The Immune System

1. Describe the three major lines of defense and list specific examples of each.

2. Explain the major difference between the general cell and chemical defenses vs.

the immune system.

3. List the five cardinal signs of the inflammatory response, and write a sentence

describing each of them.

4. What secretes histamine and what does it do?

5. Explain what complement proteins are, and more specifically, describe the

function of MAC (Membrane Attack Complex).

6. List and describe at least three types of chemicals used in general body defenses.

7. List and describe the major roles of Macrophages, Neutrophils, Basophils, and

Mast Cells.

8. Define opsonization.

9. Explain the role of defensins and the respiratory burst as used by neutrophils.

10. Explain in detail the complete life cycle of B-Cells, Killer T-Cells, and Helper TCells.

For each cell type explain the following:

a. Where are they initially produced from stem cells?

b. Where do they differentiate in order to become immunocompetent?

c. How is each type of lymphocyte selected and then cloned? Specify which

types of receptors are required (Class I or II MHC’s), whether contact by

an APC is required, whether direct contact by a Helper T-cell is required,

and what types of chemical secretions from which cells are required

(Interleukin 1 from Macrophages, Interleukin 2 from Helper T-Cells).

d. What two types of cells result form clonal selection?

e. What do the mature cells for each type do? (B, Helper T, Killer T)

f. What are plasma cells and what do they secrete?

11. What does immunocompetence mean?

12. What does APC stand for, what are specific examples of APC’s, and what do they

do?

13. Explain what MHC stands for and why are these proteins so important.

14. What is the difference between a memory cell and a mature B and T cells?

15. Why does the immune system respond more quickly to secondary infections

(second exposure) than primary infections (first exposure)?

16. Roughly how long (in days or weeks) does it take to reach maximum antibody

concentration in the blood after exposure to an antigen?

17. Define antigen.

18. Explain what an antibody is.

19. Explain three major methods by which antibodies work to fight antigens. Use

“clump, coat, lyse” terminology, and explain the processes of neutralization,

precipitation, agglutination, and lysis.

20. What is IgG?

21. What is IgM and how does its activity differ from IgG?

22. What type of antibody is the most common?

23. What antibody is the strongest clumper (agglutinator)?

24. What antibody is the first to appear?

Immune System Diseases and Abnormalities

1. Describe what cancer is in a general sense.

2. Why are tissue transplants frequently rejected?

3. Compare and contrast auto, iso, allo, and xenografts.

4. Compare and contrast immediate, subacute, and delayed hypersensitivities and list

specific examples of each.

5. Describe anaphylactic shock, and name an example of something that might cause

it.

6. List and describe at least two common types of autoimmune diseases.

7. Explain the difference between congenital vs. acquired immunodeficiencies, and

list a specific example for each.

8. What does AIDS stand for?

9. What does HIVstand for?

10. Name at least two specific ways that HIV can be transmitted between people.

11. Would you expect to get HIV by sharing eating utensils with an AIDS patient?

Why or why not?

12. HIV is a retrovirus. What does that mean?

13. What specific types of cells does HIV infect and destroy? Why is this so

devastating?

14. Why do AIDS victims get sick easily?

15. What is Kaposi’s Sarcoma?

16. Why is it so difficult for your own body to find, fight, and destroy HIV?

Respiratory System

1. What is the difference between external, internal, and cellular respiration?

2. List and describe the major respiratory structures in sequence beginning with the

nose and continuing through the alveoli.

3. Explain which structures serve as common food and air passageways, and which

are exclusively for air.

4. What structure prevents food from entering the lungs?

5. What is the glottis, and what is the epiglottis.

6. Describe the difference between the false and true vocal cords.

7. What specific tissue type would you expect to find in the lining of the trachea?

The alveoli?

8. Where is the major site of oxygen diffusion into the blood?

9. Describe what septal cells secrete, and explain their function.

10. Explain the role of surfactant in reducing resistance.

11. What are Macrophages called in the lungs and what do they do?

12. How does resistance to air flow change with:

a. Length of airway

b. Bronchiole radius

c. Lung compliance

13. Compare and contrast the processes of inspiration vs. expiration (pay particular

attention to relative air pressure inside the lungs vs. outside the lungs.

14. What muscles are used for unforced inspiration/expiration?

15. What muscles are used for forceful inspiration/expiration?

16. Draw a graph representing the major respiratory lung volume changes observed

during breathing.

17. Explain how blood flow is matched to air flow in the lungs during

hyperventilation vs. hypoventilation.

18. What is the effect of O2, CO2, and pH on bronchioles, and also on lung

capillaries?

19. What causes the difficulty in breathing resulting from asthma?

20. Be able to interpret an Oxygen–Hemoglobin dissociation curve.

21. What is myoglobin?

22. What is the medullary rhythmicity area?

23. Compare and contrast the pneumotaxic vs. the apneustic area.