Concept Questions

Take some time to write answers to these questions. If you can answer them, you have a good grasp of the material!

1. Explain the functions of the three lines of defense. Which is the most essential to survival? What is the difference between nonspecific host defenses and immune responses?

2. Describe the main elements of the process through which the immune system distinguishes self from nonself. How is surveillance of the tissues carried out? What is responsible for it? What does the term foreign mean in reference to the immune system? Define the term antigen.

3. Trace the complete cycle of a bacterium through the immune compartments, starting with the blood, the RES, the lymphatics, and the ECF. (You will start and end at the same point.) What is the direct connection between the bloodstream and the lymphatic circulation?

4. What are the main components of the reticuloendothelial system? Why is it also called the mononuclear phagocyte system? How does it communicate with tissues and the vascular system?

5. Prepare a simplified outline of the cell lines of hemopoiesis. What is a stem cell? Review the anatomical locations of hemopoiesis at various stages of development.

6. Differentiate between granulocytes and agranulocytes. Describe the main cell types in each group, their functions, and their incidence in the circulation.

7. What is the principal function of lymphocytes? Differentiate between the two lymphocyte types and between humoral and cell-mediated immunity.

8. Why are platelets called formed elements? What are their functions? How are they associated with inflammation?

9. Explain the processes of diapedesis and chemotaxis, and show how they interrelate. Referring to question 3, explain how these processes can account for the movements of leukocytes through the fluid compartments.

10. What is lymph, and how is it formed? Why are white cells but not red cells normally found in it? What are the functions of the lymphatic system? Explain the filtering action of a lymph node. What is GALT, and what are its functions?

11. Differentiate between the terms pyogenic and pyrogenic. Use examples to explain the impact they have on the immune response.

12. Briefly account for the origins and actions of the major types of inflammatory mediators (cytokines).

13. Describe the events that give rise to macrophages. What types are there, and what are their principal functions?

14. Outline the major phases of phagocytosis. In what ways is a phagocyte a tiny container of disinfectants?

15. Briefly describe the three major types of interferon, their sources, and their biological effects. Describe the mechanism by which interferon acts as an antiviral compound.

16. Describe the general complement reaction in terms of a cascade. What is the end result of complement activation? What are some other functions of complement components? What are immunocompetence, immunologic specificity, and immunologic memory?

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