Pathology 2 Flashcards
Define Acute Inflammation
Initial, transient series of tissue reactions to injury
Lasts hours to days
Example of acute inflammation
Appendicitis
State 2 benefits of inflammation
Destroys invading microorganisms
Walls off abscess cavity ∴ prevents spread of infection
State 2 disadvantages of inflammation
Fibrosis can distort tissue and alter function
Abscess (e.g. in brain) can act as space-occupying lesion ∴ compressing surrounding structures
List some examples of acute inflammation
Microbial infections (e.g. bacteria, viruses)
Hypersensitivity reactions (e.g. parasites)
Physical agents (e.g. trauma)
Chemicals (e.g. corrosives)
Bacterial toxins
Tissue necrosis (e.g. ischaemic infarction)
Describe the steps of acute inflammation
- Vascular changes - vasodilation! ∴ ↑ vessel flow
- ↑ Vessel permeability ∴ formation of fluid exudate
- Formation of cellular exudate - neutrophil polymorphs emigrate into extravascular space
What are the potential outcomes of acute inflammation?
- Resolution
- Suppuration - pus formation
- Organisation - healing via fibrosis
- Progression to chronic inflammation
5 Cardinal signs of inflammation
- Rubor (redness)
- Calor (heat)
- Tumor (swelling)
- Dolor (pain)
- Functio laesa (loss of function)
Rubor is due to
dilation of capillaries within damaged area
Calor is due to
Increased blood flow to damaged region
Results in vascular dilation
∴ more warm blood to region
Also, maybe systemic fever
Tumor is due to
Oedema!
(fluid accumulates in extravascular space)
+ formation of new connective tissue
Also, maybe mass of inflammatory cells migrating into region
Dolor is due to
Stretching of tissue due to inflammatory odema
+ pus under pressure in abscess cavity
Also, chemical mediators of acute inflammation are known to cause pain
e.g. bradykinin, prostaglandins, serotonin
Functio laesa (loss of function) due to
Conscious and reflexly inhibited by pain
+ severe swelling may immobilise tissue
What cellular component is essential for a histological diagnosis of acute inflammation?
ACCUMULATION of neutrophil polymorphs
How does organisation (healing by fibrosis) work in acute inflammation?
Dead tissue and inflammatory exudate first removed from damaged areas BY MACROPHAGES
Defect is then filled by specialised vascular connective tissue (aka GRANULATION TISSUE) - this is organisation
Then granulation tissue gradually produces collagen to form fibrous scar
How do microbial infections cause acute inflammation?
VIRUSES - cause death of cells via intracellular multiplication
BACTERIA - release specific eXotoxins, these make chemicals that initiate inflammation
+ release specific enDotoxins, associated w cell walls
How do hypersensitivity reactions cause acute inflammation?
Altered immunological response cause inappropriate/excess immune response - damages tissues
Cellular or chemical mediators
How do physical agents cause acute inflammation?
Tissue damage through -
e.g. physical trauma, burns,, radiation (UV), frostbite
How do irritant and corrosive chemicals cause acute inflammation?
Gross tissue damage (from acids, alkalis etc)
Infecting agents may release specific chemical irritants that cause inflammation directly
How does tissue necrosis result in acute inflammation?
Tissue death from lack of O2/nutrients
∴ infarction
^ potential inflammatory stimulus due to peptides released from dead tissue
What accumulates in the extracellular space of damaged tissue in the early stages of acute inflammation?
Oedema fluid
Fibrin
Neutrophil polymorphs
Smooth muscle of arteriolar walls form __________ to regulate blood flow through the capillary bed
Pre-capillary sphincters
What happens to the pre-capillary sphincters in arteriolar walls in acute inflammation?
Relax
∴ ↑ Blood flow through capillaries
How is capillary hydrostatic pressure and therefore, osmosis into the extravascular space changed during acute inflammation?
What happens to the vascular permeability?
Pressure increased
∴ increasing osmotic pressure
∴ more fluid leaving vessels than returned
∴ ↑ Vascular permeability
Net escape of protein-rich fluid from capillaries is called?
Hence, what is the fluid called?
Exudation
Fluid exudate
3 Types of causes of ↑ Vascular permeability?
Give examples
- Immediate transient - chemical mediators e.g. histamine, nitric oxide (vasodilator), platelet activating factor
- Immediate sustained - severe vascular injury i.e. trauma
- Delayed prolonged - endothelial cell injury e.g. X-rays, bacterial toxins
Name the 4 stages of neutrophil polymorph emigration
- Margination of neutrophils
- Adhesion of neutrophils
- Neutrophil emigration
- Diapedesis
Describe the 1st stage of neutrophil polymorph emigration
1. Margination of neutrophils
NORMALLY, cells confined to central (axial) stream
HOWEVER, in acute inflammation, ↓ intravascular fluid and ↑ plasma viscosity
∴ cells flow in plasmatic zone! (to the side)
Describe the 2nd stage of neutrophil polymorph emigration
2. Adhesion of neutrophils
NORMALLY, neutrophils randomly contact endothelium but do NOT adhere
HOWEVER, in acute inflammation, at sites of injury pavementing occurs early - ONLY IN VENULES.
