Anatomy of pancreas

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The pancreas is also critical to the production of insulin and glucagon, which regulate glucose levels in the blood. If the pancreas stops producing insulin, this leads to diabetes and a number of associated health issues. Other problems that concern the pancreas include pancreatic cancer. This is a particularly hard cancer to spot since the tumor generally is not palpable (it can’t be felt) due to the positioning of the pancreas. People with pancreatic cancer generally only start to display symptoms when the tumor becomes large enough to interfere with its neighboring organs. Last medically reviewed on May 31, 2018

magicmine / Getty Images Anatomy The pancreas is an elongated gland located deep within the abdomen, tucked in between the stomach and the spine. One end of the pancreas is wider than the other and is called the head: It sits within the curve of the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine) and is divided into two parts: the head proper and the uncinate process. • Lipase. Works with bile (produced by the liver) to break down fat—important for absorbing fat soluble vitamins. • Protease. Breaks down proteins and provides protection from bacteria, yeast, and other potentially harmful microbes that live in the intestines. • Amylase. Breaks down starches into sugar to be used for energy. • Insulin: The cells responsible for releasing this hormone are called beta cells; they make up 75% of pancreatic cells. • Glucagon: The pancreas releases this hormone when there is too little sugar in the blood to signal the liver to release stored sugar. It is secreted by alpha cells, which make up 20% of cells in the pancreas. • Gastrin: Gastrin prompts the stomach to produce gastric acid; most gastrin is made in the stomach but the pancreas manufactures a small portion. • Amylin: Also produced by the beta cells, this hormone is involved in appetite control and emptying of the stomach . Perforation Disorders in pancreatic structure can lead to holes in the organ, in which case digestive enzymes leak into the abdominal cavity. In turn, this can damage the pancreas, itself, as well as o...

An organ is a group of tissues that work together to perform a specific task in the body, such as digesting nutrients or producing chemical messengers that enable brain cells to communicate. Although scientists hold different views on what exactly counts as an organ, the most-cited number of organs in the human body stands at 78. These include major functional units like the brain and the heart, as well as much smaller body parts, such as the tongue. (Image credit: Toa55 via Getty Images) Skin wears the crown of the heaviest organ in the human body — however, there's some discrepancy as to how much it actually weighs. Some sources state that adults carry an average 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms) of skin, while other sources say that the skin makes up about 16% of an adult's total body weight, which would suggest that a 170-pound (77-kg) adult's skin would weigh about 27 pounds (12.3 kg), for example. Why does this discrepancy exist? According to a 1949 report in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, the larger of the two estimates counts the panniculus adiposus — a fatty tissue layer that lies between the top layers of the skin and the underlying muscle — as part of the skin, while the smaller estimate counts this tissue layer as separate. For what it's worth, the authors of the report argue against the inclusion of the panniculus adiposus and therefore conclude that skin makes up only about 6% of an adult's weight. But a modern medical reference text, the Primary Care Noteb...

• "The pancreas as a single organ: the influence of the endocrine upon the exocrine part of the gland." Gut (1981) • "Tissue-based map of the human proteome" Science (2015) • "Dispensable But Not Irrelevant" Science (2009) • "The Spleen" JAMA (2005) • "Normal Organ Weights in Men" American Journal of Forensic Medicine & Pathology (2012) • "The Pancreas" John Wiley & Sons (2018) • "Gray's Anatomy" Churchill Livingstone (2015) • "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 17th Edition" McGraw-Hill Professional Pub (2008) • "Structure and function of the spleen" Nat Rev Immunol (2005) • "Identification of splenic reservoir monocytes and their deployment to inflammatory sites" Science (2009) Sitemap USMLE® is a joint program of the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). COMLEX-USA® is a registered trademark of The National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners, Inc. NCLEX-RN® is a registered trademark of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. Test names and other trademarks are the property of the respective trademark holders. None of the trademark holders are endorsed by nor affiliated with Osmosis or this website.

The endocrine system is a complex network of glands and organs. It uses hormones to control and coordinate your body's metabolism, energy level, reproduction, growth and development, and response to injury, stress, and mood. The following are integral parts of the endocrine system: • Hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is located at the base of the brain, near the optic chiasm where the optic nerves behind each eye cross and meet. The hypothalamus secretes hormones that stimulate or suppress the release of hormones in the pituitary gland, in addition to controlling water balance, sleep, temperature, appetite, and blood pressure. • Pineal body. The pineal body is located below the corpus callosum, in the middle of the brain. It produces the hormone melatonin, which helps the body know when it's time to sleep. • • Thyroid and parathyroid. The thyroid gland and parathyroid glands are located in front of the neck, below the larynx (voice box). The thyroid plays an important role in the body's metabolism. The parathyroid glands play an important role in the regulation of the body's calcium balance. • Thymus. The thymus is located in the upper part of the chest and produces white blood cells that fight infections and destroy abnormal cells. • • • Ovary. A woman's ovaries are located on both sides of the uterus, below the opening of the fallopian tubes (tubes that extend from the uterus to the ovaries). In addition to containing the egg cells necessary for reproduction, the ovaries al...