Acknowledgment The authors would like to acknowledge the contribution of Celeste Shelton CGC, PhD, Mark Haupt MD, and Brandon Blobner PhD for critically reviewing of this chapter. Background The new paradigm of precision medicine provides a robust framework for understanding…
The exocrine pancreas has been of considerable interest to physiologists and other scientists for quite some time; in fact, the first demonstration of a hormone action was in the pancreas around the turn of the 20th century. The pancreas has…
History of the Pancreas Although the identity of the pancreas has been known for some time, its critical digestive functions were only recently appreciated. , The first description of the pancreas was made by the Greek physician Herophilos at around…
Gastric cancer remains a major cause of cancer-related mortality in the world, despite declining rates of incidence in many industrialized countries. In this chapter, we mainly discuss gastric adenocarcinoma, which makes up most of gastric malignancies. Epidemiology Gastric cancer is…
An ulcer in the GI tract can be defined as a 5 mm or larger break in the lining of the mucosa, with appreciable depth at endoscopy or with histologic evidence of submucosal extension. An erosion is a break less…
Acknowledgment The authors thank Douglas R. Morgan, Sheila E. Crowe, and Edward L. Lee who previously contributed to parts of this chapter. Definitions Patients, clinicians, endoscopists, and pathologists often define gastritis differently. Some define it as a symptom complex, others…
As discussed in the preceding chapter, the stomach is an active reservoir that stores, grinds, and slowly dispenses partially digested food to the intestine for further digestion and absorption. Its main secretory function is the production of hydrochloric acid. Gastric…
Gastric neuromuscular function refers to the contractions, relaxations, and peristaltic activities of the stomach. The 3 major neuromuscular activities of the stomach are (1) receptive relaxation of the fundus, (2) recurrent peristaltic waves of the corpus and antrum, and (3)…
Embryology and Anatomy Of the Stomach The stomach, as a J-shaped dilation of the alimentary canal, is continuous with the esophagus proximally and the duodenum distally. It functions primarily as a reservoir to store large quantities of recently ingested food,…
Conflicts of Interest and Acknowledgement SW: Supported by the University of Colorado Department of Medicine Outstanding Early Scholars Program, Consultant—Medtronic, Boston Scientific. HH: Consultant—Medtronic. Neal C. Patel and Francisco C. Ramirez contributed to earlier versions of this chapter. Esophageal cancer…