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Osler Nodes
Osler's nodes are painful, red, raised lesions found typically on the hands and feet. They are associated with a number of conditions, including infective endocarditis, and are caused by immune complex deposition. Their presence is one definition of Osler's sign. __TOC__ Causes Osler's nodes result from the deposition of immune complexes. The resulting inflammatory response leads to swelling, redness, and pain that characterize these lesions. The nodes are commonly indicative of subacute bacterial endocarditis. 10–25% of endocarditis patients will have Osler's nodes. Other signs of endocarditis include Roth's spots and Janeway lesions. The latter, which also occur on the palms and soles, can be differentiated from Osler's nodes because they are non-tender. Osler's nodes can also be seen in * Systemic lupus erythematosus * Marantic endocarditis * Disseminated gonococcal infection * Distal to infected arterial catheter Etymology Osler's nodes are named after Sir William Osle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Erythema
Erythema (, ) is redness of the skin or mucous membranes, caused by hyperemia (increased blood flow) in superficial capillaries. It occurs with any skin injury, infection, or inflammation. Examples of erythema not associated with pathology include nervous blushes. Types * Erythema ab igne * Erythema chronicum migrans * Erythema induratum * Erythema infectiosum (or fifth disease) * Erythema marginatum * Erythema migrans * Erythema multiforme (EM) * Erythema nodosum * Erythema toxicum * Erythema elevatum diutinum * Erythema gyratum repens * Keratolytic winter erythema * Palmar erythema Causes It can be caused by infection, massage, electrical treatment, acne medication, allergies, exercise, solar radiation (sunburn), photosensitization, acute radiation syndrome, mercury toxicity, blister agents, niacin administration, or waxing and tweezing of the hairs—any of which can cause the affected capillaries to dilate, resulting in redness. Erythema is a common ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lesion
A lesion is any damage or abnormal change in the tissue of an organism, usually caused by injury or diseases. The term ''Lesion'' is derived from the Latin meaning "injury". Lesions may occur in both plants and animals. Types There is no designated classification or naming convention for lesions. Because lesions can occur anywhere in the body and their definition is so broad, the varieties of lesions are virtually endless. Generally, lesions may be classified by their patterns, sizes, locations, or causes. They can also be named after the person who discovered them. For example, Ghon lesions, which are found in the lungs of those with tuberculosis, are named after the lesion's discoverer, Anton Ghon. The characteristic skin lesions of a varicella zoster virus infection are called '' chickenpox''. Lesions of the teeth are usually called dental caries, or "cavities". Location Lesions are often classified by their tissue types or locations. For example, "skin lesions" or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Infective Endocarditis
Infective endocarditis is an infection of the inner surface of the heart (endocardium), usually the heart valve, valves. Signs and symptoms may include fever, petechia, small areas of bleeding into the skin, heart murmur, feeling tired, and anemia, low red blood cell count. Complications may include valvular insufficiency, backward blood flow in the heart, heart failure – the heart struggling to pump a sufficient amount of blood to meet the body's needs, Heart block, abnormal electrical conduction in the heart, stroke, and kidney failure. The cause is typically a bacterial infection and less commonly a fungal infection. Risk factors include valvular heart disease, including rheumatic heart disease, rheumatic disease, congenital heart disease, artificial valves, hemodialysis, intravenous drug use, and electronic pacemakers. The bacteria most commonly involved are streptococci or staphylococci. Diagnosis is suspected based on symptoms and supported by blood cultures or Echocardi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Immune Complex
An immune complex, sometimes called an antigen-antibody complex or antigen-bound antibody, is a molecule formed from the binding of multiple antigens to antibodies. The bound antigen and antibody act as a unitary object, effectively an antigen of its own with a specific epitope. After an antigen-antibody reaction, the immune complexes can be subject to any of a number of responses, including complement deposition, opsonization, phagocytosis, or processing by proteases. Red blood cells carrying CR1-receptors on their surface may bind C3b-coated immune complexes and transport them to phagocytes, mostly in liver and spleen, and return to the general circulation. The ratio of antigen to antibody determines size and shape of immune complex. This, in turn, determines the effect of the immune complex. Many innate immune cells have FcRs, which are membrane-bound receptors that bind the constant regions of antibodies. Most FcRs on innate immune cells have low affinity for a singular a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Inflammation
Inflammation (from ) is part of the biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. The five cardinal signs are heat, pain, redness, swelling, and loss of function (Latin ''calor'', ''dolor'', ''rubor'', ''tumor'', and ''functio laesa''). Inflammation is a generic response, and therefore is considered a mechanism of innate immunity, whereas adaptive immunity is specific to each pathogen. Inflammation is a protective response involving immune cells, blood vessels, and molecular mediators. The function of inflammation is to eliminate the initial cause of cell injury, clear out damaged cells and tissues, and initiate tissue repair. Too little inflammation could lead to progressive tissue destruction by the harmful stimulus (e.g. bacteria) and compromise the survival of the organism. However inflammation can also have negative effects. Too much inflammation, in the form of chronic inflammation, is associated with variou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Subacute Bacterial Endocarditis
Subacute bacterial endocarditis, abbreviated SBE, is a type of endocarditis (more specifically, infective endocarditis). Subacute bacterial endocarditis can be considered a form of type III hypersensitivity. Signs and symptoms Among the signs of subacute bacterial endocarditis are: * Malaise * Weakness * Excessive sweat * Fever Causes It is usually caused by a form of Viridans group streptococcus bacteria that normally live in the mouth (''Streptococcus mutans, mitis, sanguis ''or ''milleri''). Other strains of streptococci can cause subacute endocarditis as well. These include streptococcus intermedius, which can cause acute or subacute infection (about 15% of cases pertaining to infective endocarditis). Enterococci from urinary tract infections and coagulase negative staphylococci can also be causative agents. Mechanism The mechanism of subacute bacterial endocarditis could be due to malformed stenotic valves which, in the company of bacteremia, become infected via adhes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roth's Spot
