Thymus transplant could save babies, study finds.Babies born without a thymus thymus Pyramid-shaped lymphoid organ (see lymphoid tissue) between the breastbone and the heart. Starting at puberty, it shrinks slowly. It has no lymphatic vessels draining into it and does not filter lymph; instead, stem cells in its outer cortex develop into , an essential component of the immune system immune system Cells, cell products, organs, and structures of the body involved in the detection and destruction of foreign invaders, such as bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells. Immunity is based on the system's ability to launch a defense against such invaders. , could have a chance at life through transplantation using tissue normally discarded during cardiac surgery Cardiac surgery is surgery on the heart and/or great vessels performed by a cardiac surgeon. Frequently, it is done to treat complications of ischemic heart disease (for example, coronary artery bypass grafting), correct congenital heart disease, or treat valvular heart disease on other infants, said US and French researchers. Between 5 and 10 children are born in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. each year without a thymus gland thymus gland (thī`məs), mass of glandular tissue located in the neck or chest of most vertebrate animals. In humans, the thymus is a soft, flattened, pinkish-gray organ located in the upper chest under the breastbone. , the organ that programs T-cells to recognize and attack invaders, such as bacteria and viruses. Without this gland, the children cannot develop an immune system, and they inevitably die. Teams at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC and Necker Hospital in Paris, France said they implanted discarded thymus tissue in 12 children without thymuses, and 7 have survived for between 2 and 10 years. The slices of thymus tissue produced enough T-cells to keep the infants healthy, they reported in the August issue of the journal Blood. Part of the thymus is removed during cardiac surgery on infants, and the researchers said the parents of such babies will often happily donate it. |
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