Vocabulary words to know!

• Tolerance: The failure to mount an immune response to an antigen. 

Tolerance is a good thing because it does not attack the body's own proteins and other antigens.

• Allergens: A substance that causes an allergic response.

          Common allergens include pollen, grass, dust, and some medications.

• Effector Cells: A short-lived activated cells that defend the body in an immune response.

Effector cells like effector B cells are able to secrete antibodies.

Works Cited:

http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/a/allergy.asp?addtocart=yes&catref=gra071015&artistadd=guy%20and%20rodd

http://www.jci.org/articles/view/14142/figure/2

http://geekymedics.com/immune-response/

Antibodies

• Neutralization: The ability of antibodies to block the sites of bacteria or viruses so they cannot enter the target cell.

          Neutralization can be used against microbes and toxins.

• Opsonization: The process when opsonins coat the bacteria/virus to make sure that the Fc receptor on a phagocytic cell is able to bind.

           Opsonization helps initiate the process of phagocytosis. 

• Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC): The killing of an antibody coated cell without using phagocytosis.

          ADCC cells include natural killer cells, macrophages, neutrophils, and eosinophils.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/lowres.cartoonstock.com/food-drink-hormone-chocolate-choc-neutralize-scientist-aban1593_low.jpg

https://classconnection.s3.amazonaws.com/101/flashcards/2224101/jpg/opsonization1358979561764.jpg

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_1HxYj9g4YFpmEYhhhrRJMiLEb3KW1U4LwFu4GOPk6N_uRnjhXyHF6ce-UD0j9ah6UqNU-oMgqhSHMDL6oY0Tkj_2fKVVRoRFrV8EOtxRVZ6t01ofNDTr4faDSQ0EXrOtehkxOHA1FbN/s1600/ADCC.jpg

Vocabulary :)

Cytokines: Substances like interferons, interleukins, and growth factors that can be secreted from immune cells.

Cytokines are secreted to effect other cells.

Effector Cells: Cells are activated in an immune response which can help secrete antibodies and activate T cells.

Specific B cells (Effector) and T cells (cytotoxic and helper) are types of effector cells.

Chemokine Receptors: Receptors that are found on the surface of cells that interact with chemokines.

Mammals have at least 20 chemokine receptors.

                                                            Works Cited Page:

• http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mi/2013/459520.fig.001.jpg

Vocabulary

Antigent-Presentation: A process in the immune system that enables cells like macrophages and dendritic cells to present the captured antigens to the T cells.

The cells that are involved in antigen-presentation allow T cells to know that there are antigens in the body.

Humoral Immunity: Immunity when antibodies that are produced by plasma B cells in the blood, spleen, and lymph nodes.

Humoral Immunity has to do with the killing of specific pathogens.

Cell Mediated Immunity: Immunity when phagocytes and antigen-specific cytotoxic T-Lymphocytes are activated. Cytokines are also released because of the antigen.

Cell Mediated Immunity does not involve antibodies.



Works Cited:

 http://immense-immunology-insight.blogspot.com/2013/10/question-antigen-presenting-cells.html
http://microbiologyme.blogspot.com/2012/12/humoral-immunity-its-funny.html

Immunology Vocabulary

Immunoglobulins: Classes of proteins that are produced by plasma cells and lymphocytes. They function as antibodies by latching onto foreign substances and assist in destroying them.

Immunoglobulins can be separated into five classes that have very different functions.

Passive Immunization: A type of immunization that involves transferring antibodies from an immune individual to a healthy individual.

Passive Immunization is used when the mother passes certain antibodies to her offspring.

Active Immunization: When immunity is provided to a person who has been in contact with the antigen. The recipient is forced to make antibodies for that antigen.

Active immunization comes with risks, some patients may not be able to produce antibodies against the antigen. 

