Defenses Of Respiratory System Flashcards
How is oxygen transported in smaller airways?
Diffusion (concentration gradient from high to low)
The average adult inhales how much air per day?
About 10,000 L
What kinds of things can we inhale?
Inert dust, particulate matter, gases, infectious agents
Why does the respiratory system have defense mechanisms?
Protect tracheobronchial tree and alveoli
Prevent accumulation of secretions
Repair processes
What is another name for alveolar macrophages?
Dust cells
Chronic alcohol is associated with an increased incidence of what kind of infections?
Bacterial
Cigarette smoke and air pollutants are associated with an increased incidence of what conditions?
Chronic bronchitis and emphysema
Occupational irritants are associated with what conditions?
Hyperactive airways and increased incidence of interstitial pulmonary fibrosis
What does it mean when we say that air is conditioned by the upper respiratory tract?
It is warmed, humidified, and filtered
What is used to filter out large particles in the upper respiratory system?
Vibrissae (long nasal hairs)
What functions in trapping particles in the upper respiratory tract and moistening the air?
Mucous coating
What functions to act as radiators to warm air due to their high vascularization?
Nasal concha (aka nasal turbinates)
What effect does breathing through the mouth have on the upper respiratory tract?
Dries it out
What cranial nerve is associated with the cough reflex?
Vagus
Which muscles are involved with the coughing reflex?
Muscles of expiration
How does the coughing reflex work to clear larger airways?
Epiglottis and vocal cords open widely at speeds between 75 and 100 mph
Why is coughing ineffective at clearly small airways?
Due to the large total cross-sectional area, cannot generate enough velocity
What cranial nerve is associated with the sneezing reflex?
Trigeminal
The sneeze reflex is similar to the cough reflex but what makes it different?
Uvula is depressed so large amounts of air pass rapidly through nose to clear nasal passages
What produces mucus in the respiratory tract?
Goblet cells and small submucosal glands
Where do we see ciliated epithelium in the respiratory tract?
Lining it all the way down to the terminal bronchioles
What is the function of the respiratory tract’s ciliated epithelium?
Move mucus to the pharynx
How are organisms destroyed that are trapped in mucus of the respiratory tract?
Destroyed by the acid environment of the stomach once mucus is swallowed
The mucociliary elevator/escalator is effective in what airways?
Smaller ones
What is the function of dust cells?
Phagocytize intraluminal particles in distal air spaces
What is the group of small proteins found in the blood and synthesized in the liver that complements the ability of antibodies and phagocytic cells to clear pathogens from an organism?
Complement system
Which antibodies are associated with the lower respiratory tract?
IgG
Which antibodies dominate in the upper respiratory tract?
IgA
Which antibody is predominantly a mucosal antibody?
IgE
How do macrophages promote a more vigorous/widespread immune response?
Presentation of “pieces” of organisms to other effector cells through a series of interactions involving cytokines
Antibodies and accessory processes like Th2 activation, cytokine production, germinal center formation, isotype switching, affinity maturation, and memory cell generation are associated with what type of immune response?
Humoral (B-cell mediated)
