Episode 22 - B is for B-Cell | Immunology 101

Explicit content warning

11/05/24 • 35 min

A is for Antibody. B is for B-cell. C is for Cryoglobul... wait no we’ve covered that already. If you struggle to tell your thymus from an isthmus, can’t see the humour in humoural immunity and think a bursa is just some fancy elbow cushion then THIS is the episode for you. Join the Bloody Minded Crew as they dust off their undergraduate immunology degrees, get back to the classroom and cover the foundations of the immune system in preparation for tackling our upcoming malignant diseases.
Timestamps
3:43 - The Immune System
4:50 - The Spleen
5:36 - The Thymus
6:19 - The Lymph Nodes
8:19 - The Innate Immune System
13:16 - The Adaptive Immune System
16:56 - VDJ recombination
21:21 - MHC/HLA
24:54 - Antibodies!
27:42 - Class switching
28:58 - The purpose of Plasma Cells
30:33 - An immune response - start to finish

Check out show notes, additional references and (sometimes) extra content at www.bloodyminded.com.au

Check out show notes, additional references and (sometimes) extra content at www.bloodyminded.com.au

Previous Episode

Episode 21 - On the Wards: Welcome to the Jungle | Your First Haem Ward Round

Help! After a disastrous 3 way ward swap you now have to cover the haem ward as an intern in... 45 minutes time. If only there were some way you could get a crash course on everything you might need to know. Well are you in luck today! Join our new guest host Dr Alison Chandler for a whole new subtype of episodes, our new "On the Wards" series.“ These are for those new interns and residents who have been drafted to cover the dreaded haem wards and need to prepare all the practical day to day things.
On this inaugural On The Wards episode we'll cover the haematology ward round, how to read a haematology note and plan for some planned admissions. Keep an eye out for these every so often in between our conventional topics.
Timestamps
1:09 - Who is Dr Alison Chandler?
3:43 - What makes haem scary?
8:20 - Three top tips for haem JMOs
14:34 - The haem ward round - letters and numbers!
27:50 - Always look at the blood count
34:08 - Planned admissions
38:02 - Extra things to do on haem

Check out show notes, additional references and (sometimes) extra content at www.bloodyminded.com.au

Next Episode

Episode 23 - Help I found a paraprotein | MGUS + The Spectrum of Plasma Cell Dyscrasias

Ordered something you shouldn’t have and accidentally found a paraprotein again? Shame on you, but now you have to do something with it. Maybe you were genuinely suspicious for myeloma. If incidentally discovered lab findings are leaving you smouldering, this is the episode for you!
Join Nick, Cale and Bashar as they chat about the spectrum of plasma cell dyscrasias, and cover the precursor conditions MGUS and Smouldering Myeloma.
Timestamps
2:53 - What is a paraprotein?
5:56 - The heavy chain component
9:40 - The spectrum of plasma cell disorders
10:12 - MGUS
11:33 - How common is MGUS?
15:24 - You've found a paraprotein - what next?
17:38 - IMWG MGUS Criteria
19:47 - Mayo Score for Risk Stratification
22:25 - Serum free light chain ratio
24:25 - Bence Jones proteins
26:21 - Smouldering myeloma
27:30 - IMWG Smouldering myeloma criteria
29:16 - Risk of progression to MM

Check out show notes, additional references and (sometimes) extra content at www.bloodyminded.com.au