(PM3A) Core Immunology Flashcards
What is the role of the immune system?
Combat infection
What is an infection
Parasitism by microbes
What are the body’s barriers to entry against microbes?
- Skin
- Gastro-intestinal tract
- Genitourinary tract
- Respiratory
- Mucous lining
What are the immune disease categories?
- Infection
- Hypersensitivity
- Transplantation
- Autoimmune
- Cancer
(1) What groups of drugs are likely to be prescribed for a transplantation?
(2) Why?
(1)
- Glucocorticoids
- Anti-proliferatives
- Calcineurin inhibitors
(2) They are immunosuppressants - prevent rejection
What is a glucocorticoid?
An immunosuppressant
What is an anti-proliferative?
An immunosuppressant
What is a calcineurin inhibitor?
An immunosuppressant
(1) What groups of drugs are likely to be prescribed for an autoimmune condition?
(2) Why?
(1)
- Analgesics
- Glucocorticoids
- Anti-proliferatives
- Calcineurin inhibitors
(2) Symptom management + immune suppressants
- Reduce undesirable effects of immune response
What groups of drugs are likely to be prescribed for activation of the immune system?
(1) Vaccines
(2) Immune stimulators
What groups of drugs are likely to be prescribed for controlling hypersensitivity reactions?
- Antihistamines
- Glucocorticoids
FOR SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT
What groups of drugs are likely to be prescribed for cancer?
- Checkpoint inhibitors
ø PD1
ø CTLA-4 - Cancer vaccines
- T cell immunotherapy
What are checkpoint inhibitors?
A cancer treatment
Blocks some proteins (called checkpoints) of some immune/ cancer cells
What groups of drugs can be prescribed to prevent infection?
(1) Vaccines
(2) Immune stimulators
(1) What drug category inhibits PD-1 and CTLA-4?
(2) When are drugs from this category prescribed?
(1) Checkpoint inhibitors
(2) Cancer therapy
(1) What are CTLA-4 and PD-1?
(2) What is their significance?
(1) Checkpoint proteins of the immune system/ cancer cells
(2) Their function is prevented by checkpoint inhibitors
What are the core concepts of immunology?
(1) Innate
(2) Adaptive
(3) Antigen specificity
(4) Lymphocytes
(5) Effector mechanisms
(1) How many core concepts of immunology are there?
(2) What are they?
(1) 5
(2)
- Innate
- Adaptive
- Antigen specificity
- Lymphocytes
- Effector mechanisms
(1) How many main types of immunity are there in vertebrates?
(2) What are the main types of immunity in vertebrates?
(1) 2 types
(2)
- Innate immunity
- Adaptive immunity
What are examples of the innate immunities present in vertebrates?
- Evolved defence against microbes
- Barriers: Skin/ stomach acid
- Sequestration of nutrients
- Antimicrobials: e.g. lysosome
- Acute inflammation - tissue & cellular injury
- Antiviral responses: e.g. interferon
- Specific innate microbial recognition
What are the main giveaways of an acute inflammatory response?
(1) Dolor - Pain
(2) Calor - Heat
(3) Rubor - Redness
(4) Tumor - Swelling
What is Dolor?
Pain
What is Calor?
Heat
What is Rubor?
Redness
What is Tumor?
Swelling
What triggers/ causes acute inflammation?
Tissue/ cellular injury
Is tissue repair and healing part of the immune response?
No
How are microbes recognised by the body?
PAMP are different
(Pathogen Associated Molecular Patterns)
What does PAMP mean?
Pathogen Associated Molecular Patterns
What is LPS?
Lipopolysaccharides
Endotoxin
What is a lipopolysaccharide?
An endotoxin
LPS
What is the receptor for an endotoxin?
Toll-like receptor 4
What is the receptor for LPS?
Toll-like receptor 4
What is the receptor for lipopolysaccharide?
Toll-like receptor 4
What is Toll-like Receptor 4?
The binding site for endotoxins/ lipopolysaccharides (LPS)
What are examples of the adaptive immunities present in vertebrates?
- Learned problems to antigens
- Memory
- Lymphocyte responses
- Expansion of specific T and B cells
- Production of antibodies
What cell are plasma cells created from?
B cells
What do B cells mature into?
Plasma cells
When are antibodies produced?
Following infection/ presence of a pathogen stimulating an immune response
Following ‘priming’.
With reference to immunology, what does ‘priming’ mean?
Contact of an immune cell with the antigen present on a pathogen/ microbe
What is the basis for adaptive immunity?
Antigen recognition