+ 1-888-787-5890  
   + 1-302-351-4405  
 
 
 
 

Essay/Term paper: The liver

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Biology

Free essays available online are good but they will not follow the guidelines of your particular writing assignment. If you need a custom term paper on Biology: The Liver, you can hire a professional writer here to write you a high quality authentic essay. While free essays can be traced by Turnitin (plagiarism detection program), our custom written essays will pass any plagiarism test. Our writing service will save you time and grade.





















The Liver:
Facts, Functions, and Structure of





Justin Amos
Anatomy/ Physiology
October 24, 1997











Facts and Functions
The liver is the largest organ in the entire, normal human body. It weighs anywhere from 2.5 to 3.3 pounds. With its large size it is also a very resilient organ. Up to 3/4 of its cells can be removed before is ceases to function. It is red-brown organ roughly shaped like a cone. The liver is located in the upper right abdominal cavity immediately beneath the diaphragm. Without the liver, we could not survive. It serves as the body"s chemical factory and it regulates the levels of most of the main chemicals in the blood. It is classified in the digestive system, because of the bile it produces. Bile is produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder. Although it contains no digestive enzymes, bile does dilute and neutralize stomach acid, and it increases the efficiency of fat digestion and absorption. The liver is the organ that allows us to drink alcohol. With the help of the kidneys, the liver clears the blood of drugs, alcohol, and other poisonous substances by absorption. It then alters the chemical structure of the substance absorbed, makes them water soluble, and excretes it in the bile. From there, the bile carries waste, including the absorbed substance, to the small intestine, taking a pitstop at the gallbladder, where it also helps in the breakdown and absorption of fats present.
The liver also produces albumin, compliment, coagulation factors, and globin; all important proteins for blood plasma. Albumin regulates the exchange of water between blood and tissues. Compliment is a group of proteins that plays a part in the immune system"s defenses against infection. Coagulation factors enable blood to clot when a blood vessel wall is damaged. Globin is a major component of the oxygen-carrying pigment hemoglobin. Yet another function of the liver is to produce synthesized cholesterol and special proteins that carry fats around the body.
Along with producing many important substances, it also stores a lot of important substances as well. It receives glucose ,not immediately needed, from the hepatic portal vein and stores it as glycogen. When the body needs more energy and heat, the liver converts the stored glycogen back to glucose and releases it into the bloodstream to be used. As with the blood, the liver also regulates the blood level of amino acids, chemicals that form the building blocks of proteins. After we eat a meal, our blood contains too high a level of amino acids. The liver converts some of these acids into glucose, proteins, other amino acids, and urea, which is passed to the kidneys for excretion in the urine.

Structure
The liver contains two main lobes, left and right, which are separated by the falciform ligament, a connective tissue septum. The liver also consists of two minor lobes, caudate and quadrate. Oxygenated blood flows into the liver through an artery called the hepatic artery and nutrient-rich blood via the portal vein. From there, the blood drains into the hepatic vein carrying carbon dioxide and plasma proteins. Bile made by liver cells and carrying all of those harmful substances is excreted through a network of ducts called the bile ducts. As these ducts grow larger, they fuse to form fight and left hepatic ducts which join and carry the bile to the gallbladder. The smaller bile ducts inside the liver, and branches of the hepatic artery an portal vein form the portal tracts, a kind of conduit system.

