医学英语课件 免疫系统 Lymphatic and Immune System.pptVIP

Lymphatic and Immune Systems Introduction Lymph is a clear, watery fluid that surrounds body cells and flows in a system of lymph vessels that extends throughout the body. Lymph fluid is rich in two types of white blood cells: Lymphocytes and monocytes. The liquid part of lymph is similar to blood plasma in that it contains water, salts, sugar and wastes of metabolism such as urea and creatinine, but less protein. Introduction Lymph actually originates from the blood. It is the fluid that filters out of tiny blood vessels into the spaces between cells. This fluid that surrounds body cells is called interstitial fluid. Interstitial fluid passes continuously into specialized thin-walled vessels called lymph capillaries, which are found coursing through tissue spaces. The fluid in the lymph capillaries, now called lymph instead of interstitial fluid, passes through larger lymphatic vessels and through deposits of lymph tissues (lymph nodes), finally to reach large lymph vessels in the upper chest. Lymph enters these large lymphatic vessels, which then empty into the blood stream. Anatomy Lymph capillaries[1]begin at the spaces around cells throughout the body. Like blood capillaries, they are thin-walled tubes. Lymph capillaries carry lymph from the tissue spaces to large lymph vessels[2]. Lymph vessels have thicker walls than those of lymph capillaries and, like veins, contain valves so that lymph flows in only one direction, toward the thoracic cavity. Collections of stationary lymph tissue, called lymph nodes[3], are located along the path of the lymph vessels,. These masses of lymph cells vessels are surrounded by a fibrous, connective tissue capsule Lymph nodes not only produce lymphocytes but also filter lymph and trap substance from inflammatory and cancerous lesions. Special cells, called macrophages, located in lymph nodes (as well as in the spleen, liver, lungs, brain, and spinal cord), phagocytose foreign substances. When bacteria are present in ly