Acute Inflammation Flashcards
What is the vascular response to acute inflammation?
1) Vasodilatation –> Increased blood flow (redness and warmth)
2) Increased permeability –> Swelling (oedema)
What is inflammatory cells start to infiltrate?
1) Neutrophils
2) Macrophages (during later stages)
3) Lymphocytes may also be involved
What are the 4 stages of leukocyte migration?
1) Margination –> Stasis (loos of axial streaming)
2) Rolling –> Selectins
3) Adhesion –> Integrins
4) Transmigration –> PECAM-1 or CD31
What is chemotaxis? And what substances are involved?
Migration along chemical gradients
1) Bacterial products
2) Complement components (C5a)
3) Leukotrienes
4) Chemotactic cytokines (chemokines)
What else can chemotactic molecules do? (other than cause chemotaxis)
1) Leukocyte activation
2) Endothelial cell activation
What are the 3 stages of phagocytosis?
1) Recognition and attachment
2) Engulfment
3) Killing and degradation
Name some chemical mediators?
1) Vasoactive amines –> Histamine and serotonin
2) Kinins –> Bradykinin
3) Complement –> C3a
4) Clotting cascade –> Thrombin
5) Cytokines –> TNF and IL-1
6) Chmokines –> IL-8
7) Oxygen derived free radicals –> Nitric oxide
What is pus composed of?
Neutrophils, necrotic cells, and bacteria
What are pyogenic bacteria?
Pus forming bacteria
What are the classic clinical features of inflammation?
1) Heat (calor)
2) Redness (rubor)
3) Swelling (tumour)
4) Pain (dolor)
What can cause a raised WBC count (mainly neutrophils)?
1) Bacterial infection
2) Non-infective causes (EG: myocardial infarction)
3) Neutrophil-rich leukocytosis in other bodily fluids (EG: cerebrospinal fluid in bacterial meningitis)
What is an hereditary condition that causes defects in leukocytes?
Chronic granulomatous disease
