Pancreatic cancer typically does not cause symptoms until it has grown, so it is most frequently diagnosed in advanced stages rather than early in the course of the disease. In some cases, jaundice (a yellowish discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes) without pain can be an early sign of pancreatic cancer. Other symptoms that can occur with more advanced disease are nausea, vomiting, weight loss, itching skin, and decreased appetite. Pale stools, back pain, abdominal pain, dark urine, abdominal bloating, diarrhea, and enlarged lymph nodes in the neck can be present as well. Medically Reviewed by a Doctor on 5/14/2014.
Pepsin is synthesized in an inactive form by the stomach lining; hydrochloric acid, also produced by the gastric mucosa, is necessary to convert the inactive enzyme and to maintain the optimum acidity ( pH 1-3) for pepsin function.
Pepsin is the active form of pepsinogen that hydrolyzes proteins during the digestion process. To form pepsin from pepsinogen, it is necessary to have either an acidic environment (pH< ~5) or presence of previously formed pepsin. Pepsin is a proteolytic enzyme that splits protein into proteoses, peptones, and polypeptides.