LCB2 Flashcards
What are the functions of the lymphatic system?
- Remove excess interstitial (tissue) fluid
- Immune defense
- Transportation of fats
What is lymphoedema?
Localised fluid retention within the tissues causing tissue swelling –> obstruction –> high risk of infection
How is lymph flow maintained?
- Contain valves
- Contraction of skeletal muscle and arteries
Where is lymph carried?
In circulatory system
What if the function of the thoracic duct?
- Drains lymph into left jugular vein or vena cava
- Collects lymph from left side of thorax and chyle cistern
- Largest duct
Where does chyle cisterna collect lymph from?
-The cistern drains the abdomen, hind limbs and the pelvic regions.
What is chyle?
- Lymph from the digestive system
- Contains CHYLOMICRONS (protein coated lipid droplets ) which drain into lymphatic capillaries in SI (lacteals)
What is the function of lacteals?
Return chyle to chyle cistern
What are the palpable lymph nodes in the dog?
-Submandibular, prescapular, popliteal, axillary (not always)
What are the palpable lymph nodes in the cow?
-Submandibular, prescapular, subiliac, mammary (if infected)
Describe the anatomy of the lymph node
- Medulla: contains macrophages and plasma cells
- Outer cortex (lymphatic follicle): follicles with B cells
- Deep cortex (paracortex): contains T cells (CD4 Th + CD8 cytotoxic)
- High endothelial venule: exit of lymphocytes into the blood
What is the lymph circulation in the lymph node?
Afferent lymphatic vessel –> capsule –> subscapsular sinus –> paratrabecular sinus –> medulla –> medullary sinus efferent lymphatic vessel
What is the cause of swollen lymph nodes?
- Infection
- Rapid cell turnover
- Inflammatory mediators
What is metastasis?
As flow through LN’s are slow cells from primary tumours enter the lymphatic and grow as secondary tumoours in the LN’s
What is the structure and function of the thymus?
- Primary lymphoid tissue: where lymphocytes are matured
- involved in positive and negative selection
- ruminants and pigs have 2 lobes: cervical and thoracic
- Cortex- contains T cells (where positive selection occurs )
- Medulla- contains macrophages (where negative selection occurs)
- Hassall’s corpuscles in the medulla
What is the structure and function of the spleen?
- Secondary lymphoid tissue
- White pulp- contains lymphocytes
- PALS (in white pulp): contain Th cells
- Splenic follicles (in white pulp): contain Bcells and macrophages
- Red pulp- filters and removes old and damaged RBC’s
- Haematopoeisis
What is the blood supply in the spleen?
Trabecular artery –> white pulp- central a. –> marginal sinus –> drain into red pulp vascular spaces –> splenic venules + veins –> hepatic portal vein –> liver
What is a primary lymphoid organ?
- involved in maturation of lymphocytes
- Bone marrow, thymus, Bursa of Fabricus, Peyer’s Patch, appendix (in rabbits)
What is a secondary lymphoid organ?
- Where lymphocytes are activated + proliferated
- Spleen, LN’s, MALT
What is positive selection?
- Process where T cells are equipped with correct receptors to identify self molecules MHC
- within the cortex of thymus
What is negative selection?
- Process where T cells that recognise MHC as non self are removed by macrophages
- In the medulla of thymus
Where is the follicle associated epithelium present and what is it specialised for?
- in Peyer’s Patch
- specialised for antigen uptake
What is the structure of lymph capillaries?
- lined by continuous single layered endothelium
- No valves
- Interstitual fluid enter via openings at intervals between adjacent endothelial cells
What is the structure of lymph vessels?
- Thinner walls than normal vessels
- More valves than normal vessels