Jump to content

Immunology basics: Difference between revisions

From IdeaWazaWiki
← Older editNewer edit →

128.255.106.178 (talk)

wikademia>Eugene Krabs
Reverted edits by 117.98.73.233 (talk); changed back to last version Eugene Krabs
Line 29: Line 29:


The use of immune system components to treat a disease or disorder is known as immunotherapy. Immunotherapy is most commonly used in the context of the treatment of [[cancer]]s together with [[chemotherapy]] ([[Medication|drug]]s) and [[radiotherapy]] ([[electromagnetic radiation|radiation]]). However, immunotherapy is also often used in the immunosuppressed (such as [[HIV]] patients) and people suffering from other immune deficiencies or autoimmune diseases.
The use of immune system components to treat a disease or disorder is known as immunotherapy. Immunotherapy is most commonly used in the context of the treatment of [[cancer]]s together with [[chemotherapy]] ([[Medication|drug]]s) and [[radiotherapy]] ([[electromagnetic radiation|radiation]]). However, immunotherapy is also often used in the immunosuppressed (such as [[HIV]] patients) and people suffering from other immune deficiencies or autoimmune diseases.
===Viruses in Immunotherapy===
[[Viral Immunodistraction-]]
Some types of auto-immune inflammation can be alleviated with live viruses, which present an alternative distraction target for misprogrammed leukocytes. The safest methodology is to use attenuated viruses such as those of MMR-II and other pharmaceuticals originally designed for infectious disease prophylaxis, but wild-type viruses from benign catarrh/throat infections work well if employed in the absence of dangerous contaminants. This novel therapy has not been extensively studied,<ref>Except by me, since everyone else has been too chicken to give it a try.</ref> but it is not prohibited by CBER/OVRR regulations from the FDA at 1401 Rockville Pike in Rockville, Maryland.<ref>Established by talking to them in person Jan. 2009</ref> Many are afraid to repeatedly use MMR or other viral vaccinations, however they have been proven safe and effective when used repeatedly over a 4 year period, and the well-publicized lawsuit against MMR-II (viz. Cedillo v. HHS, 98-916V in Federal Vaccine Court) is anticipated to be soon decided in favor of HHS (cf. U.S. Asst. Atty. Vincent J. Matanoski, 202-514-2000, 1425 New York Ave. in Washington DC at the U.S. Dept. Justice- Civil Division/Torts).<ref>Phone call Jan. 2009</ref>
Helminthic therapies have been only partially successful and are difficult and expensive to apply.<ref>Discussion with Dr. Joel Weinstock, 2004</ref> Like the helminthic approach, the viral immunodistraction strategy lends credence to the hygiene hypothesis, but viral immunodistraction has the advantage of requiring only a few days rather than several weeks to begin producing alleviation. The viral therapies, relying on products such as MMR which are already in large-scale production, accordingly confer the further advantage of being much less expensive.  MMR alone and in combination with other live virus vaccines has been used successfully by me dozens and dozens of times over the last 4 years for alleviating autoimmune disease.  MMR is entirely safe and effective even when used repeatedly, even at one or two doses daily for weeks at a time once individual patient tolerance has been built up.  There have been no deleterious effects, and in particular no neurological deficits and no autism.<ref>Four years of direct personal experience</ref>  Randy Crawford,  3701 Second St. #10,    Coralville, Iowa 52241  (319)400-2837


==Diagnostic immunology==
==Diagnostic immunology==

Revision as of 08:40, 7 February 2009

Immunology is a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. It deals with, among other things, the physiological functioning of the immune system in states of both health and disease; malfunctions of the immune system in immunological disorders (autoimmune diseases, hypersensitivities, immune deficiency, transplant rejection); the physical, chemical and physiological characteristics of the components of the immune system in vitro, in situ, and in vivo. Immunology has applications in several disciplines of science, and as such is further divided.

