NRE Step 1: Immunology Made Simple – Pass with Precision

Spleen

  • It’s in the upper left part of your belly.
  • It has cells called T-cells.
  • When you get a sickness like infectious mononucleosis (from the EBV virus), your spleen can get bigger because of more T-cells.

Thymus

  • This part helps T-cells grow up.
  • T-cells are made in your bones but learn in the thymus.
  • Some people are born without a thymus, which is called DiGeorge syndrome.

Antibodies (Germ Fighters)

  • IgG: These are important for fighting sickness the second time you get it. They can go from a mother to her baby. They also help other germ fighters work.
  • IgA: Found in body fluids like spit and tears.
  • IgE: This antibody is involved in allergies and fighting worms.

Immunity (How Your Body Fights Sickness)

  • Innate Immunity: This is your body’s first way to fight germs. It’s always ready and doesn’t remember past germs. Things like skin and certain cells (neutrophils, macrophages) are part of this.
  • Adaptive Immunity: This part of your body’s defense remembers germs it has fought before. It uses special cells (T-cells, B-cells) to fight specific germs.

Transplants (Putting Something from One Body to Another)

  • Autograft: From your own body.
  • Isograft: Between twins.
  • Allograft: Between people of the same type.
  • Xenograft: Between different kinds of animals.

Transplant Rejection (When the Body Doesn’t Like the Transplant)

  • Hyperacute: Happens very fast (minutes).
  • Acute: Happens in weeks or months.
  • Chronic: Happens over many months or years.

Allergies (When Your Body Reacts Too Much)

  • Allergies can be caused by certain genes.
  • Examples are asthma, skin rashes, and runny nose.
  • Mast cells are important in allergies.

Complement System (Germ-Fighting Helpers)

  • These are proteins that help fight infections.
  • They become active when there’s an infection.
  • They help in different ways, like making it easier for other cells to eat germs and creating holes in germs.
  • If some of these proteins don’t work right, it can lead to certain infections.

Therapeutic Antibodies (Special Medicines)

  • These are man-made antibodies used as medicine for different sicknesses.
    • Denosumab: For weak bones.
    • Omalizumab: For asthma.
    • Pavilizumab: For a lung sickness in babies.
    • Eculizumab: For a blood problem.
    • Efalizumab: For a skin problem.
    • Natalizumab: For a brain and spinal cord problem.
    • Trastuzumab: For a type of breast cancer.

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