Bile (yellow material) in a liver biopsy in the setting of bile stasis, i.e. cholestasis. H&E stain

Action of bile salts in digestion

Bile or gall is a bitter-tasting, dark green to yellowish brown fluid, produced by the liver of most vertebrates, that aids the process of digestion of lipids in the small intestine. In many species, bile is stored in the gallbladder and upon eating is discharged into the duodenum. Bile is a composition of the following materials: water (85%), bile salts (10%), mucus and pigments (3%), fats (1%), inorganic salts (0.7%) and cholesterol (0.3%).

In the medical theories prevalent in the West from Classical Antiquity up to the Middle Ages, the body's health depended on the equilibrium between four "humors" or vital fluids: blood, phlegm, "yellow bile" (or choler) and "black bile". Excesses of the last two humors were thought to produce aggression and depression, respectively; and the Greek names for them gave rise to the English words "cholera" and "melancholia". Those same theories explain the derivation of the English word "bilious" from "bile", and the meaning of "gall" in English as "exasperation" or "impudence".

Physiological functions[link]

Bile acts to some extent as a surfactant, helping to emulsify the fats in the food. Bile salt anions have a hydrophilic side and a hydrophobic side, and therefore tend to aggregate around droplets of fat (triglycerides and phospholipids) to form micelles, with the hydrophobic sides towards the fat and hydrophilic towards the outside. The hydrophilic sides are positively charged due to the lecithin and other phospholipids that compose bile, 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 of around 14-33 μm.

The dispersion of food fat into micelles thus provide a largely increased surface area for the action of the enzyme pancreatic lipase, which actually digests the triglycerides, and is able to reach the fatty core through gaps between the bile salts. A triglyceride is broken down into two fatty acids and a monoglyceride, which are absorbed by the villi on the intestine walls. After being transferred across the intestinal membrane, fatty acids are reformed into triglycerides, then absorbed into the lymphatic system through lacteals. Without bile salts, most of the lipids in the food would be passed out in feces, undigested.

Since bile increases the absorption of fats, it is an important part of the absorption of the fat-soluble substances, such as the vitamins D, E, K and A.

Besides its digestive function, bile serves also as the route of excretion for bilirubin, a byproduct of red blood cells recycled by the liver. Bilirubin derives from haemoglobin by glucuronidation.

The alkaline bile also has the function of neutralizing any excess stomach acid before it enters the ileum, the final section of the small intestine. Bile salts also act as bactericides, destroying many of the microbes that may be present in the food.

Bile soap[link]

Bile from slaughtered animals can be mixed with soap. This mixture, called bile soap,^[1] can be applied to textiles a few hours before washing and is a traditional and rather effective method for removing various kinds of tough stains.

Abnormal conditions associated with bile[link]

• The cholesterol contained in bile will occasionally accrete into lumps in the gallbladder, forming gallstones. Cholesterol gallstones are generally treated through surgical removal of the gallbladder. However, they can sometimes be dissolved by increasing the concentration of certain naturally occurring bile acids, such as chenodeoxycholic acid and ursodeoxycholic acid.

• On an empty stomach – after repeated vomiting, for example – a person's vomit may be green or dark yellow, and very bitter. The bitter and greenish component may be bile or normal digestive juices originating in the stomach^{[citation needed]} The color of bile is often likened to "fresh-cut grass"^{[citation needed]}, unlike components in the stomach that look greenish yellow or dark yellow. Bile may be forced into the stomach secondary to a weakened valve, the presence of certain drugs including alcohol, or powerful muscular contractions and duodenal spasms.
• In the absence of bile, fats become indigestible and are instead excreted in feces, a condition called steatorrhea. Feces lack their characteristic brown color and instead are white or gray, and greasy.^[2] Steatorrhea can lead to deficiencies in essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins. In addition, past the small intestine (which is normally responsible for absorbing fat from food) the gastrointestinal tract and gut flora are not adapted to processing fats, leading to problems in the large intestine.

Principal bile acids[link]

See also[link]

• Bile acid sequestrant
• Bile bear
• Intestinal juice
• Ox gall

References[link]

Notes

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2011)

Bibliography

• Bowen, R. (2001-11-23). "Secretion of Bile and the Role of Bile Acids In Digestion". Colorado State Hypertextbook article on Bile. http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/digestion/liver/bile.html. Retrieved 2007-07-17. 
• Krejčí, Z; Hanuš L., Podstatová H. & Reifová E (1983). "A contribution to the problems of the pathogenesis and microbial etiology of cholelithiasis". Acta Universitatis Palackianae Olomucensis Facultatis Medicae 104: 279–286. PMID 6222611. 
• Maton, Anthea; Jean Hopkins, Charles William McLaughlin, Susan Johnson, Maryanna Quon Warner, David LaHart, Jill D. Wright (1993). Human Biology and Health. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, USA: Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-981176-1. 

External links[link]

• Photo of bear bile sample in an animal welfare blog by Paul Kraaijer.

