A patient arrives at a hospital suffering from serious difficulty breathing and shortness of breath. Initial tests indicate none of the standard respiratory infectious agents are present. The physician suspects an immune disorder. What clinical indicators would distinguish between asthma, pneumonitis and Pneumocystic pneumonia?

What will be an ideal response?


Asthma would produce high levels of histamines and leukotrienes, resulting in production of excess mucus in the trachea and bronchi and constriction of the bronchi. High antibody titers and low levels of complement proteins along with generalized inflammation of the lung tissue would indicate pneumonitis. CD4 T cell counts of less than 200/microliter of blood is consistent with Pneumocystic pneumonia.

Biology & Microbiology

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Base your answers to the questions below on the following information:

Using the patch clamp technique, a researcher measures a single channel in a membrane. The receptor channel passes 3 pA (picoamperes) of ionic current over a period of 8 msec at -60 mV; 1 pA = 10 -12 ampere. Based on your knowledge of nerve transmission, this movement of ions will A) stimulate a change in a postsynaptic membrane. B) not stimulate a change in a postsynaptic membrane. C) stimulate a change in a postsynaptic membrane if three channel events are combined. D) stimulate a change in a postsynaptic membrane if 50 channel events are combined. E) generate a current resulting in membrane depolarization.

Biology & Microbiology

Answer the following statements true (T) or false (F)

1. Abnormalities in the number of chromosomes, known as nondisjunction, are more common in younger parents. 2. Johann Gregor Mendel posited in his study on inheritance in plants that offspring exhibited an even blending of physical appearance and traits from parents. 3. This statement is false. Mendel posited in his study on inheritance in plants that offspring exhibited traits that are transmitted faithfully from parents to offspring in specific patterns. 4. This statement is false. The process of meiosis was not understood by the scientific community during Mendel’s lifetime. Mendel came to understand his laws of segregation and independent assortment through his meticulous breeding of pea plants with distinct observable traits. 5. An organism can have the genotype for an inherited genetic disease or condition, but never develop that condition.

Biology & Microbiology

The coordinated response of cells to an array of different signals from the environment is known as ________

Fill in the blank with correct word.

Biology & Microbiology

Natural or man-made substances released into soil, air, or water in greater than natural amounts are called:

a. acids b. pollutants c. nutrients d. metals e. chemicals

Biology & Microbiology