Thymus, Functions, Diseases, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions

by Kenneth Kee

Overview

This book describes Thymus, Functions, Diseases, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases

Thymus is a bi-lobed organ located at the superior and anterior mediastinum.
The thymus is pinkish-gray in color, soft, and lobulated on its surfaces.
The thymus is made up of two identical lobes and is sited anatomically in the anterior superior mediastinum, in front of the heart and behind the sternum.
It may spread to the neck region where it is related to the thyroid gland.
The two lobes normally differ in size.
They are sometimes joined through a septum to form a single mass and occasionally parted by an intermediate lobe.
The size is about 5 cm. in length, 4 cm. in breadth below, and about 6 mm. in thickness.
Birth - About 15grams
Puberty - About 35grams
Twenty-five years - 25grams
Sixty years - Less than 15grams
Seventy years - as low as 6grams
The thymus is a primary lymphoid organ and the first location for development of T cell immunological function.
Life and Death of a thymus gland cell
My name is Thymus Man the Thymus Gland Cell.
I was named Thymus Man by my friends who feel that Thymus Man is the most suitable name of a cell from the Thymus Gland of the human body.
The only cells in the early human embryo are our precursor cells or stem cells that are urged into becoming specialized bone, nerve, internal organ or thymus gland by the action of genes and the growth-and-development molecules produced by genes.
My thymus cells develop from the ventral portion of the third pharyngeal pouch.
My thymus is populated by lymphocytes and my thymocytes.
My medulla also contains some epithelial cells arranged in a concentric fashion to form the Hassal corpuscles.
The two main components of my thymus, the lymphoid thymocytes and my thymic epithelial cells, have distinct developmental origins.
My thymic epithelium appears first in the form of two flask-shape endodermal diverticula which arise one on either side from the third branchial pouch (pharyngeal pouch) in the embryo and extend laterally and backward into the surrounding mesoderm and neural crest -derived mesenchyme in front of the ventral aorta.
Here we thymocytes and epithelium meet and join with the connective tissue.
The pharyngeal opening of each of my diverticula is soon obliterated but the neck of the flask (pouch) persists for some time as a cellular cord.
The cells lining the flask proliferate and form buds of my thymic cells which become surrounded and isolated by the invading mesoderm.
Extra portions of my thymus tissue are developed from the fourth branchial pouches.
During the late stages of the development of my thymic epithelium, hematopoietic bone-marrow precursors migrate into the thymus.
My normal thymic development is dependent on the interaction between my thymic epithelium and the hematopoietic thymocytes
My embryonic thymic remnants then give rise to ectopic thymic tissue in the neck, thyroid and parathyroid glands.
Following the rapid population with lymphocyte precursors from developing hematopoietic tissues, my thymus becomes a lymphoepithelial organ.
My thymus is large proportionately at birth and continues to grow to the age of puberty when it reaches maximum weight of 40gms.
I then begin to involute though the organ never undergoes complete atrophy.
My thymus teaches T-lymphocytes critical cells of the adaptive immune system how to counter pathogens.
My thymus provides for development of T-lymphocytes from hematopoietic progenitor cells.
By the early teens my thymus begins to atrophy and my thymic stroma is replaced by adipose tissue.
After middle age it decreases at a rate of 1% until death.
The necrosis of my thymus gland can cause the death of me

TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Thymus
Chapter 2 Functions of Thymus
Chapter 3 Life Cycle
Chapter 4 Diseases of Thymus
Chapter 5 Thymus Thump
Chapter 6 Thymus cancers
Chapter 7 Myasthenia Gravis
Chapter 8 Life and Death of Thymocyte
Epilogue

Product Details

BN ID:	2940155922230
Publisher:	Kenneth Kee
Publication date:	12/25/2018
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
File size:	130 KB

About the Author

Medical doctor since 1972. Started Kee Clinic in 1974 at 15 Holland Dr #03-102, relocated to 36 Holland Dr #01-10 in 2009. Did my M.Sc (Health Management ) in 1991 and Ph.D (Healthcare Administration) in 1993. Dr Kenneth Kee is still working as a family doctor at the age of 65. However he has reduced his consultation hours to 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon. He first started writing free blogs on medical conditions seen in the clinic in 2007 on http://kennethkee.blogspot.com. His purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of his patients which is also his dissertation for his Ph.D (Healthcare Administration). He then wrote an autobiolographical account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.com. This autobiolographical account “A Family Doctor’s Tale” was combined with his early “A Simple Guide to Medical Conditions” into a new Wordpress Blog “A Family Doctor’s Tale” on http://ken-med.com. From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 550 amazon kindle books and some into Smashwords.com eBooks. He apologized for typos and spelling mistakes in his earlier books. He will endeavor to improve the writing in futures. Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple. For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients. The later books go into more details of medical conditions. The first chapter of all my ebooks is always taken from my blog A Simple Guide to Medical Conditions which was started in 2007 as a simple educational help to my patients on my first blog http://kennethkee.blogspot.com. The medical condition was described simply and direct to the point. Because the simple guide as taken from the blog was described as too simple, I have increased the other chapters to include more detailed description of the illness, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. As a result there are the complaints by some readers of constant repetitions of the same contents but in detail and fairly up to date. He has published 550 eBooks on various subjects on health, 1 autobiography of his medical journey, another on the autobiography of a Cancer survivor, 2 children stories and one how to study for his nephew and grand-daughter. The purpose of these simple guides is to educate patient on health conditions and not meant as textbooks. He does not do any night duty since 2000 ever since Dr Tan had his second stroke. His clinic is now relocated to the Bouna Vista Community Centre. The 2 units of his original clinic are being demolished to make way for a new Shopping Mall. He is now doing some blogging and internet surfing (bulletin boards since the 1980's) starting with the Apple computer and going to PC. All the PC is upgraded by himself from XT to the present Pentium duo core. The present Intel i7 CPU is out of reach at the moment because the CPU is still expensive. He is also into DIY changing his own toilet cistern and other electric appliance. His hunger for knowledge has not abated and he is a lifelong learner. The children have all grown up and there are 2 grandchildren who are even more technically advanced than the grandfather where mobile phones are concerned. This book is taken from some of the many articles in his blog (now with 740 posts) A Family Doctor’s Tale. Dr Kee is the author of: "A Family Doctor's Tale" "Life Lessons Learned From The Study And Practice Of Medicine" "Case Notes From A Family Doctor"