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Gastrointestinal System and Neonatal Nutrition

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Textbook of Clinical Pediatrics

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Introduction

The intestine is one of the most active and complex organ systems in the body. As an example of its complexity, it is notable that the system contains neural tissue equivalent to the entire spinal cord. The intestine is involved in important endocrine and exocrine roles and also serves as the largest and most active immune organ of the body. In addition to the intestine itself, the luminal microbiota and its interactions with the intestinal mucosa and submucosa are becoming increasingly recognized as critical in postnatal development and lifelong health and disease. In addition to these seemingly newfound GI tract functions, its classic role in digestion and absorption of nutrients remains of utmost importance in health and needs to be understood in order to optimize nutrition during these highly critical windows of development.

Dramatic events in gastrointestinal (GI) system development begin in the 3rd week of fetal development. Gastrulation, organ formation, growth,...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Neonatology, University of Florida, 1600 SW Archer Rd, 32610, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Dr. Christopher Young M.D.

  2. Chachava Scientific-Research Institute of Perinatal, Medicine Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tbilisi, Georgia

    Dr. Maka Mshvildadze M.D. (Visiting Scholar at the University of Florida)

  3. Division of Neonatology, University of Florida, 1600 SW Archer Rd, 32610, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Prof. Josef Neu M.D.

Authors
  1. Dr. Christopher Young M.D.
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  2. Dr. Maka Mshvildadze M.D.
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  3. Prof. Josef Neu M.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christopher Young M.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia

    Abdelaziz Y. Elzouki (Professor of Pediatrics) (Professor of Pediatrics)

  2. National Center of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (NCAAI), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Harb A. Harfi (Director) (Director)

  3. Consultant Pediatric Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Islamic Hospital, Amman, Jordan

    Hisham M. Nazer

  4. Seattle Children's Hospital University of Washington, School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA

    F. Bruder Stapleton (Professor and Chair Department of Pediatrics) (Professor and Chair Department of Pediatrics)

  5. Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Woman and Infants Hospital, Providence, RI, USA

    William Oh (Professor of Pediatrics) (Professor of Pediatrics)

  6. University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL, USA

    Richard J. Whitley (Professor of Pediatrics) (Professor of Pediatrics)

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© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Young, C., Mshvildadze, M., Neu, J. (2012). Gastrointestinal System and Neonatal Nutrition. In: Elzouki, A.Y., Harfi, H.A., Nazer, H.M., Stapleton, F.B., Oh, W., Whitley, R.J. (eds) Textbook of Clinical Pediatrics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-02202-9_25

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-02202-9_25

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-02201-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-02202-9

  • eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine

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