Development of the digestive system posterior abdominal wall. By the fifth week, the connecting tissue bridge has narrowed, and the caudal part of the foregut, the midgut, and a major part of the hindgut are suspended from the abdominal wall by the dorsal mesentery, which extends from the lower end of the esophagus to the cloacal region of the hindgut. In the region of the stomach, it forms the dorsal mesogastrium or greater omentum. In the region of the duodenum, it forms the dorsal mesoduodenum; and in the region of the colon, it forms the dorsal mesocolon. Dorsal mesentery, of the jejunal and ileal loops,
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (1927–1991) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) is part of the United States National Institutes of Health, which in turn is part of the Department of Health and Human Services. NIDDK is approximately the fifth-largest of the 27 NIH institutes. The institute's mission is to support research, training, and communication with the public in the topic areas of "diabetes and other endocrine and metabolic diseases; digestive diseases, nutritional disorders, and obesity; and kidney, urologic, and hematologic diseases". As of 2015, the Director of the institute is