News tagged with inflammatory response

Metabolic biomarkers can predict mortality in the ICU

A metabolic profile of intensive care unit (ICU) patients based on biomarkers of four metabolites can be used to accurately predict mortality, according to a new study.

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 20, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Team finds mechanism linking key inflammatory marker to cancer

In a new study described in the journal Oncogene, researchers reveal how a key player in cell growth, immunity and the inflammatory response can be transformed into a primary contributor to tumor growth.

Cancer created May 20, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Discovery of novel medicine for treatment of chronic wounds

Every 20 seconds, a limb is lost as a consequence of diabetic foot ulcer that does not heal. To date, medical solutions that can change this situation are very limited. In his doctoral thesis Yue Shen from the Industrial ...

Medical research created May 20, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Researchers identify target to prevent hardening of arteries

The hardening of arteries is a hallmark of atherosclerosis, an often deadly disease in which plaques, excessive connective tissue, and other changes build up inside vessel walls and squeeze off the flow of ...

Cardiology created May 16, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Resistance to visceral leishmaniasis: New mechanisms involved

Researchers from CNRS, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier and IRD have elucidated new molecular mechanisms involved in resistance to visceral leishmaniasis, a serious parasitic infection. They have shown that dectin-1 ...

Immunology created May 16, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Study sees link between mom's flu, bipolar risk for children

(HealthDay)—Women who come down with the flu during pregnancy may be at increased risk of having a child who develops bipolar disorder, a new study suggests.

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 08, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Thymus teaches immune cells to ignore vital gut bacteria

The tiny thymus teaches the immune system to ignore the teeming, foreign bacteria in the gut that helps you digest and absorb food, researchers say.

Immunology created Apr 29, 2013 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Key mechanism for a common form of Alzheimer's disease discovered

Scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in collaboration with researchers from Icelandic Heart Association, Sage Bionetworks, and other institutions, have discovered that a network of genes involved in ...

Alzheimer's disease & dementia created Apr 25, 2013 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Research sheds new light on traumatic brain injuries

Even a mild injury to the brain can have long lasting consequences, including increased risk of cognitive impairment later in life. While it is not yet known how brain injury increases risk for dementia, there are indications ...

Neuroscience created Apr 15, 2013 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Cell-destroyer that fights and promotes TB reveals what's behind its split identity

Tumor necrosis factor—normally an infection-fighting substance produced by the body—can actually heighten susceptibility to tuberculosis if its levels are too high. University of Washington TB researchers ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Apr 11, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Cellular gatekeepers do more than open doors for drugs, study finds

(Medical Xpress)—The cellular gatekeepers that escort the most common pharmaceuticals into our cells continue to work within the cells as well, according to a UC San Francisco discovery that could transform drug design ...

Medical research created Apr 08, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers find link between blood clotting, immune response

Rice University researchers have found an unexpected link between a protein that triggers the formation of blood clots and other proteins that are essential for the body's immune system. The find could lead ...

Immunology created Apr 01, 2013 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Nothing fishy about it: Fish oil can boost the immune system

Fish oil rich in DHA and EPA is widely believed to help prevent disease by reducing inflammation, but until now, scientists were not entirely sure about its immune enhancing effects. A new report appearing in the April 2013 ...

Immunology created Apr 01, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Study finds immunity protein that ramps up inflammation, and agents that can block it

Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have discovered a new biological pathway of innate immunity that ramps up inflammation and then identified agents that can block it, leading to increased survival ...

Immunology created Mar 31, 2013 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Researchers identify a potential new therapeutic target for E. coli infections

(Medical Xpress)—A new study by researchers at the Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens at Virginia Bioinformatics Institute provides novel insight into how an emerging strain of the diarrhea-ca ...

Medical research created Mar 28, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

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.