Related topics: patients , hepatitis c , liver disease , liver transplantation , liver failure



Liver

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The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals; it has a wide range of functions, a few of which are detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion. The liver is necessary for survival; there is currently no way to compensate for the absence of liver function.

This organ plays a major role in metabolism and has a number of functions in the body, including glycogen storage, decomposition of red blood cells, plasma protein synthesis, hormone production, and detoxification. It lies below the diaphragm in the thoracic region of the abdomen. It produces bile, an alkaline compound which aids in digestion, via the emulsification of lipids. It also performs and regulates a wide variety of high-volume biochemical reactions requiring highly specialized tissues, including the synthesis and breakdown of small and complex molecules, many of which are necessary for normal vital functions.

Medical terms related to the liver often start in hepato- or hepatic from the Greek word for liver, hēpar (ήπαρ).

For more information about Liver, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.


News tagged with liver

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In a first, key pancreatic cells inserted in wounded airman's liver

Medicine & Health / Research

created Dec 17, 2009 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 0

In what medical officials say is a first, the bullet-scarred pancreas from a service member who was shot in Afghanistan was flown from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington to the University of Miami, where insulin-producing ...


New data show breakthrough microRNA-targeted therapy holds promise as new treatment for hepatitis C

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Dec 03, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

A study published online in this week's Science shows that SPC3649, a breakthrough microRNA-targeted therapy developed by Santaris Pharma A/S, holds promise as a novel treatment for patients infected with the Hepatitis C viru ...


First live targeting of tumors with RNA-based technology

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Nov 30, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Finding and treating a tumor without disturbing normal tissue presents challenges - sometimes the most effective therapies can be invasive and harsh.


Scientists Uncover Protective Mechanism Against Liver Cancer

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Dec 14, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of scientists from the UC San Diego School of Medicine and Osaka University in Japan have identified a protein switch that helps prevent liver damage, including inflammation, fibrosis and cancer. The ...





Search results for liver


Figitumumab has anti-tumor activity in Ewing's sarcoma

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Dec 23, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

A preliminary study of the anticancer drug figitumumab has found that it has antitumour activity in Ewing's sarcoma—a cancer which affects mainly teenage boys. The results have led to the drug's progression to a Phase 2 trial ...


First adhere, then detach and glide forward

First adhere, then detach and glide forward

Medicine & Health / Research

created Dec 23, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

How do one-celled parasites move from the salivary gland of a mosquito through a person's skin into red blood cells? What molecular mechanisms form the basis for this very important movement of the protozoa? ...


Could acetaminophen ease psychological pain?

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created Dec 22, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (6) | comments 1

Headaches and heartaches. Broken bones and broken spirits. Hurting bodies and hurt feelings. We often use the same words to describe physical and mental pain. Over-the-counter pain relieving drugs have long been used to alleviate ...


Use of 3-D imaging on patients with pancreatic carcinoma

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Dec 22, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

In the field of hepatic imaging in the context of living liver donors and before complex partial liver resections, three-dimensional imaging of the liver, hepatic vessels and bile ducts has managed to become established in ...


Understanding relationship of proteins, fatty acids could help treat diseases

Understanding relationship of proteins, fatty acids could help treat diseases

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Dec 22, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- It's widely understood that eating a diet high in saturated fats increases the risk for a long list of chronic and deadly diseases, including diabetes and coronary heart disease. Understanding ...


Is nicotinamide overload a trigger for type 2 diabetes?

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Dec 22, 2009 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Facing the increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes worldwide in the past few decades, one may ask what is wrong with humans. Geneticists tell us that the human genome has not changed markedly in such a short time. Therefore, ...


Gene therapy makes mice breath easier

Medicine & Health / Research

created Dec 21, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have discovered a new gene therapy that may prevent the progression of emphysema. The study, which appears on-line in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, descri ...


Gefitinib improves survival compared with standard chemotherapy in lung cancer patients with genetic mutation

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Dec 20, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Patients with the most common form of lung cancer (non-small-cell lung cancer) who have mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene have significantly improved progression-free survival if they are treated ...


Smoking and Drinking Linked to Bowel Cancer: Know Your Risks

Smoking and Drinking Linked to Bowel Cancer: Know Your Risks

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Dec 17, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Besides delectable dishes that help us pack on the pounds during the holiday season, many people also let loose with a bottle of wine or a pack of cigarettes. Richard Rood, MD, says moderation ...


New suppressor of common liver cancer

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Dec 15, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Tumor suppressor genes make proteins that help control cell growth. Mutations in these genes that generate nonfunctional proteins can contribute to tumor development and progression. One of the most well-known tumor suppressor ...



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