Works Cited: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/immunoglobulin

http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/story/opinion/2015/02/08/vaccinations-vaccines-sean-duffy-parents-public-health/23071955/

Investigating Vaccinations

                                                             Investigating Vaccinations

            In class, we learned about different ways people try to get vaccinated. Currently, immunizations are given through shots. The serum contains dead or almost dead viruses that cause the disease. In "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vaccinations" by , it says that once people contract smallpox and survive, they are immune to this disease. This talks about various other diseases, why it's important to get vaccinated, and what specific vaccines should be taken. It also talks about variolation. This is when some people would take infected material (secretions) from a person with a disease and rub it on a healthy person, hoping that the healthy person would become sick. They thought that contracting a disease from a sick person like this would be easier to deal with. This was a way of immunization for the Variola virus. The only problem about doing something like this is, the healthy individual is also able to contract whatever other diseases the sick person has. For example, if the donor of the infected sample has tuberculosis, there is a high chance that the healthy person can also contract this disease. Even though that the chances of people contracting diseases were high, variolation significantly lowered the death rate of small pox in those days. 

         Now that we know what the common method of vaccinating people back in the day was, it is also important to see which immunizations are important for certain people. In the website "The History of Vaccines", there is an article that gives a long list of vaccinations and who should be taking them. The site mainly talks about vaccinations. Any topic that relates to vaccines is found on the site. This article also talks about the certain virus or bacteria that causes the disease. For example, anyone who has been born after 1980 is required to get vaccinated for chickenpox (varicella). Anyone who does not provide proper records for immunizations should be vaccinated. This is crucial because this is highly contagious. Adults who do not have a good immune system are at risk. All the vaccines listed are ones that are highly common these days. 

Reading both of these materials really did help me getter a better understanding of the whole immunization process and how diverse these viruses are. None of the materials portrayed being biased. Being able to see a list portrays how we can never be fully immune to every single virus. Doing everything we can to stay healthy is crucial. 

Works Cited: Smith, Michael Joseph., and Laurie Bouck. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vaccinations. New York: Alpha, 2009. Print.

"Vaccines for Adults." History of Vaccines RSS. N.p., 2015. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.

http://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/articles/vaccines-adults

http://www.stowetoday.com/stowe_reporter/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/vaccination-cartoon-disturbing-inaccurate/article_75c173f6-63ae-11e1-ad84-0019bb2963f4.html

Encounter

                                             Encounter with Immunology

          It is that time of year again!! Everywhere you look, you see people are sneezing, coughing, and having all that good stuff to share with everyone. It's flu season so people are also getting vaccinated. I work at a doctors office and I see patients that come in for their flu shots. These patients are getting their shots so they won't have to get sick this season. The flu shots contain the killed or highly weakened organism that produces immunity in our bodies against that organism. The fact that people have to get this shot every season is because the virus mutates and so they need the new shot that produces antibodies for the new virus. It is pretty cool how viruses are able to change themselves and mutate but not cool for the person who is infected. Every single day, our body comes in contact with so many viruses and bacteria. Our immune systems work so hard everyday to keep our bodies healthy. I thought this was highly appropriate for my immunology class after we learned about vaccines and how the body reacts to antigens.  

Works Cited: https://www.offthemark.com/cartoons/immunology

         Reflecting on Immunology                

               Immunology is a very interesting topic. When you think of taking a class called immunology, you would most likely assume that it is going to only be about the immune system. The main focus of this class is the immune system but it is amazing to see how our whole health really focuses on our immune system. When we get vaccines, we do not realize how these vaccines are created and what they are actually doing. Scientists are supposed to study every aspect of the antigens that enter our bodies. How they react to each individual is something pretty amazing as well. There are so many viruses and bacteria that can enter our body and trying to figure out how every single one of them look and what they exactly do would take a very long time. I realized this when I was doing a lab this past week. We had to use anti-bovine, horse albumin, bovine albumin and anti-horse. Even though these were only a couple things, I realized that there are so many things that we could have used. Being in class this past week made me realize that there are so many things that interact with our immune system. It is fascinating yet scary to know that there can be so many things that are capable of hurting our bodies, but also things that can help our bodies as well. 

