Immunity/Inflammation/Hematology Flashcards
Immunity
protection from illness or disease that is maintained by the body’s physiologic defense mechanisms.
What are inflammation and immunity critical to?
maintaining health and preventing disease.
What is considered a non-self cell or protein?
infected body cells, cancer cells, cells from other people, and invading organisms
What is self-tolerance and what is it’s purpose?
The body’s ability to recognize self vs non-self cells/proteins - this prevents immunity from harming healthy body cells.
HLA
Human Leukocyte Antigens - Unique surface proteins that are specific to each person; they are the “universal product code” for that person.
How is one person’s HLA’s recognized by another person?
as foreign or non-self
Antigens
proteins capable of stimulating an immunity response.
Where are HLA’s located?
on the surfaces of most body cells (not only leukocytes)
What is assessed by the immune system cell in order to determine if body cells are self cells or invaders?
As the immune system comes into contact with other cells it compares the surface protein HLAs to determine if the cell belongs to the body.
What happens if the immune system cell does not recognize a cell’s HLAs?
The immune system cell then takes action to neutralize, destroy, or eliminate the foreign invader.
Where do most immune system cells come from and is the source of all blood cells?
the bone marrow
pluripotent
having more than one potential outcome
What are immature, undifferentiated cells called that are produced in the bone marrow?
stem cells
What is the growth factor for a stem cell to become a red blood cell (erythrocyte)?
Erythropoietin - when immature stem cells are exposed to erythropoietin they commit to the erythrocyte pathway.
Red blood cells are also called what?
erythrocytes
white blood cells are also called what?
leukocytes
What defensive actions do leukocytes take to provide protection? (5)
- recognition of self vs non-self
- destruction of foreign invaders, cellular debris, and unhealthy or abnormal self cells
- production of antibodies directed against invaders
- complement activation
- production of cytokines that stimulate increased formation of leukocytes in bone marrow and increase specific leukocyte activity
What are the three processes needed for human protection through immunity?
- inflammation
- antibody-mediated immunity
- cell-mediated immunity
What does immunocompetence require?
Full immunity requires the function and interaction of all three immunity processes
(inflammation, antibody-mediated immunity, cell-mediated immunity)
What leukocytes are involved in inflammation?
Neturophil macrophage monocyte eosinophil basophil
What leukocytes are involved in antibody mediated immunity?
B-lymphocyte
plasma cell
Memory cell
What leukocytes are involved in cell-mediated immunity?
helper/inducer t-cel
cytotoxic/cytolytic T-cell
Natural killer cell
What is the function of a neutrophil?
Provides non-specific protection after microorganisms and foreign proteins, especially bacteria, enter the body; destroys by phagocytosis and enzymatic digestion.
What does ANC stand for and what does it measure?
absolute neutrophil count - used to measure a patient’s risk for infection (the higher the numbers, the greater the resistance to infection)