Question 1

Drugs that block the production of cytokines, like cyclosporin, may be useful for treating autoimmune disorders.

Accepted Answer

This is true. Cytokines play a role in the inflammatory response and blocking their production can be an effective way to reduce inflammation in autoimmune disorders. Cyclosporin is one drug that has been used for this purpose.

Question 2

People lacking Rh factor are born with circulating antibodies against it.

Accepted Answer

People lacking the Rh factor (Rh-negative individuals) do not naturally have circulating antibodies against the Rh factor. These antibodies only develop in Rh-negative individuals after exposure to Rh-positive blood, through transfusion or pregnancy.

Question 3

Treatment of individuals with HIV infection focuses upon early detection by interfering with the processes involved in replication and assembly of the virus by T lymphocytes, rather than attacking infected host cells directly.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. Current treatment options for individuals with HIV infection involve the use of antiretroviral therapy, which targets the replication and assembly processes of the virus within T lymphocytes. This approach has been shown to be effective in reducing viral loads and improving immune function in HIV-positive individuals.

Question 4

The appearance of the signs and symptoms of AIDS in an HIV-infected individual generally appear after the virus has had enough time to replicate within host tissue cells and to cause death and destruction of cells critical to mounting a normal immune response.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. It often takes several years for the signs and symptoms of AIDS to appear in an HIV-infected individual, during which time the virus can replicate and cause damage to the immune system.

Question 5

A patient with AIDS would be likely to react to an infection with a greater elevation of plasma cortisol than a person without the disease.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A patient with AIDS would be likely...

Question 6

The skin constitutes a good barrier for foreign chemicals that are nonpolar.

Accepted Answer

Nonpolar chemicals can easily penetrate the skin because the skin's outer layer, the stratum corneum, is also nonpolar, allowing these substances to dissolve and pass through more readily.

Question 7

Passive immunization of an Rh-negative woman with anti-Rh factor antibodies within a few hours of giving birth to an Rh-positive baby is helpful in preventing hemolytic disease of the newborn in a subsequent pregnancy.

Accepted Answer

Passive immunization with anti-Rh factor antibodies (also known as Rhogam) can help prevent hemolytic disease of the newborn by suppressing the mother's immune response to Rh-positive fetal cells that may have entered her circulation during childbirth. This can reduce the risk of maternal sensitization to Rh factor and subsequent hemolytic disease in a subsequent pregnancy with an Rh-positive baby. However, it must be given within 72 hours of delivery to be effective.

Question 8

A person with type B blood can generally accept a transfusion of type AB blood.

Accepted Answer

A person with type B blood can only receive blood from type B or type O donors, not from type AB, because type AB blood contains A antigens that would be incompatible with the recipient's immune system.

Quiz 18: The Immune System