The systemic response to infection;
it encompasses a broad array of clinical manifestations and overlaps
with
inflammatory reactions to other clinical insults (e.g., severe trauma or
burn)
•Bacteremia: Bacteria in the blood; may have no accompanying
symptoms
•Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS): inflammatory
reaction to different clinical insults manifest by two of the following:
(1)
temperature >38°C or < 36°C, (2) heart rate > 90/min; (3)
respiratory
rate >20/min or PaCO2 < 32 mm Hg, and (4) WBC count >
12,000/mm3, <
4,000/mm3 or > 10% immature forms (bends)
•Sepsis: SIRS with documented infection (typically bacterial)
•Septic shock: Sepsis induced hypotension (systolic BP < 90 mmHg
or ³ 40 mmHg drop from baseline) despite
adequate fluid
resuscitation plus hypoperfusion abnormalities (oliguria, lactic
acidosis,
acute change in mental status)
•Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS): altered organ function
in an acutely ill patient - requires intervention to maintain
homeostasis.
The brown snake, found in Australia, belongs to the family of Elapidae and
contains the following species:
Pseudonaja guttata (speckled brown snake, shown in
image below)Pseudonaja guttata (speckled brown snake).
Pseudonaja textilis (common brown snake, also
known as eastern brown snake, shown in image below)Pseudonaja textilis (eastern brown snake).
Pseudonaja affinis (dugite)
Pseudonaja nuchalis (western brown snake, shown in
image below)Pseudonaja nuchalis (western brown snake).
Pseudonaja inframacula (peninsula brown snake)
Pseudonaja ingrami (Ingram's brown snake)
Pseudonaja affinis tanneri (Tanner's brown snake)
Pseudonaja modesta (ringed brown snake, shown in
image below)Pseudonaja modesta (ringed brown snake).
Envenomation by P textilis, P nuchalis, P guttata, and P
affinis has been documented, but little information is available about the
toxic effects of the other species.
All of these snakes occur mainly in inland floodplains with deeply fissured
soils. The snakes are active during cooler parts of the day, such as early
morning and late afternoon. They exist in 5 different colors, have a highly
flexible head, and can squeeze into narrow places. They feed on small animals
but also can grip large prey. They may bite humans above the knee by raising
their head from the ground and assuming an "S" shape when striking.
Unless provoked, they are thought to be reluctant to attack humans.
Most of the literature describing the brown snake consists of case studies
of people accidentally bitten and their clinical course. They have less
effective dentition than other elapids and may leave little evidence of a
puncture wound; however, their venom is readily diffusible and can rapidly
enter the circulation.
These snakes are among the most venomous in the world. The common brown
snake produces the second most toxic venom known and is the most common cause
of snakebite death in Australia. Common to these species' venom are neurotoxins
and hemotoxins.
Diarrhea of abrupt onset in a
healthy individual is most often related to an infectious process. A variety of
symptoms are often observed, including frequent passage of loose or watery
stools, fever, chills, anorexia, vomiting and malaise.
•Acute viral diarrhea - the most common form, usually occurs for
1-3 days, and is self-limited. It causes changes in the small intestine cell
morphology such as villous shortening and an increase in the number of crypt
cells.
•Bacterial diarrhea - may be suspected if there is a history of a
similar and simultaneous illness in individuals who have shared contaminated
food with the patient. Diarrhea developing within 12 hours of the meal is most
likely due to ingestion of a preformed toxin.
•Protozoal infections - such as Giardia lamblia cause
prolonged, watery diarrhea that often afflicts travelers returning from endemic
areas where the water supply has been contaminated.
•Traveler's diarrhea - typically begins three to seven days after
arrival in a foreign location and is generally quite acute
Malignant neoplasm in the breast.
Breast cancers are classified as noninvasive (in situ) or invasive
(infiltrating) with approximately 70% of all breast cancers possessing a
component of invasion.
Inflammation of the bronchioles,
usually seen in young children, occasionally in high-risk adults. May be
seasonal (winter and spring) and often occurs in epidemics. Usual course:
insidious; acute; progressive.
BASICS
DESCRIPTION:
A disorder of the tracheobronchial tree characterized by mild to severe obstruction to airflow. Symptoms vary, generally episodic or paroxysmal, may be persistent. The clinical hallmark is wheezing, but cough may be the predominant symptom. Commonly misdiagnosed as recurrent pneumonia or chronic bronchitis.
•Acute symptoms are characterized by narrowing of large and small airways due to spasm of bronchial smooth muscle, edema and inflammation of the bronchial mucosa, and production of mucus
•Occurs in a setting in which asthma is likely and other, rarer conditions have been excluded
Inflammation in response to
bacterial infection of the pia-arachnoid and its fluid and the fluid of the
ventricles. Meningitis is always cerebrospinal.
Lung diseases are some of the most
common medical conditions worldwide. Tens of millions of people suffer from
lung disease in the U.S. Smoking,
infections, and genetics are responsible for most lung diseases.
The lungs are part of a complex
apparatus, expanding and relaxing thousands of times daily to bring in oxygen
and expel carbon dioxide. Lung disease can result from problems in any part of
this system.
Lung
Diseases Affecting the Airways
The trachea (windpipe) branches into
tubes called bronchi, which in turn branch to become progressively smaller
tubes throughout the lungs. Diseases that affect the airways include:
Asthma: The
airways are persistently inflamed, and may occasionally spasm, causing
wheezing and shortness of breath. Allergies,
infections, or pollution can trigger asthma's symptoms.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): Lung conditions defined by
an inability to exhale normally, which causes difficulty breathing.
Chronic bronchitis:
A form of COPD characterized by a chronic productive cough.
Emphysema:
Lung damage allows air to be trapped in the lungs in this form of COPD.
Difficulty blowing air out is its hallmark.
Acute bronchitis: A sudden infection of the airways,
usually by a virus.
Cystic fibrosis: A genetic condition causing poor clearance of mucus
from the bronchi. The accumulated mucus results in repeated lung
infections.
Lung
Diseases Affecting the Air Sacs (Alveoli)
The airways eventually branch into
tiny tubes (bronchioles) that dead-end into clusters of air sacs called
alveoli. These air sacs make up most of the lung tissue. Lung diseases
affecting the alveoli include:
Pneumonia:
An infection of the alveoli, usually by bacteria.
Tuberculosis: A slowly progressive pneumonia caused by the bacteria
Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Emphysema results from damage to the fragile
connections between alveoli. Smoking is the usual cause. (Emphysema also
limits airflow, affecting the airways as well.)
Pulmonary edema: Fluid leaks out of
the small blood vessels of the lung into the air sacs and the surrounding
area. One form is caused by heart failure and back pressure in the lungs' blood
vessels; in another form, direct injury to the lung causes the leak of
fluid.
Lung cancer has many forms, and may develop in any part of the
lungs. Most often this is in the main part of the lung, in or near the air
sacs. The type, location, and spread of lung cancer
determines the treatment options.
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS):
Severe, sudden injury to the lungs caused by a serious illness. Life
support with mechanical ventilation is usually needed to survive until the
lungs recover.
Pneumoconiosis: A category of conditions caused by the
inhalation of a substance that injures the lungs. Examples include black
lung disease from inhaled coal dust and asbestosis from inhaled asbestos
dust.
Lung
Diseases Affecting the Interstitium
The interstitium is the
microscopically thin, delicate lining between the lungs' air sacs (alveoli).
Tiny blood vessels run through the interstitium and allow gas exchange between
the alveoli and the blood. Various lung diseases affect the interstitium:
