Chap 47

Question 1

Adjuvant

Answer 1

A nonspecific immunostimulant that enhances overall function, rather than stimulating the function of a specific immune system cell or cytokine through specific chemical reactions

Question 2

Antibodies

Answer 2

Immunoglobulin molecules that have the ability to bind to and inactivate antigen molecules through formation of an antigen-antibody complex. This process serves to inactivate foreign antigens that enter the body and are capable of causing disease

Question 3

Antigen

Answer 3

A biologic or chemical substance that is recognized as foreign by the body’s immune system

Question 4

Arthritis

Answer 4

Inflammation of one or more joints

Question 5

Autoimmune Disorder

Answer 5

A disorder that occurs when the body’s tissues are attacked by its own immune system

Question 6

B Lymphocytes (B cells)

Answer 6

Leukocytes of the humoral immune system that develop into plasma cells, and then produce the antibodies that bind to and inactivate antigens. B cells are one of the two principal types of lymphocytes; T lymphocytes are the other.

Question 7

Biologic Response Modifying Drugs

Answer 7

A broad class of drugs that includes hematopoietic drugs and immunomodulating drugs. Often referred to as biologic response modifiers (BRMs), they alter the body’s response to diseases such as cancer as well as autoimmune, inflammatory, and infectious diseases. Examples are cytokines (e.g., interleukin, interferons), monoclonal antibodies, and vaccines. They are also called biomodulators or immunomodulating drugs. Biologic response-modifying drugs may be adjuvants, immunostimulants, or immunosuppressants

Question 8

Cell-Mediated Immunity

Answer 8

Collective term for all immune responses that are mediated by T lymphocytes (T cells). Also called cellular immunity. Cell-mediated immunity acts in collaboration with humoral immunity

Question 9

Colony Stimulating Factors

Answer 9

Cytokines that regulate the growth, differentiation, and function of bone marrow stem cells

Question 10

Complement

Answer 10

Collective term for about 20 different proteins normally present in plasma that assist other immune system components (e.g. B cells and T cells) in mounting an immune response

Question 11

Cytokines

Answer 11

The generic term for nonantibody proteins released by specific cell populations (e.g. activated T cells) on contact with antigens. Cytokines act as intercellular mediators of an immune response

Question 12

Cryotoxic T cells

Answer 12

differentiated T cells that can recognize and lyse (rupture) target cells that have foreign antigens on their surfaces. These antigens are recognized by the corresponding antigen receptors that are expressed (displayed) on the cytotoxic T-cell surface. Also called natural killer cells

Question 13

Differentiation

Answer 13

The process of cellular development from a simplified into a more specialized cellular structure. In hematopoiesis, it refers to the multistep process involved in the maturation of blood cells

Question 14

Disease modifying Antirheumatic Drugs (DMARDS)

Answer 14

Medications used in the treatment of rheumatic diseases that have the potential to arrest or slow the actual disease process instead of providing only anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects

Question 15

Hematopoiesis

Answer 15

Collective term for all of the body’s processes originating in the bone marrow that result in the formation of various types of blood components (adjective; hematopoietic). It includes the three main processes of differentiation: erythropoiesis (formation of red blood cells, or erythrocytes), leucopoiesis (formation of white blood cells, or leukocytes), and thrombopoiesis (formation of platelets, or thrombocytes).

Question 16

Humoral Immunity

Answer 16

Collective term for all immune responses that are mediated by B cells, which ultimately work through the production of antibodies against specific antigens. Humoral immunity acts in collaboration with cell-mediated immunity

Question 17

Immunoglobulins

Answer 17

Complex immune system glycoproteins that bind to and inactivate foreign antigens. The term is synonymous with immune globulins

Question 18

Immunomodulating Drugs

Answer 18

Collective term for various subclasses of biologic response-modifying drugs that specifically or nonspecifically enhance or reduce immune responses. The three major types of imunomodulators, based on mechanism of action, are adjuvants, immunostimulants, and immunosuppressants

Question 19

Immunostimulant

Answer 19

A drug that enhances immune response through specific chemical interactions with particular immune system components. An example is interleukin-2

Question 20

Immunosuppressant

Answer 20

A drug that reduces immune response through specific chemical interactions with particular immune system components. An example is cyclosporine

Question 21

Interferons

Answer 21

One type of cytokine that promotes resistance to viral infection in uninfected cells and can also strengthen the body’s immune response to cancer cells

Question 22

Leukocytes

Answer 22

The collective term for all subtypes of white blood cells. Leukocytes include the granulocytes (neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils), monocytes, and lymphocytes (B cells and T cells). Some monocytes also develop into tissue macrophages

Question 23

Lymphokine Activated Killer (LAK) cell

Answer 23

Cytotoxic T cells that have been activated by interleukin-2 and therefore have a stronger and more specific response against cancer cells

Question 24

Lymphokines

Answer 24

Cytokines that are produced by sensitive T lymphocytes on contact with antigen particles

Question 25

Memory Cells

Answer 25

Cells involved in the humoral immune system that remember the exact characteristics of a particular foreign invader or antigen for the purpose of expediting immune response in the event of future exposure to this antigen

Question 26

Monoclonal

Answer 26

Denoting a group of identical cells or organisms derived from a single cell

Question 27

Plasma Cells

Answer 27

Cells derived from B cells that are found in the bone marrow, connective tissue, and blood. They produce antibodies

Question 28

Rheumatism

Answer 28

General term for any of several disorders characterized by inflammation, degeneration, or metabolic derangement of connective tissue structures, especially joints and related structures

Question 29

T Helper Cells

Answer 29

Cells that promote and direct actions of various other cells of the immune system

Question 30

T Lymphocytes (T cells)

Answer 30

Leukocytes of the cell-mediated immune system. Unlike B cells, they are not involved in the production of antibodies but instead occur in various cell subtypes (e.g. T helper cells, T suppressor cells, and cytotoxic T cells). They act through direct cell-to-cell contact or through production of cytokines that guide the functions of other immune system components (e.g. B cells, antibodies)

Question 31

T Suppressor Cells

Answer 31

Cells that regulate and limit the immune response, balancing the effects of T helper cells

Question 32

Tumor Antigens

Answer 32

Chemical compounds expressed on the surrounding faces of tumor cells. They signal to the immune system that these cells do not belong in the body, labeling the tumor cells as foreign

Question 33

Aldesleukin (Proleukin) Mechanism of Action

Answer 33

Acts indirectly to stimulate or restore immune response
Binds to receptor sites on T cells, which stimulates the T cells to multiply
Lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells are a result, which recognize and destroy only cancer cells and ignore normal cells

Question 34

Filgrastim (Neupogen) Mechanism of Action

Answer 34

Colony stimulating factor
Stimulates progenitor cells for the subset of WBC’s (leukocytes) known as granulocytes (including basophils, eosinophils and neutrophils)

Question 35

Oprelvekin (Neumega) Mechanism of Action

Answer 35

Platelet promoting drug
Classified as an interleukin, namely interleukin-11 (IL-11)
Stimulates the bone marrow cells, specifically megakaryocytes that eventually give rise to platelets

Question 36

Sargramostim (Leukine) Mechanism of Action

Answer 36

Colony stimulating factor
Works by stimulating the bone marrow precursor cells that synthesize both granulocytes (basophils, eosinophils, neutrophils) and the phagocytic (cell-eating) cells known as monocytes, some of which become macrophages