Search Results - Thymus
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In human anatomy, the thymus is an organ located in the upper anterior portion of the chest cavity just behind the sternum. Hormones produced by this organ stimulate the production of certain infection-fighting cells. It is of central importance in the maturation of T cells. The thymus was known to the Ancient Greeks. Galen was the first to note that the size of the organ changed over the duration of a person's life.[1] Due to the large numbers of apoptotic lymphocytes, the thymus was originally dismissed as a "lymphocyte graveyard", without functional importance. The importance of the thymus in the immune system was discovered in 1961 by Jacques Miller, by surgically removing the thymus from three day old mice, and observing the subsequent deficiency in a lymphocyte population, subsequently named T cells after the organ of their origin. [2][3] Recently advances in immunology have allowed the fine dissection of the function of the thymus in T cell maturation. In the two thymic lobes, lymphocyte precursors from the bone-marrow become thymocytes, and subsequently mature into T cells. Once mature, T cells emigrate from the thymus and constitute the peripheral T cell repertoire responsible for directing many facets of the adaptive immune system. Loss of the thymus at an early age through genetic mutation or surgical removal results in severe immunodeficiency and a high susceptibility to infection.[4]
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Showing 1 to 5 of 5 Articles matching 'Thymus' in related articles. |
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1. How Colour Therapy Works
April 02, 2008
Our Reaction to Colour - The Endocrine System.
Colour affects us physically and psychologically, directly and indirectly and from a combined psychological, physiological, and spiritual perspective. From both the psychological and physiological perspective colour affects us directly when it enters the eye and is transmitted to the emotional centre of the brain the hypothalamus that in turn affects the pituitary gland the gland that controls the entire endocrine system the network of glands including pituitary gland, thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, adrenal gland, pancreas, ovaries, and t... (read more)
Author: Trevor Mayes
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2. Role of Vitamin E in Supplments
February 15, 2008
itamin E deficiency is associated with impaired immune responsiveness and increased severity of infection. Vitamin E deficiency has resulted in impaired bactericidal activity of phagocytes, reduced lymphocyte response to mitogens, decreased production of the cytokine IL-2, altered T cell differentiation in the thymus, and increased myocardial injury during viral infection. Supplementation with vitamin E during viral or bacterial infection (influenza, murine AIDS, herpes simplex virus, Staphylococcus aureus, parainfluenza, Clostridium pelfringens) has been shown to decrease mortality rate or se... (read more)
Author: Robert Baird
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3. Regulatory T Cells (Treg)
December 03, 2007
Early development and differentiation of nascent T cells that migrate from bone marrow to become mature, naïve T cells, which are capable of responding to antigen takes place inside the thymus. Around 1010 TCR (T cell receptor) variations are generated in developing T lymphocyte clones through a random process of somatic cell gene reorganization. During this process, often T-cells recognizing self-antigens are generated. Due to the ability of these self-reactive T-cells to elicit an autoimmune attack, they are permanently removed by the thymus through negative selection and clonal deletion. Bu... (read more)
Author: Stephen Jones
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4. Female Hair loss
October 26, 2007
“Oh no!” thought Dorothy when one day while nursing her baby, she found that she had left behind a whole lot of hair on her pillow. She was shocked. She immediately called up her doctor to find out the reasons for such hair loss. Female pattern hair loss or alopecia is not uncommon. Baldness or hair shedding can be genetic, as it is in men. However, there are other causes for female hair loss. One of the most common causes is childbirth – post-partum hair loss. During pregnancy the woman’s hair is in the resting phase. However, after delivery, women witness hair loss at a rapid stage thoug... (read more)
Author: Andrew Adler
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5. Boost Your immune System
October 16, 2006
The main function of the immune system is to protect the body against various infections. It is the most important body component that helps in determining one’s state of health. The effectiveness of immune system varies from person to person. In case of weak immune system the person is more susceptible to infections and other health problems. Immune system forms various antibodies that fight against germs. The main components of the immune system are bone marrow, antibodies, cells, lymph nodes, spleen, chemicals, thymus glands and tonsils. There are many foods that interfere with the working ... (read more)
Author: Dr John Anne
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