Slashdot Mirror
Major New Function Discovered For the Spleen
circletimessquare writes "The spleen doesn't get much respect — as one researcher put it, 'the spleen lacks the gravitas of neighboring organs.' Those undergoing a splenectomy seem to be able to carry on without any consequences. However, some studies have suggested an enhanced risk of early death for those who have undergone splenectomies. Now researchers have discovered why: the spleen apparently serves as a vast reservoir for monocytes, the largest of the white blood cells, the wrecking crew of the immune system. After major trauma, such as a heart attack, the monocytes are disgorged into the blood stream and immediately get to work repairing the damage. '"The parallel in military terms is a standing army," said Matthias Nahrendorf, an author of the report. "You don't want to have to recruit an entire fighting force from the ground up every time you need it."'"
So how long are their deployments?
-US Army soldier.
...when there's trouble you call the US. Or get a monocyte injection.
However, some studies have suggested an enhanced risk of early death for those who have undergone splenectomies
I don't see how this is a problem. This is a new discovery- those old spleens didn't have this functionality yet.
My webcomic
My Dad had his spleen removed when he was a kid, and a number of years ago (10) was told he had to carry a card around with him that said something like
"I have had my spleen removed and may be subject to overwhelming infection."
Seriously. We told him he shouldn't use that as his opening gambit when talking to girls :-)
War is God's way of teaching Americans geography
Yet, somehow, we don't know the basic workings of our own bodies.
Proof that God is male- he ignores the concept of an instruction manual.
My webcomic
Earlobes serve as a reservoir for gems and precious metals, in case of emergency financial distress.
If you persist with your LIES, you will be hearing from our lawyers.
Yours sincerely,
Yakult Honsha Co. Ltd
So...you're saying it was a bad idea to get all the organs I didn't understand removed, then? Uh oh...
but have you considered the following argument: shut up.
That's rubbish! You're lying and we all know it. What really happened was you were put on a waiting list to receive your rationed treatment options or more likely told you were too old and would need to be euthanized. If you were in the US you'd be alive and in debt, just like God intended.
If you build it, nerds will come. Soylentnews.org
+1, Car analogy
No sig for the moment.
Dude what do you expect humans are still in an alpha release...If you want to know how it works your just going to have to read the code. They run pretty crappie because they are mainly a few hacks wrapped around bits and pieces cobbled together from other projects. The betas and the QA lab are still billions of years away. But trust me the new interface that's coming out is going to be sweet.
Unfortunately at the next major release they wipe the dev systems to clean out any faulty data. Sorry.
Quaid, start the reactor. Save Mars!
I am the richest astronaut ever to win the superbowl.