An engineering perspective on human digestion

This chapter reviews the mechanics of human digestion from an engineering viewpoint. First, digestive processes, including mastication, bolus transport and nutrient absorption, are paralleled to unit operations, such as milling, peristaltic pumping and membrane filtration. This allows an engineering analysis of the gut, which includes dimensional analysis and identification of the key parameters and phenomena that determine the rate and extent of food digestion. Then, the use of mathematical models and computational fluid dynamics are discussed for the study of digestive processes, in particular gastric and intestinal flow and mixing.</p

Clinical Manifestations and Pathophysiological Mechanisms of the Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome.

The Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) is a rare X-linked disorder originally described by Dr. Alfred Wiskott in 1937 and Dr. Robert Aldrich in 1954 as a familial disease characterized by infections, bleeding tendency, and eczema. Today, it is well recognized that the syndrome has a wide clinical spectrum ranging from mild, isolated thrombocytopenia to full-blown presentation that can be complicated by life-threatening hemorrhages, immunodeficiency, atopy, autoimmunity, and cancer. The pathophysiology of classic and emerging features is being elucidated by clinical studies, but remains incompletely defined, which hinders the application of targeted therapies. At the same time, progress of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and gene therapy offer optimistic prospects for treatment options aimed at the replacement of the defective lymphohematopoietic system that have the potential to provide a cure for this rare and polymorphic disease