Click here to read an article from the New York Times about a promising surgery technique on liver transplant. 1. Why do transplant patients need to take immunosuppression drugs? 2. How do these drugs affect the patient? 3. Why/How are rejections caused?
That article was interesting. Indeed,thank you Nina for sharing. Questions: 1)Immunosupression drugs either keep the immune system from recognizing a foreign antigen or stop the immune response from occuring. Transplant patients need to take these drugs to prevent any transplant rejection. The drugs sort of immobilize the immune system to keep the body from rejecting the transplant. 2)These drugs supress the immune system of the transplant patient, leaving him/her more at risk for infections, cancer, or other complications. 3)Cytotoxic T cells, or Killer T cells, directly attack any foreign antigen. Killer T cells can not recognize the antigens of the cells of the donor's organ. They attack the donor organ's cells directly, causing a rejection of the transplant. Basically, the Killer T cells attack the transplanted organ and prevent it from working within the patient's body.
1. Transplant patients take immunosuppression drugs to prevent the immune system to react to foreign substances. Since the transplanted organ is not recognized as part of the body in the beginning, in order to avoid the risk of the immune system rejecting the organ, it is "shut off" until the organ is recognized as part of the patient's body.
2. Although these drugs help assist with the transplant so it goes smoothly, immunosuppressants inhibit the immune system, so other illnesses or viruses go undetected, infect the body, and can lead to worse problems.
3. Rejections are caused because if the immune system reactivates, and identifies the organ as a foreign substance, it will attack it and destroy it.
"The best candidates are children with acute hepatic failure, a deadly condition in which the liver suddenly stops working, often for unknown reasons. Although the liver might be able to recover, it cannot do so fast enough to prevent brain damage and death from the toxins that build up." When I saw this quote from the article with the part about toxins building up, it reminded me about the lab we did, and how livers break down poisonous materials in the body. If it stops working, is that why toxins are building up?
1. Why do transplant patients need to take immunosuppression drugs? Transplant patients need to take immunosuppresion drugs in order to prevent the body from initially rejecting the transplanted organ at first. This is done by, well, suppressing the immune system.
2. How do these drugs affect the patient? How these drugs affect the patient is it makes sure the body rejects the drug, but since the immune system is being "suppressed", it increases the risk for infections, cancer, and more.
3. Why/How are rejections caused? Rejections are caused because the immune system sees the transplanted organ as a foreign substance, and so, how the rejection is caused is the immune system fights off the "disease". (not really a disease)
P.S. I read the science times every tuesday, so if I see another article I find interesting, I'll make sure to mention it to you.
Thanks Nina for telling me about the article!
ReplyDeleteThat article was interesting. Indeed,thank you Nina for sharing.
ReplyDeleteQuestions:
1)Immunosupression drugs either keep the immune system from recognizing a foreign antigen or stop the immune response from occuring. Transplant patients need to take these drugs to prevent any transplant rejection. The drugs sort of immobilize the immune system to keep the body from rejecting the transplant.
2)These drugs supress the immune system of the transplant patient, leaving him/her more at risk for infections, cancer, or other complications.
3)Cytotoxic T cells, or Killer T cells, directly attack any foreign antigen. Killer T cells can not recognize the antigens of the cells of the donor's organ. They attack the donor organ's cells directly, causing a rejection of the transplant. Basically, the Killer T cells attack the transplanted organ and prevent it from working within the patient's body.
1. Transplant patients take immunosuppression drugs to prevent the immune system to react to foreign substances. Since the transplanted organ is not recognized as part of the body in the beginning, in order to avoid the risk of the immune system rejecting the organ, it is "shut off" until the organ is recognized as part of the patient's body.
ReplyDelete2. Although these drugs help assist with the transplant so it goes smoothly, immunosuppressants inhibit the immune system, so other illnesses or viruses go undetected, infect the body, and can lead to worse problems.
3. Rejections are caused because if the immune system reactivates, and identifies the organ as a foreign substance, it will attack it and destroy it.
"The best candidates are children with acute hepatic failure, a deadly condition in which the liver suddenly stops working, often for unknown reasons. Although the liver might be able to recover, it cannot do so fast enough to prevent brain damage and death from the toxins that build up." When I saw this quote from the article with the part about toxins building up, it reminded me about the lab we did, and how livers break down poisonous materials in the body. If it stops working, is that why toxins are building up?
ReplyDelete1. Why do transplant patients need to take immunosuppression drugs?
Transplant patients need to take immunosuppresion drugs in order to prevent the body from initially rejecting the transplanted organ at first. This is done by, well, suppressing the immune system.
2. How do these drugs affect the patient?
How these drugs affect the patient is it makes sure the body rejects the drug, but since the immune system is being "suppressed", it increases the risk for infections, cancer, and more.
3. Why/How are rejections caused?
Rejections are caused because the immune system sees the transplanted organ as a foreign substance, and so, how the rejection is caused is the immune system fights off the "disease". (not really a disease)
P.S. I read the science times every tuesday, so if I see another article I find interesting, I'll make sure to mention it to you.