What is pavementing?
Adhesion of neutrophils to the vascular endothelium
Describe the 3rd stage of neutrophil polymorph emigration
Neutrophil emigration
Leucocytes migrate through walls of venules/small veins
NOT usually through capillaries !
Neutrophils, eosinophil polymorphs and macrophages all insert pseudopodia between endothelial cells.
Then these cells migrate through created gap
Then through basal lamina into vessel wall.
Describe the 4th stage of neutrophil polymorph emigration
Diapedesis
RBCs also escape from vessel but this is PASSIVE
∴ depends on hydrostatic pressure forcing RBCs out = diapedesis
What does a large number of RBCs in the extracellular space indicate?
Severe vascular injury e.g. tear in vessel wall
How does the acute inflammation response spread?
Chemical substances from injured tissue spreads outwards into uninjured area
Early in response, what causes the up-regulation of adhesion molecules on endothelial cell surface?
Histamine and thrombin which is released by initial inflammatory response
What do endogenous chemical mediators cause?
Vasodilation
Emigration of neutrophils
Chemotaxis
↑ Vascular permeability
Itching & pain
What does histamine cause when released from cells during acute inflammation?
Vascular dilation
Immediate transient phase of ↑ vascular permeability
How does histamine have an immediate effect on vascular permeability?
Bc it is stored in preformed granules
∴ able to be instantly released
What is the key source of histamine?
What are other sources?
Mast cells
Basophils and eosinophil leucocytes, platelets
What stimulates the release of histamine from its sources?
C3a & C5a
Lysosomal proteins released from neutrophils
Name some chemical mediators, other than histamine
Lysosomal compounds
Eicosanoids
5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin)
Chemokine
How many enzymatic cascade systems does plasma contain? Name them.
- Complement
- the Kinins
- Coagulation factors
- Fibrinolytic system
All interrelated
What is the main purpose of the complement system?
How does it carry this out?
Remove/destroy antigens
Via direct lysis or opsonisation
What is opsonisation?
Enhancement of phagocytosis by factors in plasma
Describe the kinin system pathway
Activated factor XII and plasmin (also maybe leucocyte protease) activates conversion of prekallikin to kallikrein
This activates conversion of kininogens to kinins e.g. bradykinin
DRAW PICTURE
PAY FOR BRAINSCAPE
How do neutrophil polymorphs stain under H&E?
Nucleus stains blue
Cytoplasm stains pink/purple
skipped from 15 - 19
What are the 4 main outcomes of acute inflammation?
- Resolution
- Suppuration
- Organisation
- Progression to chronic inflammation
What is resolution?
Complete restoration of tissues to normal after acute inflammation
What conditions favour resolution?
Minimal cell death/tissue damage
If it happens in an organ that is capable of regeneration e.g. liver
Causal agent is rapidly destroyed
Local vasculature rapidly removes fluid and debris
Give an example of an acute inflammatory response that completely resolves
Acute lobar pneumonia
What occurs in suppuration?
Formation of pus, cellular debris and lipid globules
What condition is necessary for acute inflammation to result in suppuration?
Causative stimulus is persistent and vv likely to be infectious, usually pyogenic bacteria
Give an example of pyogenic bacteria
Staph. aureus
Neisseria species
What happens in suppuration after pus accumulates in the tissue?
Pus becomes surrounded by ‘pyogenic membrane’
This consists of sprouting capillaries, neutrophils and fibroblasts
Start of healing - results in granulation tissue and scarring
What is a collection of pus known as?
An abscess
Why is an abscess a bit of a problem?
Bc bacteria within cavity is relatively inaccessible to antibodies and antibiotics
What is organisation?
Describe the process
Tissue being replaced by granulation tissue to repair them
New capillaries grow into inflammatory exudate
Macrophages emigrate into area and fibroblasts proliferate (by TGF-beta)
∴ fibrosis and scar formation
What conditions favour organisation?
When large amounts of fibrin produced - cannot all be removed by fibrinolytic enzymes from plasma/neutrophil polymorphs
Lots of tissue becomes necrotic or dead tissue cannot be digested
Exudate/debris cannot be removed
Why can acute inflammation sometimes progress to chronic?
if causing agent isn’t removed
What happens during the progression of acute to chronic inflammation?
Cellular exudate changes
Neutrophil polymorphs REPLACED by lymphocytes, plasma cells, macrophages, multinucleate giant cells and fibroblasts
Name a systemic effect of inflammation
Fever (Pyrexia)