Roth's spots, also known as Litten spots or the Litten sign, are non-specific red lesions with white or pale centres, seen on the retina of the eye and although traditionally associated with infective endocarditis, can occur in a number of other conditions including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, collagen vascular disease, extreme hypoxia, leukemia and HIV. Red and white retinal spots were first observed in 1872 by Swiss physician Moritz Roth, and named "Roth spots" six years later by Moritz Litten. They are typically observed via fundoscopy (using an ophthalmoscope to view inside the eye) or slit lamp exam. The original retinal spots identified in 1872 were attributed to nerve-fibres that had burst. Present-day analysis shows that they can be composed of coagulated fibrin including platelets, focal ischaemia, inflammatory infiltrate, infectious organisms, or neoplastic cells. Cause Roth's spots occur in conditions that predispose to endothelial damage of retinal capillari ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Janeway Lesion
Janeway lesions are rare, non- tender, small erythematous or haemorrhagic macular, papular or nodular lesions on the palms or soles only a few millimeters in diameter that are associated with infective endocarditis and often indistinguishable from Osler's nodes. Definition Janeway lesions are painless, frequently haemorrhagic lesions seen most commonly on the palms and soles, particularly on the base of the thumb and little finger, and seen in infective endocarditis. Differential Osler's nodes and Janeway lesions are similar and point to the same diagnostic conclusion. The most significant difference between the two is that Osler's nodes present with tenderness, while Janeway lesions do not. Osler's nodes are thought to be due to immunologic phenomenon where deposition of immune complexes provoke inflammatory response, leading to swelling, redness and pain. On the contrary, Janeway lesions are thought to be due to embolic phenomenon in cutaneous blood vessels of palms and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lupus Erythematosus
is a collection of autoimmune diseases in which the human immune system becomes hyperactive and attacks healthy tissues. Symptoms of these diseases can affect many different body systems, including joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, heart, and lungs. The most common and most severe form is . Signs and symptoms Symptoms vary from person to person, and may come and go. Almost everyone with lupus has joint pain and swelling. Some develop arthritis. Frequently affected joints are the fingers, hands, wrists, and knees. Other common symptoms include: * chest pain during respiration * joint pain (stiffness and swelling) * painless oral ulcer * fatigue * weight loss * headaches * fever with no other cause * Skin lesions that appear worse after sun exposure * general discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling (malaise) * hair loss * sensitivity to sunlight * a "butterfly" facial rash, seen in about half of people with SLE * swollen lymph nodes Photosensitivity Photosensitiv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marantic Endocarditis
Nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE) is a form of endocarditis in which small sterile vegetations are deposited on the valve leaflets. Formerly known as marantic endocarditis, which comes from the Greek , meaning "wasting away". The term "marantic endocarditis" is still sometimes used to emphasize the association with a wasting state such as cancer. Risk factors Marantic vegetations are often associated with previous rheumatic fever. Other risk factors include: * hypercoagulable states * malignant cancers, especially mucin-producing adenocarcinomas (most commonly associated with pancreatic adenocarcinomas) * systemic lupus erythematosus: Referred to as Libman-Sacks endocarditis * trauma (e.g., catheters) * Antiphospholipid syndrome Valve predilection The disease affects the valves with following predilection: mitral valve > aortic valve > tricuspid valve > pulmonary valve Histopathology Grossly, vegetations form along lines of valve closure and are generally symmetr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gonococcus
''Neisseria gonorrhoeae'', also known as ''gonococcus'' (singular) or ''gonococci'' (plural), is a species of Gram-negative diplococci bacteria first isolated by Albert Neisser in 1879. An obligate human pathogen, it primarily colonizes the mucosal lining of the urogenital tract; however, it is also capable of adhering to the mucosa of the nose, pharynx, rectum, and conjunctiva. It causes the sexually transmitted genitourinary infection gonorrhea as well as other forms of gonococcal disease including disseminated gonococcemia, septic arthritis, and gonococcal ophthalmia neonatorum. ''N. gonorrhoeae'' is oxidase positive and a microaerophile that is capable of surviving phagocytosis and growing inside neutrophils. Culturing it requires carbon dioxide supplementation and enriched agar (chocolate agar) with various antibiotics ( Thayer–Martin). It exhibits antigenic variation through genetic recombination of its pili and surface proteins that interact with the immune system. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Catheter
In medicine, a catheter ( ) is a thin tubing (material), tube made from medical grade materials serving a broad range of functions. Catheters are medical devices that can be inserted in the body to treat diseases or perform a surgical procedure. Catheters are manufactured for specific applications, such as cardiovascular, urological, gastrointestinal, neurovascular and ophthalmic procedures. The process of inserting a catheter is called ''catheterization''. In most uses, a catheter is a thin, flexible tube (''soft'' catheter) though catheters are available in varying levels of stiffness depending on the application. A catheter left inside the body, either temporarily or permanently, may be referred to as an "indwelling catheter" (for example, a peripherally inserted central catheter). A permanently inserted catheter may be referred to as a "permcath" (originally a trademark). Catheters can be inserted into a body cavity, duct, or vessel, brain, skin or adipose tissue. Functional ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
