Healing is the act or process of curing or of restoring to health.[1] Assessed physically, healing is the process by which the cells The cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all known living organisms. It is the smallest unit of life that is classified as a living thing, and is often called the building block of life. Some organisms, such as most bacteria, are unicellular . Other organisms, such as humans, are multicellular. (Humans have an estimated 100 trillion in the body With regard to living things, a body is the physical body of an individual. "Body" often is used in connection with appearance, health issues and death. The study of the workings of the body is physiology regenerate and repair to reduce the size of a damaged or necrotic Necrosis is the premature death of cells and living tissue. Necrosis is caused by external factors, such as infection, toxins or trauma. This is in contrast to apoptosis, which is a naturally occurring cause of cellular death. While apoptosis often provides beneficial effects to the organism, necrosis is almost always detrimental, and can be fatal area. Healing incorporates both the removal of necrotic tissue Tissue is a cellular organizational level intermediate between cells and a complete organism. Hence, a tissue is an ensemble of cells, not necessarily identical, but from the same origin, that together carry out a specific function. Organs are then formed by the functional grouping together of multiple tissues (demolition), and the replacement of this tissue.
The replacement can happen in two ways:
- by regeneration: the necrotic cells are replaced by the same tissue as was originally there.
- by repair: injured tissue is replaced with scar tissue Scars are areas of fibrous tissue (fibrosis) that replace normal skin (or other tissue) after injury. A scar results from the biologic process of wound repair in the skin and other tissues of the body. Thus, scarring is a natural part of the healing process. With the exception of very minor lesions, every wound (e.g. after accident, disease, or.
Most organs In biology and anatomy, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in structural unit to serve a common function will heal using a mixture of both mechanisms.
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Regeneration
In order for an injury Injury or bodily injury is damage or harm caused to the structure or function of the body caused by an outside agent or force, which may be physical or chemical, and either by accident or intentional. Personal Injury also refers to damage caused to the reputation of another rather than physical harm to the body. A severe and life-threatening to be healed by regeneration, the cell type that was destroyed must be able to replicate. Most cells have this ability, although it is believed that cardiac muscle Cardiac muscle is a type of involuntary striated muscle found in the walls of the heart, specifically the myocardium. Cardiac muscle cells are known as cardiac myocytes . Cardiac muscle is one of three major types of muscle, the others being skeletal and smooth muscle. The cells that comprise cardiac muscle are sometimes seen as intermediate cells and neurons A neuron (pronounced /ˈnjʊərɒn/ NOOR-on, also known as a neurone or nerve cell) is an electrically excitable cell that processes and transmits information by electrochemical signaling, via connections with other cells called synapses. Neurons are the core components of the nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral are two important exceptions.
Cells also need a collagen Collagen is a group of naturally occurring proteins. In nature, it is found exclusively in animals. It is the main protein of connective tissue. It is the most abundant protein in mammals, making up about 25% to 35% of the whole-body protein content framework along which to grow. Alongside most cells there is either a basement membrane The basement membrane is a thin sheet of fibers that underlies the epithelium, which lines the cavities and surfaces of organs, or the endothelium, which lines the interior surface of blood vessels or a collagenous network In biology, the extracellular matrix is the extracellular part of animal tissue that usually provides structural support to the animal cells in addition to performing various other important functions. The extracellular matrix is the defining feature of connective tissue in animals made by fibroblasts A fibroblast is a type of cell that synthesizes the extracellular matrix and collagen, the structural framework for animal tissues, and plays a critical role in wound healing. Fibroblasts are the most common cells of connective tissue in animals that will guide the cells' growth. Since ischaemia In medicine, ischemia is a restriction in blood supply, generally due to factors in the blood vessels, with resultant damage or dysfunction of tissue. It may also be spelled ischaemia or ischæmia and most toxins A toxin is a poisonous substance produced by living cells or organisms (although humans are technically living organisms, man-made substances created by artificial processes usually aren't considered toxins by this definition) do not destroy collagen, it will continue to exist even when the cells around it are dead.
