Related topics: immune system , stem cells , cells , cancer , proceedings of the national academy of sciences
White blood cell
hideWhite blood cells (WBCs), or leukocytes (also spelled "leucocytes"), are cells of the immune system defending the body against both infectious disease and foreign materials. Five different and diverse types of leukocytes exist, but they are all produced and derived from a multipotent cell in the bone marrow known as a hematopoietic stem cell. Leukocytes are found throughout the body, including the blood and lymphatic system.
The number of leukocytes in the blood is often an indicator of disease. There are normally between 4×109 and 1.1×1010 white blood cells in a litre of blood, making up approximately 1% of blood in a healthy adult. An increase in the number of leukocytes over the upper limits is called leukocytosis, and in leukopenia, this number is much lower than the lower limit. The physical properties of leukocytes, such as volume, conductivity, and granularity, may change due to activation, the presence of immature cells, or the presence of malignant leukocytes in leukemia.
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News tagged with white blood cells
Common allergy drug reduces obesity and diabetes in mice
Jul 26, 2009 |
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Crack open the latest medical textbook to the chapter on type 2, or adult-onset, diabetes, and you'll be hard pressed to find the term "immunology" anywhere. This is because metabolic conditions and immunologic conditions ...
Curcumin May be Viable Supplement to Treat Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Jul 27, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Turmeric - the key ingredient in curry - has been used in India for thousands of years to help treat colds, inflammation, arthritis and even cancer.
Immune cells from patients with rheumatoid arthritis have prematurely aged chromosomes
Mar 04, 2009 |
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Telomeres, structures that cap the ends of cells' chromosomes, grow shorter with each round of cell division unless a specialized enzyme replenishes them. Maintaining telomeres is thought to be important for healthy aging ...
Omega-3 kills cancer cells
Apr 02, 2009 |
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Docosahexanoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oils, has been shown to reduce the size of tumours and enhance the positive effects of the chemotherapy drug cisplatin, while limiting its harmful side effects. ...
Common diabetes drug may 'revolutionize' cancer therapies
Jun 03, 2009 |
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Researchers at McGill University and the University of Pennsylvania have discovered that a widely used anti-diabetic drug can boost the immune system and increase the potency of vaccines and cancer treatments. Their findings ...
Israeli scientists find way to combat forged DNA
Aug 20, 2009 |
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Israeli scientists have developed new technology to fight biological identity theft after realising that DNA evidence found at crime scenes can be easily falsified.
Gene Testing In the Doctors Office
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Dec 02, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A portable instrument manufactured by Nanosphere Inc. and recently approved by the FDA, can detect genetic variations in blood that alter the effectiveness of some drugs.
Hydrogen peroxide marshals immune system (w/Video)
Jun 03, 2009 |
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When you were a kid your mom poured it on your scraped finger to stave off infection. When you got older you might have even used it to bleach your hair. Now there's another possible function for this over-the-counter colorless ...
Body's immune system response to dental plaque varies by gender and race
Sep 25, 2009 |
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Will neglecting to brush your teeth damage more than just your smile? Can failing to attack dental plaque increase your risk of heart damage?
Vitamin A signals offer clues to treating autoimmunity
Mar 01, 2009 |
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Distributed around the body, dendritic cells act as the security alarms of the immune system. After sensing the presence of intruders, dendritic cells can transmit the alarm to white blood cells or tell them to relax, depending ...
Key found to how tumor cells invade the brain in childhood cancer
Jun 17, 2009 |
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Despite great strides in treating childhood leukemia, a form of the disease called T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) poses special challenges because of the high risk of leukemic cells invading ...
Researchers explore new driver of transplant rejection: Platelets
Feb 17, 2009 |
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Platelets, tiny and relatively uncharted tenants of the bloodstream known mostly for their role in blood clotting, turn out to also rally sustained immune system inflammatory responses that play a critical role in organ transplant ...
Potential preventative therapy for Type 1 diabetes
Apr 29, 2009 |
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Scientists believe they may have found a preventative therapy for Type 1 diabetes, by making the body's killer immune cells tolerate the insulin-producing cells they would normally attack and destroy, prior to disease onset.
New technique may help detect potential breast cancer spread
May 08, 2009 |
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A new phase III clinical trial of early stage breast cancer patients has shown that a molecule designed to home in on nearby lymph nodes is just as accurate as current techniques, but faster, more specific and easier to use.
New research discovers link between smoking and brain damage
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Jun 23, 2009 |
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New research which suggests a direct link between smoking and brain damage will be published in the July issue of the Journal of Neurochemistry. Researchers, led by Debapriya Ghosh and Dr Anirban Basu from the Indian Nation ...
