65.1 Introduction The intestinal mucosa is unique among other tissues of the human body, as it exists in close proximity to an enormous number of microorganisms and their products. Such factors constitute a potential trigger for proinflammatory responses by the…
64.1 Introduction Gastric acid is one of the most important host defenses against infectious agents that enter the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). At pH < 3, gastric juice can kill bacteria within 15 min and hypochlorhydria (caused by drugs that inhibit…
63.1 Introduction Helicobacter pylori is a Gram-negative bacterial species that selectively colonizes gastric mucosa, and virtually all persons colonized by this organism develop coexisting gastritis. A signature feature of the inflammatory response to H. pylori is its capacity to persist…
Control of food intake and body weight involves multiple pathways and body systems. The traditional view of energy balance proposes that input from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is largely involved in short-term regulation of food intake associated with signals arising…
Acknowledgments Research from the author’s laboratory as cited here is the result of support from the National Institutes of Health. Figs. 61.2–61.4 were produced by AASarts.com . 61.1 General Properties of Trace Metal Absorption The trace metals are roughly divided…
60.1 Introduction 60.1.1 The Essentiality of Iron and Overview of Intestinal Iron Homeostasis Iron is abundant in the Earth's soils and as such, it is ubiquitously present in life forms on this planet. Most species, including humans, require iron for…
59.1 Introduction Calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium belong to a group of essential chemical elements required to support a variety of biochemical processes by serving structural and functional roles. Although sophisticated homeostatic mechanisms have evolved to maintain serum levels, intracellular levels,…
Electrolyte absorption and secretion mediated by ion channels of the epithelial cells play an important role in determining basal and active fluid movement (i.e., absorption or secretion) in the GI tract. Ion channels that are involved in regulating fluid movement…
Acknowledgments Studies in the author’s laboratories were supported by NIDDK grants RO1 DK54016 (PKD), RO1 DK81858 (PKD), RO1 DK92441 (PKD), RO1 DK71596 (WAA), RO1 DK109709 (WAA) and Department of Veterans Affairs Merit Awards BX002011 (PKD), BX000152 (WAA), BX002687-01 (SS) and…
Acknowledgment NIH grant R01DK041274 is acknowledged for financial support. The first physiological observations suggesting the existence of a Na + /H + exchange mechanism in mammalian membranes were made by Mitchell and Moyle and by Brierley et al. in rat…