Possible Benefits of inflammation - Assignment Example

Assignment Assignment Q Benefits of inflammation Inflammation implies the response that the body initiates because of bodily injury. Characteristics of inflammation include swelling, heat, and pain at the site where the injury takes place. Chronic inflammation results from the persistence of the causal agent. The process goes through a complex biological cascade (Wu, Antony, Meitzler & Doroshow, 2014). There are signals that alter cell responses leading to clinical symptoms. The process that follows is cells releasing signals that change the area that is affected. There are two types of inflammation mainly chronic and acute. Acute inflammation has positive biological impact on the body. It results to the protection and healing of the body when physically injured or infected. The body has mechanisms that initiate acute inflammation in order to recover a part of the body after infection or injury. The blood vessels in the injured area become more permeable to improve the flow of blood in the injured area. There is also local dilation in the vessels. Endothelial cells, mast cells, nerve ending, and platelets release signaling molecules at the site of injury or infection. The signals induce the introduction of leukocytes in the area (Schaible & Straub, 2014). The process continues to aid in the protection of injured or infected body part. Inflammation helps the body to generate and activate immune systems. The body can destroy pathogens. Leukocytes release neutrophils that engulf and kill pathogens. Neutrophils also induce the liver to induce systemic inflammatory responses. In addition, chronic inflammation helps in the delivery of drugs in the body. Harmful effects of inflammation Acute inflammation can grow fatal and advance to chronic inflammation if the causal agent persists. The main mediators of the inflammation are long-lived macrophages and monocytes. Chronic inflammation combines tissue repair and destruction resulting to an overall harm to tissues. It leads to digestion of normal tissues. The common enzymes that digest tissues include proteases and collagenases. Consequently, the process leads to vascular damage (Wu, Antony, Meitzler, & Doroshow, 2014). Chronic inflammation can cause inappropriate inflammatory responses. It also causes swelling of the tissues that it has infected or injured. For instance, Haemophilus influenzae causes swelling of the epiglottis in children. Swelling as a result of inflammation is dangerous especially in an enclosed area. Inflammation causes arthritis. Inflammation of joints is the forms of arthritis by definition. Otherwise, people misperceive that inflammation cause osteoarthritis, and that is not the case. Inflammation is a potential hindrance of insulin. It is likely to worsen insulin resistance. Resistence to insulin is the main cause of Type 2 Diabetes. Inflammation causes disruptions in the flow of blood, which intensifies complications in diabetes. Though it does not cause all types of cancer, chronic inflammation is responsible for a few cases of cancer. Inflammation can destroy DNA. Consequently, it leads to gene mutations. Gene mutation is a major cause of cancer. Inflammation causes the body to break down at a fast rate hence making it susceptible to many diseases. Doctors advise people to take the right diet to prevent inflammation. Q2 Acute inflammatory response induces the introduction of proteins leukocytes to the affected or injured sites. The inflammation is the mechanism by which the body responds to injurious agents. Acute inflation consists of mainly three components. There is an alteration of vascular caliber that facilitates expansion of blood cells for increased blood flow. Second, there are structural changes that occur in the vessels to allow for the flow of plasma proteins and leukocytes (Wu, Antony, Meitzler, & Doroshow, 2014). The third component is the accumulation and focus of leukocytes onto the infected or injured site. There are varieties of stimuli that trigger acute inflammatory reactions. The first and most common is infection of body tissues. Other inducers include tissue necrosis, trauma, foreign bodies, immune reactions, physical, chemical, and agents. Vascular changes occur to facilitate the transport plasma proteins and leukocytes in the blood stream. The components locate themselves in the bloodstream and flow in the direction of blood. Blood vessels adapt to the requirements of inflammation to help in the transportation of proteins and leukocytes. In addition, there is an increase of flow o blood in the blood vessel because of their dilation. Capillaries become increasingly permeable to allow for the penetration of blood proteins. The process activates endothelial cells as the leukocytes increase adhesion and occupies the vessel wall (Schaible & Straub, 2014). The second activity is cellular events (Tseng & Kung, 2013). The leukocytes move from the blood stream and accumulate onto the site of injury. Activation follows accumulates and enables the cells to attack the offending agents. Cells can detect the presence of a harmful agent in the system. Dead cells and microbes have “danger