Liver

is the only internal human organ which can regenerate

What is the Liver?

The liver is the largest glandular organ of the body. It weighs about 3 lb (1.36 kg). It is reddish brown in color and is divided into four lobes of unequal size and shape. The liver lies on the right side of the abdominal cavity beneath the diaphragm. Blood is carried to the liver via two large vessels called the hepatic artery and the portal vein. The heptic artery carries oxygen-rich blood from the aorta (a major vessel in the heart). The portal vein carries blood containing digested food from the small intestine. These blood vessels subdivide in the liver repeatedly, terminating in very small capillaries. Each capillary leads to a lobule. Liver tissue is composed of thousands of lobules, and each lobule is made up of hepatic cells, the basic metabolic cells of the liver.

What is its major function?

The liver has many functions. 

Some of the functions are: 

-to produce substances that break down fats,

-convert glucose to glycogen,

-produce urea (the main substance of urine),

-make certain amino acids (the building blocks of proteins), 

-filter harmful substances from the blood (such as alcohol), 

-storage of vitamins and minerals (vitamins A, D, K and B12) and 

-maintain a proper level or glucose in the blood. 

-The liver is also responsible for producing cholesterol. It produces about 80% of the            cholesterol in your body.

Diseases of the Liver

Several diseases states can affect the liver. Some of the diseases are Wilson's Disease, hepatitis (an inflammation of the liver), liver cancer, and cirrhosis (a chronic inflammation that progresses ultimately to organ failure). Alcohol alters the metabolism of the liver, which can have overall detrimental effects if alcohol is taken over long periods of time.

Hemochromatosis can cause liver problems.

Medications that negatively effect the liver

Medications have side effects that may harm your liver. Some of the medications that can damage your liver are: serzone, anti-cancer drugs (tagfur, MTX, and cytoxan), and medications used to treat diabetes.

Serzone is a prescription drug manufactured by Bristol-Myers Squibb for the treatment of depression.

The possible side effects of Serzone® are: agitation, dizziness, clumsiness or unsteadiness, difficulty concentrating, memory problems, confusion, severe nausea, gastroenteritis, abdominal pain, unusually dark urine, difficult or frequent urination, fainting, skin rash or hives yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes (jaundice) or a prolonged loss of weight or loss of appetite.

If you or a family member have suffered serious side effects or a fatal injury after taking Serzone®, you or the family member may be eligible to file a claim against the manufacturer. You should contact an attorney that specializes in class action lawsuits immediately.

To help prevent liver damage, let your doctor know about your liver condition when being treated for other conditions. Medications come in many forms and it is best to find out what is in them and what it can do to your liver.

Urine

Composition

Urine is a transparent solution that can range from colorless to amber but is usually a pale yellow. Urine is an aqueous solution of approximately 95% water, with the remaining percentages being metabolic wastes such as urea, dissolved salts, and organic compounds. Fluid and materials being filtered by the kidneys, destined to become urine, come from the blood or interstitial fluid.

Except in cases of kidney or urinary tract infection (UTI), urine is virtually sterile and nearly odorless. Subsequent to elimination from the body, urine can acquire strong odors due to bacterial action. Most noticeably, the asphyxiating ammonia is produced by breakdown of urea. Some diseases alter the quantity and consistency of the urine, such as sugar as a consequence of diabetes.

Urine

Composition

Urine is a transparent solution that can range from colorless to amber but is usually a pale yellow. Urine is an aqueous solution of approximately 95% water, with the remaining percentages being metabolic wastes such as urea, dissolved salts, and organic compounds. Fluid and materials being filtered by the kidneys, destined to become urine, come from the blood or interstitial fluid.

Except in cases of kidney or urinary tract infection (UTI), urine is virtually sterile and nearly odorless. Subsequent to elimination from the body, urine can acquire strong odors due to bacterial action. Most noticeably, the asphyxiating ammonia is produced by breakdown of urea. Some diseases alter the quantity and consistency of the urine, such as sugar as a consequence of diabetes.

Hormones

[hide] v • d • e Endocrine system: hormones (Peptide hormones · Steroid hormones) Endocrine glands Hypothalamic- pituitary Hypothalamus GnRH · TRH · Dopamine · CRH · GHRH/Somatostatin Posterior pituitary Vasopressin · Oxytocin Anterior pituitary α (FSH FSHB, LH LHB, TSH TSHB, CGA) · Prolactin · POMC (CLIP, ACTH, MSH, Endorphins, Lipotropin) · GH Adrenal axis Adrenal cortex: aldosterone · cortisol · DHEA Adrenal medulla: epinephrine · norepinephrine Thyroid axis Thyroid: thyroid hormone (T3 and T4) · calcitonin Parathyroid: PTH Gonadal axis Testis: testosterone · AMH · inhibin Ovary: estradiol · progesterone · activin and inhibin · relaxin (pregnancy) Placenta: hCG · HPL · estrogen · progesterone Other end. glands Pancreas: glucagon · insulin · somatostatin Pineal gland: melatonin Thymus: Thymosin · Thymopoietin · Thymulin Non-end. glands digestive system: Stomach: gastrin · ghrelin · Duodenum: CCK · GIP · secretin · motilin · VIP · Ileum: enteroglucagon · Liver/other: Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1, IGF-2) Adipose tissue: leptin · adiponectin · resistin Skeleton: Osteocalcin Kidney: JGA (renin) · peritubular cells (EPO) · calcitriol · prostaglandin Heart: Natriuretic peptide (ANP, BNP) Target-derived NGF · BDNF · NT-3

Blood Pressure

Blood pressure (BP) is the pressure exerted by circulating blood on the walls of blood vessels, and is one of the principal vital signs. During each heartbeat, BP varies between a maximum (systolic) and a minimum (diastolic) pressure. The mean BP decreases as the circulating blood moves away from the heart through arteries, has its greatest decrease in the small arteries and arterioles, and continues to decrease as the blood moves through the capillaries and back to the heart through veins.^[1]

The term blood pressure usually refers to the pressure measured at a person's upper arm. It is measured on the inside of an elbow at the brachial artery, which is the upper arm's major blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart. A person's BP is usually expressed in terms of the systolic pressure and diastolic pressure, for example 115/75.

Pineal gland

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pineal gland
Endocrine system
Diagram of pituitary and pineal glands.
Latin	glandula pinealis
Gray's	subject #276 1277
Artery	superior cerebellar artery
Precursor	Neural Ectoderm, Roof of Diencephalon
MeSH	Pineal+gland

The pineal gland (also called the pineal body, epiphysis cerebri, epiphysis or the "third eye") is a small endocrine gland in the vertebrate brain. It produces melatonin, a hormone that affects the modulation of wake/sleep patterns and photoperiodic (seasonal) functions.^[1][2] It is shaped like a tiny pine cone (hence its name), and is located near to the center of the brain, between the two hemispheres, tucked in a groove where the two rounded thalamic bodies join.