Which of the following is NOT considered to be one of the four basic functions of the digestive system?
acid-base balance
What is the first area that food contacts as it moves from the stomach to the small intestines (SI)?
duodenum
What type of contraction pattern allows the small intestines to churn and mix a chyme?
segmental
Why must the process of lipid digestion be different from proteins and carbohydrates?
Lipids are hydrophobic.
Which long reflex of the cephalic phase stimulates digestive activity in the stomach before food arrives?
vagal reflex
In terms of chemical digestion of organic molecules, the stomach primarily digests ________ .
proteins
Blood draining from the intestines flows directly to the ________.
liver for filtering
In which non-digestive function does the digestive tract play a surprisingly large role?
immunity
The four processes of the digestive system include digestion, absorption, secretion, and which other function?
motility
What makes the anatomy of the stomach wall unique compared to the other parts of the digestive system?
It has three layers of smooth muscle.
What is the outer layer of the gut wall called?
serosa
What is the "migrating motor complex"?
a pattern of slow contractions sweeping along the GI tract
Peyer's patches are characteristic of the
small intestine