The Immune System During HIV-1 Infection
Niel T. Constantine, Johnny D. Callahan, Douglas M. Watts in Retroviral Testing, 2020
A thorough understanding of the immune system is necessary to fully appreciate the way in which the virus infects and paralyzes the protection afforded by the immune system. The following brief description of the system concentrates on the major immune cells and the basic effects following HIV infection. The major components of the immune system include: Macrophages, large cells that phagocytize, process and present antigens to other immune cells.T lymphocytes, cells that play a vital role in cell-mediated immune reactions; consist of several subsets or subpopulations.B lymphocytes, cells that are responsible for antibody production; usually require help from T lymphocytes.Plasma cells, small cells that are produced from the maturation of B cells, and produce large quantities of antibodies.Natural killer (NK) cells are active against tumors.Polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN); phagocytic cells that are present in high numbers.
Long-Term Exercise and Immune Functions
Ronald R. Watson, Marianne Eisinger in Exercise and Disease, 2020
It is now clear that while the basic functions of the immune system involve the recognition and processing of antigen, this is only a small part of the overall immune response. Once the basic mechanisms often associated with major histocompatibility complex (MHC II) restriction have become established such that a specific adaptive immunity can develop, there is the crucial need for cellular interactions on a large scale before amplification of the response can be established. Part of this network of cooperation is governed by a series of cytokines; the interleukins, interferons, tumor necrosis factor, and the prostaglandins. The impact these cytokines may have on specific immunity is by no means fully understood, nor are the factors which may control their synthesis or suppression.
Ayurveda and COVID-19
Srijan Goswami, Chiranjeeb Dey in COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2, 2022
A positive take home from the pandemic is the fact that literally hundreds of thousands of people who tested Covid-19 positive have recovered. A few did so with medical intervention but in most cases, their immune system bailed them out of the crisis. Nature has equipped the human being to protect itself from millions of known and unknown microbes. The immune system in every life form is designed to combat intruders like bacteria, viruses, and any toxic material like bee stings or scorpion venom that enters the body. The immune system identifies the pathogen and creates an antibody to combat it. After a raging battle, which may be seen in the form of swelling, fever, redness, and pain, the immune system overpowers the pathogen and cures the person. Most of us have experienced a number of infections like common colds, stomach infections, conjunctivitis, or sinusitis. Some of us have recovered from serious infections like pneumonia or bronchitis. A strong immune system is equipped to combat most pathogens. If a foreign material like a thorn or wood splinter enters the body, the immune system isolates it from the rest of the body and eventually expels it from the system. At times, when it fails to expel the foreign body, it sequesters the thorn or splinter and builds a tough layer around it, which, for all practical purposes, separates it from the body. Some of us have experienced this phenomenon in the form of a corn.
Safety considerations with current and emerging antiviral therapies for cytomegalovirus infection in transplantation
Published in Expert Opinion on Drug Safety, 2019
Guy El Helou, Raymund R Razonable
Knowledge of the potential interaction of anti-CMV drugs with other medications used in the complex transplant population is highly encouraged, as there may be potential additive and synergistic adverse outcomes. All of these safety variables will need to be considered, in addition to their efficacy profiles (not discussed in detail here), in choosing the best antiviral drug for the prevention and treatment of HCMV in the transplant setting. Finally, the authors recommend that the management of HCMV infection after transplantation should always take into account the fact that this virus became opportunistic as a result of severe impairment in immune function. Thus, we encourage discussing reduction in immunosuppressive drug doses with the multidisciplinary transplant teams. The use of IVIG or CMV IG, or the adoptive transfer of HCMV-specific T cells, may also be considered in selected cases. Among these immunomodulatory strategies, reduction in immunosuppression is an accepted practice, albeit not standardized, while the use of IVIG and CMV IG remains hotly debated. In contrast, adoptive transfer of HCMV-specific T cells remains investigational, and even though promising data exist in regards to its efficacy, its safety profile needs to be better defined. As novel and investigational antiviral drugs and strategies are being developed, their role for HCMV management will depend not only on demonstrated efficacy but also on safety considerations that will play an equally important role.
Expression of aquaporins mRNAs in patients with otitis media
Published in Acta Oto-Laryngologica, 2018
Su Young Jung, Sung Su Kim, Young Il Kim, Hyung-Sik Kim, Sang Hoon Kim, Seung Geun Yeo
Hearing loss is a symptom that frequently follows OM. Normally OM occurs in the form of CHL but, depending on OM type, severity and duration, MHL or SNHL may occur as a complication [20]. Therefore, alteration of AQP expression as a function of the presence or type of hearing loss would suggest that AQPs may play essential roles in the inner ear or auditory nerves involved in pathological mechanisms of hearing loss in OM. However, contrary to our expectations, we found that the expression of AQP mRNAs in all OM types did not vary according to types and symptoms of hearing loss. Generally, the degree of hearing loss commonly associated with OM is determined by both the size and location of the eardrum perforation, as well as the state and motility of the ossicular chain. Various components of the immune system are involved, including immune cells such as B cells, T cells, macrophages, and polymorphonuclear leukocytes, which secrete products such as cytokines, chemokines, and prostaglandins during the progression of inflammation. In contrast, our results showed that the expression of AQPs was not significantly affected by the degree and type of hearing loss, suggested that water and ion channel abnormalities caused by changes in AQP expression during the pathophysiological processes involved in hearing loss in various types of OM may have relatively minor effects.
Body composition does not affect serum levels of cathelicidin LL-37 in elderly women with unipolar depression
Published in Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 2018
Ewa Szczepocka, Elżbieta Kozłowska, Ewa Brzezińska-Błaszczyk, Adam Wysokiński
The immune system is composed of different specialized cells, various humoral factors, tissues, and organs. This system protects the body against various pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Another important role of the immune system is to identify and eliminate tumor cells (so called immune surveillance). Finally, the immune system takes part in maintenance of body homeostasis. It is well-established that the immune system can act via mechanisms of innate immunity, involving different humoral factors, such as complement proteins, small peptides (cathelicidins and defensins), acute phase proteins, and cells (NK cells, neutrophils, monocytes/macrophages, mast cells, dendritic cells), and via mechanisms of adaptive immunity, in which an important role is played by B cells, different subpopulations T lymphocytes, and antibodies. Considering the diverse role of the immune system in the body, it is obvious that any dysfunction in its mechanisms may lead to disturbance of immunity, host defense, and homeostasis.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Adaptive Immune System
- Cancer Immunology
- Humoral Immunity
- Innate Immune System
- Tissue
- Virus
- Pathogen
- Parasitic Worm
- Splinter
- Cell-Mediated Immunity