What causes the redness and edema that accompany the inflammatory response?
The redness is caused by increased vasodilation in the region, which causes increased bloodflow. The edema is caused by the increased pore size in the capillaries, which allows more plasma (plus immune cells) to leave the blood and enter the surrounding tissues. • Describe the humoral (B cell) immune response. How are B cells activated, and what are the results of their activation? You do not need to discuss memory B cells. B cells are activated by the presence of antigens that match their particular antigen receptor. In the case of some antigens (like those from bacteria), no further stimulus may be needed, but for many antigens the cytokine interleukin-2 (from helper T cells) is also needed. Once activated, B cells become plasma cells and proliferate. These plasma cells then shed antibodies, which promote destruction of the antigen in a number of ways (deactivation, promotion of phagocytosis, etc). Extra credit question (4 points) • The medical condition known as shock is failure of
