News tagged with abscesses
An abscess (Latin: abscessus) is a collection of pus (dead neutrophils) that has accumulated in a cavity formed by the tissue in which the pus resides due to an infectious process (usually caused by bacteria or parasites) or other foreign materials (e.g., splinters, bullet wounds, or injecting needles). It is a defensive reaction of the tissue to prevent the spread of infectious materials to other parts of the body. One example of an abscess is a BCG-oma, which is caused because of incorrect administration of the BCG vaccine.
The organisms or foreign materials kill the local cells, resulting in the release of cytokines. The cytokines trigger an inflammatory response, which draws large numbers of white blood cells to the area and increases the regional blood flow.
The final structure of the abscess is an abscess wall, or capsule, that is formed by the adjacent healthy cells in an attempt to keep the pus from infecting neighboring structures. However, such encapsulation tends to prevent immune cells from attacking bacteria in the pus, or from reaching the causative organism or foreign object.
Abscesses must be differentiated from empyemas, which are accumulations of pus in a preexisting rather than a newly formed anatomical cavity.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
While most infection control measures are focused on hospitals, a new study points to the need for more targeted interventions to prevent the spread of drug-resistant bugs in nursing homes as community-associated strains ...
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Feb 11, 2013 | 1 / 5 (1) | 0
(HealthDay)—For patients with moderate-to-severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), a chronic skin disease characterized by painful abscesses, nodules, and draining fistulas in the axilla and groin, treatment ...
Inflammatory disorders Dec 18, 2012 | not rated yet | 0
Opinions of the tooth fairy as kind and giving may need to be revised following "mounting reports of less child-friendly activity", says a paper published in the BMJ Christmas edition and appearing online today.
Health Dec 13, 2012 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0
The number of children admitted to hospital in England for acute throat infections increased by 76 per cent between 1999 and 2010, according to new research published today in Archives of Disease in Childhood.
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Oct 19, 2012 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0
Toothpicks and surgical swabs can wreak havoc in the gut when inadvertently swallowed or left behind after surgery
A woman developed severe blood poisoning (sepsis) and a liver abscess, after inadvertently swallowing a toothpick, which perforated her gullet and lodged in a lobe of her liver, reveals a case published in BMJ Case Reports.
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Sep 10, 2012 | not rated yet | 0
The number of children hospitalized for skin and soft-tissue infections, most due to community-acquired Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), has more than doubled since 2000, a study by researchers at UC Dav ...
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Aug 17, 2011 | not rated yet | 0 |
Two strains of Streptococcus bacteria, that have evolved to cause potentially fatal infections in either horses or humans, use the same box of tricks to cause disease. Exploiting their genetic similarities could ...
Medical research Jul 14, 2011 | not rated yet | 0
Seven out of ten hospital nurses who took part in a Canadian study used the dorsogluteal (DG) buttock site to administer intramuscular injections - despite the potential risks of sciatic nerve injury - with only 14% using ...
Other May 09, 2011 | not rated yet | 0 |