Dr. Bloch's 12 Steps For Academic Success

How to Pre-Read for Coming Assignments.

Each day you have to spend at least an hour reading the next class lesson to understand the topics to be covered.

In most textbooks the introduction informs you or "introduces" you to the topic. Some text books provide summaries that are given at the end of the chapters. Read both of these to obtain a general understanding and a feel for the topic area.

(Remember that in class, more specific information will be given on the area under discussion.)

Finally, if time permits, develop the habit of finding more information on the Internet. If this approach is used you can easily download the web address and authors of the articles. Show this information to your teachers for validation and share this information with your classmates.

Step 2 Example

Imagine that you are taking an undergraduate course in immunology. You have purchased the text books and you have decided to pre-read the chapter on the nonspecific (innate) and specific (adaptive) immune system.

As an illustration: You have downloaded an article by Dr. Gary E. Kaiser on the "Innate Immune System". The article describes the components of the innate and adaptive responses.

Fortunately, Dr. Kaiser lists the learning objectives of that lecture - including the significance of pattern recognition receptors. In this brief overview he clearly describes and defines the importance of innate and adaptive immunity. Since this is a pre-read I would just concentrate on the learning objectives for this section. Carefully read the learning objectives below to have advanced information on that coming lecture.

Finally, use similar approaches for future lectures in your classes.

VI. THE INNATE IMMUNE SYSTEM

Doc Kaiser's Microbiology Home Page

http://student.ccbcmd.edu/courses/bio141/lecguide/unit4/innate/innate.html

C. PATTERN-RECOGNITION RECEPTORS (INCLUDING TOLL-LIKE-RECEPTORS) AND CYTOKINES

LEARNING OBJECTIVES FOR THIS SECTION

Innate immunity refers to antigen-nonspecific defense mechanisms that a host uses immediately or within several hours after exposure to an antigen. This is the immunity one is born with and is the initial response by the body to eliminate microbes and prevent infection.

Unlike adaptive immunity, innate immunity does not recognize every possible antigen. Instead, it is designed to recognize a few highly conserved structures present in many different microorganisms. The structures recognized are called pathogen-associated molecular patterns and include LPS from the gram-negative cell wall, peptidoglycan, lipotechoic acids from the gram-positive cell wall, the sugar mannose (common in microbial glycolipids and glycoproteins but rare in those of humans), bacterial DNA, N-formylmethionine found in bacterial proteins, double-stranded RNA from viruses, and glucans from fungal cell walls. Most body defense cells have pattern-recognition receptors for these common pathogen-associated molecular patterns (see Fig. 1) and so there is an immediate response against the invading microorganism. Pathogen-associated molecular patterns can also be recognized by a series of soluble pattern-recognition receptors in the blood that function as opsonins and initiate the complement pathways. In all, the innate immune system is thought to recognize approximately 10³ molecular patterns. All of this will be discussed in greater detail in upcoming sections.