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Lymph
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==Functions== ===Components=== Lymph returns [[protein]]s and excess interstitial fluid to the [[bloodstream]]. Lymph may pick up bacteria and transport them to lymph nodes, where the bacteria are destroyed. [[Metastasis|Metastatic]] cancer cells can also be transported via lymph. Lymph also transports fats from the [[digestive system]] (beginning in the [[lacteal]]s) to the blood via [[chylomicron]]s. ===Circulation=== {{Main|Lymphatic system}} Tubular vessels transport lymph back to the blood, ultimately replacing the volume lost during the formation of the interstitial fluid. These channels are the lymphatic channels, or simply ''lymphatics''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=4217 |title=Definition of lymphatics |access-date=6 July 2008 |work=Webster's New World Medical Dictionary |publisher= MedicineNet.com}}</ref> Unlike the cardiovascular system, the lymphatic system is not closed. In some amphibian and [[reptile|reptilian]] species, the lymphatic system has central pumps, called [[lymph heart]]s, which typically exist in pairs,<ref name="Hedrick">{{cite journal | last1=Hedrick | first1=Michael S. | last2=Hillman | first2=Stanley S. | last3=Drewes | first3=Robert C. | last4=Withers | first4=Philip C. | title=Lymphatic regulation in nonmammalian vertebrates | journal=Journal of Applied Physiology | volume=115 | issue=3 | date=1 July 2013 | issn=8750-7587 | doi=10.1152/japplphysiol.00201.2013 | pages=297β308|pmid=23640588|url=https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.00201.2013| url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Banda |first1=Chihena H. |last2=Shiraishi |first2=Makoto |last3=Mitsui |first3=Kohei |last4=Okada |first4=Yoshimoto |last5=Danno |first5=Kanako |last6=Ishiura |first6=Ryohei |last7=Maemura |first7=Kaho |last8=Chiba |first8=Chikafumi |last9=Mizoguchi |first9=Akira |last10=Imanaka-Yoshida |first10=Kyoko |last11=Maruyama |first11=Kazuaki |last12=Narushima |first12=Mitsunaga |title=Structural and functional analysis of the newt lymphatic system |journal=Scientific Reports |date=27 April 2023 |volume=13 |issue=1 |page=6902 |doi=10.1038/s41598-023-34169-w |pmid=37106059 |language=en |issn=2045-2322|doi-access=free |pmc=10140069 }}</ref> but humans and other mammals do not have a central lymph pump. Lymph transport is slow and sporadic.<ref name=Hedrick/> Despite low pressure, lymph movement occurs due to [[peristalsis]] (propulsion of the lymph due to alternate contraction and relaxation of [[smooth muscle]] tissue), valves, and compression during contraction of adjacent skeletal muscle and [[arterial]] [[pulse|pulsation]].<ref name=Shayan2006>{{cite journal |author1=Shayan, Ramin |author2=Achen, Marc G. |author3=Stacker, Steven A. | year = 2006 | title = Lymphatic vessels in cancer metastasis: bridging the gaps | volume = 27 | issue = 9 | pages = 1729β38 | doi = 10.1093/carcin/bgl031 | pmid = 16597644 | journal = Carcinogenesis | doi-access = free }}</ref> Lymph that enters the lymph vessels from the interstitial spaces usually does not flow backwards along the vessels because of the presence of valves. If excessive [[hydrostatic pressure]] develops within the lymph vessels, though, some fluid can leak back into the interstitial spaces and contribute to formation of [[edema]]. The flow of lymph in the [[thoracic duct]] in an average resting person usually approximates 100ml per hour. Accompanied by another ~25ml per hour in other lymph vessels, the total lymph flow in the body is about 4 to 5 litres per day. This can be elevated several fold while exercising. It is estimated that without lymphatic flow, the average resting person would die within 24 hours.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology|publisher=Saunders|year=2010|isbn=978-1416045748|pages=186, 187}}</ref>
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