Introduction to clinical sciences Flashcards
What is inflammation?
A reaction to an injury or infection involving neutrophils or macrophages
When is inflammation good?
°Fighting infections
°Protection from injury
When is inflammation bad?
°Autoimmune conditions
°Over-reaction to stimulus
How is acute inflammation classified?
°Sudden onset
°Short duration
°Usually resolves itself
How is chronic inflammation classified?
°Slow onset
°Long duration
°May never resolve
What cells are involved in inflammation?
°Neutrophil polymorphs °Macrophages °Lymphocytes °Endothelial cells °Fibroblasts
Properties of neutrophil polymorphs?
°Short lived (~5 days)
°First on the scene of inflammation
°Have cytoplasmic granules full of enzymes to kill bacteria
°Die at the scene
°Release cytokines to attract other cells
Properties of macrophages?
°Long lived
°Phagocytic
°Ingest bacteria and debris
°Can present antigens
Properties of lymphocytes?
°Live for years
°Can produce cytokines
°Are capable of producing memory cells
Properties of endothelial cells?
°Line capillaries
°Can become sticky to allow inflammatory cells to appear
°Can become porous to allow cells to pass through to tissue
°Grow into areas of damage to form new capillary vessels
Example of acute inflammation?
Acute appendicitis- °Unknown factors for inflammation °Neutrophils are present °Blood vessels dilate °Inflammation of serosal surface °Pain
Example of chronic inflammation?
Tuberculosis-
°No initial acute inflammation
°Mycobacteria ingested by macrophages
°Macrophages fail to kill bacteria
°Lymphocytes and additional macrophages appear
°Fibrosis occurs
Properties of fibroblasts?
°Long lived cells
°Form collagen in area of chronic inflammation and repair
How do granulomas occur?
When two or more macrophages attempt to engulf the same material at once, the cells end up joining together
Causes of acute inflammation?
°Microbial infections °Hypersensitivity reactions °Physical agents (trauma) °Chemicals °Bacterial toxins °Tissue necrosis
3 processes of the inflammatory response?
°Changes in the vessel calibre and flow
°Increased vascular permeability and formation of fluid exudate
°Formation of cellular exudate - emigration of neutrophil polymorphs to extracellular space
Causes of increased vascular permeability?
°Immediate transient chemical mediators e.g -
°Histamine
°Bradykinin
°C5a
°NOx
°Leucotrine B4
°Platelet activating factor
°Immediate sustained severe vascular trauma
°Delayed prolonged endothelial injury e.g. x-ray
What can endogenous chemical mediators cause?
°Vasodilation °Emigration of neutrophils °Chemotaxins °Increased vascular permeability °Itching and pain
What are the systemic effects of inflammation?
°Pyrexia (fever) °Weight loss °Reactive hyperaemia of the reticuloendothelial system °Haematological changes °Amyloidosis
Appearances of chronic inflammation?
Macroscopic - °Ulcers °Abscess cavity °Thickening of hollow viscus wall °Granulomatous inflammation °Fibrosis Microscopic - °Lymphocytes and macrophages °A few eosinophils °Destruction of tissue and formation of fibrous tissue °Tissue necrosis
Special multinucleate giant cells?
°Langhans cells (tuberculosis) horseshoe arrangement of peripheral nuclei
°Touton giant cells (xanthomas/dermatofibromas of the skin) have a central ring of nuclei peripheral to lipids
What is the difference between repair and resolution?
Resolution -
°Initiating factor is removed
°Tissue is undamaged or can regenerate
Repair -
°Initiating factor is still present
°Tissue is damaged can cannot regenerate
What are the features of lobar pneumonia?
°Single lobe of the lung
°Caused by streptococcus pneumonia
°Anti-biotics to clear
°Pneumocytes in the lung can regenerate
Healing by 1st intention?
°Involves a wound where the skin can be pulled together
°Space is filled with fibrin
°Forms a weak join
°Filled with collagen by fibroblasts
Healing by 2nd intention?
°Wound cannot be pulled together
°Capillaries, fibroblasts and collagen all form to repair the wound
°Grows in from the edges
How does repair happen in the brain?
Gliosis, collagen is produced by glial cells
Which cell types can regenerate?
°Hepatocytes °Pneumocytes °Blood cells (all) °Gut epithelium °Skin epithelium °Osteocytes
Why don’t clots form all the time?
°Laminar flow in the centre of the artery
°Endothelial cells are not sticky when they are healthy
What can cause thrombosis?
°Change in the vessel wall
°Change in the flow of blood
°Change in the blood constituents
How does thrombosis occur?
°Platelet aggregation leads to the coagulation cascade
°Platelets stick to collagen which is exposed under damaged endothelial cells
°Disrupts laminar flow and red blood cells get trapped with platelets
°Fibrin is deposited into the clot
°Positive feedback loop
What is a thrombus?
A solid mass of blood constituents formed within an intact vascular system during life
How do you prevent thrombosis?
°Movement
°Compression stockings
°Aspirin
What is an embolus?
A mass of material in the vascular system able to become lodged within a vessel and block it
What is ischaemia?
Reduction in blood flow without any other complications
What is infarction?
Reduction in blood flow that is so reduced that it cannot support the maintenance in the cells of a tissue, so they begin to die
Why are tissues with an end arterial supply more susceptible to infarction?
They only have a single arterial supply and so if this vessel is interrupted infarction is likely.
