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Example Questions
Example Question #341 : Biology
The lymphoid tissues are responsible for creating, storing, and processing lymphocytes, which are essentially the effector cells of the immune system. Which of the following is a lymphoid structure that is also responsible for recycling old red blood cells?
Liver
Thymus
Spleen
Bone marrow
Appendix
Spleen
The spleen is a lymphoid structure that contains resident lymphocytes that produce antiobodies, as well as T-cells that are released into the bloodstream. It also contains resident macrophages, which are responsible for removing and degrading microbes and worn-out red blood cells.
Example Question #341 : Biology
Destruction of the lymph nodes would most likely affect the immune system in which way?
Inability to initiate and sustain an inflammatory response at the site of infection
Inability to produce killer T cells
Inability to carry out a second response to an antigen significantly shorter in duration than the first
Inability to bind antibodies to an antigen
Inability to carry out a second response to an antigen significantly shorter in duration than the first
The secondary response of the immune system is significantly shorter in duration due to the storage of memory cells after the initial infection has been combated. During the primary infection, a B-cell will bind with an antigen. Once this occurs, the B-cells will begin to divide rapidly into plasma cells and memory cells. Plasma cells release high quantities of antibodies, which are integral in combating the infection. Memory cells are stored in lymph nodes so that if the same antigen is ever encountered again, it can be quickly dealt with by a fast-responding production of the correct form of plasma cell. If lymph nodes were destroyed, memory cells would not be able to mount this quick secondary response.
Example Question #1 : Other Lymphatic Physiology
Which of the following is not a function of the lymphatic system?
Produce B-cells
Present antigens to B-cells
Synthesize red blood cells
Drain interstitial fluid
Synthesize red blood cells
The lymphatic system has many purposes, including draining the 10% of interstitial fluid that is not reabsorbed by the capillaries, housing the lymph nodes that produce B-cells, and serving as a migration site for macrophages that present antigens to B-cells to initiate an immune system reaction.
The bone marrow is responsible for producing red blood cells, and for allowing B-cells to mature.
Example Question #11 : Immune And Lymphatic Systems
Which of the following is not a purpose of the lymphatic system?
Bring interstitial fluid back to systemic circulation
Regulate body temperature
Filter blood
Remove fluid from interstitial space
Transport lymph back to the heart
Regulate body temperature
The lymphatic system carries lymph, which is a colorless fluid containing white blood cells, to help the body remove excess interstitial fluid. Fluids from the blood leak out of the gaps between capillary epithelium and must be returned to circulation to prevent accumulation. The lymphatic system collects this fluid and passes it through lymph nodes, which house lymphocytes that screen the fluids for foreign antigens. The lymphatic vessels then carry the fluids to the heart, releasing the lymph back into circulation via the right atrium.
Example Question #11 : Immune And Lymphatic Systems
Which of the following is not a function of the lymphatic system?
It helps transport fats to the veins of the neck
It filters excess interstitial fluid
It detoxifies the blood
It provides the maturation site for T-cells
It screens the blood for microbes
It detoxifies the blood
The liver is primarily responsible for the detoxification of the blood.
All other listed options are the primary roles of the lymphatic system. Digested fats are emulsified in the small intestine, then transported via lymph (rather than blood). They enter the blood stream through the subclavian vein. The lymph also contains a large number of lymphocytes, or white blood cells, which can screen for microbes. Excess interstitial fluid is transferred to the lymph via leaky capillaries. The thymus, a primary lymphoid organ, is responsible for T-cell maturation.
Example Question #371 : Mcat Biological Sciences
Type 1 diabetes is a well-understood autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases result from an immune system-mediated attack on one’s own body tissues. In normal development, an organ called the thymus introduces immune cells to the body’s normal proteins. This process is called negative selection, as those immune cells that recognize normal proteins are deleted. If cells evade this process, those that recognize normal proteins enter into circulation, where they can attack body tissues. The thymus is also important for activating T-cells that recognize foreign proteins.
As the figure below shows, immune cells typically originate in the bone marrow. Some immune cells, called T-cells, then go to the thymus for negative selection. Those that survive negative selection, enter into general circulation to fight infection. Other cells, called B-cells, directly enter general circulation from the bone marrow. It is a breakdown in this carefully orchestrated process that leads to autoimmune disease, such as type 1 diabetes.
B-cells are primarily activated in lymph nodes, similar in some respects to T-cell activation in the thymus. Which of the following is true of the lymphatic system?
I. It drains excess fluid from interstitial spaces
II. It has one-way valves similar to those in veins
III. It is actively pumped by skeletal muscle contraction
I and III
I, II, and III
II, only
II and III
I and II
I, II, and III
All of these statements are true of the lymphatic system. Without a dedicated pump of its own, it relies on skeletal muscle contraction in adjacent muscles and the presence of one-way valves to remove excess interstitial fluid and bring it to lymph nodes, where the immune system can be activated.
