Word: thymus
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...Dieu Hospital. The doctors wanted to treat David while he was still in his mother's womb because they thought if the procedure was done early, it would have better odds of succeeding. They took 7 cc of liquid, containing about 16 million immune cells from the liver and thymus of two aborted fetuses, and injected the material into David's umbilical cord. After he was born, David received an injection of more cells. Blood tests indicate that the transplanted cells have multiplied in David's liver, spleen and bone marrow -- signs that his immune system may become normal...
...immune systems. Because of a genetic abnormality known as SCID (for severe combined immunodeficiency), these mice usually die at an early age, often of pneumocystis pneumonia, the disease that kills many AIDS patients. The researchers implanted some 300 of the defective mice with tissue taken from human fetal thymus, where certain immune and blood cells develop, and with blood-forming cells from fetal liver. The implanted tissues soon produced mature human T cells, specialized white blood cells that help provide immunity against disease. Mice that additionally received fetal lymph tissue -- needed for the functioning of some immune cells -- also developed...
...American newborns a year. Most die by age two. Children with SCID lack specialized white blood cells called Tcells, which help defend the body against viruses and other invaders. T-cells are ordinarily produced in an immature form in the bone marrow and come to maturity in the thymus (hence the T). The only cure for SCID is a transplant of healthy marrow, a bloodlike fluid found in large bones. But such transplants are difficult, since donated marrow must be carefully matched to the white-cell type of the recipient, far more complex than simply matching...
While some investigators delve into the question of AIDS transmission, others are exploring the nature of the disease. The type of immunosuppression found in AIDS patients appears to be unique, affecting white blood cells called T lymphocytes (T for thymus, which plays a role in their development). Certain of these cells help defend the body against viruses, foreign tissue (like organ transplants) and the growth of cancer cells. There are several types, including helper T cells, which promote the production of antibodies against foreign invaders, and suppressor T cells, which reduce antibody output. Healthy individuals have twice as many helpers...
...Thymus Vulgaris, The Lady or the Tiger and Corner, 28th and Bank...