Histological examination of the immune system

Even before the concept of immunity (from immunis, Latin for "exempt") was developed, numerous early physicians characterized organs that would later prove to be part of the immune system. The key primary lymphoid organs of the immune system are thymus and bone marrow, and secondary lymphatic tissues such as spleen, tonsils, lymph vessels, lymph nodes, adenoids, and skin. When health conditions warrant, immune system organs including the thymus, spleen, portions of bone marrow, lymph nodes and secondary lymphatic tissues can be surgically excised for examination while patients are still alive.

Many components of the immune system are actually cellular in nature and not associated with any specific organ but rather are embedded or circulating in various tissues located throughout the body.

Classical immunology

Classical immunology ties in with the fields of epidemiology and medicine. It studies the relationship between the body systems, pathogens, and immunity. The earliest written mention of immunity can be traced back to the plague of Athens in 430 BCE. Thucydides noted that people who had recovered from a previous bout of the disease could nurse the sick without contracting the illness a second time. Many other ancient societies have references to this phenomenon, but it was not until the 19th and 20th centuries before the concept developed into scientific theory.

The study of the molecular and cellular components that comprise the immune system, including their function and interaction, is the central science of immunology. The immune system has been divided into a more primitive innate immune system, and acquired or adaptive immune system of vertebrates, the latter of which is further divided into humoral and cellular components.

The humoral (antibody) response is defined as the interaction between antibodies and antigens. Antibodies are specific proteins released from a certain class of immune cells (B lymphocytes). Antigens are defined as anything that elicits generation of antibodies, hence they are Antibody Generators. Immunology itself rests on an understanding of the properties of these two biological entities. However, equally important is the cellular response, which can not only kill infected cells in its own right, but is also crucial in controlling the antibody response. Put simply, both systems are highly interdependent.

In the 21st century, immunology has broadened its horizons with much research being performed in the more specialized niches of immunology. This includes the immunological function of cells, organs and systems not normally associated with the immune system, as well as the function of the immune system outside classical models of immunity.

Clinical immunology

Clinical immunology is the study of diseases caused by disorders of the immune system (failure, aberrant action, and malignant growth of the cellular elements of the system). It also involves diseases of other systems, where immune reactions play a part in the pathology and clinical features.

The diseases caused by disorders of the immune system fall into two broad categories: immunodeficiency, in which parts of the immune system fail to provide an adequate response (examples include chronic granulomatous disease), and autoimmunity, in which the immune system attacks its own host's body (examples include systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto's disease and myasthenia gravis). Other immune system disorders include different hypersensitivities, in which the system responds inappropriately to harmless compounds (asthma and other allergies) or responds too intensely.

The most well-known disease that affects the immune system itself is AIDS, caused by HIV. AIDS is an immunodeficiency characterized by the lack of CD4+ ("helper") T cells and macrophages, which are destroyed by HIV.

Clinical immunologists also study ways to prevent transplant rejection, in which the immune system attempts to destroy allografts or xenografts.

Immunotherapy

See main article Immunotherapy

The use of immune system components to treat a disease or disorder is known as immunotherapy. Immunotherapy is most commonly used in the context of the treatment of cancers together with chemotherapy (drugs) and radiotherapy (radiation). However, immunotherapy is also often used in the immunosuppressed (such as HIV patients) and people suffering from other immune deficiencies or autoimmune diseases.

Viruses in Immunotherapy

Viral Immunodistraction- Some types of auto-immune inflammation can be alleviated with live viruses, which present an alternative distraction target for misprogrammed leukocytes. The safest methodology is to use attenuated viruses such as those of MMR-II and other pharmaceuticals originally designed for infectious disease prophylaxis, but wild-type viruses from benign catarrh/throat infections work well if employed in the absence of dangerous contaminants. This novel therapy has not been extensively studied,[1] but it is not prohibited by CBER/OVRR regulations from the FDA at 1401 Rockville Pike in Rockville, Maryland.[2] Many are afraid to repeatedly use MMR or other viral vaccinations, however they have been proven safe and effective when used repeatedly over a 4 year period, and the well-publicized lawsuit against MMR-II (viz. Cedillo v. HHS, 98-916V in Federal Vaccine Court) is anticipated to be soon decided in favor of HHS (cf. U.S. Asst. Atty. Vincent J. Matanoski, 202-514-2000, 1425 New York Ave. in Washington DC at the U.S. Dept. Justice- Civil Division/Torts).[3]

