We are so cool. No, really– in the video below, a neutrophil, one of the cells of the innate immune system, chases down and engulfs foreign bacteria detected in the bloodstream. This is going on inside of us all the time– a complex chemical war waged against dangerous intruders.<\/p>\n
The problem is, in autoimmune disorders like type 1 diabetes, chemical markers in our own bodies become targets of immune cells. Not of neutrophils specifically, but of the T-cells in the adaptive immune system, primed in part by the innate immune system.<\/p>\n
So, yeah, that’s not so cool, perhaps– but, still– watching that little neutrophil go, and considering how many whips and scorns time raises against our bodies– I can only conclude we’re still pretty cool. To put it another way, I’m kind of amazed we survive at all; in the face of how much could go wrong, and how much does go right, diabetes seems like a rather manageable problem in the end. So my immune system misclassified some of my T-cells, and let the ones that were self-reactive escape the thymus. Maybe I’ll cut it some slack, seeing how well it takes care of me for the most part.<\/p>\n
And plus, how could I stay mad at my immune system– just look at how cute it is!<\/p>\n
[youtube]http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=JnlULOjUhSQ[\/youtube]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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