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-as of [3 MARCH 2024]–
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“immunity”
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-an ‘immune system’ is a system of ‘biological structures’ + ‘processes’ within an ‘organism’ that protects against ‘disease’ by ‘identifying’ + ‘killing’ pathogens + ‘tumor cells’–
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what are the quantitative properties of immune responses?
what are the basic building blocks of immune system networks?
what roles are played by stochasticity?
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*the immune system is a ‘host defense system’ comprising many ‘biological structures’ + ‘processes’ within an ‘organism’ that protects against ‘disease’*
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(to function properly, an immune system must detect a wide variety of agents, known as pathogens, from viruses to parasitic worms, and distinguish them from the organism’s own healthy tissue)
In many species, the immune system can be classified into subsystems, such as the innate immune system versus the adaptive immune system, or humoral immunity versus cell-mediated immunity.
In humans, the blood–brain barrier, blood–cerebrospinal fluid barrier, and similar fluid–brain barriers separate the peripheral immune system from the neuroimmune system which protects the brain.
Pathogens can rapidly evolve and adapt, and thereby avoid detection and neutralization by the immune system; however, multiple defense mechanisms have also evolved to recognize and neutralize pathogens.
Even simple unicellular organisms such as bacteria possess a rudimentary immune system, in the form of enzymes that protect against bacteriophage infections.
Other basic immune mechanisms evolved in ancient eukaryotes and remain in their modern descendants, such as plants and invertebrates.
These mechanisms include phagocytosis, antimicrobial peptides called defensins, and the complement system.
Jawed vertebrates, including humans, have even more sophisticated defense mechanisms, including the ability to adapt over time to recognize specific pathogens more efficiently.
Adaptive (or acquired) immunity creates immunological memory after an initial response to a specific pathogen, leading to an enhanced response to subsequent encounters with that same pathogen.
This process of acquired immunity is the basis of vaccination.
Disorders of the immune system can result in autoimmune diseases, inflammatory diseases and cancer.
Immunodeficiency occurs when the immune system is less active than normal, resulting in recurring and life-threatening infections.
In humans, immunodeficiency can either be the result of a genetic disease such as severe combined immunodeficiency, acquired conditions such as HIV/AIDS, or the use of immunosuppressive medication.
(in contrast, auto-immunity results from a hyperactive immune system attacking normal tissues as if they were foreign organisms)
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(common ‘auto-immune diseases’ include…)
‘hashimoto’s thyroiditis’
‘rheumatoid arthritis’
‘diabetes mellitus type 1’
‘systemic lupus erythematosus’
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(‘immunology’ covers the study of all aspects of the ‘immune system’)
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*👨🔬🕵️♀️🙇♀️*SKETCHES*🙇♂️👩🔬🕵️♂️*
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👈👈👈☜*“ANATOMICAL SYSTEMS”* ☞ 👉👉👉
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💕💝💖💓🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙🖤❤️💚💛🧡❣️💞💔💘❣️🧡💛💚❤️🖤💜🖤💙🖤💙🖤💗💖💝💘
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🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥*we won the war* 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