Thymus

Myasthenia Gravis Background Myasthenia gravis is a Type II autoimmune disorder in which antibodies form against various types of receptors, kinases, or proteins (1). There are four subtypes of myasthenia gravis, with the most prevalent subtype being due to autoantibodies against the muscle-type acetylcholine receptor, AChR, at the neuromuscular junction (2; 3). The second subtype involves antibodies against the muscle-specific kinase, MuSK, and the third type is due to autoantibodies against…

Transient neonatal myasthenia gravis is a human model of passively transferred MG. I a study conducted by Tzartos, S. J., Efthimiadis, A., Morel, E., Eymard, B., & Bach, J. (1990), fine antigenic specificities of anti-AChR antibodies in sera from 21 MG mothers and 17 of their infants were studied (nine of which had transiently transferred the disease). Although in a few cases significant differences in antibody specificities were observed between mothers and infants, whether myasthenic or not,…

The Lymphatic system consists of the tonsils, lymphatic vessels, the thymus, lymph nodes, and the spleen, and its functions include immunity, lipid absorption, and tissue fluid recovery (Saladin, Sullivan, & Gan, 2015). The lymphatic system consists of 6 main types of lymphatic cells: B Lymphocytes (B Cells), Dendritic Cells, Macrophages, Natural Killer (NK) Cells, Reticular Cells, and T Lymphocytes (T Cells). The unique function of each cell is briefly described below. B Lymphocytes (B Cells):…

The lymphatic system consists of lymphatic capillaries and vessels, lymph nodes, the spleen, the thymus, the tonsils, and lymph itself. Some of the fluid that is deposited into the tissues from the blood is taken up by lymphatic capillaries where it becomes lymph. Lymphatic capillaries and vessels have valves that prevent back flow, ensuring one-way flow of lymphatic fluids. Lymphatic capillaries eventually converge to form lymphatic vessels, which are similar in comparison to veins. Lymphatic…

Myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune disease that targets the neuromuscular junction resulting in impaired impulse transmission and skeletal muscle weakness. The muscular weakness may exacerbate during periods of activity while improving after periods of rest, occurring with various severities. Muscles that control the eyes, eyelids, facial expression, swallowing, and talking can also be affected. Symptoms are presented as drooping of the eyelids, called ptosis, blurred or double vision,…

Cushing syndrome is a silent disease that hides behind extreme weight gain and a variety of seemingly random symptoms. Its name can change depending on the origin of the illness. Cushing syndrome refers to all patients with the classic symptoms and signs of the condition regardless of the cause, while Cushing disease is reserved for patients in which the signs and symptoms are caused by an adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) secreting tumor. Of all the patients with spontaneously occurring…

Linda Griffith etal (2002) states that tissue engineering exploits living cells to restore tissues and organs through transplantation. Organ transplantation can improve the quality of life of patients with organ failure (Herman Waldmann,1999). According to Arthur Caplan (1983) the transplantation of organs with the aid of immunosuppressive drugs has been successful over the years for bone marrow, hearts, livers, lungs, pancreases and spleens for example. To improve the donor pool, proposals can…

Since a decade ago, the public has been presented with large quantities of information regarding the safety of vaccines. Amongst the many reasons for this is the great success of routine, universal immunization of infants and children since the 1940s. This policy has wiped out previously common, dangerous, crippling, and potentially fatal diseases. At the closing of the last century, immunization was acknowledged as the finest achievement for the United States’ public health in the twentieth…

Mandy Roberson Endocrine System The endocrine system has to do with the hormones of the body. Hormones are chemical messengers that travel throughout the bloodstream to other tissues. These hormones are secreted by endocrine glands throughout the body. Hormones help with the functions of certain organs and glands and help with digestion, muscle contraction, sex hormones for reproduction, sleep, and much more. They can really dictate how chemicals in the body react. The major function of the…

External agents seem to be of interest in the deregulation of T cell selection, known as negative selection, in the thymus. The incorrect mechanism for screening certain subsets of human cells causes differentiation of auto reactive and self-antigen specific cells to enter the periphery. The self-antigen specific T cells usually recognize myelin antigens located in the…