Inflammation

Question 1

what are the 5 cardinal signs of inflammation

Answer 1

redness
heat
swelling
pain
loss of function

Question 2

what is inflammation?

Answer 2

a complex response:
- Foreign material OR
- Tissue injury
Aim is to restore/maintain function

Question 3

Why is inflammation considered a defensive response?

Answer 3

Protects body from harmful stimuli
Normal physiological response

Question 4

What is SCID?

Answer 4

Severe Combined Immunodeficiency
- Inherited
- Lymphocyte deficiency
- Increased risk of infection
- Reduced exposure to harmful stimuli required

Question 5

What is the purpose of inflammation?

Answer 5

To deliver defensive materials to the site of injury/infection

Question 6

What is cellular and humoral immunity?

Answer 6

Cellular- influx of inflammatory cells
Humoral- delivery of mediators/ molecules via fluid (complement, antibodies, cytokines)

Question 7

How can inflammation impact on normal tissue function and structure?

Answer 7

Recruitment and activation of immune cells during inflammation may cause tissue damage by release of toxic mediators

Question 8

Is inflammation good or bad?

Answer 8

If it quickly deals with the problem and follows normal physiological response it’s good

If it persists or happens when there’s no injury or invader it can harm healthy parts of the body and cause disease

Question 9

What leukocytes participate in the inflammatory response?

Answer 9

Monocytes (macrophages)
Eosinophils
Lymphocytes
Neutrophils

Question 10

What is a differential cell count?

Answer 10

In order to measure the contribution of different immune cell types to the inflammatory responses differential cell counts are performed

Question 11

What are cytokines?

Answer 11

Orchestrate inflammatory responses
Activate and/or recruit immune cells
Involved in both innate and adaptive responses

Question 12

How are cytokines produced?

Answer 12

Immune cells and non-immune cells can produce cytokines
Enabling cell communication network

Question 13

What is cytokine redundancy?

Answer 13

The ability of multiple cytokines to exert similar actions
OR
Different cell types can secrete the same cytokine

Question 14

To participate in inflammation what must most immune cells do?

Answer 14

They must travel to the site of inflammation/infection
However, some immune cells are resident in tissues

Question 15

Where are immune cells recruited?

Answer 15

From the circulation or from lymph nodes
To access the site of infection/injury leukocytes must move from blood/lymphocytes

Question 17

What is cytokine redundancy?

Answer 17

The ability of multiple cytokines to exert similar actions
OR
Different cell types can secrete the same cytokine

Question 18

To participate in inflammation what must most immune cells do?

Answer 18

They must travel to the site of injury/infection
However, some immune cells are resident in tissues

Question 19

Where are immune cells recruited?

Answer 19

From the circulation or from lymph nodes
To access the site of infection/injury leukocytes must move from blood/lymphocytes

Question 20

What are the sequence of events involved in immune cell recruitment?

Answer 20

• Leukocytes respond to chemotactic signal
• Chemotaxis
• Leukocytes attach to the vessel wall
• Make contact with endothelial cells
• Via adhesion molecules
• Roll along vessel wall
• Traverse endothelium
• Transendothelial migration

Question 21

For the innate response, what are the epithelial ‘physical’ barriers?

Answer 21

Lung, skin, gut
Mucus

Question 22

What cells are involved in the innate response?

Answer 22

Phagocytic cells
(macrophages, neutrophils, dendritic cells)
Phagocytose foreign material
Destroyed inside the cell
Can also present antigens to other cells to stimulate adaptive response

Question 23

What is the complement in the innate immune response?

Answer 23

Soluble proteins which circulate in blood
Inactive until triggered by inflammation
e.g. bind to pathogens to enhance uptake by immune cells

Question 24

What do B cells do during the adaptive response?

Answer 24

Exposure to pathogen = an increase in B cells
B cells produce highly specific antibodies- bind to antigen
Promotes recognition by phagocytes that take up and kill the pathogen

Question 25

What do the T cells do during the adaptive response?

Answer 25

APC’s present antigen to T cells e.g. dendritic cells
This stimulates highly specific T cells to kill the infected cells, including the infective organism

Question 26

What are the memory cells in the adaptive response?

Answer 26

Following removal of pathogen a few cells remain in the body know as the memory T and B cells
Meaning immune systems can act quickly if re-exposed