Immature T lymphocytes leave the bone marrow and finish maturing in the thymus, a gland behind the breastbone.
Missing Word
thymus
The thymus is the primary lymphoid organ where T cells mature and learn to tell self from non-self. B cells, by contrast, mature in the bone marrow.
Category: Immune Response
Question 2
When antibodies bind several bacteria at once and clump them together for easier removal, the process is called agglutination.
Missing Word
agglutination
Agglutination is the clumping of particles or cells linked by antibodies. Clumped pathogens are easier for phagocytes to clear.
Category: Immune Response
Question 3
Neutrophils and macrophages engulf and digest bacteria, dead cells and debris in a process called phagocytosis.
Missing Word
phagocytosis
Phagocytosis is the ingestion of large particles by a cell. It is a central defense of innate immunity and a key step of the inflammatory response.
Category: Immune Response
Question 4
A cascade of plasma proteins that marks pathogens and punches holes in bacterial membranes is the complement system.
Missing Word
complement
The complement system is a chain of proteins that, once activated, coats microbes for phagocytes, recruits immune cells and forms pores that lyse bacteria.
Category: Immune Response
Question 5
When antibodies bind a toxin or virus and block it from attaching to host cells, the protective effect is called neutralization.
Missing Word
neutralization
Neutralization stops a pathogen or toxin from causing harm by covering the part it uses to bind cells. It is how many vaccine-induced antibodies protect.
Category: Immune Response
Question 6
Signaling proteins such as interleukins and tumor necrosis factor that immune cells release to coordinate inflammation are called cytokines.
Missing Word
cytokines
Cytokines are chemical messengers between immune cells. Pro-inflammatory ones such as interleukin 1 and TNF-alpha amplify inflammation, while others such as interleukin 10 help resolve it.
Category: Immune Response
Question 7
A blood test that measures the level of a specific antibody to show whether a person is immune is called a titer.
Missing Word
titer
A titer measures antibody concentration in the blood. It is used for diseases such as hepatitis B, varicella and measles to decide whether a person needs a booster.
Category: Vaccines
Question 8
A vaccine made from a bacterial toxin that has been inactivated so it triggers immunity without causing disease, such as the tetanus vaccine, is called a toxoid.
Missing Word
toxoid
A toxoid is a toxin treated so it is no longer harmful but still stimulates antibodies against the real toxin. Tetanus and diphtheria vaccines are toxoids, and boosters are needed to keep protection.
Category: Vaccines
Question 9
A severe, life-threatening allergic reaction to a vaccine component, with hives, angioedema and airway swelling, is called anaphylaxis.
Missing Word
anaphylaxis
Anaphylaxis is a rapid, systemic hypersensitivity reaction. Prior anaphylaxis to a vaccine or one of its components is a contraindication to that vaccine, and patients are observed after vaccination.
Category: Vaccines
Question 10
The purine antimetabolite immunosuppressant used to prevent kidney transplant rejection and to treat rheumatoid arthritis is azathioprine.
Missing Word
azathioprine
Azathioprine interferes with DNA synthesis and blocks the proliferation of T and B cells. It can cause bone marrow suppression and carries a boxed warning for malignancy.
Category: Immunosuppressants and Biologics
Question 11
The TNF inhibitor that is a fusion protein acting as a soluble TNF receptor, rather than a monoclonal antibody, is etanercept.
Missing Word
etanercept
Etanercept is a decoy receptor that binds TNF before it can reach cell receptors. Like other TNF inhibitors, it increases the risk of serious infection and tuberculosis reactivation.
Category: Immunosuppressants and Biologics
Question 12
Ringing in the ears, called tinnitus, is a classic sign of salicylate toxicity from aspirin.
Missing Word
tinnitus
Tinnitus is the perception of ringing or buzzing in the ears. Salicylate toxicity commonly causes it, along with hearing loss, nausea and confusion, so a patient on aspirin who reports it should be assessed for toxicity.
Category: Anti-inflammatory Drugs
Question 13
The nonbiologic DMARD that acts as a folic acid antagonist and is a standard treatment for rheumatoid arthritis is methotrexate.
Missing Word
methotrexate
Methotrexate inhibits folate-dependent steps of cell metabolism and modifies the course of rheumatoid arthritis. It can cause liver toxicity and bone marrow suppression and is contraindicated in pregnancy.
Category: Anti-inflammatory Drugs
Question 14
The antigout drug derived from the autumn crocus that reduces joint inflammation by limiting white blood cell movement is colchicine.
Missing Word
colchicine
Colchicine does not lower uric acid; it reduces the inflammatory response to urate crystals. Diarrhea and other GI effects are common, and CYP3A4 inhibitors raise the risk of toxicity.
Category: Antigout Drugs
Question 15
The antigout drug that lowers uric acid by increasing its excretion in the urine, so patients must drink plenty of fluid, is probenecid.
Missing Word
probenecid
Probenecid is a uricosuric drug that blocks uric acid reabsorption in the kidney tubules. Good hydration lowers the risk of uric acid kidney stones.
Category: Antigout Drugs