Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Ileum, caecum and colon of rabbit, showing Appendix vermiformis on fully functional caecum The human vermiform appendix on the vestigial caecum. The appendix was once believed to be a vestige of a redundant organ that in ancestral species had digestive functions, much as it still does in extant species in which intestinal flora hydrolyze cellulose and similar indigestible plant materials. [10]
In humans, the vermiform appendix is sometimes called a vestigial structure as it has lost much of its ancestral digestive function.. Vestigiality is the retention, during the process of evolution, of genetically determined structures or attributes that have lost some or all of the ancestral function in a given species. [1]
The appendix, long misunderstood as a vestigial organ, is now recognized as a key MALT structure, playing an essential role in B-lymphocyte-mediated immune responses, hosting extrathymically derived T-lymphocytes, regulating pathogens through its lymphatic vessels, and potentially producing early defenses against diseases. [1]
Appendicitis is one of the most frequent diagnoses for emergency department visits resulting in hospitalization among children ages 5–17 years in the United States. [108] Adults presenting to the emergency department with a known family history of appendicitis are more likely to have this disease than those without. [109]
It is also called appendicolith when it occurs in the appendix and is sometimes concurrent with appendicitis. [1] They can also obstruct diverticula. It can form secondary to fecal impaction. A fecaloma is a more severe form of fecal impaction, and a hardened fecaloma may be considered a giant fecalith. The term is from the Greek líthos=stone. [2]
Scrotal ultrasonography of an 85-year-old man with hydrocele, making the appendix of the testicle clearly distinctive as a 4 mm outpouching at upper right in image. Doppler shows some blood flow. The appendix testis (or hydatid of Morgagni ) is a vestigial remnant of the Müllerian duct , present on the upper pole of the testis and attached to ...
Research suggests that oxidative stress, which is caused by factors including sunlight, alcohol, and certain medications, plays a role in aging and the development of neurodegenerative diseases.
The combination of inflammation, reduced blood flow to the appendix, and distention of the appendix causes tissue injury, and tissue death. [6] If this process is left untreated, the appendix may burst, releasing bacteria into the abdominal cavity, leading to increased complications. [6] [7]