White+Blood+Cells+-+NM

= = = toc = = Introduction = Imagine a mighty arm that is rarely defeated by the constant invaders. You have one, but you might not know where. Your body has an immune system, your own fearless army. White blood cells, your warriors, fight off **infections**, **viruses**, and **pathogens**. Their varying sizes, shapes, and structures let them perform different jobs, all vital to human life. However, these cells can get sick, which is deadly. With a weakened army the invaders are free to attack.

White blood cells are cell formed in the ** bone marrow **, or the inside of the bone. White blood cells start out e xactly like red blood cells at the beginning of their life, but red blood cells lose their ** nuclei ** as they mature. According to Worldbook ** t-cells ** got there name from the organ they come from the **thymus** that's where the t in t-cells came from. Your thymus is attached to the windpipe just above your chest. The t-cells travel down the windpipe into the ** circulatory **** system ** .The general layout of a white blood cell generally has a ** membrane ** holding the ** cytoplasm ** together. Inside, the cytoplasm keeps the nucleus from moving. The nucleus controls the rest of the function of the cell. Some cell like ** phagocytes ** have ** pseudopods ** that are like arms that pick up bacteria.
 * The Structure of a White Blood Cell **

If you would like to further your research of the structure of white blood cells visit the link below. http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar601380&st=white+blood+cells#tab=homepage

= Types of White Blood Cells and Their Functions = White blood cells come in many shapes, sizes, and with differing jobs. There are phagocytes, lymphocytes, t-cells, b-cells, and so many more. All of them, performing a specific job to help your body stay healthy. Take phagocytes for example, they directly eat pathogens, or germs. On the other hand **lymphocytes** recognize everything it encounters to assess whether it’s a threat or not. Also, **b-cells** find viruses and make **antibodies** for it. Which lets us make **vaccines**. All of these cells and their different jobs makeup an efficient system where the specialized white blood cells work in harmony to keep our bodies health in check. The statistics below were shown in a Worldbook article titled //White Blood Cells.//


 * The Types of White Blood Cells || Percent of White Blood Cells it Makes Up ||
 * Neutrophils || 50-70% ||
 * Lymphocytes || 25-35% ||
 * Monocytes || 3-9% ||
 * Eosinophils || <5% ||
 * Basophils || <5% ||

If this topic interests you, here is a link for a similar article. http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/medicine/immunity/immune-detail.html

= Diseases That Affect White Blood Cells = There are a variety of diseases that can affect white blood cells like **Leukemia**. Leukemia is a type of cancer where the bone marrow starts to produce abnormal white blood cells. These abnormal white blood cells don’t fight pathogens, which causes infection and viruses to attack the body without restraint. This lets the virus or other harmful organism attack vital organs. With vital organs in play it makes this a serious problem. For patients with leukemia they have to be very aware of coming into contact with germs because of their weakened immune system.

There are two types of leukemia, acute and chronic. Acute leukemia is when the percentage abnormal white blood cells produced rises quickly. In chronic leukemia the percentage of abnormal white blood cells rises more slowly than acute leukemia. Treatments include chemotherapy or bone marrow transplants. According to the another Worldbook article titled //Leukemia,// the author mention the s ymptoms of leukemia which include "Fevers and infections. Fatigue, //anemia // (a lack of functioning red blood cells), and bleeding or bruising due to low platelet count are also among the symptoms of the disease." Although there has been extensive research to find more less expensive cures, the cause of leukemia has not been determined.

If this topic is important to you here is a link to another well-written article http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar320760&st=white+blood+cells+diseases#tab=homepage

= Conclusion = As you've read, white blood cells are vital to human life. Their unique make-ups let them form a diverse team to efficiently defend the human body. Despite the intricacy of the white blood cell, when they white blood cells gets sick, it can be deadly. This makes the white blood cell very important to the survival of the human race.

=Glossary= Pathogens- An organism that causes diseases. Bone marrow- The inside of the bone that produces white blood cells Nuclei- The "brain" of the cell, coordinates all of the necessary function of the cell T-cells- A subdivision of lymphocyte Thymus- A gland attached to your windpipe that produces t-cells Circulatory system- The passage ways that blood and white blood cells travel through the body Membrane- The boundary of the outside of the cell Cytoplasm- The gel like liquid that holds the organelles of the cell in place. Phagocytes- A type of white blood cell that eat bacteria and other harmful substances Pseudopods- Arm like tentacles on a white blood cell that grab pathogens Lymphocytes- The white blood cell that recognizes foreign substances to the body. B-cells- A white blood cell that creates proteins to destroy germs Antibodies- A protein made by b-cells that destroy germs Vaccines- A substance in a vaccination that is made up of weakened pathogens to trigger the immune system to make antibodies for that disease Leukemia- The cancer of the bone marrow, causes the bone marrow to make abnormal white blood cells that don't fight pathogens

= References = Works Cited Blood Cells Cochran, 1997. Video Segment

Discovery Education. Web. 18/2/2016. .

A Comparison of Red and White Blood Cells Ancient Lights, 1995. Video Segment

Discovery Education. Web. 18/2/2016. .

“The Immune System.” Nobel Prize. Nobel Media AB 2016, n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2016. .

“Leukemia.” Worldbook. Worldbook, 2016. Web. 23 Feb. 2016. .

Oakes, David D. “Thymus.” World Book Student. World Book, 2016. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.

Silverstein, Alvin, and Virginia Silverstein. “Blood.” The New Book of Knowledge. Grolier Online, 2016. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.

“White Blood Cell.” Frequency Rising. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2016. .

“White Blood Cells.” Worldbook. Worldbook, 22 Feb. 2016. Web. 22 Feb. 2016. .

White Blood Cells: Leucocytes Ancient Lights, 1995. Video Segment Discovery Education. Web. 17/2/2016. .