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.
1 It is produced by the stomach cells called chief cells in its inactive form pepsinogen, which is a zymogen. 2  Pepsinogen is then activated by the stomach acid into its active form, pepsin. 3  Pepsin breaks down the protein in the food into smaller particles, such as peptide fragments and amino acids.igestive enzymes are enzymes that break down polymeric macromolecules into their smaller building blocks, in order to facilitate their absorption by the body.