Acknowledgments This chapter was supported in part by the Ahlfors Center for Unbound Bilirubin Research & Development and the Kaplan-Goldstein Family Foundation. No commercial financial assistance was received in support of this chapter. We would also like to thank Angelo…
Introduction Neonatal jaundice is a common phenomenon, noted in more than 80% of otherwise healthy, term newborns. , In the majority of cases, the jaundice is transient, usually resolving by the end of the first postnatal week, and serum total…
Introduction Bilirubin, a neurotoxic pigment, is the end product of heme catabolism in mammals. In adults, bilirubin is extensively metabolized by hepatic UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) 1A1 and thereby cleared from the body almost immediately. Expression and function of UGT1A1 is much…
Introduction Bile acids have long been understood to be physiologic detergent molecules synthesized from cholesterol and critical for the absorption of intestinal lipids. More recently we have come to comprehend their broader role as signaling molecules in a variety of…
Introduction The liver is the largest internal organ of the body, compromising approximately 6% to 7% of the total weight of an adult. The organ is unique in that it receives dual supply, including venous inflow via the portal vein—predominantly…
Introduction In the past two decades, DNA-based technologies have identified a myriad of difficult-to-culture microbes in the human body, including the gastrointestinal tract, skin, vaginal tract, urethra, and reproductive tract. In addition to the DNA-based technologies, newly developed bioinformatics are…
Introduction The developing gastrointestinal (GI) tract is the largest and most active immune organ of the body and supports important endocrine and exocrine roles in addition to its role for digestion. It encompasses a large mass of neural tissue that…
Acknowledgment Some content was based on a previous chapter by Steven L. Werlin, MD, and Alan N. Mayer, MD. Embryology and Histogenesis of the Human Pancreas The pancreas is a multifunctional organ consisting of three major tissues: exocrine tissue, endocrine…
Introduction A critical modulator of gastrointestinal (GI) motility and secretion is the enteric nervous system (ENS). The ENS is a highly unique integrated neuronal circuitry, which, in contrast to other components of the peripheral nervous system, can and often does…
Introduction The stomach plays a number of roles in the digestive process and in host defense. Not only does the stomach serve as a reservoir for ingested foods and an important site of digestion; it is also exposed to a…