 

                                                             Reflecting on Immunology

              Immunology is a great course to learn about how our bodies battle the worlds that are unseen. Our bodies are able to fight and defend itself from the dangers that are naked to the human eye. But does this have anything to do with neurosurgery? In case you are wondering, my goal is to become a neurosurgeon but I am also taking an immunology course. Initially, I thought that taking this course would be beneficial to my medical degree as a whole. After a couple weeks in this class, I realized that the information that is taught is quintessential to my career choice. I learned about how the body is able to fight off invaders and exactly what cells are used for what purpose. Our body is composed of many cells and knowing the difference between the cells is something that everyone in the medical field should know. Even though this class is mainly focused on how our body fights back, it's important to know what is going on in the body before you operate on any part. The pace of the class is perfect because it gives you time to learn what the teacher is teaching you at your own pace. Even doing things like group work and drawing in the class makes the subject easier to comprehend. Using worksheets to help understand the concepts we learn makes it really easy. This class is a great class to take. Every time you learn something new, you are just left wondering how amazing our bodies were made. I can't wait to see what else I will get to learn in this class! :)

Works Cited: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/2462974771322778/

Immunology

                                                          White Blood Cells


Neutrophils: White blood cell that first responds to infections inside the body. They are able to kill foreign materials in the body without specifically identifying what type of foreign material is in the body.

Neutrophils are part of the innate immune system.

Basophils:  Non-phagocytic white blood cells that secrete histamine and heparin. They have a multi lobed nucleus and increase in numbers during an allergic response.

Basophils induce vasodilation.

Eosinophils: White phagocytic cells that are motile. There are about 1-5% of these white blood cells.

Eosinophils can expel granules into extracellular space.

Works Cited:

http://www.suggestkeyword.com/YmFzb3BoaWxzIDNk/
http://coloncancer.about.com/od/glossary/g/neutrophils.htm
http://www.clker.com/clipart-cartoon-neutrophil.html

Encounter

         
                                   
                                          Encounter with Immunology



                This past week, I had experienced a terrible cold. I realized that I was very sick on Tuesday when I woke up in the morning. I had drank a cold coke and ate ice cream at home the previous day. Since I also TA for a class, I let all my students use my computer for a specific assignment. There are about 40 kids in the class. One student had a cold when I came in contact with them. This person used my computer and I in turn fell sick. because I used my computer after them. I did not know this person was sick until after I saw them sneeze. I was able to get sick because I not only consumed cold things but I also came in contact with someone who was sick. Since I did not sanitize the keys on my computer before I used it, I got sick.  I was so sick that I was unable to go to work. I took NyQuil, hot liquids, and stayed in bed. I was still sick the next day but still went to school. Later that day, I felt so much better. Today, I feel a lot better. I learned that I should always keep my things clean and to sanitize it regularly. When I have symptoms or see others with a cold, I should avoid getting sick by keeping my distance. In class, we learn about how our body fights off these infections and this week I felt the symptoms of my body reacting to the foreign material.

Works Cited:
http://thescopepopculturescience.blogspot.com/2014/11/attack-of-germs.html
http://www.iconshut.com/grab-your-free-monday-wallpaper-by-becha-icons/dT1hSFIwY0RvdkwyMWxaR2xoTG1OeVpXRjBhWFpsWW14dmNTNW1kWFIxY21WalpHNHVibVYwTDNOcGRHVnpMMk55WldGMGFYWmxZbXh2Y1M1amIyMHZabWxzWlhNdmFXMWhaMlZ6THpJd01USXZNVEF2VmtKa1pYTnJkRzl3TG1wd1p3fHVyPWh0dHA6Ly93d3cuY3JlYXRpdmVibG9xLmNvbS93YWxscGFwZXJzL2dyYWIteW91ci1mcmVlLW1vbmRheS13YWxscGFwZXItYmVjaGEtMTAxMjk4OHx3PTE5MjB8aD0xMDgwfHQ9anBlZ3w/

Immunology:The study of how the body is able to distinguish itself from non self. The cells from the immune system attack the foreign bodies to avoid infections.

In immunology, you are able to specifically learn how our body fights off these invaders.

                                  

Retrovirus: RNA viruses that insert copies of their DNA into the host cell. The host cell then replicates.

Retroviruses have their own enzymes called "reverse transcriptase", which facilitates the insertion.

                                                        


Virus: A nucleic acid molecule that is in a protein coat. It is able to only multilpy in a host cell.

A virus is able to enter into other cells and uses their own chemical machinery to keep itself alive.



                                    



Works Cited:
www.deviantart.com
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/296463587948868842/