Related topics: patients , hepatitis c , liver disease , liver transplantation , liver failure
Liver
hideThe 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
Research finds kava is safe and effective
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
May 11, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- UQ research has found a traditional extract of kava, a medicinal plant from the South Pacific, to be safe and effective in reducing anxiety.
Secrets of a Life-Giving Amino Acid Revealed
Jul 16, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Selenium is a trace element crucial to life -- too little or too much of it is fatal. In the July 17 issue of the journal Science, researchers at Yale University and University of Illinois at Chi ...
May You Stay Forever Young
May 27, 2009 |
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Before plastic surgery and botox, an ancient culture had a different way of dealing with the quest for eternal youth. Why not simply live forever? In medieval China, third century B.C., people believed it ...
Get smart about science: Sorting through the studies about caffeine and other choices
Feb 20, 2009 |
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Coffee, elixir of the gods. Studies say drinking it can lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and mouth cancer. It can prevent cavities. It can make you happier. It can kill ...
Artificial liver may extend lives
Jun 02, 2009 |
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The first artificial organ for liver patients that uses immortalized human liver cells, the Extracorporeal Liver Assist Device, or ELAD®, is a bedside system that treats blood plasma, metabolizing toxins and synthesizing ...
Master Molecular Switch May Prevent the Spread of Cancer Cells to Distant Sites in the Body
Mar 16, 2009 |
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Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have identified a master switch that might prevent cancer cells from metastasizing from a primary tumor to other organs. The switch is a protein ...
Missing link between fructose, insulin resistance found
Mar 03, 2009 |
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A new study in mice sheds light on the insulin resistance that can come from diets loaded with high-fructose corn syrup, a sweetener found in most sodas and many other processed foods. The report in the March issue of Cell Me ...
Common herbal medicine may prevent acetaminophen-related liver damage
Nov 17, 2009 |
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A well-known Eastern medicine supplement may help avoid the most common cause of liver transplantation, according to a study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The finding came as a surprise to ...
In a first, key pancreatic cells inserted in wounded airman's liver
Dec 17, 2009 |
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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 ...
Researchers identify compound that frees trapped cholesterol
Jan 26, 2009 |
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Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified in mice a compound that liberates cholesterol that has inappropriately accumulated to excessive levels inside cells.
Low-carbohydrate diet burns more excess liver fat than low-calorie diet
Jan 20, 2009 |
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People on low-carbohydrate diets are more dependent on the oxidation of fat in the liver for energy than those on a low-calorie diet, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in a small clinical ...
Study shows promise for new cancer-stopping therapy
Jun 11, 2009 |
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Researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital and Johns Hopkins University have discovered that delivering a small molecule that is highly expressed in normal tissues but lost in diseased cells can result in tumor suppression.
Second-hand smoking results in liver disease, study finds
Sep 10, 2009 |
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A team of scientists at the University of California, Riverside has found that even second-hand tobacco smoke exposure can result in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a common disease and rising cause ...
Novel antibody prevents infection by hepatitis C virus
May 05, 2009 |
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Taking aim at a leading cause of liver failure in the United States, a team of scientists at the Massachusetts Biologic Laboratories (MBL) of the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) has developed a human monoclonal ...
Worldwide success in treatment of liver tumors
May 12, 2009 |
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Leicester consultant surgeon who has developed a pioneering technique using microwaves to destroy liver tumours has treated more than 100 patients in the UK and other patients are now being treated internationally.
