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Watershed area is the medical term referring to regions of the body, [1] that receive dual blood supply from the most distal branches of two large arteries, such as the splenic flexure of the large intestine. The term refers metaphorically to a geological watershed, or drainage divide, which separates adjacent drainage basins. For example, the ...
For example, certain strains in the large intestine produce vitamin B 12; [42] an essential compound in humans for things like DNA synthesis and red blood cell production. [43] However, the primary function of the large intestine is water absorption from digested material (regulated by the hypothalamus) and the reabsorption of sodium and ...
The intestine is also called the bowel or the gut. The lower GI starts at the pyloric sphincter of the stomach and finishes at the anus. The small intestine is subdivided into the duodenum, the jejunum and the ileum. The cecum marks the division between the small and large intestine. The large intestine includes the rectum and anal canal. [2]
The digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract, sometimes referred to as the GI tract, which includes the esophagus, stomach, small intestine and large intestine as well as the accessory organs of digestion which include the pancreas, gallbladder, and liver. [2] [3]
Digestion is the breakdown of large insoluble food compounds into small water-soluble components so that they can be absorbed into the blood plasma. In certain organisms, these smaller substances are absorbed through the small intestine into the blood stream.
In human anatomy, the mesentery is an organ that attaches the intestines to the posterior abdominal wall, consisting of a double fold of the peritoneum. It helps (among other functions) in storing fat and allowing blood vessels , lymphatics , and nerves to supply the intestines.
Mucus is released in the stomach and intestine, and serves to lubricate and protect the inner mucosa of the tract. It is composed of a specific family of glycoproteins termed mucins and is generally very viscous. Mucus is made by two types of specialized cells termed mucous cells in the stomach and goblet cells in the intestines. Signals for ...
The colon (progressing from the ascending colon to the transverse, the descending and finally the sigmoid colon) is the longest portion of the large intestine, and the terms "large intestine" and "colon" are often used interchangeably, but most sources define the large intestine as the combination of the cecum, colon, rectum, and anal canal.