Compliments
As the liver is one of the most important organs, it must be taken good care of. Liver abscesses are a common liver disorder. It is a localized collection of pus in the liver and can be caused by a diverticular disease or appendicitis and invasion by amebae, one-celled parasites; although, sometimes the cause cannot by identified. The abscess can usually be drained through a needle inserted through the abdominal wall and guided by ultrasound. Abdominal surgery is the other option.
Another liver compliment is liver cancer. This is a malignant tumor in the liver. More commonly in the U.S., liver cancer, arises from a primary tumor in another organ. One way to fix this condition would be to completely remove the tumor where cirrhosis isn"t present, but that is a very rare condition. Cirrhosis is a chronic disease of the liver characterized by the replacement of normal tissue with fibrous tissue and the loss of functional liver cells. More commonly used are anticancer drugs, which help victim survive longer. Also a liver transplant can be done, as well. There is no cure for secondary liver cancer, but anticancer drugs will slow down the decay.
Yet another liver disease is alcoholic liver disease. This occurs when damage is caused to the liver because of persistent heavy alcohol consumption. This can progress to cirrhosis, severe structural damage, loss of liver function, and eventually death.
With all of the liver"s important functions it is obviously a major organ, and one to be taken seriously. The liver must not be abused, because if it is the body will be damaged greatly and possibly destroyed.














Bibliography
Clayman, Charles B., ed. Home Medical Encyclopedia. New York, NY: Dorling Kindersley Limited and the American Medical Association, 1989: 644-647.
Seeley, Rod R. Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology. St. Louis, MO: Mosby- Year Book, Inc., 1991: 413.
Volume 8, Compton"s Pictured Encyclopedia. Chicago, IL: F.E. Compton & Company, 1961: 313.


















 

Other sample model essays:

In 1950, the first commercial nuclear power plants were constructed. The public was promised a non-polluting and resourceful type of energy, but how safe was, and is, nuclear energy? Although t...
Greek Mythology Mythology is a way that the ancient societies explained why things are the way they are and how they came to being. Two ancient societies are infamous for their mythology. The...
The Northern lights are poetry, they are nature's light show, and they are quantum leaps in the oxygen atom. They are elementary particle physics, superstition, mythology and fairy tales. The...
We live on a planet believed to be 4.5 billion years of age with millions of people covering all parts of it. Where did they come from? Did the whole human population originate from one of people ...
The Panda"s Thumb: More Reflections in Natural History Stephen Jay Gould With a touch of humor, geology, evolutionary theory, biology, cartoon characters and even some references to baseball, The...
Introduction The Quantum Theory was the second of two theories which drastically changed the way we look at our physical world today, the first being Einstein"s Theory of Relativity. Although both...
The people of the world have always had a mysterious belief that Earth wasn't the only planet in the universe that supported life. This belief dates back to ancient times when heavenly and demonic...
Chapter One: Introduction Over the past fifteen to twenty years women's fastpitch softball popularity has continued to grow and spread internationally. By the mid-1990s it was played in more th...
In 1979 two scientists met at The Center for Nuclear Research (CERN). These men's names are Michael Green and John Schwarz. John Schwarz had been working on the Theory of Superstrings/ Theory of Ev...
Computer Viruses Introduction In the past decade, computer and networking technology has seen enormous growth. This growth however, has not come without a price. With the advent of the "Informati...
Experience with Dream Essay - Reliable and great customer service. Quality of work - High quality of work.
, ,
Dream Essay - Very reliable and great customer service. Encourage other to try their service. Writer 91463 - Provided a well written Annotated Bibliography with great deal of detail per th
, ,
it is always perfect
, ,
The experience with Dream Essay is stress free. Service is excellent and forms various forms of communication all help with customer service. Dream Essay is customer oriented. Writer 17663
, ,
Only competent & proven writers
Original writing — no plagiarism
Our papers are never resold or reused, period
Satisfaction guarantee — free unlimited revisions
Client-friendly money back guarantee
Total confidentiality & privacy
Guaranteed deadlines
Live Chat & 24/7 customer support
All academic and professional subjects
All difficulty levels
12pt Times New Roman font, double spaced, 1 inch margins
The fastest turnaround in the industry
Fully documented research — free bibliography guaranteed
Fax (additional info): 866-332-0244
Fax (additional info): 866-308-7123
Live Chat Support
Need order related assistance?—Click here to submit a inquiry
© Dreamessays.com. All Rights Reserved.
Dreamessays.com is the property of MEDIATECH LTD