Immunology Made Ridiculously Simple

A brief, clear overview of the basic science and clinical aspects of immunology. For medical students and other health professionals. The basic science section is a clear presentation of innate and adaptive immunity, immune cells, antibodies and antigens, and other components of the immune system and their interactions. The clinical section discusses hypersensitivity, autoimmunity, immunodeficiency, common diagnostic tests, vaccination, transplantation, and tumor immunology, all in 85 pages.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I. BASIC IMMUNOLOGY

CHAPTER 1. THE WORLD OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
-- Innate Immunity (Natural Killer Cells; Complement pathways)
-- Adaptive Immunity (Humoral immunity; Antibodies; Molecular features of immunoglobulins; Cell-mediated immunity)

CHAPTER 2. LYMPHOCYTES AND ANTIGENS
-- Antigen Recognition
-- Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC)
-- MHC Polymorphism
-- T Cells and Antigen-presenting Cell Interaction
-- Antibody Production (Activation of B Cells; Interaction of B cells and T helper cells; Isotope switching)

CHAPTER 3. OTHER IMPORTANT COMPONENTS OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
-- Eosinophils
-- Basophils
-- Mast Cells
-- Cytokines (Classification of cytokines; Cytokines and disease)

PART II. CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY

CHAPTER 4. HYPERSENSITIVITY
-- Type I Hypersenstitivity Reaction (IgE-mediated) (Allergic rhinitis)
-- Type II Hypersensitivity Reaction (Antibody-mediated) (Blood transfusion reaction)
-- Type III Hypersensitivity Reaction (Immune complex-mediated) (Serum sickness)
-- Type IV Hypersensitivity Reaction (Cell-mediated; Delayed type) (Mantoux reaction; Allergic contact dermatitis)
-- Eosinophils and Disease (Eosinophilia)
-- Mast Cells and Disease (Mastocytosis)

CHAPTER 5. AUTOIMMUNITY
-- Central Tolerance: T Cells
-- Peripheral Tolerance: T Cells
-- Central and Peripheral Tolerance: B Cells
-- Factors Predisposing to Autoimmunity
-- Mechanisms of Autoimmunity
-- Autoimmune Diseases (Diagnosis of autoimmune diseases; Hashimoto thyroiditis; Systemic lupus erythematosus; Rheumatoid arthritis; Sjogren syndrome; Scleroderma)

CHAPTER 6. COMMON DIAGNOSTIC TESTS
-- In Vivo Testing (Prick skin testing; Intradermal testing; Provocative in vivo tests; Patch tests)
-- In Vitro Testing (ELISA; Radioallergosorbent test; Western blotting; Precipitation; Agglutination; Direct and indirect immunofluorescence)

CHAPTER 7. IMMUNODEFICIENCY
-- Primary Immunodeficiency (Immunodeficiency affecting adaptive immunity; Immunodeficiency affecting humoral immunity; X-linked agammaglobulinemia; Common variable immunodeficiency; IgA deficiency; Hyper immunoglobulin E syndrome; T cell deficiency; DiGeorge syndrome; Combined B and T cell deficiency; Ataxia telangiectasia)
-- Secondary (Acquired) Immunodeficiency
-- Diagnosis of Immunodeficiency (Workup for primary immunodeficiencies of the innate immune system; Workup for primary immunodeficiences of the adaptive immune system)
-- Management of Immunodeficiency (Management of AIDS)

CHAPTER 8. VACCINATION
-- Immune Response to Vaccination
-- Types of Vaccines
-- Characteristics of an Ideal Vaccine
-- Recommended Vaccines for Children and Adults (including Pneumococcal vaccine; Human papillomavirus vaccine; Shingles vaccine)
-- Passive Immunotherapy (Primary immunodeficiency and the use of IVIG)

CHAPTER 9. TRANSPLANTATION
-- Types of Grafts
-- Graft Success
-- Graft Rejection
-- Graft-Versus-Host Disease
-- Current Practices in Organ Transplantation

CHAPTER 10. TUMOR IMMUNOLOGY
-- Classification of Malignant Tumors (Carcinogenesis)
-- Risk and Predisposing Factors of Malignancies
-- Immune Response to Tumors (Immune surveillance and immunoediting; Elimination; Equilibrium, Escape)
-- Tumor Immunotherapy (Active immunotherapy; Passive immunotherapy)

Index