It was then re-implanted, just as in a normal liver transplant operation.

BBC: Surgery

The functioning liver breaks down sugar for energy and produces bile, a fluid released into the digestive tract that aids in digestion, as a normal liver does.

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Ten of the 29 patients in the study had at least one elevation in liver enzymes greater than or equal to three times the upper limit of normal, including four patients who experienced liver enzymes greater than or equal to five times the upper limit of normal.

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Work by Dr. Gershon and others has shown that serotonin is necessary for the repair of cells in the liver and lungs, and plays a role in normal heart development and bone-mass accumulation.

WSJ: A Gut Check for Many Ailments

Given that Jackson said in the past that he had been addicted to painkillers -- in 1993 in a video statement he said this happened after his scalp was burned in a Pepsi commercial taping -- his liver was likely not as healthy as a normal 50-year-old's liver, Parker said.

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And Pegasys is the only product in its class approved for use in patients who already have cirrhosis of the liver, meaning that nonfunctioning scar tissue has replaced normal liver tissue.

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