Example
Acute tubular necrosis Acute tubular necrosis or is a medical condition involving the death of tubular cells that form the tubule that transports urine to the ureters while reabsorbing 99% of the water (and highly concentrating the salts and metabolic byproducts). Tubular cells continually replace themselves and if the cause of ATN is removed then recovery is likely (ATN) in the kidney The kidneys are paired organs with several functions. They are seen in many types of animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are an essential part of the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid-base balance, and regulation of blood pressure. In producing is a case in which cells heal completely by regeneration. ATN occurs when the epithelial cells In biology and medicine, an epithelium is a tissue composed of cells that line the cavities and surfaces of structures throughout the body. Many glands are also formed from epithelial tissue. It lies on top of connective tissue, and the two layers are separated by a basement membrane that line the kidney are destroyed by either a lack of oxygen Oxygen , from the Greek roots ὀξύς (acid, literally "sharp", from the taste of acids) and -γενής (-genēs) (producer, literally begetter), is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. It is a member of the chalcogen group on the periodic table, and is a highly reactive nonmetallic period 2 element that (such as in hypovolemic shock In physiology and medicine, hypovolemia is a state of decreased blood volume; more specifically, decrease in volume of blood plasma. It is thus the intravascular component of volume contraction (or loss of blood volume due to things such as hemorrhaging or dehydration), but, as it also is the most essential one, hypovolemia and volume contraction, when blood supply to the kidneys is dramatically reduced), or by toxins (such as some antibiotics In common usage, an antibiotic is a substance or compound that kills, or inhibits the growth of, bacteria. Antibiotics belong to the broader group of antimicrobial compounds, used to treat infections caused by microorganisms, including fungi and protozoa.[citation needed], heavy metals A heavy metal is a member of an ill-defined subset of elements that exhibit metallic properties, which would mainly include the transition metals, some metalloids, lanthanoids, and actinides. Many different definitions have been proposed—some based on density, some on atomic number or atomic weight, and some on chemical properties or toxicity or carbon tetrachloride Carbon tetrachloride, also known by many other names is the organic compound with the formula CCl4. It was formerly widely used in fire extinguishers, as a precursor to refrigerants, and as a cleaning agent. It is a colourless liquid with a "sweet" smell that can be detected at low levels).
Although many of these epithelial cells are dead, there is typically patchy necrosis, meaning that there are patches of epithelial cells still alive. In addition, the collagen framework of the tubules remains completely intact.
The existing epithelial cells can replicate, and, using the basement membrane as a guide, eventually bring the kidney back to normal. After regeneration is complete, the damage is undetectable, even microscopically A microscope is an instrument to see objects too small for the naked eye. The science of investigating small objects using such an instrument is called microscopy. Microscopic means invisible to the eye unless aided by a microscope.
Repair
Healing must happen by repair in the case of injury to cells that are unable to regenerate (e.g. cardiac muscle or neurons). Also, damage to the collagen network (e.g. by enzymes Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process are called substrates, and the enzyme converts them into different molecules, called the products. Almost all processes in a biological cell need enzymes to occur at significant rates. Since enzymes are selective for their or physical destruction), or its total collapse (as can happen in an infarct In medicine, an infarction is the process of tissue death caused by blockage of the tissue's blood supply. The supplying artery may be blocked by an obstruction (e.g. an embolus, thrombus, or atherosclerotic plaque), may be mechanically compressed (e.g. tumor, volvulus, or hernia), ruptured by trauma (e.g. atherosclerosis or vasculitides), or) cause healing to take place by repair.
Soon after injury, a wound healing cascade Wound healing, or wound repair, is an intricate process in which the skin repairs itself after injury. In normal skin, the epidermis (outermost layer) and dermis (inner or deeper layer) exists in a steady-state equilibrium, forming a protective barrier against the external environment. Once the protective barrier is broken, the normal (physiologic) is unleashed. This cascade A biochemical cascade is a series of chemical reactions in which the products of one reaction are consumed in the next reaction. There are several important biochemical cascade reactions in biochemistry, including the enzymatic cascades, such as the coagulation cascade and the complement system, and the signal transduction cascades which is usually said to take place in three phases: the inflammatory, proliferative, and maturation stages.
In the inflammatory phase, macrophages Macrophages are white blood cells within tissues, produced by the division of monocytes. Human macrophages are about 21 micrometres (0.00083 in) in diameter. Monocytes and macrophages are phagocytes, acting in both non-specific defense (innate immunity) as well as to help initiate specific defense mechanisms (adaptive immunity) of vertebrate and other phagocytic Phagocytosis [from Greek , phago- "eating", -cyte "vessel", -osis a process] is the cellular process of phagocytes and protists of engulfing solid particles by the cell membrane to form an internal phagosome. Phagocytosis is a specific form of endocytosis involving the vesicular internalization of solid particles, such as cells kill bacteria, debride damaged tissue and release chemical factors such as growth hormones Growth hormone is a protein-based poly-peptide hormone. It stimulates growth and cell reproduction and regeneration in humans and other animals. It is a 191-amino acid, single-chain polypeptide hormone that is synthesized, stored, and secreted by the somatotroph cells within the lateral wings of the anterior pituitary gland. Somatotropin refers to that encourage fibroblasts epithelial cells In biology and medicine, an epithelium is a tissue composed of cells that line the cavities and surfaces of structures throughout the body. Many glands are also formed from epithelial tissue. It lies on top of connective tissue, and the two layers are separated by a basement membrane and endothelial cells which make new capillaries Capillaries are the smallest of a body's blood vessels and are part of the microcirculation. They are only 1 cell thick. These microvessels, measuring 5-10 μm in diameter, connect arterioles and venules, and enable the exchange of water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and many other nutrient and waste chemical substances between blood and surrounding to migrate to the area and divide.
