Immune Privilege

Certain sites of the human body have immune privilege, meaning that they are able to tolerate the introduction of antigens without eliciting an inflammatory immune response.

The eye is a model example of a site with immune privilege. Immune privilege is important in the eye to protect it from destructive inflammation that may impair vision. Immune privilege in the eye is attributed to various mechanisms: lack of lymphatic drainage, low expression of MHC (major histocompatibility complex) molecules, and local production of immunosuppressive cytokines among others.

Research of immune privilege may lead to various medical breakthroughs. Once scientists understand how to induce immunological tolerance, and how exactly it works, it could be possible to disrupt the immune privilege seen in tumours and can also be used to prevent graft rejection by promoting immune privilege.

Sources:

https://www.nature.com/articles/mi200827

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2195673/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/immunology-and-microbiology/immune-privilege

Comments

Kidney Stones

Renal calculi, or kidney stones is the formation of crystals in the kidneys causing excretory issues. These stones mainly form in the renal pelvis or the ureter in the kidney. It is accompanied by symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and a burning sensation when urinating Urine consists of salts and various compounds such as Calcium, Potassium, Sodium, Oxalate, Phosphate and Uric acid. Calcium oxalate is the most common stone formed in the kidneys, it accounts for 80% of kidney stones The crystals can scratch the walls of the urinary tract, sending nerve impulses to the brain causing excruciating abdominal pain. The scratches also cause blood vessels embedded behind the walls to burst, causing blood to enter the urinary system. This causes the patient to urinate blood. IF the stone is big enough to cause a blockage in the urinary tract, this can create a backflow of urine and infect the kidneys itselves. However, most kidney stones do not grow large enough to cause a blockage. This w...

Organ Transplants

Organ transplantation is a medical procedure in which an organ is removed from one body and planted in the body of a recipient. It is often the only treatment for end stage organ failure, such as liver and heart failure. Researchers have historically experimented with organ transplantation on animals and humans since the 18th century. However, the first major breakthrough was made in 1954, when the first successful kidney transplant was performed. Since then, medical breakthroughs such as tissue typing and immunosuppressant drugs have only increased the success rate of this procedure. In Singapore, the Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA) covers all aged 21 and above, unless one has opted out. HOTA allows for the kidneys, heart, liver and corneas to be removed for transplantation in the event of death. Sources: https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/learn/about-transplantation/history/ https://www.moh.gov.sg/policies-and-legislation/human-organ-transplant-act https://www.who.i...

Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive nervous system disorder that affects one’s movements. Parkinson’s disease signs and symptoms are different for every individual and may go unnoticed in the early stage. Symptoms typically start on one side of the body and remain worse on that side even after the symptoms begin appearing in both sides of the body. Generally, the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease include tremors, slowed movement, rigid muscles, impaired posture and balance, loss of automatic movements such as blinking or swinging of arms when walking, and speech and writing changes. Parkinson’s disease occurs when neurons in an area of the brain that controls movement becomes impaired or dies. These neurons normally produce dopamine. As more neurons become impaired or die, the amount of dopamine produced in the body is reduced significantly, causing the movement problems associated with Parkinson’s disease. People with Parkinson’s also lose the nerve endings that produc...

Injections of Medical Insights

Search This Blog