic Biology of the Cardiovascular System
Sections: The Blood Vessel, Cellular Basis of Cardiac Contraction, Control of Cardiac Performance and Output, Assessment of Cardiac Function, Further Readings.
Topics Discussed: anatomy and physiology of the cardiovascular system; cardiovascular physiology.
Excerpt:"Blood vessels participate in homeostasis on a moment-to-moment basis and contribute to the pathophysiology of diseases of virtually every organ system. Hence, an understanding of the fundamentals of vascular biology furnishes a foundation for understanding the normal function of all organ systems and many diseases. The smallest blood vessels—capillaries—consist of a monolayer of endothelial cells apposed to a basement membrane, adjacent to occasional smooth-muscle-like cells known as pericytes(Fig. 224-1A). Unlike larger vessels, pericytes do not invest the entire microvessel to form a continuous sheath. Veins and arteries typically have a trilaminar structure (Fig. 224-1B–E). The intima consists of a monolayer of endothelial cells continuous with those of the capillaries. The middle layer, or tunica media, consists of layers of smooth-muscle cells; in veins, the media can contain just a few layers of smooth-muscle cells (Fig. 224-1B). The outer layer, the adventitia, consists of looser extracellular matrix with occasional fibroblasts, mast cells, and nerve terminals. Larger arteries have their own vasculature, the vasa vasorum, which nourishes the outer aspects of the tunica media. The adventitia..."
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