1. Briefly describe the process of inflammation in an area that has been traumatized.
The process of inflammation starts with vasodilation and increased blood flow in blood vessels, which causes redness and heat in the traumatized area. This is followed by the increased permeability of blood vessels, which produces swelling in the affected area. Within an hour after the start of the inflammatory process, phagocytes appear. These reduce the redness, heat, and swelling of the traumatized area. And the neutrophils, specifically, attempt to destroy the invading microbes through phagocytosis. As the inflammatory process continues, monocytes then go into the affected tissue and transform into wandering macrophages, which engulf the damaged tissue, invading microbes, and worn-out neutrophils in the area. After a few days, pus formation occurs and remains until the infection subsides.
2. Choose one type of immunity (innate and humoral) and explain how its mechanism protects our body.
Innate immunity pertains to the wide variation of body responses to an extensive range of pathogens. It includes physical factors, chemical factors, antimicrobial substances, natural killer cells, phagocytes, inflammation, and fever. The physical and chemical barriers are provided by the skin and mucous membranes, which are the first line of defense against the entry of pathogens. In addition, the antimicrobial substances include interferons, the complement system, iron-binding proteins, and antimicrobial proteins. Then, the natural killer cells and phagocytes attack and kill the pathogens and defective cells present in the body. Moreover, inflammation helps in the disposal of microbes, toxins, and foreign materials in an injured area and prepares it for tissue repair. Furthermore, fever intensifies the antiviral effects of interferons, hinders the growth of some microbes, and speeds up body reactions that assist repair.
References
Tortora, G., & Derrickson, B. (2014). Principles of Anatomy & Physiology. 14th ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.