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Liver

            I read an article in the RN Journal about artificial systems that are used to replace the livers functions for patients who are awaiting a live transplant. In 2002 more than 17,000 patients were in need of a liver transplant. Of those 17,000 approximately 5,000 received a transplant. The gap in the amount of receiving and needing patients has been the main driving force behind the efforts to find ways to prolong the lives of awaiting patients. .
             The main problem and obstacle of developing a way to replace the functions of liver is duplicating the many important functions the liver is responsible for. Metabolism, filtration, detoxification and synthesis have been the big obstacle in replication of function. These functions are fairly difficult to duplicate artificially. .
             On a brighter note there have been many breakthroughs in replicating the livers functions. There have been some support systems developed to mimic some of the functions of the liver. They can be divided into two different categories, artificial and bioartificial. Both types involve the extracorporeal circulation of the patients" blood through filters that remove waste products normally filtered by the liver. Where the two types differ is in the way they achieve the filtering of the wastes in the body. The artificial systems use sorbents, such as charcoal or resins. Bioartificial systems use living hepatocytes. The bioartificial systems also attempt to duplicate other functions of the liver, particularly synthesis.
             The earliest types of liver support systems included hemodialysis to remove ammonia and other small molecules from the blood. Newer, nonbiologic liver support systems use sorbents, such as charcoal or albumin, which remove additional toxins by binding to them. The first of this type of this system was the HemoTherapies Liver Dialysis unit. It used a charcoal sorbent that removed the water-soluble toxins and balanced the blood chemistry by adding electrolytes and glucose to the patients" blood.


Essays Related to Liver

1. Liver Disease and Medium Chain Triglycerides

... the lymph in the form of chylomicrons. Instead they are passed directly into the portal vein as FA's bound to albumin and delivered to liver by portal circulation. [4] These differences from LCT make MCT's useful as a caloric supplement in disease states in which one or more metabolic ... reactions required for the utilization of ordinary LCT is defective. Many studies have been conducted using MCT's as a treatment for different types of liver disease. A study conducted by Das et al. (2010) researched the impact of MCT's on metabolic control and growth. The authors of the ... research ...

  • Word Count: 1151
  • Approx Pages: 5
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2. The Human Liver: The Workhorse of the Body

... reasons "not the least of which include its spongy consistency, intimate association with  bile, and inescapable reputation as a garbage disposal "the liver is also one of our most under-appreciated organs. Anterior and posterior views of the liver. (Encyclopdia Britannica, Inc.) Wedged beneath the lower right rib cage and occupying much of the upper right quadrant of the abdomen, the ... that time, the organ not only extracts wastes and toxic matter from the blood but also regulates overall blood volume. The extensive network of  blood vesselswithin the lobes of the liver can hold ab...

  • Word Count: 493
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3. Effects Of Alcohol In The Liver

... blood. When an excessive amount of alcohol is consumed the liver cannot properly metabolize causing liver disease. When this happens the liver can develop fatty liver, alcohol hepatitis, or cirrhosis. Fatty liver is when there is an accumulation of fat in the cells of the liver (hepatocytes). Stopping drinking can reverse the early stages of fatty liver. If the alcohol does not stop they will develop Steatohepatitis ... , which is inflamed fatty liver. Steatohepatitis can scar the liver. Alcoholic Hepatitis is when the liver becomes inflamed. Some symptoms of it are jaundice and abnormal...

  • Word Count: 212
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Catalase activity in pig mucle and liver

... to cancer. Catalase is responsible for detoxifying hydrogen peroxide and preventing the formation of carbon dioxide bubbles in the blood. Large amounts of catalase are generally found in the liver because the liver is one of the organs responsible for the breakdown of toxic material, i.e. the reactive oxygen species and hydrogen peroxide. Studies have shown skeletal muscles generate considerable reactive oxygen ... levels as well. In using temperature as the independent variable it was intended to recreate the heat stress on the muscle that is often associated with intense physical acti...

  • Word Count: 454
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

5. Locomotion and Digestion

... is divided into the jejunum and the ileum. The duodenum receives chyme from the stomach, enzymes from the pancreas, and bile from the liver and gallbladder, and it is in the duodenum where most digestion occurs. Absorption occurs through all 3 regions of the small intestine. The epithelial ... To this amount is added about 1.5 liters of fluid from the salivary glands, 2 liters from the stomach, 1.5 liters from the pancreas, 0.5 liter from the liver, and 1.5 liters from the small intestine; the total comes to 9 liters. Almost all of these fluids and solids are absorbed into the body rathe...

  • Word Count: 9019
  • Approx Pages: 36
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6. Decomposition of hydrogen peroxide.

... it keeps the pH close to neutral, which is pH7. Preliminary work: During the preliminary work I will be experimenting with different amounts of liver, Hydrogen Peroxide and Copper Sulphate whilst performing the tests. The aim of this is to establish the best concentrations and masses of substrate, enzyme ... Catalase and H2O2. I think that this will be directly proportional. So I am expecting my graph to go up in a straight line. Implementing- Apparatus: Large beaker, Liver, Copper Sulphate, Hydrogen Peroxide, Small beakers, Burette, Water, Scalpel, Electric balance, Weighing boats, Cutti...

  • Word Count: 2761
  • Approx Pages: 11
  • Grade Level: High School

7. Science Lab - Understanding Enzymes

... an enzyme are temperature and pH, and thus each enzyme has an optimum temperature and pH. Catalase, an enzyme found most commonly in liver tissue, is responsible for the breakdown of the toxic substance hydrogen peroxide into the compounds water and oxygen, which are not harmful and ... to investigate the effect that catalase has on a reaction, and discover the relationship between the enzyme and specific tissues. To do this, pieces of liver, apple, potato and chicken breast were tested, with solutions of differing pH level being used. For the enzyme catalase, the optimum pH is 7.0, ......

  • Word Count: 1941
  • Approx Pages: 8
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  • Grade Level: High School

8. Preventing the Spread of Hepatitis B Virus

... if people practice good hygienic life, media inform the public about the disease, and governments help to sustain scientific research on HBV, the percentage of liver disease, cause by HBV, can decrease considerably. In the evolution of many diseases or infections, lifestyle has an important role to play. This also ... stage, people should maintain a balanced and healthy diet. In addition, they should avoid alcohol and cigarettes, because it can be harmful to the liver. Furthermore, in case of contact with the virus, the body will not fight it properly, and people can develop the chronic ...

  • Word Count: 1729
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

9. Pathophysiology Disease Project - Alcoholism

... solitary or secretive drinking, alcohol cravings, an inability to control the amount that you drink, blackouts, irritability, legal problems, difficulty sustaining a relationship or a job, an increased amount of alcohol, and liver disease. We recognize alcohol intoxication by the smell on the breath or skin, glazes or bloodshot eyes, deterioration in the person's appearance or hygiene. Diagnosing if you have an alcohol ... an alcoholic. They can check for things that the alcohol may have affected through testing, but they cannot check for alcoholism itself. If a problem with the liver i...

  • Word Count: 3830
  • Approx Pages: 15
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