A physician orders Tylenol for a temperature greater than 101°F. The patient’s temperature is 100.4°F. Explain the rationale for not medicating a fever of 100.4°F and why Tylenol would be prescribed for temperatures greater than 101°F?
1) Fevers occur as a byproduct of the immune system’s response to infections. 2) Fevers raise the activity of interferons, which kill pathogens. 3) Fever also raises the body’s temperature in order to cause some protein degradation of pathogens and further fight off the infection. 4) When a fever is mild, such as one of 100.4 degrees, they are beneficial to the body. 5) The raise in body temperature, to a mild degree, inhibits reproduction of pathogens. 6) However extreme fevers do need to be treated as becoming too hot can be dangerous to homeostasis and cause edema
A patient is suffering from edema in the lower-right limb. Explain why elevation of the limb and massage helps to remove the excess fluid.
1) Elevating the limb will prevent further accumulation of fluid in the lower limb. 2) Gravity can assist in moving fluid out of the inflamed area, which helps drain fluid out faster. 3) However, elevation alone cannot fix edema by itself. 4) Massages of the inflamed area are also important to remove the fluid. 5) Massage can promote the movement of fluid out of the area, in conjunction with elevation
Gary deliberately hyperventilates for several minutes before diving into a swimming pool. Shortly after he enters the water and begins swimming, he blacks out and almost drowns. What caused him to blackout and explain why this happened (this is a form of hyperventilation – what happens to the brain when CO2 levels drop?)
1) Hyperventilation causes a drastic decrease in carbon dioxide in the blood. 2) Carbon dioxide is removed through exhalation. 3) Therefore, increased ventilation decreases the urge for exhalation as there’s less carbon dioxide that needs to be removed. 4) As a result, hyperventilation can lead to hypoventilation, or lowered ventilation. 5) This means less oxygen enters the body, so what’s in the body already gets quickly used up and causes you to faint. 6) At this point, automatic breathing cannot take over since he is underwater and doing so would lead to drowning
A person who travels to a mountainous region will experience difficulty in breathing even if he or she is in good athletic shape. Explain why a person can be breathing faster than normal yet still feel like he can’t catch his breath. How may this fast breathing affect blood pH?
1) At very high altitudes, pressure is lower than it is around sea level. 2) Pressure and pressure gradients is the main way we get air in and out of our lungs. 3) When the pressure inside our thoracic cavity is lower than the atmospheric pressure, air flows into the lungs. 4) When pressure in our thoracic cavity is higher than the atmospheric pressure, air flows out of our lungs. 5) Therefore, being at an altitude with lower than regular pressure makes breathing more difficult as the pressure gradient to inhale and exhale is not as steep. 6) This means that more breaths or deeper breaths may be necessary in order to get enough air into our lungs with the inefficient pressure gradient. 7) And as a result of faster breathing, CO2 is removed very quickly leading to a more basic blood pH
Renal failure patients constantly undergo dialysis. What is dialysis and why are they at risk of anemia and osteoporosis (think about what renal failure and ALL the functions of the kidney). What medications or supplements could you give to prevent these problems?
1) Dialysis is a procedure in which waste products are removed from the blood when a person has kidney failure and their body can’t do it on its’ own. 2) Patients are at risk for anemia because their kidneys, if failing, cannot properly produce erythropoietin to make red blood cells, which leads to anemia. 3) To counteract this, iron supplements can be given which helps the body make more blood since it’s a requirement to do so. 4) Osteoporosis may occur because the kidneys need to remove phosphorous from the body, and their ability to do so declines when failing, which leads to a buildup of phosphorous, which is associated with less calcium and the release of parathyroid hormone, which moves calcium out of the bones and into the blood, leading to osteoporosis. 5) To fix this, calcitriol can be given to counteract the parathyroid hormone.
To relax after an anatomy and physiology exam, mucho Gusto goes to a local bistro and drinks 2 quarts of low-sodium beer. What effect does this beer have on urine concentration and volume/ Explain the mechanisms involved.
1) Alcohol suppresses release of antidiuretic hormone. 2) Antidiuretic hormone suppresses urination to preserve fluid. 3) Inhibiting ADH causes fluid to be lost more quickly through urination. 4) ADH does so by making the collecting duct more permeable to water. 5) When the collecting duct is more permable to water, water will reenter tissue fluid and the bloodstream, rather than be lost in the urine
A physician orders Tylenol for a temperature greater than 101°F. The patient’s temperature is 100.4°F. Explain the rationale for not medicating a fever of 100.4°F and why Tylenol would be prescribed for temperatures greater than 101°F?
1) Fevers occur as a byproduct of the immune system’s response to infections. 2) Fevers raise the activity of interferons, which kill pathogens. 3) Fever also raises the body’s temperature in order to cause some protein degradation of pathogens and further fight off the infection. 4) When a fever is mild, such as one of 100.4 degrees, they are beneficial to the body. 5) The raise in body temperature, to a mild degree, inhibits reproduction of pathogens. 6) However extreme fevers do need to be treated as becoming too hot can be dangerous to homeostasis and cause edema
What are complement proteins?
C3, which helps us fight infections
Where is IgA (immunoglobulin A) found?
In mucus, tears, milk, saliva, and intestinal secretions
What does C3 break down into?
C3a and C3b, after binding to the complement-binding site
Function of C3a?
Binds to basophils and causes them to degranulate, secreting histamine and heparin for vasodilation and increasing capillary permeability, causing edema/inflammation
Function of C3b?
Binds antibodies with antigens, forming a complex so a macrophage can phagocytize an entire group of antigens at once
What is the membrane attack complex?
AKA MAC, the way that C3b works also forms a hole in the wall of the bacteria so fluid can rush in and cause it to burst and die
What are interferons?
Secreted by virally infected cells, they act as a distress signal to attract NK cells and macrophages to kill the infected cells before it can spawn more
What are perforins?
Released by NK cells, they form a hole in target cells’ membranes
Difference between perforins and C3b/complement proteins/MACs?
Perforin holes are from protein and made by perforins, MACs are made by C3b by complement proteins
What are granzymes?
They enter perforin holes and degrade enemy cell enzymes in order to make the enemy cell dia via apoptosis (suicide). A macrophage engulfs what’s left
Components of innate immunity?
Complement proteins, interferons, perforins, granzymes, and NK cells
Components of adaptive immunity?
T and B cells
What is a fever?
Caused by exogenous pyrogens, such as bacteria and viruses. Raises interferon activity, elevates metabolic rate and tissue repair, and can cause protein degradation
Where does inflammation occur?
In the interstitial space, caused by excess plasma fluid from vasodilation and increased capillary permeability in an injured site in order to bring more WBCs
What is margination?
A behavior of neutrophils in inflammation, when WBCs stick to the endothelial wall because it becomes sticky, trying to slow down the WBCs to make them stop here
What is diapedesis?
When leukocytes crawl through gaps in endothelial cells and enter tissue fluid, entering the wall of an infected cell
How many steps to inflammation?