News tagged with inflammation

Women who eat fish have lower colon polyp risk

(Medical Xpress) -- Women who eat at least three servings of fish per week have a reduced risk of developing some types of colon polyps according to a new study by Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center investigators.

Medicine & Health / Health

created Feb 09, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Ovarian cancer risk related to inherited inflammation genes

In a study conducted by researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center and colleagues from 11 other institutions in the Unites States and the United Kingdom, genes that are known to be involved in inflammation were found to be related ...

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Feb 07, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Nanodiamond coatings safe for implants: study

Nanodiamonds designed to toughen artificial joints also might prevent the inflammation caused when hardworking metal joints shed debris into the body, according to an early study published this week in the ...

Chemistry / Materials Science

created Feb 05, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (8) | comments 5 | with audio podcast

Stem cells could drive hepatitis research forward

Hepatitis C, an infectious disease that can cause inflammation and organ failure, has different effects on different people. But no one is sure why some people are very susceptible to the infection, while ...

Medicine & Health / Research

created Feb 01, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Exposure to common environmental bacteria may be source of some allergic inflammation

Could some cases of asthma actually be caused by an allergic reaction to a common environmental bacteria? New research findings published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that this idea may not be as far-fetched as it ...

Medicine & Health / Research

created Jan 31, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Early cystic fibrosis lung disease detected by bronchoalveolar lavage and lung clearance index

The lung clearance index (LCI) is a sensitive non-invasive marker of early lung disease in young children with cystic fibrosis (CF), according to a new study from Australian researchers.

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Jan 27, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Multiple births lead to weight gain and other problems for mouse moms and male offspring

Women have long bemoaned the fact that as they have more children, their weight gain from pregnancy becomes more difficult to lose. A new study using a mouse model that mimics the human effects of multiparity (giving birth ...

Medicine & Health / Health

created Jan 26, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Gatekeeper signal controls skin inflammation

A new study unravels key signals that regulate protective and sometimes pathological inflammation of the skin. The research, published online on January 26th in the journal Immunity by Cell Press, identifies a "gatekeeper" that, ...

Medicine & Health / Research

created Jan 26, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Compounds in mate tea induce death in colon cancer cells

Could preventing colon cancer be as simple as developing a taste for yerba mate tea? In a recent University of Illinois study, scientists showed that human colon cancer cells die when they are exposed to the approximate number ...

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Jan 23, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Inflammatory mediator promotes colorectal cancer by stifling protective genes

Chronic inflammation combines with DNA methylation, a process that shuts down cancer-fighting genes, to promote development of colorectal cancer, scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report today ...

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Jan 22, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

WHO issues guidelines for contested breast implants

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday intervened for the first time in the roiling global scandal over faulty breast implants, urging women with the devices to seek medical advice if they have any concerns.

Medicine & Health / Other

created Jan 17, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

A diet rich in slowly digested carbs reduces markers of inflammation in overweight and obese adults

Among overweight and obese adults, a diet rich in slowly digested carbohydrates, such as whole grains, legumes and other high-fiber foods, significantly reduces markers of inflammation associated with chronic disease, according ...

Medicine & Health / Health

created Jan 11, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (4) | comments 1

Statins may increase risk of interstitial lung abnormalities in smokers

Use of statins may influence susceptibility to or the progression of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in smokers, according to a new study.

Medicine & Health / Research

created Jan 06, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

When it comes to heart health, how much is too much vitamin D?

(Medical Xpress) -- New research by Johns Hopkins scientists suggests that vitamin D, long known to be important for bone health and in recent years also for heart protection, may stop conferring cardiovascular benefits and ...

Medicine & Health / Cardiology

created Jan 05, 2012 | popularity 3 / 5 (5) | comments 3

Pirfenidone: Extent of added benefit assessed

Pirfenidone inhibits the development of inflammation and scarring (fibrosis) in pulmonary tissue and has been approved for the treatment of mild to moderate idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) since the beginning of 2011. ...

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Jan 03, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Inflammation

Inflammation (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.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.