Abdi Bile

Personal information
Full name	عبدالله بله عبدالله
Nationality	Somalia
Born	(1962-12-28) December 28, 1962 (age 49) Las Anod, Sool
Height	1.85 metres (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	75 kilograms (170 lb)
Sport
Sport	Running
Event(s)	800 metres 1500 metres

Abdi Bile (Somali: عبدالله بله عبدالله, Cabdi Bille Cabdi, born December 28, 1962) is a former middle distance runner. He was born in Las Anod, Somalia. In 1987 he became world champion in the 1500 metres, the first Somali to do so.

Career[link]

Bile won the 1500 m World Championship in 1987, running the final 800 m of the race in 1:46.0, the fastest final 800 m of any 1,500 meter race in history. He was a two-time Olympian (1984 and 1996) and dominated the event in the late 1980s. Bile was ranked first in the world at the mile distance in 1989. He was World Cup champion in the 1500 m in 1989 and two-time world Grand Prix final champion.

Bile graduated from George Mason University with a BS in marketing management. At George Mason, Bile was team captain and a two-time NCAA Division I 1,500 meter champion, winning his first title in 1985 (3:41.2) and the second in 1987 (3:35.79). He also won many conference titles and held the inter-collegiate 1500 m record for more than ten years. He was coached by John Cook, the former coach of 2008 Olympic 10,000 meter bronze medalist Shalane Flanagan. His career was riddled with injuries, and he missed the 1991 World Championships as well as the 1988 and 1992 Olympics because of such problems. In 1996 he finished 6th in the Olympic 1500 m final.

Bile has traveled widely and has inspired many young people and helped several humanitarian organizations. He is married, with a son named Ahmed, born in 1993. As a senior in high school, Ahmed won the Virginia state cross country title, the 1000m title and 1600m title along with being a two-time New Balance All-American in the 800m.

Personal bests[link]

• 800 metres - 1:43.60 (1989)
• 1000 metres - 2:14.50 (1989)
• 1500 metres - 3:30.55 (1989)
• One mile - 3:49.40 (1988)
• 3000 metres - 7:42.18 (1994)

Achievements[link]

References[link]

• IAAF profile for Abdi Bile

Sezen Aksu
Sezen Aksu concert Maltepe University, 2009.
Background information
Birth name	Fatma Sezen Yıldırım
Also known as	Sezen Aksu
Born	(1954-07-13) July 13, 1954 (age 57)
Genres	Pop
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Years active	1975–present
Website	Official Website

Sezen Aksu (Turkish pronunciation: [seˈzen ˈaksu]; born: Fatma Sezen Yıldırım; July 13, 1954 in Denizli) is a Turkish pop music singer, song-writer and producer who sold over 40 million albums worldwide.^[1] Her nicknames include the "Queen of Turkish Pop"^[2] and Minik Serçe ("Little Sparrow").

Aksu's influence on Turkish pop and world music has continued since her debut in 1975, and has been reinforced by her patronage of and collaboration with many other musicians, including Sertab Erener, Şebnem Ferah, Aşkın Nur Yengi, Hande Yener, and Levent Yüksel.^[3] Her work with Tarkan resulted in continental hits like "Şımarık" and "Şıkıdım" and her collaboration with Goran Bregović widened her international audience.

Biography[link]

Sezen Aksu was born in Sarayköy, Turkey. Her family moved to İzmir when she was 3 years old and she spent her childhood and early youth there. Aksu's parents discouraged her singing because they wanted her to have a steady profession as a doctor or engineer. She used to wait until they left the house and sing on the family's balcony.^[4] After finishing high school, she began studying at the local agricultural institute, but left college to concentrate on music.

Along with her close friend Ajda Pekkan, Aksu is credited with laying the foundations of Turkish pop music in the 1970s.^[5] Her sound has also spread across the Balkans and Greece.^[6] It was this sound that changed the face of the Eurovision song contest when her protégé Sertab Erener won in 2003. Aksu has also toured in Europe and the U.S to critical appraise.^[7]

She has championed a variety of causes, including women's rights, the environment, and educational reform in Turkey.^[2] Aksu has been married and divorced four times, but kept the name from her second marriage to Ali Engin Aksu, a doctor of geology who currently resides in Canada. She has a son with Sinan Özer.

Career[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2011)

Sezen Aksu released her first single, Haydi Şansım/Gel Bana (Come on My Luck/Come to Me) in 1975 under the name of Sezen Seley. However, she remained undiscovered until her 1976 single Olmaz Olsun/Vurdumduymaz (Wish It Never Happened/Insensitive) reached number one in the Turkish charts. Her first album was 1978's Serçe (Sparrow), which was to give her the nickname, penned by a Turkish journalist.

An Aksu drive finally got Turkey to apply for the Eurovision Song contest in the mid-70s. Ironically however, even though she competed in the national finals for the competition three times - "Küçük Bir Aşk Masalı" (A Little Love Tale) was a duet with Özdemir Erdoğan, "Heyamola" was performed as a trio with Coşkun Demir and Ali Kocatepe and "1945" was her solo performance - none got the chance to represent Turkey abroad. It was to be left to her pupil Erener to win the Eurovision and realise Aksu's dream to push her musical vision further into Europe.