What are 3 organs with a dual arterial supply?
°Lungs
°Liver
°Brain
What happens after ischaemia is fixed?
Re-perfusion injury meaning that the waste products that have accumulated during the reduced blood flow period are released
What are the consequences of an arterial embolus?
An arterial embolus can travel around the body with the consequences being stroke, MI, gangrene
What are the consequences of a venous embolus?
An embolus in the venous system will go onto the vena cava and then through the pulmonary arteries and become lodged in the lungs causing a pulmonary embolism
What is the definition of atherosclerosis?
Inflammatory process characterised by hardened plaques in the intima of a vessel wall.
What forms an atherosclerotic plaque?
°Fibrous tissue
°Lipids (cholesterol)
°Crystals (these dissolve)
°Lymphocytes
Which system do you find atherosclerosis in?
Low pressure systems such as the pulmonary ateries
How does a plaque form?
°Endothelial dysfunction
°Formation of lipid layer or fatty streak within the intima °Migration of leukocytes and smooth muscle cells into the vessel wall
°Foam cell formation
°Degradation of extracellular matrix.
What complications can arise from atherosclerosis?
°Cerebral infarction °Carotid atheroma °Myocardial infarction °Aortic °Gangrene
What are the risk factors for atherosclerosis?
°Cigarette smoking. °Hypertension. °Hyperlipidaemia. °Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus. °Lower socioeconomic status.
How does smoking impact atherosclerosis?
Free radicals, nicotine and CO damage the endothelial cells
How does hypertension impact atherosclerosis?
Sheering forces created by high blood pressure causes damage to the endothelial cells which is the first stage of plaque formation
What is the definition of apoptosis?
The programmed death of a single cell
How does a cell apoptose?
°Enzymes are released to shrink the cell °The nucleus condenses °The nucleus and DNA fragments °An apoptic body forms from the contents of the cell °The body is then phagocytosed
DNA damage can lead to a cell being apoptosed. What can happen to DNA to cause this?
°A single strand breaks
°Both strands break
°One of the bases becomes altered
°There is cross linkage of the strands
Which protein detects DNA damage?
P53
Which family of proteins can turn on apoptosis?
Caspases
Which receptor turns the proteins which regulate apoptosis on?
FAS receptor
What is the purpose of apoptosis in development?
Can separate the digits of the foetus
What disease has a lack of apoptosis?
Cancer, with even less in breast and colorectal cancer
What disease has increased apoptosis?
HIV, the CD4 cells are apoptosed at an increased rate
What is the definition of necrosis?
The large scale, unplanned death of cells
What are some clinical examples of necrosis?
°Spider venom °Frostbite °Cerebral infarction °Avascular necrosis (head of femur, scaphoid) °Pancreatitis
What is coagulative necrosis?
A type of necrosis caused by ischaemia or infarction. The tissues are preserved for a few days . It can also be induced by a high temperature
What is liquefactive necrosis?
A type of necrosis which results in the tissues becoming liquidised. It is usually caused by a bacterial or fungal infection but can also be caused by an internal chemical burn
What is unique about caseous necrosis?
The presence of multinucleate giant cells
Define hypertrophy
An increase in the size of tissues caused by an increase in the size of the constituent cells
What are two ways that the size of cells can increase?
°Increase in the number of myofibrils present
°Increase in the volume of sarcoplasm
Define hyperplasia
An increase in the size of tissues caused by an increase in the number of constituent cells
What can cause endometrial hyperplasia?
Having more oestrogen than progesterone present
Define atrophy
A decrease in the size of a tissue caused by either a decrease in the number of constituent cells or a decrease in the size of the cells
Define metaplasia
A change in differentiation of a cell from one which is fully differentiated to a different fully differentiated cell
Give an example of metaplasia
Ciliated columnar epithelium in the trachea changing to because squamous epithelium due to smoking
Define dysplasia
Morphological changes seen in cells in the progression to becoming cancerous
What happens when telomeres get too short?
They can no longer replicate or divide
Give two examples of tissues that can divide
°Gut epithelium
°Skin epithelium
What is an example of a non-dividing tissue?
Brain
What can cause a reduction in dividing tissue?
°Free radicals
°Cross-linking of DNA proteins
°DNA damage
°Mitochondrial DNA damage
What are the symptoms of ageing?
°Balding °Dementia °Deafness °Cataracts °Osteoporosis °Dermal elastosis
What causes dermal elastosis?
UV-B causes cross-linking of collagen proteins which makes them less elastic
What causes cataracts?
UV-B causes cross-linking of collagen proteins which makes the lens cloudy
What causes osteoporosis?
A lack of oestrogen causes an increase in bone resorption and a decrease in bone formation
What can cause dementia?
°Atrophy of brain tissue
°Plaques (Lewy bodies)
°Neurofibrillary tangles
What causes sarcopenia (and what is it)?
°Muscle loss
°Decreased growth hormone
°Decreased testosterone
°Increased catabolic cytokines
What is unique about basal cell carcinoma?
It only invades the dermis of the skin and does not metastasise to other areas of the body = excision of the tumour will cure it
What is the definition of carcinogenesis?
The transformation of normal cells to neoplastic cells through permanent genetic alterations or mutations
What is oncogenesis?
The same as carcinogenesis but only applies to malignant cells
What percentage of cancer risk is environmental?
85% environmental, 15% genetic