pn104, chapter 31: Assessment of Immune Function

A client comes into the emergency department reporting difficulty walking and loss of muscle control in the arms. Once the nurse begins the physical examination, which assessment should be completed if an immune dysfunction in the neurosensory system is suspected?

Assess for ataxia using the finger-to-nose test and heel-to-shin test Explanation: Ataxia should be assessed when suspecting immune dysfunction in the neurosensory system. Joint movement, a urinalysis results positive for hematuria , and measuring abdominal girth are not used to assess for issues with the neurosensory system in relation to immune dysfunction.

Which of the following cell types are involved in humoral immunity?

B lymphocytes Explanation: B lymphocytes are involved in the humoral immune response. T lymphocytes are involved in cellular immunity.

A patient has enlarged lymph nodes in his neck and a sore throat. This inflammatory response is an example of a cellular immune response whereby:

Lymphocytes migrate to areas of the lymph node Explanation: Recognition of antigens as foreign, or non-self, by the immune system is the initiating event in any immune response. Recognition involves the use of lymph nodes and lymphocytes for surveillance. Lymph nodes are widely distributed internally throughout the body and in the circulating blood, as well as externally near the body's surfaces. They continuously discharge small lymphocytes into the bloodstream. These lymphocytes patrol the tissues and vessels that drain the areas served by that node.

A 25-year-old client receives a knife wound to the leg in a hunting accident. Which type of immunity was compromised?

Natural immunity Explanation: Natural immunity, which is nonspecific, provides a broad spectrum of defense against and resistance to infection. It is considered the first line of host defense following antigen exposure, because it protects the host without remembering prior contact with an infectious agent.

Which type of immunity becomes active as a result of infection by a specific microorganism?

Naturally acquired active immunity Explanation: Naturally acquired active immunity occurs as a result of an infection by a specific microorganism. Artificially acquired active immunity results from the administration of a killed or weakened microorganism or toxoid. Passive immunity develops when ready-made antibodies are given to a susceptible individual.

Which of the following cells destroy antigens already coated with antibody?

Null lymphocytes Explanation: Null lymphocytes, a subpopulation of lymphocytes, destroy antigens already coated with antibody. Memory cells are responsible for recognizing antigens from previous exposure and mounting an immune response. Suppressor T cells have the ability to decrease B cell production, thereby keeping the immune response at a level compatible with health. NK cells are lymphocytes that assist in combating organisms.

The nurse is taking the health history of a newly admitted client. Which condition would place the client at risk for impaired immune function?

Previous organ transplantation Explanation: Organ transplantation requires immunosuppressive drugs, which cause impaired immune function. Removal of the appendix or stomach would have no effect on the immune system. A positive history for radiation therapy would affect the immune system, but not a negative history.

During which stage of the immune response does the circulating lymphocytes containing the antigenic message return to the nearest lymph node?

Proliferation Explanation: During the proliferation phase, the circulating lymphocytes containing the antigenic message return to the nearest lymph node. Once in the node, the sensitized lymphocytes stimulate some of the resident dormant T and B lymphocytes to enlarge, divide, and proliferate. In the recognition stage, the immune system distinguishes an invader as foreign, or non-self. In the response stage, the changed lymphocytes function either in a humoral or cellular fashion. In the effector stage, either the antibody of the humoral response or the cytotoxic T cell of the cellular response reaches and couples with the antigen on the surface of the foreign invader.

Which stage of the immune response occurs when the differentiated lymphocytes function in either a humoral or a cellular capacity?

Response stage Explanation: In the response stage, the differentiated lymphocytes function in either a humoral or a cellular capacity. Recognition of antigens as foreign or non-self by the immune system is the initiating event in any immune response. In the proliferation stage, the circulating lymphocytes containing the antigenic message return to the nearest lymph node. In the effector stage, either the antibody of the humoral response of the cytotoxic T cell of the cellular response reaches and connects with the antigen on the surface of the foreign invader.

Which statement accurately reflects current stem cell research?

The stem cell is known as a precursor cell that continually replenishes the body's entire supply of both red and white cells. Explanation: The stem cell is known as a precursor cell that continually replenishes the body's entire supply of both red and white cells. Stem cells comprise only a small portion of all types of bone marrow cells. Research conducted with mouse models has demonstrated that once the immune system has been destroyed experimentally, it can be completely restored with the implantation of just a few purified stem cells. Stem cell transplantation has been carried out in human subjects with certain types of immune dysfunction, such as severe combined immunodeficiency. Clinical trails are underway in clients with a variety of disorders with an autoimmune component, including systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, and multiple sclerosis.

A client has a known allergy to peanuts, meaning that the client's immune system has identified peanuts as a foreign invader and has produced specific cells to attack if the client should come in contact with peanuts again. The formation of these specific cells is known as:

humoral response. Explanation: The B-cell lymphocytes mature in the bone marrow and migrate to the spleen and other lymphoid tissues such as the lymph nodes. When stimulated by T cells, the B cells become either plasma or memory cells. Plasma cells produce antibodies. Formation of antibodies is called a humoral response.

Which immunity type becomes active as a result of infection by a specific microorganism?

naturally acquired active immunity Explanation: Naturally acquired active immunity occurs as a direct result of an infection by a specific microorganism.