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A patient is suffering from edema in the lower-right limb. Explain why elevation of the limb and massage helps to remove the excess fluid. |
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| 2 | |
If the thymus of an experimental animal is removed immediately after its birth, the animal exhibits the following characteristics: (a) it is more susceptible to infections, (b) it has decreased numbers of lymphocytes in lymphatic tissue, and (c) its ability to reject grafts is greatly decreased. Explain these observations. |
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If the thymus of an adult experimental animal is removed, the following observations can be made: (a) no immediate effect occurs and (b) after 1 year, the number of lymphocytes in the
blood decreases, the ability to reject grafts decreases, and the ability to produce antibodies decreases. Explain these observations. |
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Adjuvants are substances that slow but do not stop the release of an antigen from an injection site into the blood. Suppose injection A of a given amount of antigen is given without an adjuvant and injection B of the same amount of antigen is given with an adjuvant that causes the release of antigen over a period of 2-3 weeks. Does injection A or B result in the greater amount of antibody production? Explain. |
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| 5 | |
Tetanus is caused by bacteria that enter the body through wounds in the skin. The bacteria produce a toxin that causes spastic muscle contractions. Death often results from failure of the respiration muscles. A patient comes to the emergency room after stepping on a nail. If the patient has been vaccinated against tetanus, the patient is given a tetanus booster shot, which consists of the toxin altered so that it is harmless. If the patient has never been vaccinated against tetanus, the patient is given an antiserum shot against tetanus. Explain the rationale for this treatment strategy. Sometimes both a booster and an antiserum shot are given, but at different locations of the body. Explain why this is done, and why the shots are given in different locations. |
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An infant appears to be healthy until about 9 months of age. Then he develops severe bacterial infections, one after another. Fortunately, the infections are successfully treated with antibiotics. When infected with the measles and other viral diseases, the infant recovers without unusual difficulty. Explain the different immune responses to these infections. Why did it take so long for this disorder to become apparent?
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A baby is born with severe combined immunodeficiency disease (SCID). In an attempt to save her life, a bone marrow transplant is performed. Explain how this procedure might help the baby. Unfortunately, there is a graft rejection, and the baby dies. Explain what happened. |
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| 8 | |
A patient has many allergic reactions. As part of the treatment scheme, doctors decide to try to identify the allergen that stimulates the immune system's response. A series of solutions, each containing an allergen that commonly causes a reaction, is composed. Each solution is injected into the skin at different locations on the patient's back. The following results are obtained: (a) at one location, the injection site becomes red and swollen within a few minutes; (b) at another injection site, swelling and redness appear 2 days later; and (c) no redness or swelling develops at the other sites. Explain what happened for each observation by describing what part of the immune system was involved and what caused the redness and swelling. |
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| 9 | |
Ivy Hurtt developed a poison ivy rash after a camping trip. Her doctor prescribed a cortisone ointment to relieve the inflammation. A few weeks later Ivy scraped her elbow, which became inflamed. Because she had some of the cortisone ointment left over, she applied it to the scrape. Explain why the ointment was or was not a good idea for the poison ivy and for the scrape. |
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| 10 | |
Suzy Withitt has just had her ears pierced. To her dismay, she finds that when she wears inexpensive (but tasteful) jewelry, by the end of the day there is an inflammatory (allergic) reaction to the metal in the jewelry. Is this because of antibodies or cytokines? |
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