Example Question #21 : Immune And Lymphatic Systems
Which of the following is NOT a function of the lymphatic system?
Secretion of aminopeptidase into the small intestine
Transport of digested fats to the blood stream
Storage of memory B-cells
Returning interstitial fluid back to the blood stream
Secretion of aminopeptidase into the small intestine
The lymphatic system is important for the return of interstitial fluid back into the blood stream. Fluids that escape vessels and capillaries that would otherwise remain between tissue are returned to the bloodstream by the lymphatic system. Also, lymph nodes play a key role in the immune system, as they are storage centers for memory cells that have been produced as a result of an antigen binding to a B-cell during a primary response. Finally, the lymphatic system is also involved in the transport of insoluble formations of fats called chylomicrons to the blood stream. The lymphatic system plays no role in the secretion of aminopeptidase; therefore, that is the correct answer.
Example Question #22 : Immune And Lymphatic Systems
All of the following are functions of the lymphatic system except for which answer choice?
Delivers fat soluble nutrients in the form of chylomicrons from the gut to systemic circulation
Delivers water soluble nutrients from the gut to systemic circulation
Delivers extracellular fluid back to systemic circulation
Delivers antigens and microbes to lymph nodes, where they can be detected by immune cells
Delivers water soluble nutrients from the gut to systemic circulation
Water-soluble nutrients are generally absorbed directly into the blood stream via various mechanisms, including but not limited to facilitated diffusion and active transport. Long-chain fatty acids, cholesterol, triglycerides, and large-fat soluble drugs are packaged into chylomicrons and taken up by the lymphatics in the gut before they are delivered to systemic circulation.
Example Question #1 : Types Of Immune System Cells
One component of the immune system is the neutrophil, a professional phagocyte that consumes invading cells. The neutrophil is ferried to the site of infection via the blood as pre-neutrophils, or monocytes, ready to differentiate as needed to defend their host.
In order to leave the blood and migrate to the tissues, where infection is active, the monocyte undergoes a process called diapedesis. Diapedesis is a process of extravasation, where the monocyte leaves the circulation by moving in between endothelial cells, enters the tissue, and matures into a neutrophil.
Diapedesis is mediated by a class of proteins called selectins, present on the monocyte membrane and the endothelium. These selectins interact, attract the monocyte to the endothelium, and allow the monocytes to roll along the endothelium until they are able to complete diapedesis by leaving the vasculature and entering the tissues.
The image below shows monocytes moving in the blood vessel, "rolling" along the vessel wall, and eventually leaving the vessel to migrate to the site of infection.
Neutrophils are best described as being __________.
part of the adaptive immune system
part of the innate immune system
derivatives of natural killer (NK) cells
part of immunological memory
derivatives of B-cells
part of the innate immune system
Neutrophils are one of the main players in innate immunity. Their response does not require having previously been exposed to the pathogen, and they are fairly nonspecific in their ability to digest foreign invaders.
As stated in the passage, neutrophils are derived from monocyctes, not B-cells or natural killer cells.
Example Question #1 : Types Of Immune System Cells
Type 1 diabetes is a well-understood autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases result from an immune system-mediated attack on one’s own body tissues. In normal development, an organ called the thymus introduces immune cells to the body’s normal proteins. This process is called negative selection, as those immune cells that recognize normal proteins are deleted. If cells evade this process, those that recognize normal proteins enter into circulation, where they can attack body tissues. The thymus is also important for activating T-cells that recognize foreign proteins.
As the figure below shows, immune cells typically originate in the bone marrow. Some immune cells, called T-cells, then go to the thymus for negative selection. Those that survive negative selection, enter into general circulation to fight infection. Other cells, called B-cells, directly enter general circulation from the bone marrow. It is a breakdown in this carefully orchestrated process that leads to autoimmune disease, such as type 1 diabetes.
Di George syndrome is a genetic disorder that results in failure of thymus formation during development, and thus in immune deficiency. A doctor examines the blood of a patient with Di George syndrome. What is she most likely to find?
Excess production of both T-cells and B-cells
A normal complement of both B-cells and T-cells
A deficiency of B-cells, with a relative abundance of T-cells
A deficiency of T-cells, with a relative abundance of B-cells
Deficiency of both T-cells and B-cells
A deficiency of T-cells, with a relative abundance of B-cells
The patient has Di George syndrome, which is characterized by a lack of thymus tissue. Based on the information in the passage, loss of the thymus is most likely to manifest as a deficiency of T-cells, while the presence of B-cells will be relatively unaffected.
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