Helminthic therapies have been only partially successful and are difficult and expensive to apply.[4] Like the helminthic approach, the viral immunodistraction strategy lends credence to the hygiene hypothesis, but viral immunodistraction has the advantage of requiring only a few days rather than several weeks to begin producing alleviation. The viral therapies, relying on products such as MMR which are already in large-scale production, accordingly confer the further advantage of being much less expensive. MMR alone and in combination with other live virus vaccines has been used successfully by me dozens and dozens of times over the last 4 years for alleviating autoimmune disease. MMR is entirely safe and effective even when used repeatedly, even at one or two doses daily for weeks at a time once individual patient tolerance has been built up. There have been no deleterious effects, and in particular no neurological deficits and no autism.[5] Randy Crawford, 3701 Second St. #10, Coralville, Iowa 52241 (319)400-2837

Diagnostic immunology

See main article Diagnostic immunology

The specificity of the bond between antibody and antigen has made it an excellent tool in the detection of substances in a variety of diagnostic techniques. Antibodies specific for a desired antigen can be conjugated with a radiolabel, fluorescent label, or color-forming enzyme and are used as a "probe" to detect it.

Evolutionary immunology

Study of the immune system in extant and extinct species is capable of giving us a key understanding of the evolution of species and the immune system.

A development of complexity of the immune system can be seen from simple phagocytotic protection of single celled organisms, to circulating antimicrobial peptides in insects to lymphoid organs in vertebrates. Of course, like much of evolutionary observation, these physical properties are often seen from the anthropocentric aspect. It should be recognized that every organism living today has an immune system absolutely capable of protecting it from most forms of harm; those organisms that did not adapt their immune systems to external threats are no longer around to be observed.

Insects and other arthropods, while not possessing true adaptive immunity, show highly evolved systems of innate immunity, and are additionally protected from external injury (and exposure to pathogens) by their chitinous shells.

See also

References

  • Wikibooks Immunology Textbook
  • Goldsby RA, Kindt TK, Osborne BA and Kuby J (2003) Immunology, 5th Edition, W.H. Freeman and Company, New York, New York, ISBN 0-7167-4947-5

Template:WVD

Template:Medicine Template:Immune system

Template:Link FA

af:Immunologie ar:علم المناعة bs:Imunologija i imunohematologija bg:Имунология ca:Immunologia cs:Imunologie da:Immunologi de:Immunologie et:Immunoloogia es:Inmunología eo:Imunologio eu:Immunologia fa:ایمنی‌شناسی fr:Immunologie gl:Inmunoloxía ko:면역학 hr:Imunologija id:Imunologi it:Immunologia he:אימונולוגיה lb:Immunologie lt:Imunologija hu:Immunológia ms:Immunologi nl:Immunologie ja:免疫学 no:Immunologi pl:Immunologia pt:Imunologia ro:Imunologie ru:Иммунология sq:Imunologjia simple:Immunology sk:Imunológia sl:Imunologija sr:Имунологија sh:Imunologija fi:Immunologia sv:Immunologi th:วิทยาภูมิคุ้มกัน vi:Miễn dịch học tr:İmmünoloji uk:Імунологія ur:مناعیات zh:免疫学

  1. ↑ Except by me, since everyone else has been too chicken to give it a try.
  2. ↑ Established by talking to them in person Jan. 2009
  3. ↑ Phone call Jan. 2009
  4. ↑ Discussion with Dr. Joel Weinstock, 2004
  5. ↑ Four years of direct personal experience
Retrieved from "https://ideawaza.com/index.php?title=Immunology_basics&oldid=55913"