Spleen

The spleen (from Greek σπλήν—splḗn) is an organ found in virtually all vertebrates. Similar in structure to a large lymph node, it acts primarily as a blood filter.

The spleen plays important roles in regard to red blood cells (also referred to as erythrocytes) and the immune system. It removes old red blood cells and holds a reserve of blood, which can be valuable in case of hemorrhagic shock, and also recycles iron. As a part of the mononuclear phagocyte system, it metabolizes hemoglobin removed from senescent erythrocytes. The globin portion of hemoglobin is degraded to its constitutive amino acids, and the heme portion is metabolized to bilirubin, which is removed in the liver.

The spleen synthesizes antibodies in its white pulp and removes antibody-coated bacteria and antibody-coated blood cells by way of blood and lymph node circulation. A study published in 2009 using mice found that the spleen contains, in its reserve, half of the body's monocytes within the red pulp. These monocytes, upon moving to injured tissue (such as the heart), turn into dendritic cells and macrophages while promoting tissue healing. The spleen is a center of activity of the mononuclear phagocyte system and can be considered analogous to a large lymph node, as its absence causes a predisposition to certain infections.

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Spleen (Chinese medicine)

The Spleen (Chinese: 脾; pinyin: pí) is one of the zàng organs stipulated by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It is a functionally defined entity and not equivalent to the anatomical organ of the same name.

In the context of the zang-fu concept

As a zàng, the Spleen is considered to be a yin organ. Its associated yang organ is the Stomach. Both Spleen and Stomach are attributed to the Earth element.

Regarding its stipulated functions, the Spleen

  • governs "transportation and absorption" (运化, pinyin: yùn-huà), i.e. the extraction of jīng weī (精微, lit. "essence bits", usually translated with food essence, sometimes also called jīng qì [精气, essence qi]) - and water - from food and drink, and the successive distribution of it to the other zàng organs.
    • the jīng weī constitutes a large part of the body's acquired qì (the other part coming from breathing, by facilitation of the Lung zàng). In this spirit, the Spleen is also called "root of the postnatal" (后天之本, pinyin: hoùtiān zhī běn]) - as opposed to the congenital qì, which is stored by the Kidney zàng. The Spleen absorbs jīng weī from the food after it has been preprocessed by the Stomach and the Small Intestine, and then distributes it to the whole body, especially upwards to the Lung and Heart, where jīng weī is transformed into qì and xuě (blood). Thus, TCM also describes the Spleen as the source of "production and mutual transformation" (生化, pinyin: shēng-huà) of qì and xuě.
    • the Spleen distributes the water extracted from the food and distributes it to the whole of the body, especially to the Lung and Kidney zàng, and thus assists the body's water metabolism.
    • Read more
    This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Spleen_(Chinese_medicine)

    Spleen (disambiguation)

    The spleen is an organ in the human body.

    Spleen may also refer to:

  • Spleen, poem by Baudelaire
  • Spleen (Chinese medicine), an element of body function
  • A French rapper/musician who sometimes performs with CocoRosie
  • A character in Mystery Men
  • "Spleen", a song by Staind from Dysfunction

    • See also

  • Splean
    • Read more
    This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Spleen_(disambiguation)

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    Festival des musiques lycéennes 2004

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    Socketwood: A Compilation of Music From Wollongong

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    Das Rapdeutschlandkettensägenmassaker

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    Travesía ideal

    Released 1998

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    Little Scratches

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    Soundtrack to Spleen

    Released 1996

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    Voices

    Released 2013

    Comme un enfant

    Released 2008

    She Was a Girl

    Released 2006
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    PLAYLIST TIME:

    The Pact

    by: Spleen

    Fast upon the fact
    Alone you try to make the pact your own
    But you belong to a place you’ll never know
    It’s around your lack of bone
    You try to steal it from the throne
    But you belong to a grace you’ll never know
    Oh, today it is coming to me
    Let me try to never see
    Today it is coming to me
    Let me try to never see
    When You Fall like a brick
    When You Dream of this trick
    Please go cross the line
    You’re making this disorder mine
    You fall like a brick
    When you dream of this trick
    Please go cross the line
    You’re making this disorder mine
    Don’t you
    It’s around the leading tone
    You try to get a sound you drone
    But you belong to a place you’ll never know
    It’s around you as you fall down
    You want a wisdom and the crown
    But you belong to a grace you’ll never know
    I swear I’ve tried to deny the notes of your old lullaby




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