Immunology Lectures

Question 1

What are the main factors in pathogenesis of periodontitis?

Answer 1

1. Make up of bacterial biofilm plaque and products of the bacteria
2. Activity of immune system cells
3. Host tissue cells
4. Angiogenesis process during inflammation (formation of new small blood vessels)
5. Adhesion of molecules & ligands - involved with migration of blood cells - chemotaxis
6. Innate defence - activity of cells and proteins
7. Acquired defence - congenital deficiency like PMN reduction
8. Environmental factors

Question 2

What actually cause damage in periodontitis?

Answer 2

It is the excessive host immune response that causes damage to the tissue of the host during periodontal disease - it is an inflammatory disease after all

Question 3

What are the cells that are involved in the periodontium immune response?

Answer 3

1. Gingival epithelial cells
2. Fibroblasts
3. Monocytes
4. Monocytes
5. Tissue macrophages & dendritic cells
6. Neutrophils

Question 4

What are the 4 properties that smoking particles have?

Answer 4

1. Cytotoxic properties
2. Mutagenic properties
3. Carcinogenic properties
4. Antigenic properties

Question 5

What effects the persons exposure to smoke chemicals?

Answer 5

1. Dose
2. Tobacco type
3. Route of injestion
4. Chronicity of exposure
5. Presence of other factors at the time like concentration of inflammatory mediators of immune cell stimulation

Question 6

What is important to understand about the harm of tobacco?

Answer 6

The reactive oxidative substance that cause the most damage to the body acctually originate from the combustion of the tobacco leaf.

Thus the gas - if the most toxic - also improves the penetration into epithelial lining

Question 7

What is the danger of the tobacco smoke to the immune system?

Answer 7

The smoke can have a profound immunomodulatory effect on the innate and aquired immunity.

Essentially the smoke promotes immune dysfunction.

Exmaoke - due to changes to the immune response in the oral cavity - LPS from microbial cell components is found to be in higher proportion in smokers

Question 8

What effect does smoke have on the immune function?

Answer 8

It has an affect by both suppressing and stimulating immune system

Decrease immunity in infection and natrual killer cell activity.

Increase inflammation, accumulation of cellular debris and more

Question 9

How does tobacco smoke affect the cell signalling pathways?

Answer 9

Tobacco smoke alters the cell signalling pathway in order to increase the inflammatory stimuli and decrease the bodies ability to appropriately (key word APROPRIATLEY) react to it.

The result : the state of chronic injury and inflammation

Question 10

Why are smoker at more risk of periodontitis?

Answer 10

Persistent mucosal epithelial activation by the microbes in a dimished immune system thta is unable to perfomr appropriate anti-microbial functions due to deregulation caused by cigarette smoke, increases the likelihood of smokers developing periodontitis.

Question 11

What is one of the most effective public health intervention ever developed?

Answer 11

Vaccinations

Question 12

What are the requirments for successful eradication of a virus?

Answer 12

1. Vailability of an effective, attenuated vaccne
2. Antigen stable virus
3. Absence of asymptomatic cases or persistent carriers
4. Absence of an animal reservoir
5. Public cooperation

Question 13

What is required for herd immunity?

Answer 13

Critical percentage of immune individuals needs to be reached

Question 14

What are some implication that may arise from vaccine refusal?

Answer 14

1. Increased infections
2. Increased hospitalisations
3. Increased deaths
4. Increased injury caused by infection