WorldWideScience

Sample records for irregular pulmonary exposures

  1. Pulmonary Complications of Mustard Gas Exposure: A Study on Cadavers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Behnam Behnoush

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Sulfur mustard gas is one of the chemical warfare gases that roughly about 45000 soldiers continue to suffer long-lasting consequences of exposure during the Iran-Iraq war between 1980 and 1988. According to the common pulmonary lesions due to this gas exposure, we studied gross and microscopic pulmonary lesions in cadavers and also assessed the main causes of mortality caused by mustard gas exposure. A case-series study was performed on hospital record files of 100 cadavers that were exposed with documented sulfur mustard gas during the Iran-Iraq war from 1979 to 1988 and autopsied in legal medicine organization In Tehran between 2005 and 2007 and gross and microscopic pathological findings of autopsied organs such as hematological, pulmonary, hepatic, and renal changes were evaluated. All cases were male with the mean age of 43 years. The time interval between the gas exposure and death was almost 20years. The most frequent pulmonary complication was chronic bronchitis in 81% of autopsied cadavers. Other pulmonary findings were progressive pulmonary fibrosis (9%, pulmonary infections and tuberculosis (29%, malignant cellular infiltration (4%, and aspergilloma (1%. According to the chronic progressive lesions caused by mustard gas exposure such as pulmonary lesions and also its high mortality rate, suitable programming for protection of the gas exposed persons and prohibiting chemical warfare are recommended.

  2. Pulmonary fibrosis and exposure to steel welding fume.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cosgrove, M P

    2015-12-01

    Arc welders who have been exposed to high concentrations of steel welding fume for prolonged periods of time may develop pulmonary fibrosis but the nature of the fibrotic changes has been debated over the last 80 years without any clear international consensus. To characterize the nature of the pulmonary fibrosis that develops in response to steel welding fume exposure and to provide a working hypothesis that would explain the findings of the existing research, to provide a platform for future research and to inform future occupational and clinical management of welders with pulmonary effects from welding fume. Review of the world literature on pulmonary fibrosis and welding of steel in all languages using PubMed, with further secondary search of references in the articles found in the primary search. Google and Reference Manager were used as further confirmatory search tools. Only case series and case reports were found but these provided consistent evidence that the consequence of exposure to steel welding fume at high levels for a prolonged period of time is a type of pulmonary fibrosis similar to, and possibly the same as, respiratory bronchiolitis which eventually develops into desquamative interstitial pneumonia with ongoing exposure. Steel welding fume may cause an occupational respiratory bronchiolitis which may develop into de squamative interstitial pneumonia with ongoing exposure. This concept may explain the difficulties in interpreting the wider literature on welding fume and lung function at lower exposures and may also explain the increased risk of lung cancer in welders. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  3. Differential pulmonary and cardiac effects of pulmonary exposure to a panel of particulate matter-associated metals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wallenborn, J. Grace; Schladweiler, Mette J.; Richards, Judy H.; Kodavanti, Urmila P.

    2009-01-01

    Biological mechanisms underlying the association between particulate matter (PM) exposure and increased cardiovascular health effects are under investigation. Water-soluble metals reaching systemic circulation following pulmonary exposure are likely exerting a direct effect. However, it is unclear whether specific PM-associated metals may be driving this. We hypothesized that exposure to equimolar amounts of five individual PM-associated metals would cause differential pulmonary and cardiac effects. We exposed male WKY rats (14 weeks old) via a single intratracheal instillation (IT) to saline or 1 μmol/kg body weight of zinc, nickel, vanadium, copper, or iron in sulfate form. Responses were analyzed 4, 24, 48, or 96 h after exposure. Pulmonary effects were assessed by bronchoalveolar lavage fluid levels of total cells, macrophages, neutrophils, protein, albumin, and activities of lactate dehydrogenase, γ-glutamyl transferase, and n-acetyl glucosaminidase. Copper induced earlier pulmonary injury/inflammation, while zinc and nickel produced later effects. Vanadium or iron exposure induced minimal pulmonary injury/inflammation. Zinc, nickel, or copper increased serum cholesterol, red blood cells, and white blood cells at different time points. IT of nickel and copper increased expression of metallothionein-1 (MT-1) in the lung. Zinc, nickel, vanadium, and iron increased hepatic MT-1 expression. No significant changes in zinc transporter-1 (ZnT-1) expression were noted in the lung or liver; however, zinc increased cardiac ZnT-1 at 24 h, indicating a possible zinc-specific cardiac effect. Nickel exposure induced an increase in cardiac ferritin 96 h after IT. This data set demonstrating metal-specific cardiotoxicity is important in linking metal-enriched anthropogenic PM sources with adverse health effects.

  4. The etiology of occupational pulmonary aluminosis--the past and the present.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smolkova, Petra; Nakladalova, Marie

    2014-12-01

    The authors review pulmonary aluminosis caused by exposure to dust containing aluminium and its compounds, mainly oxides. Special attention is paid to various factors of occupational exposure as to an important etiologic issue. The condition has a rich and interesting history dating back to the 1930s. The most significant occupational exposures are associated with processes in bauxite smelting, the use of fine aluminium powder, exposure to aluminium welding fumes, grinding and polishing of aluminium materials. A literature search for relevant scientific studies in English was performed using the following internet databases: relevant sections of The Cochrane Library, EBSCO Discovery Service, Ovid, ProQuest Science Journals, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus and Web of Knowledge. The initial clinical manifestations of pulmonary aluminosis are exertional dyspnea with dry, non-productive cough. Depending on the type and length of the occupational exposure, ventilatory defects may vary considerably from restrictive to obstructive pattern. Radiographic findings commonly showing nodular or slightly irregular opacities are predominantly located in the upper, less frequently in the lower lung fields, or can have a diffuse pattern. In advanced stages, severe pulmonary fibrosis with honeycombing occured. Although pulmonary aluminosis is a very rare disease, it still occurs. Since the industrial importance and use of aluminium continue to rise, lung damage from exposure to respirable aluminium particles should not be overlooked but monitored and prevented. Even today, the pathophysiology of pulmonary aluminosis has not been explained as yet.

  5. The Relationship of Welding Fume Exposure, Smoking, and Pulmonary Function in Welders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roach, Laura L

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between occupational exposure to welding fumes and pulmonary function in an effort to add supportive evidence and clarity to the current body of research. This study utilized a retrospective chart review of pulmonary function testing and pulmonary questionnaires already available in charts from preplacement physicals to the most recent test. When comparing smokers to nonsmokers, utilizing multiple regression and controlling for age and percentage of time using a respirator, years welding was statistically significant at p = .04. Data support that smoking has a synergistic effect when combined with welding fume exposure on pulmonary decline.

  6. Exposure to air pollution and pulmonary function in university students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hong, Yun-Chul; Leem, Jong-Han; Lee, Kwan-Hee; Park, Dong-Hyun; Jang, Jae-Yeon; Kim, Sun-Tae; Ha, Eun-Hee

    2005-03-01

    Exposure to air pollution has been reported to be associated with increase in pulmonary disease. The aims of the present study were to examine the use of personal nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)) samplers as a means of measuring exposure to air pollution and to investigate the relationship between personal exposure to air pollution and pulmonary function. We measured individual exposures to NO(2) using passive personal NO(2) samplers for 298 healthy university students. Questionnaire interview was conducted for traffic-related factors, and spirometry was performed when the samplers were returned after 1 day. Personal NO(2) concentrations varied, depending on the distance between residence and a main road (P=0.029). Students who used transportation for more than 1 h were exposed to higher levels of NO(2) than those using transportation for less than 1 h (P=0.032). In terms of transportation, riding in a bus or subway caused significantly higher exposure than not using them (P=0.046). NO(2) exposure was not significantly associated with forced vital capacity (FVC) or forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)) but was associated with the ratio of FEV(1)/FVC and mid-expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of the forced vital capacity (FEF(25-75)) (Ppollution and are associated with decreased pulmonary function.

  7. Effect of occupational silica exposure on pulmonary function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hertzberg, Vicki Stover; Rosenman, Kenneth D; Reilly, Mary Jo; Rice, Carol H

    2002-08-01

    To assess the effect of occupational silica exposure on pulmonary function. Epidemiologic evaluation based on employee interview, plant walk-through, and information abstracted from company medical records, employment records, and industrial hygiene measurements. Drawn from 1,072 current and former hourly wage workers employed before January 1, 1986. Thirty-six individuals with radiographic evidence of parenchymal changes consistent with asbestosis or silicosis were excluded. In addition, eight individuals whose race was listed as other than white or black were excluded. Analysis of spirometry data (FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC) only using the test results that met American Thoracic Society criteria for reproducibility and acceptability shows decreasing percent-predicted FVC and FEV1 and decreasing FEV1/FVC in relationship to increasing silica exposure among smokers. Logistic regression analyses of abnormal FVC and abnormal FEV1 values (where abnormal is defined as OSHA)-allowable level of 0.1 mg/m3. Longitudinal analyses of FVC and FEV1 measurements show a 1.6 mL/yr and 1.1 mL/yr, respectively, decline per milligram/cubic meter mean silica exposure (p = 0.011 and p = 0.001, respectively). All analyses were adjusted for weight, height, age, ethnicity, smoking status, and other silica exposures. Systematic problems leading to measurement error were possible, but would have been nondifferential in effect and not related to silica measurements. There is a consistent association between increased pulmonary function abnormalities and estimated measures of cumulative silica exposure within the current allowable OSHA regulatory level. Despite concerns about the quality control of the pulmonary function measurements use in these analyses, our results support the need to lower allowable air levels of silica and increase efforts to encourage cessation of cigarette smoking among silica-exposed workers.

  8. Pulmonary exposure to carbonaceous nanomaterials and sperm quality

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skovmand, Astrid; Lauvas, Anna Jacobsen; Christensen, Preben

    2018-01-01

    . Pulmonary inflammation was determined by differential cell count in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Epididymal sperm concentration and motility were measured by computer-assisted sperm analysis. Epididymal sperm viability and morphological abnormalities were assessed manually using Hoechst 33,342/PI...... inflammation is a potential modulator of endocrine function. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of pulmonary exposure to carbonaceous nanomaterials on sperm quality parameters in an experimental mouse model.Methods: Effects on sperm quality after pulmonary inflammation induced by carbonaceous...... flourescent and Spermac staining, respectively. Epididymal sperm were assessed with regard to sperm DNA integrity (damage). Daily sperm production was measured in the testis, and testosterone levels were measured in blood plasma by ELISA.Results: Neutrophil numbers in the bronchoalveolar fluid showed...

  9. Pulmonary Morbidity in Infancy after Exposure to Chorioamnionitis in Late Preterm Infants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDowell, Karen M; Jobe, Alan H; Fenchel, Matthew; Hardie, William D; Gisslen, Tate; Young, Lisa R; Chougnet, Claire A; Davis, Stephanie D; Kallapur, Suhas G

    2016-06-01

    Chorioamnionitis is an important cause of preterm birth, but its impact on postnatal outcomes is understudied. To evaluate whether fetal exposure to inflammation is associated with adverse pulmonary outcomes at 6 to 12 months' chronological age in infants born moderate to late preterm. Infants born between 32 and 36 weeks' gestational age were prospectively recruited (N = 184). Chorioamnionitis was diagnosed by placenta and umbilical cord histology. Select cytokines were measured in samples of cord blood. Validated pulmonary questionnaires were administered (n = 184), and infant pulmonary function testing was performed (n = 69) between 6 and 12 months' chronological age by the raised volume rapid thoracoabdominal compression technique. A total of 25% of participants had chorioamnionitis. Although infant pulmonary function testing variables were lower in infants born preterm compared with historical normative data for term infants, there were no differences between infants with chorioamnionitis (n = 20) and those without (n = 49). Boys and black infants had lower infant pulmonary function testing measurements than girls and white infants, respectively. Chorioamnionitis exposure was associated independently with wheeze (odds ratio [OR], 2.08) and respiratory-related physician visits (OR, 3.18) in the first year of life. Infants exposed to severe chorioamnionitis had increased levels of cord blood IL-6 and greater pulmonary morbidity at age 6 to 12 months than those exposed to mild chorioamnionitis. Elevated IL-6 was associated with significantly more respiratory problems (OR, 3.23). In infants born moderate or late preterm, elevated cord blood IL-6 and exposure to histologically identified chorioamnionitis was associated with respiratory morbidity during infancy without significant changes in infant pulmonary function testing measurements. Black compared with white and boy compared with girl infants had lower infant pulmonary function testing

  10. Occupational exposure to organic solvents: a risk factor for pulmonary veno-occlusive disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montani, David; Lau, Edmund M; Descatha, Alexis; Jaïs, Xavier; Savale, Laurent; Andujar, Pascal; Bensefa-Colas, Lynda; Girerd, Barbara; Zendah, Inès; Le Pavec, Jerome; Seferian, Andrei; Perros, Frédéric; Dorfmüller, Peter; Fadel, Elie; Soubrier, Florent; Sitbon, Oliver; Simonneau, Gérald; Humbert, Marc

    2015-12-01

    Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD) is a rare form of pulmonary hypertension characterised by predominant remodelling of pulmonary venules. Bi-allelic mutations in the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α kinase 4 (EIF2AK4) gene were recently described as the major cause of heritable PVOD, but risk factors associated with PVOD remain poorly understood. Occupational exposures have been proposed as a potential risk factor for PVOD, but epidemiological studies are lacking.A case-control study was conducted in consecutive PVOD (cases, n=33) and pulmonary arterial hypertension patients (controls, n=65). Occupational exposure was evaluated via questionnaire interview with blinded assessments using an expert consensus approach and a job exposure matrix (JEM).Using the expert consensus approach, PVOD was significantly associated with occupational exposure to organic solvents (adjusted OR 12.8, 95% CI 2.7-60.8), with trichloroethylene being the main agent implicated (adjusted OR 8.2, 95% CI 1.4-49.4). JEM analysis independently confirmed the association between PVOD and trichloroethylene exposure. Absence of significant trichloroethylene exposure was associated with a younger age of disease (54.8±21.4 years, p=0.037) and a high prevalence of harbouring bi-allelic EIF2AK4 mutations (41.7% versus 0%, p=0.015).Occupational exposure to organic solvents may represent a novel risk factor for PVOD. Genetic background and environmental exposure appear to influence the phenotypic expression of the disease. Copyright ©ERS 2015.

  11. Effects of copper nanoparticle exposure on host defense in a murine pulmonary infection model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Grassian Vicki H

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Human exposure to nanoparticles (NPs and environmental bacteria can occur simultaneously. NPs induce inflammatory responses and oxidative stress but may also have immune-suppressive effects, impairing macrophage function and altering epithelial barrier functions. The purpose of this study was to assess the potential pulmonary effects of inhalation and instillation exposure to copper (Cu NPs using a model of lung inflammation and host defense. Methods We used Klebsiella pneumoniae (K.p. in a murine lung infection model to determine if pulmonary bacterial clearance is enhanced or impaired by Cu NP exposure. Two different exposure modes were tested: sub-acute inhalation (4 hr/day, 5 d/week for 2 weeks, 3.5 mg/m3 and intratracheal instillation (24 hr post-exposure, 3, 35, and 100 μg/mouse. Pulmonary responses were evaluated by lung histopathology plus measurement of differential cell counts, total protein, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH activity, and inflammatory cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL fluid. Results Cu NP exposure induced inflammatory responses with increased recruitment of total cells and neutrophils to the lungs as well as increased total protein and LDH activity in BAL fluid. Both inhalation and instillation exposure to Cu NPs significantly decreased the pulmonary clearance of K.p.-exposed mice measured 24 hr after bacterial infection following Cu NP exposure versus sham-exposed mice also challenged with K.p (1.4 × 105 bacteria/mouse. Conclusions Cu NP exposure impaired host defense against bacterial lung infections and induced a dose-dependent decrease in bacterial clearance in which even our lowest dose demonstrated significantly lower clearance than observed in sham-exposed mice. Thus, exposure to Cu NPs may increase the risk of pulmonary infection.

  12. Hypoxia-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension augments lung injury and airway reactivity caused by ozone exposure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zychowski, Katherine E.; Lucas, Selita N.; Sanchez, Bethany; Herbert, Guy; Campen, Matthew J.

    2016-01-01

    Ozone (O 3 )-related cardiorespiratory effects are a growing public health concern. Ground level O 3 can exacerbate pre-existing respiratory conditions; however, research regarding therapeutic interventions to reduce O 3 -induced lung injury is limited. In patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypoxia-associated pulmonary hypertension (HPH) is a frequent comorbidity that is difficult to treat clinically, yet associated with increased mortality and frequency of exacerbations. In this study, we hypothesized that established HPH would confer vulnerability to acute O 3 pulmonary toxicity. Additionally, we tested whether improvement of pulmonary endothelial barrier integrity via rho-kinase inhibition could mitigate pulmonary inflammation and injury. To determine if O 3 exacerbated HPH, male C57BL/6 mice were subject to either 3 weeks continuous normoxia (20.9% O 2 ) or hypoxia (10.0% O 2 ), followed by a 4-h exposure to either 1 ppm O 3 or filtered air (FA). As an additional experimental intervention fasudil (20 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally prior to and after O 3 exposures. As expected, hypoxia significantly increased right ventricular pressure and hypertrophy. O 3 exposure in normoxic mice caused lung inflammation but not injury, as indicated by increased cellularity and edema in the lung. However, in hypoxic mice, O 3 exposure led to increased inflammation and edema, along with a profound increase in airway hyperresponsiveness to methacholine. Fasudil administration resulted in reduced O 3 -induced lung injury via the enhancement of pulmonary endothelial barrier integrity. These results indicate that increased pulmonary vascular pressure may enhance lung injury, inflammation and edema when exposed to pollutants, and that enhancement of pulmonary endothelial barrier integrity may alleviate such vulnerability. - Highlights: • Environmental exposures can exacerbate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). • It is unknown if comorbid

  13. Pulmonary exposure to carbonaceous nanomaterials and sperm quality

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skovmand, Astrid; Lauvas, Anna Jacobsen; Christensen, Preben

    2018-01-01

    Background: Semen quality parameters are potentially affected by nanomaterials in several ways: Inhaled nanosized particles are potent inducers of pulmonary inflammation, leading to the release of inflammatory mediators. Small amounts of particles may translocate from the lungs into the lung...... inflammation is a potential modulator of endocrine function. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of pulmonary exposure to carbonaceous nanomaterials on sperm quality parameters in an experimental mouse model.Methods: Effects on sperm quality after pulmonary inflammation induced by carbonaceous...... nanomaterials were investigated by intratracheally instilling sexually mature male NMRI mice with four different carbonaceous nanomaterials dispersed in nanopure water: graphene oxide (18 mu g/mouse/i.t.), Flammruss 101, Printex 90 and SRM1650b (0.1 mg/mouse/i.t. each) weekly for seven consecutive weeks...

  14. Short term exposure to cooking fumes and pulmonary function

    OpenAIRE

    Qvenild Torgunn; Svendsen Kristin; Svedahl Sindre; Sjaastad Ann; Hilt Bjørn

    2009-01-01

    Abstract Background Exposure to cooking fumes may have different deleterious effects on the respiratory system. The aim of this study was to look at possible effects from inhalation of cooking fumes on pulmonary function. Methods Two groups of 12 healthy volunteers (A and B) stayed in a model kitchen for two and four hours respectively, and were monitored with spirometry four times during twenty four hours, on one occasion without any exposure, and on another with exposure to controlled level...

  15. Modulation of pulmonary defense mechanisms by acute exposures to nitrogen dioxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jakab, G.J.

    1987-01-01

    The effect of acute exposures to NO 2 on the antibacterial defenses of the murine lung was assessed following inhalation challenges with Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus mirabilis, and Pasteurella pneumotropica. With S. aureus pulmonary antibacterial defenses were suppressed at NO 2 levels of 4.0 ppm and greater. Exposure to 10.0 ppm enhanced the intrapulmonary killing of P. mirabilis which correlated with an increase in the phagocytic cell populations lavaged from the lungs; at 20.0 ppm bactericidal activity against P. mirabilis was impaired. Pulmonary antibacterial defenses against P. pneumotropica were impaired at 10.0 ppm which correlated with a decrease in the retrieved phagocytic lung cell population. Reversing the order of treatment (ie., NO 2 exposure prior to bacterial challenge) raised the threshold concentration for NO 2 -induced impairment of intrapulmonary bacterial killing. With S. aureus the effect was not observed at 5.0 ppm but at 10.0 ppm and with P. mirabilis not at 20.0 ppm but at 30.0 ppm intrapulmonary killing was enhanced. Exposures up to 20.0 ppm of NO 2 did not effect the physical translocation mechanisms of the lung as quantitated by declines in pulmonary radiotracer activity following aerogenic challenge with 32 P-labeled staphylococci

  16. Hypoxia-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension augments lung injury and airway reactivity caused by ozone exposure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zychowski, Katherine E.; Lucas, Selita N.; Sanchez, Bethany; Herbert, Guy; Campen, Matthew J., E-mail: mcampen@salud.unm.edu

    2016-08-15

    Ozone (O{sub 3})-related cardiorespiratory effects are a growing public health concern. Ground level O{sub 3} can exacerbate pre-existing respiratory conditions; however, research regarding therapeutic interventions to reduce O{sub 3}-induced lung injury is limited. In patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypoxia-associated pulmonary hypertension (HPH) is a frequent comorbidity that is difficult to treat clinically, yet associated with increased mortality and frequency of exacerbations. In this study, we hypothesized that established HPH would confer vulnerability to acute O{sub 3} pulmonary toxicity. Additionally, we tested whether improvement of pulmonary endothelial barrier integrity via rho-kinase inhibition could mitigate pulmonary inflammation and injury. To determine if O{sub 3} exacerbated HPH, male C57BL/6 mice were subject to either 3 weeks continuous normoxia (20.9% O{sub 2}) or hypoxia (10.0% O{sub 2}), followed by a 4-h exposure to either 1 ppm O{sub 3} or filtered air (FA). As an additional experimental intervention fasudil (20 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally prior to and after O{sub 3} exposures. As expected, hypoxia significantly increased right ventricular pressure and hypertrophy. O{sub 3} exposure in normoxic mice caused lung inflammation but not injury, as indicated by increased cellularity and edema in the lung. However, in hypoxic mice, O{sub 3} exposure led to increased inflammation and edema, along with a profound increase in airway hyperresponsiveness to methacholine. Fasudil administration resulted in reduced O{sub 3}-induced lung injury via the enhancement of pulmonary endothelial barrier integrity. These results indicate that increased pulmonary vascular pressure may enhance lung injury, inflammation and edema when exposed to pollutants, and that enhancement of pulmonary endothelial barrier integrity may alleviate such vulnerability. - Highlights: • Environmental exposures can exacerbate chronic obstructive

  17. Pulmonary arachidonic acid metabolism following acute exposures to ozone and nitrogen dioxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schlesinger, R.B.; Driscoll, K.E.; Gunnison, A.F.; Zelikoff, J.T.

    1990-01-01

    Ozone (O 3 ) and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) are common air pollutants, and exposure to these gases has been shown to affect pulmonary physiology, biochemistry, and structure. This study examined their ability to modulate arachidonic acid metabolites (eicosanoids) in the lungs. Rabbits were exposed for 2 h to O 3 at 0.1, 0.3, or 1 ppm; NO 2 at 1, 3, or 10 ppm; or to a mixture of 0.3 ppm O 3 and 3 ppm NO 2 . Groups of animals sacrificed either immediately or 24 h after each exposure underwent broncho-pulmonary lavage. Selected eicosanoids were assessed in lavage fluid by radioimmunoassay. Increases in prostaglandins E2 (PGE2) and F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) were found immediately after exposure to 1 ppm O 3 . Exposure to 10 ppm NO 2 resulted in a depression of 6-keto-PGF1 alpha, while thromboxane B2 (TxB2) was elevated after exposure to 1 ppm NO 2 and depressed following 3 and 10 ppm. The O 3 /NO 2 mixture resulted in synergistic increases in PGE2 and PGF2 alpha, with the response appearing to be driven by O 3 . This study has demonstrated that acute exposure to either O 3 or NO 2 can alter pulmonary arachidonic acid metabolism and that the responses to these oxidants differ, both quantitatively and qualitatively

  18. SYSTEMIC IMBALANCE OF ESSENTIAL METALS AND CARDIAC GENE EXPRESSION IN RATS FOLLOWING ACUTE PULMONARY ZINC EXPOSURE

    Science.gov (United States)

    We have recently demonstrated that PM containing water-soluble zinc may cause cardiac injury following pulmonary exposure. To investigate if pulmonary zinc exposure causes systemic metal imbalance and direct cardiac effects, we intratracheally (IT) instilled male Wistar Kyoto (WK...

  19. Pulmonary exposure to carbonaceous nanomaterials and sperm quality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skovmand, Astrid; Jacobsen Lauvås, Anna; Christensen, Preben; Vogel, Ulla; Sørig Hougaard, Karin; Goericke-Pesch, Sandra

    2018-01-31

    Semen quality parameters are potentially affected by nanomaterials in several ways: Inhaled nanosized particles are potent inducers of pulmonary inflammation, leading to the release of inflammatory mediators. Small amounts of particles may translocate from the lungs into the lung capillaries, enter the systemic circulation and ultimately reach the testes. Both the inflammatory response and the particles may induce oxidative stress which can directly affect spermatogenesis. Furthermore, spermatogenesis may be indirectly affected by changes in the hormonal milieu as systemic inflammation is a potential modulator of endocrine function. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of pulmonary exposure to carbonaceous nanomaterials on sperm quality parameters in an experimental mouse model. Effects on sperm quality after pulmonary inflammation induced by carbonaceous nanomaterials were investigated by intratracheally instilling sexually mature male NMRI mice with four different carbonaceous nanomaterials dispersed in nanopure water: graphene oxide (18 μg/mouse/i.t.), Flammruss 101, Printex 90 and SRM1650b (0.1 mg/mouse/i.t. each) weekly for seven consecutive weeks. Pulmonary inflammation was determined by differential cell count in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Epididymal sperm concentration and motility were measured by computer-assisted sperm analysis. Epididymal sperm viability and morphological abnormalities were assessed manually using Hoechst 33,342/PI flourescent and Spermac staining, respectively. Epididymal sperm were assessed with regard to sperm DNA integrity (damage). Daily sperm production was measured in the testis, and testosterone levels were measured in blood plasma by ELISA. Neutrophil numbers in the bronchoalveolar fluid showed sustained inflammatory response in the nanoparticle-exposed groups one week after the last instillation. No significant changes in epididymal sperm parameters, daily sperm production or plasma testosterone levels

  20. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution: a cohort study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Zorana J; Hvidberg, Martin; Jensen, Steen S

    2011-01-01

    Short-term exposure to air pollution has been associated with exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), whereas the role of long-term exposures on the development of COPD is not yet fully understood.......Short-term exposure to air pollution has been associated with exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), whereas the role of long-term exposures on the development of COPD is not yet fully understood....

  1. Respiratory dysfunction in swine production facility workers: dose-response relationships of environmental exposures and pulmonary function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donham, K J; Reynolds, S J; Whitten, P; Merchant, J A; Burmeister, L; Popendorf, W J

    1995-03-01

    Human respiratory health hazards for people working in livestock confinement buildings have been recognized since 1974. However, before comprehensive control programs can be implemented, more knowledge is needed of specific hazardous substances present in the air of these buildings, and at what concentrations they are harmful. Therefore, a medical epidemiological and exposure-response study was conducted on 207 swine producers using intensive housing systems (108 farms). Dose-response relationships between pulmonary function and exposures are reported here. Positive correlations were seen between change in pulmonary function over a work period and exposure to total dust, respirable dust, ammonia, respirable endotoxin, and the interactions of age-of-producer and dust exposure and years-of-working-in-the-facility and dust exposure. Relationships between baseline pulmonary function and exposures were not strong and therefore, not pursued in this study. The correlations between exposure and response were stronger after 6 years of exposure. Multiple regression models were used to identify total dust and ammonia as the two primary environmental predictors of pulmonary function decrements over a work period. The regression models were then used to determine exposure concentrations related to pulmonary function decrements suggestive of a health hazard. Total dust concentrations > or = 2.8 mg/m3 were predictive of a work period decrement of > or = 10% in FEV1. Ammonia concentrations of > or = 7.5 ppm were predictive of a > or = 3% work period decrement in FEV1. These predictive concentrations were similar to a previous dose-response study, which suggested 2.5 mg/m3 of total dust and 7 ppm of NH3 were associated with significant work period decrements. Therefore, dust > or = 2.8 mg/m3 and ammonia > or = 7.5 ppm should be considered reasonable evidence for guidelines regarding hazardous exposure concentrations in this work environment.

  2. Comparative analysis between spiral CT and pathology of pulmonary nodules

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Kaifu; Zhang Zhanqing

    2007-01-01

    Objective: To explore the value of spiral CT in the diagnosis of atypical pulmonary nodules. Methods: CT, clinic and histopathologic data of 72 patients with atypical pulmonary nodules confirmed by surgical resection in 41 cases and/or biopsy in 31 cases were retrospectively analyzed. Results: CT scans demonstrated slight lobulation in 34 cases, irregular margin in 50 cases, long speculate in 10 cases, air-bronchogram in 2 case, vacuole in 2 case. 38 pulmonary cancer, 22 pulmonary tuberculosis and 12 pulmonary inflammatory pseudotumors were diagnosed with spiral CT. However, 30 pulmonary cancer, 30 pulmonary tuberculosis and 12 pulmonary inflammatory pseudotumors were confirmed by histopathology. The overall accurate diagnostic rate of pulmonary cancer was 66.7% (20/30), pulmonary tuberculosis was 60%(18/30), pulmonary inflammatory pseudotumors was 16.7%(2/12). 40 cases were diagnosed correctly and 32 cases were misdiagnosed with CT in 72 cases of atypical pulmonary nodules. The misdiagnostic rate of CT was 44.4%. 10 cases of lung cancer were misdiagnosed, including 4 cases of tuberculosis (long speculate or irregular margin) and 6 cases of inflammatory pseudotumors (irregular margin or long speculate or air-bronchogram). 12 cases of tuberculosis were misdiagnosed, including 8 cases lung cancer (slight lobulation) and 4 cases of inflammatory pseudotumors (slight lobulation). 10 cases inflammatory pseudotumor were misdiagnosed as lung cancer (slight lobulation). Conclusion: Spiral CT was very useful in the localization and morphological describing, but difficult in qualitative diagnosing of atypical pulmonary nodules, exactly diagnosis was relied on surgery and biopsy. (authors)

  3. Pulmonary sensitivity to ozone exposure in sedentary versus chronically trained, female rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gordon, Christopher J; Phillips, Pamela M; Beasley, Tracey E; Ledbetter, A; Aydin, Cenk; Snow, Samantha J; Kodavanti, Urmila P; Johnstone, Andrew F

    2016-06-01

    Epidemiological data suggest that a sedentary lifestyle may contribute to increased susceptibility for some environmental toxicants. We developed an animal model of active versus sedentary life style by providing female Sprague-Dawley rats with continuous access to running wheels. Sedentary rats were housed in standard cages without wheels. After training for 12 wks, rats were exposed to 0, 0.25, 0.5 or 1.0 ppm ozone [O3 for 5 h/d, 1 d/wk, for 6 wk (N = 10 per group)]. Body composition (%fat, lean and fluid) was monitored noninvasively over the course of the study. Ventilatory parameters [tidal volume, minute ventilation, frequency and enhanced pause (Penh)] were assessed using whole-body plethysmography prior to O3 and 24 h after the 5th O3 exposure. Trained rats lost ∼2% body fat after 12 wk of access to running wheels. Peak wheel activity was reduced by 40% after exposure to 1.0 ppm O3. After the 5th O3 exposure, body weight and %fat were reduced in sedentary but not trained rats. Penh was significantly elevated in sedentary but not trained rats the day after exposure to 1.0 ppm O3. However, lung lavage cell counts and biomarkers of pulmonary inflammation measured 1 day after the final exposure were inconsistently affected by training. Wheel running led to marked physiological responses along with some indication of improved pulmonary recovery from O3 exposure. However, wheel running with O3 exposure may also be a detriment for some pulmonary endpoints. Overall, a sedentary lifestyle may increase susceptibility to O3, but additional studies are needed.

  4. Welding fume exposure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in welders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koh, D-H; Kim, J-I; Kim, K-H; Yoo, S-W

    2015-01-01

    Occupational exposure is estimated to contribute 15% to the burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Welding fumes are suspected to accelerate the decline of lung function and development of COPD. To examine the relationship between welding fume exposure and COPD in Korean shipyard welders. The study involved a group of male welders working at two shipyards who underwent an annual health examination in 2010. Subjects completed a questionnaire about smoking habits and occupational history and a pulmonary function test (PFT) was carried out with strict quality control measures. Welding fume exposure concentrations were estimated using 884 measurements taken between 2002 and 2009 in one of the shipyards. Multiple linear and logistic regression was employed to evaluate the association between cumulative fume exposure and lung function parameters, controlling for age, height and cigarette smoking. Two hundred and forty subjects participated, with a mean age of 48 and mean work duration of 15 years. The mean cumulative fume exposure was 7.7mg/m(3). The prevalence of COPD was 15%. FEV1 and FVC showed non-significant negative correlations with cumulative fume exposure. Odds ratios of COPD were significantly elevated for the middle (3.9; 95% CI 1.4-13.3) and high exposure groups (3.8; 95% CI 1.03-16.2) compared with the low fume exposure group. Our findings support an association between welding fume exposure and increased risk of COPD. Further prospective study is needed to investigate whether this is a causal relationship. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  5. An Experimental Protocol for Maternal Pulmonary Exposure in Developmental Toxicology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jackson, Petra; Lund, Søren P.; Kristiansen, Gitte

    2011-01-01

    To establish a protocol for studying effects of pulmonary exposure in developmental toxicity studies, the effects of intratracheal sham instillation under short-term isoflurane anaesthesia were evaluated with a protocol including multiple instillations during gestation. Twelve time-mated mice (C5...

  6. Inhaled hyaluronic acid microparticles extended pulmonary retention and suppressed systemic exposure of a short-acting bronchodilator

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Li, Ying; Han, Meihua; Liu, Tingting

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using hyaluronic acid (HA), a biomucoadhesive carbohydrate polymer to prolong the pulmonary retention and reduce the systemic exposure of inhaled medicine. Salbutamol sulphate (SAS), a model bronchodilator, was co-spray dried with HA...... to spray-dried plain SAS powders, the SAS-loaded HA microparticles possessed enhanced biomucoadhesive property in vitro and had much longer pulmonary retention and reduced systemic exposure in vivo. By incorporation, the pulmonary retention time of SAS was prolonged from 2h to 8h while the maximum...

  7. X-ray CT evaluation of pulmonary involvements of sarcoidosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nishimura, Koichi; Izumi, Takateru; Kitaichi, Masanori

    1987-01-01

    We evaluated high resolution CT in 60 patients with histologically diagnosed pulmonary sarcoidosis and, also, studied the relationship between CT and findings in open lung biopsy specimens in 2 cases. The CT findings were as follows: (1) thickening of bronchial wall shadows (27 out of 60 cases, 45.0 %), (2) irregular enlargement of pulmonary vascular shadows (39 cases, 65.0 %), (3) small or large nodular shadows (24 cases, 40.0 %), (4) local volume loss (14 cases, 23.3 %), (5) slightly increased density of localized lung field areas (24 cases, 40.0 %), (6) pleural or subpleural involvement (27 cases, 45.0 %), (7) lymph node enlargement (59 cases, 98.3 %). X-ray CT in 7 patients revealed no evidence of lung field involvement in patients with histologicall confirmed epithelioid cell granuloma in transbronchial lung biopsy specimens. Lesions located within vessels or in the vascular wall, perivascular sheath or alveoli surrounding blood vessels might cause pulmonary vascular shadows to appear swollen on CT. In a comparative study, we found irregular dilatation of pulmonary vascular shadows corresponding to granulomas in the connective tissue sheath of blood vessels. Also, thickening of bronchial wall shadows corresponded to granulomas in and around the bronchial wall. From the point of histopathological view epithelioid cell granulomas in the bronchovascular sheath were most marked in sarcoidosis, and they apperaed on CT as an irregular enlargement of pulmonary vascular shadows and thickening of the bronchial wall. On the other hand, we reported that collapse of alveoli and fibrosis surrounding blood vessels could cause irregular enlargement of pulmonary vascular shadows on CT in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Such shadows were seen on CT in both sarcoidosis and IPF but the mechanism of their appearance differed. (J.P.N.)

  8. Pulmonary Blastomycosis in Vilas County, Wisconsin: Weather, Exposures and Symptoms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dennis J. Baumgardner

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: Blastomycosis is a serious fungal infection contracted by inhalation of Blastomyces spores from the environment. Case occurrence in dogs in Vilas County, Wisconsin, has been associated with antecedent weather. We aimed to explore the effects of weather on the occurrence of human pulmonary blastomycosis in this area, and update exposure factors and symptoms since last published reports. Methods: Mandatory case reports were reviewed. Chi-square test was used for categorical data of exposures, comparing 1979–1996 (n=101 versus 1997–June 2013 (n=95. Linear regression was used to model local weather data (available 1990–2013; n=126; Southern Oscillation Index (SOI, North Atlantic Oscillation Index (NAOI, and Wisconsin River water discharge (WRD from the adjacent county (all available for 1984–2013; n=174; and case counts of known onset by warm (April–September and cold (October–March 6-month periods. Results: Distribution of pulmonary blastomycosis cases did not vary by season. Environmental exposures for the 1997–June 2013 group (mean age 45, 59% male were: residence(76%, excavation (42% and gardening (31%, all similar to the 1979–1996 group. Fishing (23% vs. 37%; P=0.09 and hunting (15% vs. 26%; P=0.13 exposures were less common in 1997–June 2013, but not significantly different. Overall, 69% of cases recalled some prior soil-disturbing activities. Considering the 6-month warm/cold periods, 19% of variation is explained by a direct relationship with total precipitation from two periods prior (P=0.005. There was no association of case occurrence with SOI, NAOI or WRD. Estimated annual incidence of blastomycosis for 1997–June 2013 was 27/100,000 compared with 44/100,000 for 1984–1996. Several symptoms were significantly less frequent in 2002–June 2013 compared to earlier years. Conclusions: As with dogs, human pulmonary blastomycosis occurrence is partially determined by antecedent precipitation. It is unclear if

  9. Non-smoking Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Attributed to Occupational Exposure to Silica Dust.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsuchiya, Kazuo; Toyoshima, Mikio; Kamiya, Yosuke; Nakamura, Yutaro; Baba, Satoshi; Suda, Takafumi

    2017-01-01

    An 85-year-old, never-smoking man presented with exertional dyspnea. He had been exposed to silica dust in the work place. Chest computed tomography revealed bronchial wall thickening without emphysema. A pulmonary function test showed airflow obstruction without impaired gas transfer. Airway hyperresponsiveness and reversibility were not evident. A transbronchial lung biopsy showed findings suggestive of mineral dust exposure, such as fibrosis and slight pigmentation of bronchioles. He was diagnosed with non-smoking chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) due to occupational exposure to silica dust. His symptoms were improved using an inhaled long-acting bronchodilator. The clinical characteristics of non-smoking COPD are discussed in this report.

  10. Systemic metabolic derangement, pulmonary effects, and insulin insufficiency following subchronic ozone exposure in rats

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, Desinia B.; Snow, Samantha J.; Henriquez, Andres; Schladweiler, Mette C.; Ledbetter, Allen D.; Richards, Judy E.; Andrews, Debora L.; Kodavanti, Urmila P.

    2016-01-01

    Acute ozone exposure induces a classical stress response with elevated circulating stress hormones along with changes in glucose, protein and lipid metabolism in rats, with similar alterations in ozone-exposed humans. These stress-mediated changes over time have been linked to insulin resistance. We hypothesized that acute ozone-induced stress response and metabolic impairment would persist during subchronic episodic exposure and induce peripheral insulin resistance. Male Wistar Kyoto rats were exposed to air or 0.25 ppm or 1.00 ppm ozone, 5 h/day, 3 consecutive days/week (wk) for 13 wks. Pulmonary, metabolic, insulin signaling and stress endpoints were determined immediately after 13 wk or following a 1 wk recovery period (13 wk + 1 wk recovery). We show that episodic ozone exposure is associated with persistent pulmonary injury and inflammation, fasting hyperglycemia, glucose intolerance, as well as, elevated circulating adrenaline and cholesterol when measured at 13 wk, however, these responses were largely reversible following a 1 wk recovery. Moreover, the increases noted acutely after ozone exposure in non-esterified fatty acids and branched chain amino acid levels were not apparent following a subchronic exposure. Neither peripheral or tissue specific insulin resistance nor increased hepatic gluconeogenesis were present after subchronic ozone exposure. Instead, long-term ozone exposure lowered circulating insulin and severely impaired glucose-stimulated beta-cell insulin secretion. Thus, our findings in young-adult rats provide potential insights into epidemiological studies that show a positive association between ozone exposures and type 1 diabetes. Ozone-induced beta-cell dysfunction may secondarily contribute to other tissue-specific metabolic alterations following chronic exposure due to impaired regulation of glucose, lipid, and protein metabolism. - Highlights: • Subchronic episodic ozone exposure caused pulmonary and metabolic effects. • These

  11. Systemic metabolic derangement, pulmonary effects, and insulin insufficiency following subchronic ozone exposure in rats

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miller, Desinia B. [Curriculum in Toxicology, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (United States); Snow, Samantha J. [Environmental Public Health Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States); Henriquez, Andres [Curriculum in Toxicology, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (United States); Schladweiler, Mette C.; Ledbetter, Allen D.; Richards, Judy E.; Andrews, Debora L. [Environmental Public Health Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States); Kodavanti, Urmila P., E-mail: kodavanti.urmila@epa.gov [Environmental Public Health Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States)

    2016-09-01

    Acute ozone exposure induces a classical stress response with elevated circulating stress hormones along with changes in glucose, protein and lipid metabolism in rats, with similar alterations in ozone-exposed humans. These stress-mediated changes over time have been linked to insulin resistance. We hypothesized that acute ozone-induced stress response and metabolic impairment would persist during subchronic episodic exposure and induce peripheral insulin resistance. Male Wistar Kyoto rats were exposed to air or 0.25 ppm or 1.00 ppm ozone, 5 h/day, 3 consecutive days/week (wk) for 13 wks. Pulmonary, metabolic, insulin signaling and stress endpoints were determined immediately after 13 wk or following a 1 wk recovery period (13 wk + 1 wk recovery). We show that episodic ozone exposure is associated with persistent pulmonary injury and inflammation, fasting hyperglycemia, glucose intolerance, as well as, elevated circulating adrenaline and cholesterol when measured at 13 wk, however, these responses were largely reversible following a 1 wk recovery. Moreover, the increases noted acutely after ozone exposure in non-esterified fatty acids and branched chain amino acid levels were not apparent following a subchronic exposure. Neither peripheral or tissue specific insulin resistance nor increased hepatic gluconeogenesis were present after subchronic ozone exposure. Instead, long-term ozone exposure lowered circulating insulin and severely impaired glucose-stimulated beta-cell insulin secretion. Thus, our findings in young-adult rats provide potential insights into epidemiological studies that show a positive association between ozone exposures and type 1 diabetes. Ozone-induced beta-cell dysfunction may secondarily contribute to other tissue-specific metabolic alterations following chronic exposure due to impaired regulation of glucose, lipid, and protein metabolism. - Highlights: • Subchronic episodic ozone exposure caused pulmonary and metabolic effects. • These

  12. Development of pulmonary oxygen toxicity in rats after hyperoxic exposure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Siermontowski Piotr

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the study was to examine the effects of hyperbaric oxygen on lung aeration on an animal experimental model and compare the obtained results with the anticipated scope of damage to pulmonary parenchyma in humans under the same exposure conditions. The research was carried out on Black Hood rats that were kept in a hyperbaric chamber designed for animals in an atmosphere of pure oxygen and at overpressures of 0.15, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5 MPa for 1, 2 or 4 h. After sacrificing the animals, histopathological specimens were obtained encompassing cross-sections of entire lungs, which were subjected to qualitative and quantitative examination with the use of the 121-point Haug grid. A statistically significant decrease in pulmonary parenchyma was observed as a result of an increasing oxygen partial pressure as well as with prolonged exposure time. The intensification of changes observed was much higher than expected on the basis of calculations performed with the use of tables.

  13. Preceding bronchial cutting for exposure of the pulmonary artery buried in scar tissue after chemoradiotherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nomori, Hiroaki; Cong, Yue; Sugimura, Hiroshi

    2017-01-01

    It is often difficult to expose the pulmonary artery buried in a scar tissue, especially in lung cancer patients that responded well to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Difficulty to access pulmonary artery branches may lead to potentially unnecessary pneumonectomy. To complete lobectomy in such cases, a technique with preceding bronchial cutting for exposure of the pulmonary artery is presented. After dissecting the pulmonary vein, the lobar bronchus is cut from the opposite side of the pulmonary artery with scissors. The back wall of the lobar bronchus is cut using a surgical knife from the luminal face, which can expose the pulmonary artery behind the bronchial stump and then complete lobectomy. Fourteen patients have been treated using the present technique, enabling complete resection by lobectomy (including sleeve lobectomy in 3 patients) without major bleeding. The present procedure can expose pulmonary artery buried in scar tissue, resulting in making the lobectomy safer.

  14. Short term exposure to cooking fumes and pulmonary function

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qvenild Torgunn

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Exposure to cooking fumes may have different deleterious effects on the respiratory system. The aim of this study was to look at possible effects from inhalation of cooking fumes on pulmonary function. Methods Two groups of 12 healthy volunteers (A and B stayed in a model kitchen for two and four hours respectively, and were monitored with spirometry four times during twenty four hours, on one occasion without any exposure, and on another with exposure to controlled levels of cooking fumes. Results The change in spirometric values during the day with exposure to cooking fumes, were not statistically significantly different from the changes during the day without exposure, with the exception of forced expiratory time (FET. The change in FET from entering the kitchen until six hours later, was significantly prolonged between the exposed and the unexposed day with a 15.7% increase on the exposed day, compared to a 3.2% decrease during the unexposed day (p-value = 0.03. The same tendency could be seen for FET measurements done immediately after the exposure and on the next morning, but this was not statistically significant. Conclusion In our experimental setting, there seems to be minor short term spirometric effects, mainly affecting FET, from short term exposure to cooking fumes.

  15. Source-specific pollution exposure and associations with pulmonary response in the Atlanta Commuters Exposure Studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krall, Jenna R; Ladva, Chandresh N; Russell, Armistead G; Golan, Rachel; Peng, Xing; Shi, Guoliang; Greenwald, Roby; Raysoni, Amit U; Waller, Lance A; Sarnat, Jeremy A

    2018-01-03

    Concentrations of traffic-related air pollutants are frequently higher within commuting vehicles than in ambient air. Pollutants found within vehicles may include those generated by tailpipe exhaust, brake wear, and road dust sources, as well as pollutants from in-cabin sources. Source-specific pollution, compared to total pollution, may represent regulation targets that can better protect human health. We estimated source-specific pollution exposures and corresponding pulmonary response in a panel study of commuters. We used constrained positive matrix factorization to estimate source-specific pollution factors and, subsequently, mixed effects models to estimate associations between source-specific pollution and pulmonary response. We identified four pollution factors that we named: crustal, primary tailpipe traffic, non-tailpipe traffic, and secondary. Among asthmatic subjects (N = 48), interquartile range increases in crustal and secondary pollution were associated with changes in lung function of -1.33% (95% confidence interval (CI): -2.45, -0.22) and -2.19% (95% CI: -3.46, -0.92) relative to baseline, respectively. Among non-asthmatic subjects (N = 51), non-tailpipe pollution was associated with pulmonary response only at 2.5 h post-commute. We found no significant associations between pulmonary response and primary tailpipe pollution. Health effects associated with traffic-related pollution may vary by source, and therefore some traffic pollution sources may require targeted interventions to protect health.

  16. Estrogen exposure, obesity and thyroid disease in women with severe pulmonary hypertension

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sweeney Lori

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Severe pulmonary hypertension is a lethal group of disorders which preferentially afflicts women. It appears that in recent years the patient profile has shifted towards older, obese, and postmenopausal women, suggesting that endocrine factors may be important. Several studies have revealed an increased prevalence of thyroid disease in these patients, but no studies have evaluated for a coexistence of endocrine factors. In particular, no studies have attempted to evaluate for concurrent thyroid disease, obesity and long-term estrogen exposure in patients. 88 patients attending the Pulmonary Hypertension Association 8th International meeting completed a questionnaire and were interviewed. Information was collected regarding reproductive history, height, weight, and previous diagnosis of thyroid disease. 46% met criteria for obesity. 41% reported a diagnosis of thyroid disease. 81% of women reported prior use of hormone therapy. 70% reported greater than 10 years of exogenous hormone use. 74% of female patients reported two or more of potentially disease modifying endocrine factors (obesity, thyroid disease or estrogen therapy. The coexistent high prevalence in our cohort of exogenous estrogen exposure, thyroid disease and obesity suggests that an interaction of multiple endocrine factors might contribute to the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension and may represent epigenetic modifiers in genetically-susceptible individuals.

  17. Grain elevator workers show work-related pulmonary function changes and dose-effect relationships with dust exposure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corey, P; Hutcheon, M; Broder, I; Mintz, S

    1982-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine whether grain handlers underwent work-related changes in their pulmonary function and, if so, to examine the dose-effect relationships with dust exposure. The pulmonary function of grain handlers was measured at the beginning and end of work shifts over a period of one week, during which their exposure to dust was measured daily. The results showed changes indicative of a within-day obstructive change, in addition to a small restrictive defect occurring over the course of a week. Civic outside labourers who were examined as a control group showed a similar within-week obstructive change without any associated restriction of lung volume. The data on the grain handlers were also used to examine the dose-effect relationships of dust exposure, both on baseline pulmonary function and on within-day changes in these measurements. The baseline flow rates of workers who did not wear a mask were found to vary inversely with their average exposure to respirable dust. In addition, the flow rates underwent a within-day decrease that varied directly with their corresponding exposure to respirable dust and was unrelated to mask wearing. The median of the slopes for this relationship indicated that 50% of the subjects had a decrease of at least 923 ml/s in the value of their Vmax50%VC for each 1 mg/m3 increase in the concentration of respirable dust. Non-respirable dust did not have a measurable effect either on the baseline or the within-day changes in pulmonary function. The acute changes were unaffected by age, duration of employment, or extent of smoking. PMID:7138793

  18. Changes in cholesterol homeostasis and acute phase response link pulmonary exposure to multi-walled carbon nanotubes to risk of cardiovascular disease

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Poulsen, Sarah S., E-mail: spo@nrcwe.dk [National Research Centre for the Working Environment, DK-2100 Copenhagen (Denmark); Department of Science, Systems and Models, Roskilde University, DK-4000 Roskilde (Denmark); Saber, Anne T., E-mail: ats@nrcwe.dk [National Research Centre for the Working Environment, DK-2100 Copenhagen (Denmark); Mortensen, Alicja, E-mail: almo@food.dtu.dk [National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Søborg (Denmark); Szarek, Józef, E-mail: szarek@uwm.edu.pl [Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-719 Olsztyn (Poland); Wu, Dongmei, E-mail: dongmei.wu@hc-sc.gc.ca [Environmental and Radiation Health Sciences Directorate, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9 (Canada); Williams, Andrew, E-mail: andrew.williams@hc-sc.gc.ca [Environmental and Radiation Health Sciences Directorate, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9 (Canada); Andersen, Ole, E-mail: oa@ruc.dk [Department of Science, Systems and Models, Roskilde University, DK-4000 Roskilde (Denmark); Jacobsen, Nicklas R., E-mail: nrj@nrcwe.dk [National Research Centre for the Working Environment, DK-2100 Copenhagen (Denmark); Yauk, Carole L., E-mail: carole.yauk@hc-sc.gc.ca [Environmental and Radiation Health Sciences Directorate, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9 (Canada); Wallin, Håkan, E-mail: hwa@nrcwe.dk [National Research Centre for the Working Environment, DK-2100 Copenhagen (Denmark); Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, DK-1014 Copenhagen K (Denmark); Halappanavar, Sabina, E-mail: sabina.halappanavar@hc-sc.gc.ca [Environmental and Radiation Health Sciences Directorate, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9 (Canada); Vogel, Ulla, E-mail: ubv@nrcwe.dk [National Research Centre for the Working Environment, DK-2100 Copenhagen (Denmark); Department of Micro- and Nanotechnology, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby (Denmark)

    2015-03-15

    Adverse lung effects following pulmonary exposure to multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are well documented in rodents. However, systemic effects are less understood. Epidemiological studies have shown increased cardiovascular disease risk after pulmonary exposure to airborne particles, which has led to concerns that inhalation exposure to MWCNTs might pose similar risks. We analyzed parameters related to cardiovascular disease, including plasma acute phase response (APR) proteins and plasma lipids, in female C57BL/6 mice exposed to a single intratracheal instillation of 0, 18, 54 or 162 μg/mouse of small, entangled (CNT{sub Small}, 0.8 ± 0.1 μm long) or large, thick MWCNTs (CNT{sub Large}, 4 ± 0.4 μm long). Liver tissues and plasma were harvested 1, 3 and 28 days post-exposure. In addition, global hepatic gene expression, hepatic cholesterol content and liver histology were used to assess hepatic effects. The two MWCNTs induced similar systemic responses despite their different physicochemical properties. APR proteins SAA3 and haptoglobin, plasma total cholesterol and low-density/very low-density lipoprotein were significantly increased following exposure to either MWCNTs. Plasma SAA3 levels correlated strongly with pulmonary Saa3 levels. Analysis of global gene expression revealed perturbation of the same biological processes and pathways in liver, including the HMG-CoA reductase pathway. Both MWCNTs induced similar histological hepatic changes, with a tendency towards greater response following CNT{sub Large} exposure. Overall, we show that pulmonary exposure to two different MWCNTs induces similar systemic and hepatic responses, including changes in plasma APR, lipid composition, hepatic gene expression and liver morphology. The results link pulmonary exposure to MWCNTs with risk of cardiovascular disease. - Highlights: • Systemic and hepatic alterations were evaluated in female mice following MWCNT instillation. • Despite being physicochemically

  19. Chemosensory irritations and pulmonary effects of acute exposure to emissions from oriented strand board.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gminski, Richard; Marutzky, Rainer; Kevekordes, Sebastian; Fuhrmann, Frank; Bürger, Werner; Hauschke, Dieter; Ebner, Winfried; Mersch-Sundermann, Volker

    2011-09-01

    Due to the reduction of air change rates in low-energy houses, the contribution to indoor air quality of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitting from oriented strand boards (OSB) has become increasingly important. The aim of this study was to evaluate sensory irritations, pulmonary effects and odor annoyance of emissions from OSB in healthy human volunteers compared to clean air. Twenty-four healthy non-smokers were exposed to clean air and OSB emissions for 2 h under controlled conditions in a 48 m(3) test chamber at three different time points: to fresh OSB panels and to the same panels after open storage for 2 and 8 weeks. Chemosensory irritation, exhaled nitric oxide (NO) concentration, eye blink frequency, lung function and subjective perception of irritation of eyes, nose and throat were examined before, during and after exposure. Additionally, olfactory perception was investigated. Total VOC exposure concentrations reached 8.9 ± 0.8 mg/m(3) for the fresh OSB panels. Emissions consisted predominantly of α-pinene, Δ(3)-carene and hexanal. Two-hour exposure to high VOC concentrations revealed no irritating or pulmonary effects. All the subjective ratings of discomfort were at a low level and the medians did not exceed the expression 'hardly at all.' Only the ratings for smell of emissions increased significantly during exposure in comparison to clean air. In conclusion, exposure of healthy volunteers to OSB emissions did not elicit sensory irritations or pulmonary effects up to a VOC concentration of about 9 mg/m(3). Sensory intensity of OSB emissions in the chamber air was rated as 'neutral to pleasant.'

  20. Pulmonary tolerance in man to continuous oxygen exposure at 3.0, 2.5, 2.0, and 1.5 ATA in Predictive Studies V

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clark, J. M.; Gelfand, R.; Flores, N. D.; Lambertsen, C. J.; Pisarello, J. B.

    1987-01-01

    Oxygen effects on pulmonary function were measured in normal, resting men who breathed oxygen continuously at 3.0, 2.5, 2.0, and 1.5 ATA to predefined limits of CNS, cardiac, or pulmonary tolerance. Rates of pulmonary symptom intensification and decrease in vital capacity (VC) increased progressively with elevation of inspired oxygen pressure. Although VC decrements occurred concurrently with symptoms, the lung volume changes became prominent when symptoms were still mild. The observed effects were consistent with the interpretation that small airway function is impaired more selectively by oxygen exposure at 3.0 and 2.5 ATA than by exposure at 2.0 and 1.5 ATA. Despite similar VC changes after oxygen exposure at 2.0 ATA for nearly 10 hr and exposure at 1.5 ATA for almost 18 hr, the 2.0 ATA exposure caused greater impairment of pulmonary function and required a longer recovery period.

  1. Early pulmonary response is critical for extra-pulmonary carbon nanoparticle mediated effects: comparison of inhalation versus intra-arterial infusion exposures in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ganguly, Koustav; Ettehadieh, Dariusch; Upadhyay, Swapna; Takenaka, Shinji; Adler, Thure; Karg, Erwin; Krombach, Fritz; Kreyling, Wolfgang G; Schulz, Holger; Schmid, Otmar; Stoeger, Tobias

    2017-06-20

    The death toll associated with inhaled ambient particulate matter (PM) is attributed mainly to cardio-vascular rather than pulmonary effects. However, it is unclear whether the key event for cardiovascular impairment is particle translocation from lung to circulation (direct effect) or indirect effects due to pulmonary particle-cell interactions. In this work, we addressed this issue by exposing healthy mice via inhalation and intra-arterial infusion (IAI) to carbon nanoparticles (CNP) as surrogate for soot, a major constituent of (ultrafine) urban PM. Equivalent surface area CNP doses in the blood (30mm 2 per animal) were applied by IAI or inhalation (lung-deposited dose 10,000mm 2 ; accounting for 0.3% of lung-to-blood CNP translocation). Mice were analyzed for changes in hematology and molecular markers of endothelial/epithelial dysfunction, pro-inflammatory reactions, oxidative stress, and coagulation in lungs and extra-pulmonary organs after CNP inhalation (4 h and 24 h) and CNP infusion (4 h). For methodological reasons, we used two different CNP types (spark-discharge and Printex90), with very similar physicochemical properties [≥98 and ≥95% elemental carbon; 10 and 14 nm primary particle diameter; and 800 and 300 m 2 /g specific surface area] for inhalation and IAI respectively. Mild pulmonary inflammatory responses and significant systemic effects were observed following 4 h and 24 h CNP inhalation. Increased retention of activated leukocytes, secondary thrombocytosis, and pro-inflammatory responses in secondary organs were detected following 4 h and 24 h of CNP inhalation only. Interestingly, among the investigated extra-pulmonary tissues (i.e. aorta, heart, and liver); aorta revealed as the most susceptible extra-pulmonary target following inhalation exposure. Bypassing the lungs by IAI however did not induce any extra-pulmonary effects at 4 h as compared to inhalation. Our findings indicate that extra-pulmonary effects due to CNP

  2. Indoor mold exposure associated with neurobehavioral and pulmonary impairment: a preliminary report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kilburn, Kaye H

    2003-07-01

    Recently, patients who have been exposed indoors to mixed molds, spores, and mycotoxins have reported asthma, airway irritation and bleeding, dizziness, and impaired memory and concentration, all of which suggest the presence of pulmonary and neurobehavioral problems. The author evaluated whether such patients had measurable pulmonary and neurobehavioral impairments by comparing consecutive cases in a series vs. a referent group. Sixty-five consecutive outpatients exposed to mold in their respective homes in Arizona, California, and Texas were compared with 202 community subjects who had no known mold or chemical exposures. Balance, choice reaction time, color discrimination, blink reflex, visual fields, grip, hearing, problem-solving, verbal recall, perceptual motor speed, and memory were measured. Medical histories, mood states, and symptom frequencies were recorded with checklists, and spirometry was used to measure various pulmonary volumes and flows. Neurobehavioral comparisons were made after individual measurements were adjusted for age, educational attainment, and sex. Significant differences between groups were assessed by analysis of variance; a p value of less than 0.05 was used for all statistical tests. The mold-exposed group exhibited decreased function for balance, reaction time, blink-reflex latency, color discrimination, visual fields, and grip, compared with referents. The exposed group's scores were reduced for the following tests: digit-symbol substitution, peg placement, trail making, verbal recall, and picture completion. Twenty-one of 26 functions tested were abnormal. Airway obstructions were found, and vital capacities were reduced. Mood state scores and symptom frequencies were elevated. The author concluded that indoor mold exposures were associated with neurobehavioral and pulmonary impairments that likely resulted from the presence of mycotoxins, such as trichothecenes.

  3. Multi-walled carbon nanotube-physicochemical properties predict the systemic acute phase response following pulmonary exposure in mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarah S Poulsen

    Full Text Available Pulmonary exposure to multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs has been linked to an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease in addition to the well-documented physicochemical-dependent adverse lung effects. A proposed mechanism is through a strong and sustained pulmonary secretion of acute phase proteins to the blood. We identified physicochemical determinants of MWCNT-induced systemic acute phase response by analyzing effects of pulmonary exposure to 14 commercial, well-characterized MWCNTs in female C57BL/6J mice pulmonary exposed to 0, 6, 18 or 54 μg MWCNT/mouse. Plasma levels of acute phase response proteins serum amyloid A1/2 (SAA1/2 and SAA3 were determined on day 1, 28 or 92. Expression levels of hepatic Saa1 and pulmonary Saa3 mRNA levels were assessed to determine the origin of the acute phase response proteins. Pulmonary Saa3 mRNA expression levels were greater and lasted longer than hepatic Saa1 mRNA expression. Plasma SAA1/2 and SAA3 protein levels were related to time and physicochemical properties using adjusted, multiple regression analyses. SAA3 and SAA1/2 plasma protein levels were increased after exposure to almost all of the MWCNTs on day 1, whereas limited changes were observed on day 28 and 92. SAA1/2 and SAA3 protein levels did not correlate and only SAA3 protein levels correlated with neutrophil influx. The multiple regression analyses revealed a protective effect of MWCNT length on SAA1/2 protein level on day 1, such that a longer length resulted in lowered SAA1/2 plasma levels. Increased SAA3 protein levels were positively related to dose and content of Mn, Mg and Co on day 1, whereas oxidation and diameter of the MWCNTs were protective on day 28 and 92, respectively. The results of this study reveal very differently controlled pulmonary and hepatic acute phase responses after MWCNT exposure. As the responses were influenced by the physicochemical properties of the MWCNTs, this study provides the first step

  4. Changes in cholesterol homeostasis and acute phase response link pulmonary exposure to multi-walled carbon nanotubes to risk of cardiovascular disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Poulsen, Sarah S.; Saber, Anne T.; Mortensen, Alicja

    2015-01-01

    has led to concerns that inhalation exposure to MWCNTs might pose similar risks. We analyzed parameters related to cardiovascular disease, including plasma acute phase response (APR) proteins and plasma lipids, in female C57BL/6 mice exposed to a single intratracheal instillation of 0, 18,54 or 162 mu...... levels correlated strongly with pulmonary Saa3 levels. Analysis of global gene expression revealed perturbation of the same biological processes and pathways in liver, including the HMG-CoA reductase pathway. Both MWCNTs induced similar histological hepatic changes, with a tendency towards greater...... response following CNTLarge exposure. Overall, we show that pulmonary exposure to two different MWCNTs induces similar systemic and hepatic responses, including changes in plasma APR, lipid composition, hepatic gene expression and liver morphology. The results link pulmonary exposure to MWCNTs with risk...

  5. Right atrium positioning for exposure of right pulmonary veins during off-pump atrial fibrillation ablation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suwalski, Grzegorz; Emery, Robert; Mróz, Jakub; Kaczejko, Kamil; Gryszko, Leszek; Cwetsch, Andrzej; Skrobowski, Andrzej

    2017-06-01

    Concomitant surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) is recommended for patients undergoing off-pump coronary revascularization in the presence of this arrhythmia. Achievement of optimal visualization of pulmonary veins while maintaining stable haemodynamic conditions is crucial for proper completion of the ablation procedure. This study evaluates the safety and feasibility of right atrial positioning using a suction-based cardiac positioner as opposed to compressive manoeuvres for exposure during off-pump surgical ablation for AF. Thirty-four consecutive patients underwent pulmonary vein isolation, ganglionated plexi ablation and left atrial appendage occlusion during off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting. Right atrial suction positioning was used to visualize right pulmonary veins. Safety and feasibility end points were analysed intraoperatively and in the early postoperative course. In all patients, right atrial positioning created optimal conditions to complete transverse and oblique sinus blunt dissection, correct placement of a bipolar ablation probe, detection and ablation of ganglionated plexi and conduction block assessment. In all patients, this entire right-sided ablation procedure was completed with a single exposure manoeuvre. Feasibility end points were achieved in all study patients. This report documents the safety and feasibility of right atrial exposure using a suction-based cardiac positioner to complete ablation for AF concomitant with off-pump coronary revascularization. This technique may be widely adopted to create stable haemodynamic conditions and optimal visualization of the right pulmonary veins. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.

  6. Particulate matter air pollution exposure: role in the development and exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sean H Ling

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Sean H Ling, Stephan F van EedenJames Hogg iCAPTURE Centre for Pulmonary and Cardiovascular Research and Heart and Lung Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, CanadaAbstract: Due to the rapid urbanization of the world population, a better understanding of the detrimental effects of exposure to urban air pollution on chronic lung disease is necessary. Strong epidemiological evidence suggests that exposure to particulate matter (PM air pollution causes exacerbations of pre-existing lung conditions, such as, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD resulting in increased morbidity and mortality. However, little is known whether a chronic, low-grade exposure to ambient PM can cause the development and progression of COPD. The deposition of PM in the respiratory tract depends predominantly on the size of the particles, with larger particles deposited in the upper and larger airways and smaller particles penetrating deep into the alveolar spaces. Ineffective clearance of this PM from the airways could cause particle retention in lung tissues, resulting in a chronic, low-grade inflammatory response that may be pathogenetically important in both the exacerbation, as well as, the progression of lung disease. This review focuses on the adverse effects of exposure to ambient PM air pollution on the exacerbation, progression, and development of COPD.Keywords: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, particulate matter, air pollution, alveolar macrophage

  7. Occupational exposures and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): comparison of a COPD-specific job exposure matrix and expert-evaluated occupational exposures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kurth, Laura; Doney, Brent; Weinmann, Sheila

    2017-03-01

    To compare the occupational exposure levels assigned by our National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health chronic obstructive pulmonary disease-specific job exposure matrix (NIOSH COPD JEM) and by expert evaluation of detailed occupational information for various jobs held by members of an integrated health plan in the Northwest USA. We analysed data from a prior study examining COPD and occupational exposures. Jobs were assigned exposure levels using 2 methods: (1) the COPD JEM and (2) expert evaluation. Agreement (Cohen's κ coefficients), sensitivity and specificity were calculated to compare exposure levels assigned by the 2 methods for 8 exposure categories. κ indicated slight to moderate agreement (0.19-0.51) between the 2 methods and was highest for organic dust and overall exposure. Sensitivity of the matrix ranged from 33.9% to 68.5% and was highest for sensitisers, diesel exhaust and overall exposure. Specificity ranged from 74.7% to 97.1% and was highest for fumes, organic dust and mineral dust. This COPD JEM was compared with exposures assigned by experts and offers a generalisable approach to assigning occupational exposure. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  8. Modulation of pulmonary defense mechanisms by acute exposures to nitrogen dioxide. [Staphylococcus aureus; Proteus mirabilis; Pasteurella pneumotropica

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jakab, G.J.

    1987-02-01

    The effect of acute exposures to NO/sub 2/ on the antibacterial defenses of the murine lung was assessed following inhalation challenges with Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus mirabilis, and Pasteurella pneumotropica. With S. aureus pulmonary antibacterial defenses were suppressed at NO/sub 2/ levels of 4.0 ppm and greater. Exposure to 10.0 ppm enhanced the intrapulmonary killing of P. mirabilis which correlated with an increase in the phagocytic cell populations lavaged from the lungs; at 20.0 ppm bactericidal activity against P. mirabilis was impaired. Pulmonary antibacterial defenses against P. pneumotropica were impaired at 10.0 ppm which correlated with a decrease in the retrieved phagocytic lung cell population. Reversing the order of treatment (ie., NO/sub 2/ exposure prior to bacterial challenge) raised the threshold concentration for NO/sub 2/-induced impairment of intrapulmonary bacterial killing. With S. aureus the effect was not observed at 5.0 ppm but at 10.0 ppm and with P. mirabilis not at 20.0 ppm but at 30.0 ppm intrapulmonary killing was enhanced. Exposures up to 20.0 ppm of NO/sub 2/ did not effect the physical translocation mechanisms of the lung as quantitated by declines in pulmonary radiotracer activity following aerogenic challenge with /sup 32/P-labeled staphylococci.

  9. Exposure to electronic cigarettes impairs pulmonary anti-bacterial and anti-viral defenses in a mouse model.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas E Sussan

    Full Text Available Electronic cigarettes (E-cigs have experienced sharp increases in popularity over the past five years due to many factors, including aggressive marketing, increased restrictions on conventional cigarettes, and a perception that E-cigs are healthy alternatives to cigarettes. Despite this perception, studies on health effects in humans are extremely limited and in vivo animal models have not been generated. Presently, we determined that E-cig vapor contains 7 x 10(11 free radicals per puff. To determine whether E-cig exposure impacts pulmonary responses in mice, we developed an inhalation chamber for E-cig exposure. Mice that were exposed to E-cig vapor contained serum cotinine concentrations that are comparable to human E-cig users. E-cig exposure for 2 weeks produced a significant increase in oxidative stress and moderate macrophage-mediated inflammation. Since, COPD patients are susceptible to bacterial and viral infections, we tested effects of E-cigs on immune response. Mice that were exposed to E-cig vapor showed significantly impaired pulmonary bacterial clearance, compared to air-exposed mice, following an intranasal infection with Streptococcus pneumonia. This defective bacterial clearance was partially due to reduced phagocytosis by alveolar macrophages from E-cig exposed mice. In response to Influenza A virus infection, E-cig exposed mice displayed increased lung viral titers and enhanced virus-induced illness and mortality. In summary, this study reports a murine model of E-cig exposure and demonstrates that E-cig exposure elicits impaired pulmonary anti-microbial defenses. Hence, E-cig exposure as an alternative to cigarette smoking must be rigorously tested in users for their effects on immune response and susceptibility to bacterial and viral infections.

  10. Effects of asphalt fume condensate exposure on acute pulmonary responses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ma, J.Y.C.; Barger, M.W.; Castranova, V. [Health Effects Lab. Div., National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, WV (United States); Kriech, A.J. [Heritage Research Group, Indianapolis, IN (United States)

    2000-10-01

    The present study was carried out to characterize the effects of in vitro exposure to paving asphalt fume condensate (AFC) on alveolar macrophage (AM) functions and to monitor acute pulmonary responses to in vivo AFC exposure in rats. Methods: For in vitro studies, rat primary AM cultures were incubated with various concentrations of AFC for 24 h at 37 C. AM-conditioned medium was collected and assayed for lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) as a marker of cytotoxicity. Tumor necrosis factor-{alpha} (TNF-{alpha}) and interleukin-1 (IL-1) production were assayed in AM-conditioned medium to monitor AM function. The effect of AFC on chemiluminescence (CL) generated by resting AM or AM in response to zymosan or PMA stimulation was also determined as a marker of AM activity. For in vivo studies, rats received either (1) a single intratracheal (IT) instillation of saline, or 0.1 mg or 0.5 mg AFC and were killed 1 or 3 days later; or (2) IT instillation of saline, or 0.1, 0.5, or 2 mg AFC for three consecutive days and were killed the following day. Differential counts of cells harvested by bronchoalveolar lavage were measured to monitor inflammation. Acellular LDH and protein content in the first lavage fluid were measured to monitor damage. CL generation, TNF-{alpha} and IL-1 production by AM were assayed to monitor AM function. Results: In vitro AFC exposure at <200 {mu}g/ml did not induce cytotoxicity, oxidant generation, or IL-1 production by AM, but it did cause a small but significant increase in TNF-{alpha} release from AM. In vitro exposure of AM to AFC resulted in a significant decline of CL in response to zymosan or PMA stimulation. The in vivo studies showed that AFC exposure did not induce significant neutrophil infiltration or alter LDH or protein content in acellular lavage samples. Macrophages obtained from AFC-exposed rats did not show significant differences in oxidant production or cytokine secretion at rest or in response to LPS in comparison with control

  11. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and occupational exposure to silica.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rushton, Lesley

    2007-01-01

    Prolonged exposure to high levels of silica has long been known to cause silicosis This paper evaluates the evidence for an increased risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in occupations and industries in which exposure to crystalline silica is the primary exposure, with a focus on the magnitude of risks and levels of exposure causing disabling health effects. The literature suggests consistently elevated risks of developing COPD associated with silica exposure in several occupations, including the construction industry; tunneling; cement industry; brick manufacturing; pottery and ceramic work; silica sand, granite and diatomaceous earth industries; gold mining; and iron and steel founding, with risk estimates being high in some, even after taking into account the effect of confounders like smoking. Average dust levels vary from about 0.5 mg.m3 to over 10 mg.m3 and average silica levels from 0.04 to over 5 mg.m3, often well above occupational standards. Factors influencing the variation from industry to industry in risks associated with exposure to silica-containing dusts include (a) the presence of other minerals in the dust, particularly when associated with clay minerals; (b) the size of the particles and percentage of quartz; (c) the physicochemical characteristics, such as whether the dust is freshly fractured. Longitudinal studies suggest that loss of lung function occurs with exposure to silica dust at concentrations of between 0.1 and 0.2 mg.m3, and that the effect of cumulative silica dust exposure on airflow obstruction is independent of silicosis. Nevertheless, a disabling loss of lung function in the absence of silicosis would not occur until between 30 and 40 years exposure.

  12. Primary genotoxicity in the liver following pulmonary exposure to carbon black nanoparticles in mice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Modrzynska, Justyna; Berthing, Trine; Ravn-Haren, Gitte

    2018-01-01

    Background Little is known about the mechanism underlying the genotoxicity observed in the liver following pulmonary exposure to carbon black (CB) nanoparticles (NPs). The genotoxicity could be caused by the presence of translocated particles or by circulating inflammatory mediators released during...

  13. Ozone exposure and pulmonary effects in panel and human clinical studies: Considerations for design and interpretation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rohr, Annette C

    2018-04-01

    A wealth of literature exists regarding the pulmonary effects of ozone, a photochemical pollutant produced by the reaction of nitrogen oxide and volatile organic precursors in the presence of sunlight. This paper focuses on epidemiological panel studies and human clinical studies of ozone exposure, and discusses issues specific to this pollutant that may influence study design and interpretation as well as other, broader considerations relevant to ozone-health research. The issues are discussed using examples drawn from the wider literature. The recent panel and clinical literature is also reviewed. Health outcomes considered include lung function, symptoms, and pulmonary inflammation. Issues discussed include adversity, reversibility, adaptation, variability in ozone exposure metric used and health outcomes evaluated, co-pollutants in panel studies, influence of temperature in panel studies, and multiple comparisons. Improvements in and standardization of panel study approaches are recommended to facilitate comparisons between studies as well as meta-analyses. Additional clinical studies at or near the current National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) of 70 ppb are recommended, as are clinical studies in sensitive subpopulations such as asthmatics. The pulmonary health impacts of ozone exposure have been well documented using both epidemiological and chamber study designs. However, there are a number of specific methodological and related issues that should be considered when interpreting the results of these studies and planning additional research, including the standardization of exposure and health metrics to facilitate comparisons among studies.

  14. Raw milk consumption and other early-life farm exposures and adult pulmonary function in the Agricultural Lung Health Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wyss, Annah B; House, John S; Hoppin, Jane A; Richards, Marie; Hankinson, John L; Long, Stuart; Henneberger, Paul K; Beane Freeman, Laura E; Sandler, Dale P; O'Connell, Elizabeth Long; Cummings, Christie Barker; Umbach, David M; London, Stephanie J

    2018-03-01

    Literature suggests that early exposure to the farming environment protects against atopy and asthma; few studies have examined pulmonary function. We evaluated associations between early-life farming exposures and pulmonary function in 3061 adults (mean age=63) from a US farming population using linear regression. Childhood raw milk consumption was associated with higher FEV 1 (β=49.5 mL, 95% CI 2.8 to 96.1 mL, p=0.04) and FVC (β=66.2 mL, 95% CI 13.2 to 119.1 mL, p=0.01). We did not find appreciable associations with other early-life farming exposures. We report a novel association between raw milk consumption and higher pulmonary function that lasts into older adulthood. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  15. Experimental nickel-induced pulmonary lesions in nonhuman primates: Histologic and ultrastructural analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haley, P.J.; Bice, D.E.; Muggenburg, B.A.; Hahn, F.F.

    1988-01-01

    The histologic and ultrastructural alterations of lung were evaluated in cynomolgus monkeys instilled with nickel subsulfide (Ni 3 S 2 ) at a final dose of 0.06 μmol/g lung with and without repeated intrapulmonary exposure to sheep red blood cells (SRBC). individual lung lobes were exposed to nickel alone, SRBC alone, or nickel and SRBC together. Lesions were found in nickel-exposed lobes only, regardless of exposure to SRBC. Lesions were more developed at 14 days than at 21 days after exposure to nickel, and were characterized by multifocal perivascular and peribronchiolar lymphocytic infiltrates along with microgranuloma formation, occasional fibrosis and moderate type II epithelial cell hyperplasia. Microgranulomas consisted of either central histiocytic cores surrounded by lymphocytic mantles or dense aggregates of epithelioid cells forming irregular interstitial nodules. Tracheobronchial lymph nodes had marked reactive hyperplasia of cortical and paracortical zones. Ultrastructural analysis of lung lesions revealed numerous well-differentiated lymphocytes intermixed with macrophages, in a background of mature collagen bundles. Cell associated particles were evaluated by energy dispersive microanalysis and found to consist of nickel and sulfur. These lesions appeared to be distinct from pneumoconiotic lesions induced by inert dusts and had histologic qualities compatible with immune-mediated phenomena. Because nickel compounds stimulate strong humoral and cellular immune responses in man, we conclude that pulmonary exposure of nonhuman primates to nickel compounds may provide information useful in delineating Immune mediated pulmonary disorders of man. (author)

  16. CT of diffuse pulmonary diseases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Itoh, Harumi; Murata, Kiyoshi; Todo, Giro

    1987-01-01

    While the theory of chest radiographic interpretation in diagnosing diffuse pulmonary diseases has not yet been established, X-ray computed tomography (CT), having intrinsic high contrast resolution and improved spatial resolution, has proved to offer important imformation concerning the location and invasion of diffuse pulmonary lesions. This study related to CT-pathologic correlation, focusing on perivascular interstitial space and secondary pulmonary lobule at macroscopic levels. The perivascular interstitial space was thickened as a result of the infiltration of cancer, granulomas, and inflammatory cells. This finding appeared as irregular contour of the blood vessel on CT. Centrilobular nodules were distributed at the tip of the bronchus or pulmonary artery on CT. The distance from the terminal and respiratory bronchioles to the lobular border was 2 to 3 mm. Lobular lesions were delineated as clear margin on CT. Contribution of these CT features to chest radiographic interpretation must await further studies. (Namekawa, K.)

  17. Pulmonary function, respiratory symptoms, and dust exposures among workers engaged in early manufacturing processes of tea: a cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shieh, Tzong-Shiun; Chung, Jui-Jung; Wang, Chung-Jing; Tsai, Perng-Jy; Kuo, Yau-Chang; Guo, How-Ran

    2012-02-13

    To evaluate pulmonary function and respiratory symptoms in workers engaged in the early manufacturing processes of tea and to identify the associated factors, we conducted a study in a tea production area in Taiwan. We recruited tea workers who engaged in the early manufacturing process in the Mountain Ali area in Taiwan and a comparison group of local office workers who were matched for age, gender, and smoking habits. We performed questionnaire interviews, pulmonary function tests, skin prick tests, and measurement of specific IgE for tea on the participants and assessed tea dust exposures in the tea factories. The 91 participating tea workers had higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms than the comparison group (32 participants). Among tea workers, ball-rolling workers had the highest prevalence of symptoms and the highest exposures of inhalable dusts. At baseline, tea workers had similar pulmonary functions as the comparison group, but compared to the other tea workers ball-rolling workers had a lower ratio of the 1-second forced expiratory volume to forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) and a lower maximal mid-expiratory flow rate expressed as% of the predicted value--MMF (%pred). A total of 58 tea workers participated in the on-site investigation and the cross-shift lung function measurements. We found ball-rolling yielded the highest inhalable dust level, panning yielded the highest respirable dust level, and withering yielded the lowest levels of both dusts. Ball-rolling also yielded the highest coarse fraction (defined as inhalable dusts minus respirable dusts), which represented exposures from nose to tracheobronchial tract. During the shift, we observed significant declines in pulmonary function, especially in ball-rolling workers. Multiple regressions showed that age, height, work tasks, coarse fraction, and number of months working in tea manufacturing each year were independent predictors of certain pulmonary function parameters in tea workers. Tea

  18. Murine pulmonary responses after sub-chronic exposure to aluminum oxide-based nanowhiskers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adamcakova-Dodd Andrea

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Aluminum oxide-based nanowhiskers (AO nanowhiskers have been used in manufacturing processes as catalyst supports, flame retardants, adsorbents, or in ceramic, metal and plastic composite materials. They are classified as high aspect ratio nanomaterials. Our aim was to assess in vivo toxicity of inhaled AO nanowhisker aerosols. Methods Primary dimensions of AO nanowhiskers specified by manufacturer were 2–4 nm x 2800 nm. The aluminum content found in this nanomaterial was 30% [mixed phase material containing Al(OH3 and AlOOH]. Male mice (C57Bl/6 J were exposed to AO nanowhiskers for 4 hrs/day, 5 days/wk for 2 or 4 wks in a dynamic whole body exposure chamber. The whiskers were aerosolized with an acoustical dry aerosol generator that included a grounded metal elutriator and a venturi aspirator to enhance deagglomeration. Average concentration of aerosol in the chamber was 3.3 ± 0.6 mg/m3 and the mobility diameter was 150 ± 1.6 nm. Both groups of mice (2 or 4 wks exposure were necropsied immediately after the last exposure. Aluminum content in the lung, heart, liver, and spleen was determined. Pulmonary toxicity assessment was performed by evaluation of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL fluid (enumeration of total and differential cells, total protein, activity of lactate dehydrogenase [LDH] and cytokines, blood (total and differential cell counts, lung histopathology and pulmonary mechanics. Results Following exposure, mean Al content of lungs was 0.25, 8.10 and 15.37 μg/g lung (dry wt respectively for sham, 2 wk and 4 wk exposure groups. The number of total cells and macrophages in BAL fluid was 2-times higher in animals exposed for 2 wks and 6-times higher in mice exposed for 4 wks, compared to shams (p p  Conclusions Sub-chronic inhalation exposures to aluminum-oxide based nanowhiskers induced increased lung macrophages, but no inflammatory or toxic responses were observed.

  19. Secondhand tobacco smoke exposure and pulmonary function: a cross-sectional study among non-smoking employees of bar and restaurants in Santiago, Chile.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parro, Javiera; Aceituno, Paulina; Droppelmann, Andrea; