Week 7 - Immune System

Question 1

What are some relevant nursing actions?

Answer 1

• Aseptic technique
• Blood transfusion safety
• Checking allergy status of patient
• Observing for inflammation, pressure area care, wound assessment and dressing
• Administration of antibiotics.

Question 2

What are innate defences?

Answer 2

Present from birth and provide protection against a broad range of pathogens

Question 3

Is the skin in the First line (External defences) or Second line (Localise)

Answer 3

First line

Question 4

Is the Sebum in the First line (External defences) or Second line (Localise)

Answer 4

First line

Question 5

Is the Dendritic Cells in the First line (External defences) or Second line (Localise)

Answer 5

First and Second line

Question 6

Is the Interferon in the First line (External defences) or Second line (Localise)

Answer 6

Second line

Question 7

Is the Natural Killer Cells in the First line (External defences) or Second line (Localise)

Answer 7

Second line

Question 8

Is the Fever in the First line (External defences) or Second line (Localise)

Answer 8

Second line

Question 9

Is the Phagocytes in the First line (External defences) or Second line (Localise)

Answer 9

Second line

Question 10

Is the Complement in the First line (External defences) or Second line (Localise)

Answer 10

Second line

Question 11

Is the Mucous Membranes in the First line (External defences) or Second line (Localise)

Answer 11

First line

Question 12

Is the Gastric Juice in the First line (External defences) or Second line (Localise)

Answer 12

First line

Question 13

Is the Microbiota in the First line (External defences) or Second line (Localise)

Answer 13

First and Second line

Question 14

Is the Salivary Lysosomes in the First line (External defences) or Second line (Localise)

Answer 14

First line

Question 15

Is Inflammation in the First line (External defences) or Second line (Localise)

Answer 15

Second line

Question 16

Provide examples of how the patients’ skin can be bypassed by microorganisms.

Answer 16

• Injection
• Pressure Injuries
• Wounds

Question 17

Provide examples of how the patients’ mucous membranes can be bypassed by microorganisms.

Answer 17

• Nasogastric tube, suctioning tracheostomy
• Urethral catheter, suprapubic catheter
• Ileostomy, colostomy, PEG tube

Question 18

Provide examples of how the patients other can be bypassed by microorganisms.

Answer 18

• Antibiotics
• Immunosuppressants
• Steroids

Question 19

Identify how nurses physically increase their first line of defence against microorganisms

Answer 19

Personal protective equipment (PPE)

Question 20

Define reverse barrier nursing

Answer 20

Protect patient from microorganism of nurse

Question 21

Describe the function of a pyrexia (fever)

Answer 21

• Pathogens prefer 37 degrees
• Increased body temp inhibits pathogen reproduction
• Promotes interferon activity
• Increased rate of repair and metabolic reactions

Question 22

Describe the physiology of these classic signs of inflammation - Redness and Heat

Answer 22

• Local vasodilation
• More blood, leukocytes and heat

Question 23

Describe the physiology of these classic signs of inflammation - Swelling and Pain

Answer 23

• Blood capillaries leak, more fluid and components into area
• Compress veins
• Encourages fluid, debris and pathogens into lymphatics

Question 24

What is Adaptive Devences (3rd line)

Answer 24

• Body adapts to its experiences with pathogens. - It is antigen specific, systemic and has a memory. - Composed of humoral and cellular immunity.

Question 25

What is Humoral Immunity

Answer 25

Provides a defence against pathogens in our extracellular fluids (body humors)

Question 26

State the role(s) of the B lymphocytes (B cells) in the humoral immune response

Answer 26

- Destroy extracellular pathogens - B cells -> plasma cells (release antibodies) -> memory cells

Question 27

Describe the primary humoral response

Answer 27

Plasma cells and memory cells made on first exposure to antigen

Question 28

Describe the secondary humoral response

Answer 28

New plasma cells made from existing memory cells on second exposure to the some antigen

Question 29

More lives have been saved by vaccination than antibiotics. Vaccination is the administration of a dead or disabled (attenuated) pathogen (antigen) or production of a pathogens’ protein (via mRNA or DNA vaccine) to stimulate an immune response (immunisation). 1. State whether this immunisation process is an example of active or passive immunity

Answer 29

- Active - Exposure to antigen stimulates formation of memory cells

Question 30

Antibodies do not destroy antigens directly. They inactivate and tag antigens for destruction by other means 1. Name the three main defensive mechanisms initiated by antibodies.

Answer 30

- Neutralisation - Agglutination and thus precipitation - Complement activation

Question 31

What is Cellular Immunity?

Answer 31

Provides a defence against intracellular pathogens and abnormal cells

Question 32

State the role(s) of the T lymphocytes (T cells) in the immune response

Answer 32

Destroy intracellular pathogens (foreign antigens inside our body cells) and cancer cells

Question 33

Name the two main types of T cells

Answer 33

- Cytotoxic - Helper

Question 34

Describe how cytotoxic (killer T) cells destroy infected and cancerous cells

Answer 34

- Insert toxic chemicals - (perforin, granzymes, interferons)

Question 35

Applying a dressing to a wound is mimicking which defence strategy

Answer 35

Skin

Question 36

Identified by redness, swelling, pain and heat at the site of infection

Answer 36

Inflammatory Response

Question 37

Causes an increase in the metabolic rate which speeds up tissue repair

Answer 37

Fever

Question 38

Stimulates uninfected cells to produce a protective antiviral protein

Answer 38

Interferon

Question 39

Substances that can provoke an immune response

Answer 39

Antigens

Question 40

The mucous lining of the intestine functions as a food source for the microbiota and protective layer of the immune defences (innate and adaptive). However, poor lifestyle choices compromise this mucous and facilitate the entry of microorganisms, endotoxins and undigested food into the blood via the intracellular spaces (leaky gut). In a healthy digestive tract, the columnar epithelial cells of the intestinal lining are secured together by ______.

Answer 40

Tight Junctions

Question 41

State the function of an antigen presenting cell (APC)

Answer 41

Phagocytosis - Then display antigenic fragments on plasma membrane

Question 42

State the role of a helper T cell

Answer 42

- Active in humoral and cellular immunity - Secretes interleukins that coordinate immune response

Question 43

List five statements about the innate defences

Answer 43

- Present from birth, act non-specifically, locally and fast - Epidermal dendritic cells connect the innate with the adaptive defenses - Urinary catheters cross the patients’ first line of defense - Localised inflammation is an attempt to contain potential pathogens - Neutrophils secrete a killing zone of toxic chemicals and extracellular traps

Question 44

List five statements about the adaptive defences

Answer 44

- Adapts to its experience with pathogens, is antigen specific, systemic, has a memory - Effective immunisation provokes an active immune response - Antigen presenting cells phagocytose and display antigens to T cells - Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins are genetically determined - Regulatory T cells suppress the activities of the B and T cells