Inflammation
hideInflammation (Latin, inflamatio, to set on fire) is the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. It is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli as well as initiate the healing process for the tissue. Inflammation is not a synonym for infection. Even in cases where inflammation is caused by infection, the two are not synonymous: infection is caused by an exogenous pathogen, while inflammation is the response of the organism to the pathogen.
In the absence of inflammation, wounds and infections would never heal and progressive destruction of the tissue would compromise the survival of the organism. However, an inflammation that runs unchecked can also lead to a host of diseases, such as hay fever, atherosclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. It is for that reason that inflammation is normally closely regulated by the body.
Inflammation can be classified as either acute or chronic. Acute inflammation is the initial response of the body to harmful stimuli and is achieved by the increased movement of plasma and leukocytes from the blood into the injured tissues. A cascade of biochemical events propagates and matures the inflammatory response, involving the local vascular system, the immune system, and various cells within the injured tissue. Prolonged inflammation, known as chronic inflammation, leads to a progressive shift in the type of cells which are present at the site of inflammation and is characterised by simultaneous destruction and healing of the tissue from the inflammatory process.
For more information about Inflammation, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
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News tagged with chronic inflammation
Molecule discovered that makes obese people develop diabetes
Nov 24, 2009 |
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Many people who are overweight or obese develop insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes at some stage in their lives. A European research team has now discovered that obese people have large amounts of the ...
Largest gene study of childhood IBD identifies 5 new genes
Nov 15, 2009 |
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In the largest, most comprehensive genetic analysis of childhood-onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), an international research team has identified five new gene regions, including one involved in a biological pathway ...
Possible origins of pancreatic cancer revealed
Nov 02, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- MIT cancer biologists have identified a subpopulation of cells that can give rise to pancreatic cancer. They also found that tumors can form in other, more mature pancreatic cell types, but ...
New study identifies cellular mechanism that causes lupuslike symptoms in mice
Oct 18, 2009 |
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Macrophages, the scavenger cells of the body's immune system, are responsible for disposing of dying cells. Stanford University School of Medicine researchers have identified one pathway in this important process in mice ...
Elevated lymphotoxin expression in liver leads to chronic hepatitis and causes HCC
Oct 05, 2009 |
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A recent study maps the pathway that leads from infection with Hepatitis B and C virus (HBV and HCV) to chronic hepatitis and liver cancer and proposes a new therapeutic strategy for treating liver diseases with chronic inflammation. ...
Ulcerative colitis treatment reduces need for surgery by almost half
Oct 01, 2009 |
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A new study led by Mayo Clinic researchers has found that ulcerative colitis patients had a 41 percent reduction in colectomy after a year when treated with infliximab, according to a study published in the October 2009 issue ...
Inflammatory disease treatments will improve through the use of lipidomics
Sep 01, 2009 |
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According to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 46 million Americans have arthritis. Many of these people take over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications that block ...
From fat to chronic inflammation
Sep 01, 2009 |
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Researchers may have found a key ingredient in the recipe that leads from obesity to chronic low-grade inflammation, according to a report in the September issue of Cell Metabolism.
Amazonian tribe sheds light on causes of heart disease in developed countries
Aug 11, 2009 |
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Heart attacks and strokes -- the leading causes of death in the United States and other developed countries -- may have been rare for the vast majority of human history, suggests a study to be published in PLoS ONE on Tue ...
Altered micriobiome prevalent in the diseased esophagus
Aug 01, 2009 |
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Gastroesophageal reflux diseases , or GERD, affects about 10 million people in the United States, yet the cause and an unexpected increase in its prevalence over the last three decades remains unexplainable. Now, researchers ...
Cancer drug causes patient to lose fingerprints and be detained by US immigration
May 27, 2009 |
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Immigration officials held a cancer patient for four hours before they allowed him to enter the USA because one of his cancer drugs caused his fingerprints to disappear. His oncologist is now advising all cancer patients ...
Researchers identify biological markers that may indicate poor breast cancer prognosis
May 26, 2009 |
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A team of researchers has found an association between breast cancer survival and two proteins that, when present in the blood in high levels, are indicators of inflammation. Using data from the Health, Eating, Activity ...
A novel marker of colorectal carcinoma
May 22, 2009 |
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The colorectal cancer is thought to be resulted from a combination of environmental factors, diet, lifestyle, chronic inflammation and accumulation of specific genetic alterations. The pathogenesis and development of colorectal ...
New clues on the link between Heliobacter pylori and stomach cancer
May 08, 2009 |
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Heliobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is considered one of the most important risk factors for stomach (or gastric) cancer with as much as 65% of all cases linked back to the bacteria, although exactly ...
Examining TLR4 influences of B cell response
May 05, 2009 |
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Chronic inflammation, which is at the root of multiple diseases, links periodontal disease to increased incidence of cardiovascular disease.
