Answer the following questions:
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Briefly describe the process of inflammation in an area that has been traumatized.
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Our body's inflammatory response against a traumatic physical and physiological event happens in three stages. First is the vasodilation and the increased permeability of the blood vessels. This stage allows more blood to flow rapidly and the defensive substances like proteins to reach the damaged area faster. Some substances help this mechanism and allow a more efficient and faster response: histamine, kinins, prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and complement. The next stage is the emigration of phagocytes from the blood. This happens after the inflammatory stage, wherein the neutrophils travel to the infected site and phagocytize the invading microbes. Macrophages, a better phagocyte, help the neutrophils as they can engulf damaged tissues. The last stage would be the repair of the damaged tissues.
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Choose one type of Immunity (Innate and Humoral) and explain how its mechanism protects our body.
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Innate immunity is the first mechanism to protect the body against harmful substances or pathogens. This happens through the skin's and mucous membranes' external and chemical barriers. It includes two lines of defense: (1) skin and mucous membranes and (2) internal defenses. In the first line of defense, the outermost layer of the skin, which is the epidermis, serves as a barrier and protective wall against the entering microbes. Additionally, the periodic shedding of the epidermis helps remove bacteria from the body's surface. The mucous membrane has hairlike structures that help trap pathogens. With the help of various enzymes in the body, like the salivary glands and intestinal juices, bacteria and microbes are destroyed and prevented from colonizing the body.
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The second line of defense involves substances in the body that target specific pathogens. These include interferons, which stop the replication of the virus. Another is the complement system that causes the bursting of microbes. Also, the iron-binding protein inhibits the growth of bacteria and the antimicrobial proteins or AMPs responsible for killing different microbes. Aside from these pathogens, the internal defense includes natural killer cells, inflammation, and fever.