A patient presents at the emergency department with a severe laceration on the thigh. On examination the nurse notes that there is significant bruising around the laceration

Question

The nurse knows that the immune response that destroys worn out cells is what?
A) The cellular immune response
B) Apoptosis
C) The phagocytic immune response
D) The humoral response

Answer 1

Ans: B
Feedback: Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is the body's way of destroying worn out cells such as blood or skin cells or cells that need to be renewed. Apoptosis involves the digestion of DNA by endonucleases, resulting in the cells being targeted for phagocytosis. The first line of defense, the phagocytic immune response, involves the WBCs, which have the ability to ingest foreign particles. Theses cells move to the point of attack, where they engulf and destroy the invading agents. Phagocytes also remove the body's own dying or dead cells. Cells in necrotic tissue that are dying release substances that trigger an inflammatory response. A second protective response, the humoral immune response, begins with B lymphocytes, which can transform themselves into plasma cells that manufacture antibodies. The third mechanism of defense, the cellular immune response, also involves the T lymphocytes, which can turn into special cytotoxic (or killer) T cells that can attack the pathogens.