Bile

Bile or gall is a dark green to yellowish brown fluid, produced by the liver of most vertebrates, that aids the digestion of lipids in the small intestine. In humans, bile is produced continuously by the liver (liver bile), and stored and concentrated in the gallbladder (gallbladder bile). After eating, this stored bile is discharged into the duodenum. The composition of gallbladder bile is 97% water, 0.7%bile salts, 0.2% bilirubin, 0.51% fats (cholesterol, fatty acids and lecithin), and 200 meq/l inorganic salts.

Bile was the yellow bile in the four humor system of medicine, the standard of medical practice in Europe from 500 B.C. to the early nineteenth century.

Function

Bile acts to some extent as a surfactant, helping to emulsify the lipids in food. Bile salt anions are hydrophilic on one side and hydrophobic on the other side; consequently, they tend to aggregate around droplets of lipids (triglycerides and phospholipids) to form micelles, with the hydrophobic sides towards the fat and hydrophilic sides facing outwards. The hydrophilic sides are negatively charged, and this charge prevents fat droplets coated with bile from re-aggregating into larger fat particles. Ordinarily, the micelles in the duodenum have a diameter around 14–33 μm.

Bile (Irish legend)

Bile is a character in the Lebor Gabála Érenn, a medieval Christian pseudo-history of Ireland and the Irish (or Gaels), and in the genealogies of John O'Hart based on this tradition. He is described as a king of Galicia, an ancestor of the Gaels, the son of Breogan, and the father of Milesius. The Lebor Gabála purports to be an account of how the Gaels descend from Adam through the sons of Noah and how they came to Ireland. It tells us that they spent 440 years wandering the Earth and underwent a series of trials and tribulations, which is based on the tale of the Israelites in the Old Testament. Eventually, they sail to Iberia and conquer it. There, one of their leaders, Breogán, founds a city called Brigantia and builds a great tower. From the top of the tower, his son Íth glimpses Ireland. The Gaels—including some of Breogán's sons—sail to Ireland from Brigantia and take it from the Tuatha Dé Danann, the Irish pagan gods. Brigantia likely refers to A Coruña in Galicia (which was then known as Brigantium) and Breogán's tower is likely based on the Tower of Hercules (which was built at A Coruña by the Romans). The idea that the Irish Gaels came from Iberia may be based on the similarity of the names Iberia and Hibernia and the names Galicia and Gael.

Bile (disambiguation)

Bile is a greenish-yellow alkaline fluid secreted from the liver of most vertebrates.

Bile may also refer to:

People

Other uses

See also

Bear

Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern Hemisphere and partially in the Southern Hemisphere. Bears are found on the continents of North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.

Common characteristics of modern bears include large bodies with stocky legs, long snouts, shaggy hair, plantigrade paws with five nonretractile claws, and short tails. While the polar bear is mostly carnivorous, and the giant panda feeds almost entirely on bamboo, the remaining six species are omnivorous with varied diets.

With the exception of courting individuals and mothers with their young, bears are typically solitary animals. They are generally diurnal, but may be active during the night (nocturnal) or twilight (crepuscular), particularly around humans. Bears possess an excellent sense of smell and, despite their heavy build and awkward gait, are adept runners, climbers, and swimmers. In autumn, some bear species forage large amounts of fermented fruits, which affects their behaviour. Bears use shelters, such as caves and burrows, as their dens; most species occupy their dens during the winter for a long period (up to 100 days) of sleep similar to hibernation.

Bear (2010 film)

Bear is a natural horror Z movie directed by John Rebel and stars Patrick Scott Lewis and Katie Lowes. The film was released on June 4, 2010 in the United Kingdom.

Plot

Businessman Sam, his wife Liz and his musician brother Nick with his girlfriend Christine are driving through a remote countryside to their father's birthday dinner. Several miles into a back road shortcut, they get a flat tire and are unable to get a cell phone signal to call for help. While repairing the tire, Sam berates Nick for wasting his life being a musician, his latest fling with Christine being another mistake on his judgement list. As they are arguing, they are approached by a grizzly bear. Despite Nick's efforts to convince the group to calmly leave, Sam takes matters into his own hands and shoots the bear down with a handgun. After the bear dies, they are approached by a larger male bear who charges them in revenge, causing them to retreat into their minivan. In his rage, the bear overturns the minivan, trapping the humans inside. After striding around for several minutes, the bear leaves, allowing the crew to turn the minivan over. But as they start driving, the axles break under both sets of tires, stranding them again. The group tries to leave on foot, but they are ambushed by the bear who chases them to an out-of-ground pipe. He tricks them into leaving for the minivan and attacks again; this time he is able to catch Christine who is killed while the others watch.

Bear (surname)

Bear is a surname which may refer to:

See also