In the 80's, Aksu had a relationship with producer Onno Tunç that was both romantic and professional. As a couple they put their signatures to works that broke new ground in Turkish pop music, such as Sen Ağlama (Don't Cry), Git (Go), Sezen Aksu'88 and Sezen Aksu Söylüyor (Sezen Aksu Sings). Her music matured in the 90's, when she co-produced her best selling album to-date Gülümse (Smile) with Tunç. The A-1 track from the album called Hadi Bakalım (Come On Now) was a hit in Turkey and Europe, and was published as a single in Germany. It was to be later rediscovered in Europop by singer Loona as Rhythm of the Night. She also began to produce albums for her vocalists, notably producing Aşkın Nur Yengi's debut album Sevgiliye (To a Lover) again with Tunç. She was to repeat her success with artists Erener and Yüksel also.

Parting ways with Tunç, in 1995, Aksu branched out with the experimental album Işık Doğudan Yükselir (Light Rises From the East), drawing both on western classical and regional Turkish musical traditions. This album made her name outside Turkey and gave her a world music following across Europe. In 1996, she released Düş Bahçeleri (Dream Gardens) as a tribute to Tunç, who died that same year tragically when his private plane crashed. In 1997, she released Düğün ve Cenaze (The Wedding And The Funeral), this time collaborating with Goran Bregović.

She returned to her roots with Adı Bende Saklı (Its Name Is Hidden In Me), which was released in 1998. She began to use experimental sounds and was once again pushing Turkish pop into the future. Aksu continued with this trend with her subsequent albums Deliveren (Crazymaker), Şarkı Söylemek Lazım (Gotta Sing) which also featured former Sparks bassist Martin Gordon as engineer/mixer (and also as bass player on her subsequent European tour), Yaz Bitmeden (Before The Summer Ends) between the years 2000 - 2003. After a two year hiatus, she returned with Bahane (Excuse) in 2005. That same year she released Kardelen (Snowdrop) where all proceeds went to charity, and before the end of 2005 released a Bahane/Remixes (Excuse/Remixes) double-CD album which contained the original Bahane album in disc one and the remixes of songs in Bahane in disc two. At the end of the year her albums Bahane, Kardelen and the re-released album Şarkı Söylemek Lazım were the three best-selling albums in the country.

In 2005 she was featured in Fatih Akin's documentary film "Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul" with a performance of the song "Istanbul Hatirasi."

Aksu has recently been re-releasing all her old classics digitally remastered and with specially designed new sleeves. After her concert tour in summer 2006.

Sezen Aksu performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London, on 7 October 2007. After Zeki Muren, she was only the second Turkish artist to perform at the prestigious venue.

In 2008 Aksu released her album called Deniz Yıldızı through Starfish Records. And in 2009 she released her latest album Yürüyorum Düş Bahçelerinde which sold over 100 000 copies during the first week of its release. The album contains new original songs as well as some older songs which were composed by Sezen Aksu for other singers, most notably Çakkıdı, Kibir, Yok Ki.

Discography[link]

Music Albums[link]

Acting/Musicals[link]

• Sezen Aksu Aile Gazinosu - (Sezen Aksu Family Music Hall) (1982)
• Bin Yıl Önce Bin Yıl Sonra - (1000 Years Before, 1000 Years Later) (1986)

sezen aksu

See also[link]

• Turkish Wikipedia and Sezen Aksu
• List of Turkish musicians

Notes[link]

1. ^ CD Baby
2. ^ ^{a b} 6Moons Review
3. ^ Sezen Aksu and Her Children
4. ^ Grant, Neva (12 April 2010). "Sezen Aksu: The Voice Of Istanbul". Morning Edition. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125787999. Retrieved 24 May 2011. 
5. ^ Aksu's expressive vocal technique, distinctive songwriting, and prolific output were all integral to her success and to the development of a unique Turkish pop sound. Many musicians--for example, Alexander Hacke and several of the artists he interviewed for the documentary Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul--have acknowledged Sezen Aksu's broad influence.
6. ^ With the Greek diaspora from Turkey in the seventies, many brought their musical tastes, which included Aksu's music to Greece; the Greek musicians Haris Alexiou and Giorgos Dalaras acknowledge her influence.
7. ^ Sezen Aksu (June 19, 2002). The Guardian

References[link]

• Sezen Aksu Sezen-Aksu.com.
• Sezen Aksu Discography Sezen Aksu Discography.
• Sezen.net Sezen.net.
• Sezen Aksu (June 19, 2002). The Guardian.
• Songs Must Be Sung (November, 2002). 6 Moons.
• Sezen Aksu And Her Children (September 15, 2004). DEUTSCHE WELLE.
• [1] Producer for Sezen Aksu

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sezen Aksu

• Sezen Aksu Video Klipleri
• Sezen Aksu at the Internet Movie Database
• Can Dündar - Hey gidi günler! (Turkish)
• The Official Sezen Aksu Web Site
• The Sezenciler Fansite
• sezen.onlinecosmos.com
• Sezen Aksu Dinle
• Review of 'Öptüm' (in English)