In the proliferative phase, immature granulation tissue Granulation tissue is the perfused, fibrous connective tissue that replaces a fibrin clot in healing wounds. Granulation tissue typically grows from the base of a wound and is able to fill wounds of almost any size it heals containing plump active fibroblasts forms. Fibroblasts quickly produce abundant type III collagen Collagen is a group of naturally occurring proteins. In nature, it is found exclusively in animals. It is the main protein of connective tissue. It is the most abundant protein in mammals, making up about 25% to 35% of the whole-body protein content, which fills the defect left by an open wound. Granulation tissue moves, as a wave, from the border of the injury towards the center.
As granulation tissue matures, the fibroblasts produce less collagen and become more spindly in appearance. They begin to produce the much stronger type I collagen. Some of the fibroblasts mature into myofibroblasts which contain the same type of actin Actin is a globular, roughly 42-kDa protein found in all eukaryotic cells where it may be present at concentrations of over 100 μM. It is also one of the most highly-conserved proteins, differing by no more than 20% in species as diverse as algae and humans. Actin is the monomeric subunit of two types of filaments in cells: microfilaments, one of found in smooth muscle Smooth muscle is an involuntary non-striated muscle. It is divided in two sub-groups; the Single-unit and multiunit smooth muscle. Within single-unit smooth muscle tissues, the autonomic nervous system innervates a single cell within a sheet or bundle and the action potential is propagated by gap junctions to neighboring cells such the whole, which enables them to contract and reduce the size of the wound.
During the maturation phase of wound healing, unnecessary vessels formed in granulation tissue are removed by apoptosis Apoptosis is the process of programmed cell death (PCD) that may occur in multicellular organisms. Programmed cell death involves a series of biochemical events leading to a characteristic cell morphology and death; in more specific terms, a series of biochemical events that lead to a variety of morphological changes, including blebbing, changes, and type III collagen is largely replaced by type I. Collagen which was originally disorganized is cross-linked and aligned along tension lines. This phase can last a year or longer. Ultimately a scar made of collagen, containing a small number of fibroblasts is left.
The process of healing a common incision involves an orchestrated Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium. It only gradually over the course of music history came to be regarded as a compositional art in itself sequence of events in standardized time, beginning with a clot A thrombus , or blood clot, is the final product of the blood coagulation step in hemostasis. It is achieved via the aggregation of platelets that form a platelet plug, and the activation of the humoral coagulation system (i.e. clotting factors). A thrombus is normal in cases of injury, but pathologic in instances of thrombosis at 0 hours, neutrophil Neutrophil granulocytes, generally referred to as neutrophils, are the most abundant type of white blood cells in mammals and form an essential part of the innate immune system. They form part of the polymorphonuclear cell family together with basophils and eosinophils . (For an overview of neutrophils and their function, see recent reviews by invasion at 3 to 24 hours, and mitoses Mitosis is the process by which a eukaryotic cell separates the chromosomes in its cell nucleus into two identical sets in two nuclei. It is generally followed immediately by cytokinesis, which divides the nuclei, cytoplasm, organelles and cell membrane into two cells containing roughly equal shares of these cellular components. Mitosis and in epithelial bases at 24 to 48 hours. After this point, healing follows the previously mentioned procedure.
References
External links
- How wounds heal and tumors form With this simple Flash demonstration, Harvard professor Donald Ingber explains how wounds heal, why scars form, and how tumors develop. Presented by Children's Hospital Boston.
- Natural Healing public domain books
- Wound Healing and Repair
- Lorenz H.P. and Longaker M.T. Wounds: Biology, Pathology, and Management. Stanford University Medical Center.
- Romo T. and McLaughlin L.A. 2003. Wound Healing, Skin. Emedicine.com.
- Rosenberg L. and de la Torre J. 2003. Wound Healing, Growth Factors. Emedicine.com.
- After the Injury- Children's Hospital Of Philadelphia
Categories: Injuries Injury is damage or harm caused to the structure or function of the body caused by an outside agent or force, which may be physical or chemical. A severe and perhaps life-threatening injury is called a physical trauma | Physiology Categories: Biology | Subjects taught in medical school | Tissues
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The February meeting of the Trinity Alliance for the Healing Arts will be 6:30 pm Tuesday, Feb. 9, at 631 Brooks Lane, approximately 0.6 of a mile from ...
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ue, 02 Mar 2010 01:33:18 GM
According to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index data which was collected in the first eight months of 2009, business owners enjoy the highest level of.
Q. I have an abscess that started on my gum and is slowly going backwards. The infection didn't start from a tooth (as the dentist's x-rays showed) and started from the surface of my gum. He prescribed me Penicillin and told me to check back in a week. Is the abscess still supposed to be turning white and draining throughout the whole week as it's healing or is that a sign the Penicillin is not working? Thanks!
Asked by question-asker - Fri Aug 7 12:59:59 2009 - - 2 Answers - 0 Comments
A. i would finish the penicillin course first and then see if the infectin goes away. During this time, i would keep the hygience in superb condition just to make sure the gum is healthy, assuming it's the gum problem not the tooth.
Answered by dsp - Fri Aug 7 13:06:34 2009