signals” that differentiates them from normal tissues and cells. The objective of an inflammatory response is to deliver leukocytes onto the site of injury or infection. Their main function is to ingest and kill offending agents. Recruitment of the cells occurs such that they move from vascular lumen into the extravascular space. They then penetrate into the interstitial tissues through endothelial cells. Cytokines help in the promotion of ligands onto the walls of blood vessels. Macrophages and other cells respond to pathogens by producing cytokines (Schaible & Straub, 2014). The cytokines facilitate the movement of leukocytes to the appropriate direction of the site of injury or infection. Activation of leukocytes occurs leading to the enhancement of a number of functions. First, the cells can perform phagocytosis that involves engulfing of offending agents. Second, the leukocytes produce nitrogen species, reactive oxygen, and lysosomal enzymes, which destroy pathogens. The cells also produce mediators such as arachidonic acid metabolites that help in the amplification of inflammatory reaction. The main mechanism that leukocytes use to destroy offending agents is free radicals that combine the pathogens to inactivate and kill them (Wu, Antony, Meitzler, & Doroshow, 2014). However, the mechanism that the body uses to destroy dead cells and microbes can potentially destroy normal tissues. When macrophages persist at the sites of injury or infection, they cause chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation causes damages to body tissues that might lead to death. Q3 Inflammation refers to the body’s reactions aimed at enhancing protection and elimination of toxic stimuli. Harmful stimuli to the body include decayed cells and pathogens in the body system. Whenever the human body detects any harmful stimuli, it sets protective mechanisms or removes it. Biological response enhances the body’s resistance against harmful stimuli. Inflammation, therefore, constitutes a vital part of human’s immune reactions against toxic substances. Inflammation does not necessarily connotes an infection, although an infection in the human body may induce inflammation to initiate the healing process. There are two distinct types of inflammation- acute and chronic. While acute begins fast at the onset and becomes severe, chronic inflammation lasts over a relatively long time. Chronic inflammation may prompt the spread of other infections, diseases, or conditions such as cancer and periodontitis (Wu, Antony, Meitzler & Doroshow, 2014). Similarly, chronic inflammation contributes to heart disease and other related conditions. There are several possible causes of chronic inflammation. Failure of the body’s immune system to eliminate substances causing acute inflammation is a probable cause of chronic inflammation. Whenever the body experiences autoimmune response to its self-generated antigen, the impact is an attack on healthy tissues. Attacking healthy body tissues as harmful pathogen may cause chronic inflammation. That is a probable cause of the condition. Persistent chronic irritants that have low intensity may also cause chronic inflammation. Besides cancer, periodontitis, and heart disease, several other conditions may be caused by chronic inflammation. The diseases include asthma and chronic ulcers of the peptic region. It may also occur alongside inflammatory bowel disease. The major cells involved in chronic inflammation include macrophages, plasma cells, as well as lymphocytes. The most common outcomes of chronic inflammation include tissue destruction and fibrosis. Fibrosis condition involves tissue thickening. Death of affected cells and tissues is rampant with chronic inflammation conditions. Various symptoms of chronic inflammation include strain while walking because of acute weakness, feeble arms and hands, changes in sensation, numbness. A patient of the condition may also experience difficulties breathing and extreme fatigue. Tests to determine chronic inflammation include a spinal tap, nerve biopsy and conduction tests, and electromyography. Treatment of chronic inflammation is dependent on the level of its severity. Effective treatments for the condition include corticosteroids that serve to suppress inflammation. In case the condition is severe, treatment would aim at provision of medications that serve to suppress the body’s immune system. Patients may also undergo the process of having many antibodies added to the patient’s blood. Plasma exchange is a probable treatment intervention for the condition. An example of infection-induced inflammation is Leukocytosis. An example of non-infectious inflammation is terminal ileitis. References Schaible, H, & Straub, R 2014, Function of the sympathetic supply in acute and chronic experimental joint inflammation, Autonomic Neuroscience: Basic And Clinical, p. 55. Tseng, J, & Kung, A 2013, In vivo imaging method to distinguish acute and chronic inflammation, Journal Of Visualized Experiments: Jove, 78. Wu, Y, Antony, S, Meitzler, J, & Doroshow, J 2014, Molecular mechanisms underlying chronic inflammation-associated cancers, Cancer Letters, 345, 2, pp. 164-173. Read More