Inflammation is part of the complex biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants, and 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 necrotic cells and tissues damaged from the original insult and the inflammatory process, and initiate tissue repair.
Sepsis, or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs.
Septic shock is a potentially fatal medical condition that occurs when sepsis, which is organ injury or damage in response to infection, leads to dangerously low blood pressure and abnormalities in cellular metabolism. The Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3) defines septic shock as a subset of sepsis in which particularly profound circulatory, cellular, and metabolic abnormalities are associated with a greater risk of mortality than with sepsis alone. Patients with septic shock can be clinically identified by requiring a vasopressor to maintain a mean arterial pressure of 65 mm Hg or greater and having serum lactate level greater than 2 mmol/L (>18 mg/dL) in the absence of hypovolemia. This combination is associated with hospital mortality rates greater than 40%.
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a type of respiratory failure characterized by rapid onset of widespread inflammation in the lungs. Symptoms include shortness of breath (dyspnea), rapid breathing (tachypnea), and bluish skin coloration (cyanosis). For those who survive, a decreased quality of life is common.
Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is an inflammatory state affecting the whole body. It is the body's response to an infectious or noninfectious insult. Although the definition of SIRS refers to it as an "inflammatory" response, it actually has pro- and anti-inflammatory components.
Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) is altered organ function in an acutely ill patient requiring medical intervention to achieve homeostasis.
Icos Corporation was an American biotechnology company and the largest biotechnology company in the U.S. state of Washington, before it was sold to Eli Lilly and Company in 2007. It was founded in 1989 by David Blech, Isaac Blech, Robert Nowinski, and George Rathmann, a pioneer in the industry and chief executive officer (CEO) and co-founder of Amgen. Icos focused on the development of drugs to treat inflammatory disorders. During its 17-year history, the company conducted clinical trials of twelve drugs, three of which reached the last phase of clinical trials. Icos also manufactured antibodies for other biotechnology companies.
Distributive shock is a medical condition in which abnormal distribution of blood flow in the smallest blood vessels results in inadequate supply of blood to the body's tissues and organs. It is one of four categories of shock, a condition where there is not enough oxygen-carrying blood to meet the metabolic needs of the cells which make up the body's tissues and organs. Distributive shock is different from the other three categories of shock in that it occurs even though the output of the heart is at or above a normal level. The most common cause is sepsis leading to a type of distributive shock called septic shock, a condition that can be fatal.
The sequential organ failure assessment score, previously known as the sepsis-related organ failure assessment score, is used to track a person's status during the stay in an intensive care unit (ICU) to determine the extent of a person's organ function or rate of failure. The score is based on six different scores, one each for the respiratory, cardiovascular, hepatic, coagulation, renal and neurological systems.
Hydroxyethyl starch (HES/HAES), sold under the brand name Voluven among others, is a nonionic starch derivative, used as a volume expander in intravenous therapy. The use of HES on critically ill patients is associated with an increased risk of death and kidney problems.
Mucosal Immunology is the official publication of the Society for Mucosal Immunology (SMI).
Ulinastatin, as an urinary trypsin inhibitor (UTI), is a glycoprotein that is isolated from healthy human urine or synthetically produced and has molecular weight of 25 - 40kDa. Highly purified ulinastatin has been clinically used for the treatment of acute pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis, Stevens–Johnson syndrome, burns, septic shock, and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN).
Kevin J. Tracey, a neurosurgeon and inventor, is the president and CEO of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, professor of neurosurgery and molecular medicine at the Zucker School of Medicine, and president of the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine in Manhasset, New York. The Public Library of Science Magazine, PLOS Biology, recognized Tracey in 2019 as one of the most cited researchers in the world.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to emergency medicine:
Clinical Neurophysiology is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal published by Elsevier. It was established in 1949 as Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology and obtained its current title in 1999. The journal covers all aspects of neurophysiology, especially as relating to the pathophysiology underlying diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system. It is the official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology, the Brazilian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology, the Czech Society of Clinical Neurophysiology, the Italian Clinical Neurophysiology Society, and the International Society of Intraoperative Neurophysiology.
Baron Jean-Louis Vincent is a Belgian physician and Professor of intensive care medicine at the Université libre de Bruxelles and intensivist in the Department of Intensive Care at Erasme University Hospital in Brussels.
Johannes Hoffmann is a German medical specialist in vascular surgery. Furthermore, he is professor and director of the clinic for vascular surgery and phlebology of the Elisabeth-Hospital Essen as well as head of the clinic for vascular surgery Essen. He is especially well known for his works on the key research areas of dialysis-shunt-surgery, hybrid surgery, endovascular procedures, postoperative management of coagulation, sepsis and ischemia.
ERB-196, also known as WAY-202196, is a synthetic nonsteroidal estrogen that acts as a highly selective agonist of the ERβ. It possesses 78-fold selectivity for the ERβ over the ERα. The drug was under development by Wyeth for the treatment of inflammation and sepsis starting in 2004 but development was discontinued by 2011.
The European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) is a non-profit scientific international organization with headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. Its mission is to improve the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of infection-related diseases by promoting and supporting research, education, training, and good medical practice. An important activity of the society is the organization of the annual scientific congress ECCMID. This is recognized as the largest international forum for disseminating research in the fields of medical microbiology and infectious diseases for experts in academia, clinical settings and industry. The congress began as a biennial event, with about 1,500 participants at its inaugural occurrence in 1983. It became an annual event in the year 2000, and it has grown since then, now attracting around 14,000 participants annually. More than 5,000 scientific abstracts are submitted for inclusion each year by researchers from multiple countries. The most recent ECCMID was held in April 2023 in a hybrid format, both online and onsite in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Nangibotide is an inhibitor of TREM-1, a receptor found on certain white blood cells. Activation of TREM-1 stimulates inflammation. Nangibotide is therefore being investigated as a treatment for the overwhelming inflammation typically seen in severe sepsis.
