Chapter 4 Homeostatic Mechanisms • MHR 1313.When you have collected the completed
questionnaires, create a chart or scatter plot to
summarize the data.Post-lab Questions
1.According to your data, which is the most common
food allergy?
2.Analyze results according to the gender of the
respondents.
3.What percentage of your class has food allergies?Conclude and Apply
4.Based on your results (and keeping in mind your
small sample size), would you conclude that when a
person has one food allergy he or she is likely to
have multiple food allergies?Exploring Further
5.Write up a summary of your study, including your
conclusions and any sources of error that you
suspect may limit the strength of your conclusion.6.Collect food allergy data on your family by asking
family members to complete the questionnaire. Then
create a family tree illustrating the pattern of food
allergy symptoms within your family.as “The Capital City of Allergies in Canada.” Dr. Lyanga
explains, “Allergy is a science of inflammation. As in
organ transplants, human tissue becomes inflamed when
it reacts against a foreign substance. All allergic reactions,
from eczema to asthma, involve inflammation.” In
Windsor from spring until fall, thousands of people
suffer symptoms such as itchy eyes, asthma, or “terrific
paroxysmal sneezes.” At his clinic, Dr. Lyanga obtains a
detailed history of each patient. Since prick or scratch
tests cause a visible reaction, Dr. Lyanga can do these
tests on his patients and interpret the severity or type of
allergy. He then tries to “fool” his patients’ immune
systems into accepting one foreign substance to protect
them from another, by inoculating them with pre-season
vaccines.Self and Non-self
In searching for better treatments, Dr. Lyanga takes a
keen interest in the Major Histocompatibility Complex
(MHC), a set of genes located at chromosome 6. Our
immune systems either accept or kill a foreign substance,
depending on the make-up of an individual’s MHC. These
molecules decide whether the substance is “self” or
“non-self.” Therefore, being able to read a patient’s MHC
becomes essential in not only understanding allergicreactions, but also in ensuring an acceptance of an organ
transplant. “The body’s discrimination of ‘self’ and ‘non-
self,’ is precise and specific,” says Dr. Lyanga.Career Tips
Successful applicants to medical schools do more than
just meeting specific academic requirements. They also
demonstrate interest and participation in other aspects
of life, such as social action, volunteerism, and the
environment. Medical schools want future doctors who
are well-rounded.
When he speaks to groups of science students, Dr. Lyanga
advises them to consider entering the field of immunology
because of its importance to the future of the world.
Today, immunologists search for vaccines for diseases
such as malaria and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
Scientists hope to better “fool” the immune system into
accepting treatment, and Dr. Lyanga believes in the cause.
“Malaria in tropical countries has killed more people than
all the world’s wars combined,” he observes. “Now HIV
is threatening to wipe out the population in some poor
countries where it is endemic and their governments
cannot afford the high cost of medications.”