Lessons from experimental cholelithiasis: gallbladder and mucosa, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, and gallstones

The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ that plays a crucial role in our digestive system. Measuring about 10 cm in length, it is comparable in size to a kiwi fruit and is located in a hollow area on the lower surface of the liver. The gallbladder's primary function is to store and concentrate bile, a fluid produced by the liver that aids in digestion.
The gallbladder's anatomy consists of three regions: the fundus, body, and neck. Extending from the neck, the cystic duct joins...

Liver and gallbladder diseases are a significant health concern, with prominent conditions including cirrhosis, hepatitis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and gallstones. Jaundice is a common manifestation of liver and biliary disease.
Cirrhosis is characterized by the scarring of hepatic lobules in the liver, which are replaced by fibrous tissue, affecting the liver's normal functioning. NAFLD, on the other hand, is caused by an excessive build-up of fat in the liver, not...

The elemental makeup of a compound defines its chemical identity, and chemical formulas are the most concise way of representing this elemental makeup. When a compound’s formula is unknown, measuring the mass of its constituent elements is often the first step in determining the formula experimentally.

RNA interference (RNAi) is a cellular mechanism that inhibits gene expression by suppressing its transcription or activating the RNA degradation process. The mechanism was discovered by Andrew Fire and Craig Mello in 1998 in plants. Today, it is observed in almost all eukaryotes, including protozoa, flies, nematodes, insects, parasites, and mammals. This precise cellular mechanism of gene silencing has been developed into a technique that provides an efficient way to identify and determine the...

An experimental design is a systematic process that allows researchers to evaluate the relationship between dependent and independent variables. There are three widely used types of experimental design - pre-experimental design, true experimental design, and quasi-experimental design. In pre-experimental design, the researcher compares the data before and after some interventions or treatments. The true-experimental design has more than one purposefully created group, a commonly measured...

Dimensional analysis simplifies complex physical problems and guides experimental investigations, but it does not provide complete solutions. It identifies the dimensionless groups that influence a phenomenon, but experimental data is needed to establish the specific relationships and validate theoretical predictions.
For example, a spherical particle moving through a viscous fluid experiences drag. Dimensional analysis shows that the drag force depends on the particle's diameter, velocity,...