ACTIVITY 2
A crucial concept that I learned from our lesson today is the vitality of Immunological memory. It is fascinating how our immune responses evolve by being exposed to an antigen and acquiring information on how to defend the body from it the next time that the system encounters the same antigen. This is done with the help of the Antibody-mediated immunity mechanism, specifically the memory cells or the long lived cells that differentiated from the activated B cells through clonal selection aside from the plasma cell. As a result, immunity reaction consists of two responses: primary and secondary response in which the latter helps in preventing the adverse effects of another encounter with the same antigen by increasing the antibody titer (amount of antibody in serum). This concept became the basis for the necessity of vaccinations that helped numerous individuals to prevent some diseases (ex: Polio) from interfering with their daily lives.
I can apply this concept in my daily life by connecting it with the problems and difficulties that I encounter. The trials and hardships are inevitable and they may represent the foreign antigens in the human body. I would never know how to combat these difficulties without exposing myself to it and trying to acquire knowledge on how to solve or prevent it from occurring again in the future. Just like the saying, “You'll never know unless you try”, I should be like the B cell who is brave enough to face and conquer the antigens in my life so that I can inhibit it from occurring again in the future. As an aspiring nurse, this is also applicable as I help my patients in fighting against their diseases through caring and assisting them as I expose myself to it as well. The stage in my life wherein I study about these antigens their possible implications is my primary response while proposing plans of intervention in the future as I store these acquired knowledge in my memory is my secondary response.