====== The Mesentery ======

>The mesentery is a continuous set of tissues which is formed by the double fold of peritoneum that attaches the intestines to the wall of the abdomen. ['..] It has been proposed for reclassification as an organ due to research at the University of Limerick in the 2010s"\\ \\ Source :[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesentery|Wikipedia]]

There is still considerable debate as to its function(s), and even its structure :

>Whether the mesentery should be viewed as part of the intestinal, vascular, endocrine, cardiovascular, or  immunological systems is so far unclear, as it has important roles in them all. Its effects are being investigated at haematological, immunological, endocrine, metabolic, and other levels. \\ Many, but not all, organs have a distinct functional unit. The functional unit of  the mesentery is unknown, and whether a distinctive cell  type is primarily responsible for its functionality should be investigated. Several anatomical questions also remain unanswered. For example, although early data suggest that  the mesentery  proximal to the duodenojejunal flexure is contiguous with it, this is still unclear."\\ \\ Source :[[http://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/langas/PIIS2468-1253(16)30026-7.pdf|The mesentery: structure, function, and role in disease]] {{:oa_padlock_grn.png?16}}//The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology//, 2016.

As the quote above notes, some research teams have suggested that the mesentery should be thought-of as a bodily 'organ' - though the definition of an 'organ' is at present quite vague ([[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28192867/|ref.]]), and some other researchers have rejected the idea ([[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29664145/|ref.]])

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Also see : [[content:life_sciences:human_body:interstitium]] (another recently discovered 'organ')