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To: elmatador who wrote (32043)	4/21/2003 11:56:56 PM
From: LLCF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 74559

<But people decided that they should avoid anything that's not clean. They employ tons of detergents. They don't live close to dirty, not the clean kids mixes with the dirty kids. > But those people aren't healthy... the argument is a bit convoluted to be honest. It's often the sickly that take tons of anti-biotics and have shot immune systems. DAK

To: elmatador who wrote (32043)	4/22/2003 12:31:35 AM
From: chemist61	Respond to of 74559

A good example would be the role of the appendix in "training" the immune system: "Among adult humans, the appendix is now thought to be involved primarily in immune functions. Lymphoid tissue begins to accumulate in the appendix shortly after birth and reaches a peak between the second and third decades of life, decreasing rapidly thereafter and practically disappearing after the age of 60. During the early years of development, however, the appendix has been shown to function as a lymphoid organ, assisting with the maturation of B lymphocytes (one variety of white blood cell) and in the production of the class of antibodies known as immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies. Researchers have also shown that the appendix is involved in the production of molecules that help to direct the movement of lymphocytes to various other locations in the body. "In this context, the function of the appendix appears to be to expose white blood cells to the wide variety of antigens, or foreign substances, present in the gastrointestinal tract. Thus, the appendix probably helps to suppress potentially destructive humoral (blood- and lymph-borne) antibody responses while promoting local immunity. The appendix--like the tiny structures called Peyer's patches in other areas of the gastrointestinal tract--takes up antigens from the contents of the intestines and reacts to these contents. This local immune system plays a vital role in the physiological immune response and in the control of food, drug, microbial or viral antigens. The connection between these local immune reactions and inflammatory bowel diseases, as well as autoimmune reactions in which the individual's own tissues are attacked by the immune system, is currently under investigation." complete link: sciam.com