News tagged with white blood cells

Related topics: cells , immune system , immune cells , t cells , immune response



White blood cell

White 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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Stem-cell-based strategy boosts immune system in mice

Raising hopes for cell-based therapies, UC San Francisco researchers have created the first functioning human thymus tissue from embryonic stem cells in the laboratory. The researchers showed that, in mice, ...

Immunology created May 16, 2013 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Hospital hypoglycemia rates up in black men with diabetes

(HealthDay)—Home diabetes regimens partially explain the increased risk of having a hypoglycemia event during hospitalization among older African-American men with diabetes, according to a study published ...

Diabetes created May 14, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Researchers discover master regulator that drives majority of lymphoma

A soon-to-be-tested class of drug inhibitors were predicted to help a limited number of patients with B-cell lymphomas with mutations affecting the EZH2 protein. However, a research team, led by investigators at Weill Cornell ...

Cancer created May 13, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Team finds antibody that transforms bone marrow stem cells directly into brain cells

In a serendipitous discovery, scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found a way to turn bone marrow stem cells directly into brain cells.

Medical research created Apr 22, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (11) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

T cells rely on 'rheostat' to help ensure that the immune response matches the threat

A properly functioning immune system is a lesson in balance, providing protection against disease without attacking healthy tissue. Work led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists and published recently in Nature Im ...

Immunology created Apr 30, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Type 1 diabetes and heart disease linked by inflammatory protein

Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes appears to increase the risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death among people with high blood sugar, partly by stimulating the production of calprotectin, a protein that sparks ...

Inflammatory disorders created May 07, 2013 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Synthetic derivatives of THC may weaken HIV-1 infection to enhance antiviral therapies

A new use for compounds related in composition to the active ingredient in marijuana may be on the horizon: a new research report published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology shows that compounds that stimulate the cannab ...

HIV & AIDS created Apr 30, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Video reveals cancer cells' Achilles' heel (w/ Video)

(Medical Xpress)—Scientists from the Manchester Collaborative Centre for Inflammation Research (MCCIR) have discovered why a particular cancer drug is so effective at killing cells. Their findings could ...

Cancer created Apr 24, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Trial asthma drug targets lung inflammation

University of Adelaide researchers at the Royal Adelaide Hospital are involved in the world's biggest study of its kind investigating a possible new treatment for asthma.

Inflammatory disorders created May 01, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0