The human body is a complex and sophisticated machine in which all components must maintain an intricate balance to ensure optimal functioning. This balance at a specific set point is known as homeostasis. There are many homeostatic variables and the one I find most interesting is temperature, more specifically how our bodies respond to environmental and internal threats by means of thermoregulation. Many different syndromes such as heat stroke, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, malignant hyperthermia and fever can lead to elevation of body temperature. Fever is usually triggered by infection or inflammation while the other syndromes are a result of an imbalance between heat production and heat loss rather than a change in the body temperature set point (Prewitt, 2005). This paper aims to describe the different elements that originate a fever in the human body.
As mentioned above, fever is a defense mechanism the immune system uses to get rid of invading pathogens. The infectious organisms or their products that cause fever are called pyrogens and they can be exogenous (from the outside) and endogenous (internally produced). They are low-molecular-weight proteins that modulate immune, inflammatory and hematopoietic processes in the body (Biddle, 2006). Pyrogenicity is a fundamental biologic property of several cytokines and hence the property of fever links host perturbations during disease with fundamental perturbations in cell biology (Dinarello, 1999). When a microbial infection occurs, it usually causes localized tissue death or injury stimulating the release of inflammatory mediators that attract white blood cells which phagocytize the pathogen and initiate the release of cytokines and prostaglandins: small proteins that faci...
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Dinarello, Charles A. Cytokines as Endogenous Pyrogens. The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 179, 2, S294-304. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.ccsf.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=7279ed45-37cf-4243-b68a-177cb17d8075%40sessionmgr10&vid=2&hid=10
Dinarello, Charles A. Infection, fever and exogenous and endogenous pyrogens: some concepts have changed. Journal of Endotoxin Research. 10, 4, 201-218. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.ccsf.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=4557325b-67c2-4cf7-8180-e64f25901cb6%40sessionmgr14&vid=2&hid=10
Prewitt, Ellen M. Fever: Facts, Fiction, Physiology. Critical Care Nurse, February 2005, 8-16. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.ccsf.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=99f55fc0-18eb-4a99-89c6-58dbd9359ef9%40sessionmgr4&vid=2&hid=8
Admittedly, before reading this book, I had never heard of childbed fever or Semmelweis. With today’s advances in medicine, there was never a need to know. Nevertheless, by taking the steps to publish the story of the life of Semmelweis’ and his important findings, Nuland broke new ground. Nuland was the first to put two and two together to inform the medical and historical fields of this great mans discovery. By writing the Doctors’ Plague, Nuland finally can give Semmelweis the recognition he so thouroughly deserves.
The B cells, T cells, Macrophage, and Antibodies are all a very large part of the immune system. There are two types of T cells, killer and helper T cells. Killer T cells find and destroy cells infected with bacteria, and helper T cells control the activity of other cells in the immune system. Then, B cells are considered the “clean up crew,” attacking any bacteria or viruses the T cell left behind. They also make antibodies, which are essential for trapping invading viruses and
Flak TA, Goldman WE (1999) Signalling and cellular specificity of airway nitric oxide production in pertussis. Cell Microbiol 1:51–60
Christopher Hamlin, “Edwin Chadwick, ‘Mutton Medicine’, and the Fever Question,” Bulletin of the History of Medicine 70 (1996): 233-265.
The body has specific ways of controlling the internal temperature: if the body is too cold then involuntary shivering occurs this causes the skeletal muscles to contract therefore producing heat. When conscious movement occurs the muscles again contract and relax which generate heat to warm the body up. Another way the body increases the temperature unconsciously the hairs all over the body stand on end causing a layer of air to be trapped, which acts like an insulator. When the body is too warm sweat is produced from pores in the skin, as this liquid sits on the skin it slowly evaporates causing the body temperature to drop, however if ...
Kopp, Elizabeth, and Medzhitov, Ruslan. “A Plague on Host Defense.” The Journal of Experimental Medicine. .
Yellow fever is a horrible disease for those who begin to show symptoms, and while that number is low, of those who do become ill 50% die; only after having two rounds ...
The Arctic Sun is an experimental study but has various supportive data. When a person such as L.E. experiences a heart attack, one of the body’s responses is increased body temperature. An increased body temperature contributes to ischemic brain damage post cardiac arrest. The Arctic Sun is a system that provides targeted temperature management in the neurologically impaired patient. Pads are placed on approximately 40% of the body and a temperature probe is inserted. L.E. had two temperatur...
The job of the immune system is to keep “foreign” invaders out of the body, or if one gets in, to seek it out and kill it. These foreign invaders are called pathogens, which are tiny organisms that can cause an infection in the body. Pathogens can be bacteria, parasites, and fungi (http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/immuneSystem/pages/whatisimmunesystem.aspx).
I was talking care of an 80 years’ elderly lady, who had sudden onset of fever and wheeze. Nursing notes from night before stated that patient has small choking episode at meal time. Upon assessment, patient had temp of 39.2, resp 32, SPO2 @ 82%, BP 170/110, pulse 110. Due to cognitive impairment, patient was unable to report any pain or discomfort but she was frowning, resisted getting changed or dressed. I requested
The next part of this paper will consist of information describing the organs and the normal functions involved in five of the physiological systems in the human body. It will also include one illness...
The innate immune system is given to you at birth and always has microbes ready to fight (Joanne M. Willey, 2014). This system is very fast to detect and attempt to eliminate any invading cells. It reacts by triggering Toll-like receptors (TLRs) who then fasten to pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) (Joanne M. Willey, 2014). The first line of defense in the innate immune system contains the skin and mucous membranes, along with normal microbiota (Joanne M. Willey, 2014). The second line of defense of the “early-warning” system consists of natural killer cells, phagocytes, eosinophils, dendritic cells, macrophages, inflammation, fever, and antimicrobial substances (Joanne M. Willey, 2014). Although a powerful system, it cannot take
However, it is only a certain kind of white blood cell that comes out in the non specific response, and it is called a phagocyte - meaning 'cells that eat'. In a process known as phagocytosis, phagocytes can envelope any kind of pathogen within the body and, whilst the pathogen is inside the phagocyte, it can destroy it.
Adaptive immune system happens much quicker to the presence of an “infection creating potent mechanisms for neutralizing or eliminating the microbes. There are two types of adaptive immune responses: humeral immunity, mediated by antibodies produced by B lymphocytes, and cell-mediated immunity, mediated by T lymphocytes.”
There are many different infectious organisms that can harm the human body so antigens are produced by the bodies’ immune system to help fight the infectious organisms. There are also antibodies that are produced by the body and target specific viruses and bacteria to get rid of them. Each different antibody is cloned when the virus or bacteria is identified to fight it off. There are also different forms of defense which include skin, mucus membranes, physical and waterproof barriers, and cells shed so microbes don’t colonies. Mucus is important in trapping and not letting and harmful organisms get inside of the body mucus is also constantly getting produced to help keep the body safe. White blood cells help to engulf the harmful organism and when they get inside of the body that called phagocytosis. Macrophages also remember whether the cell is elf or it’s not itself based in proteins. There is also an inflammatory response to when there is an injury or infection so there is blood flow that cases redness and heat. When there is a more widespread infection inside of the body the white blood cells release pyrogens which cause the body temperature to increase. There are specific types of antibodies that are produced to be able to fight against the infection; these cells are called A lymphocytes and B lymphocytes. These antibodies will circulate inside of the blood stream to find the infection and help eliminate it. There also some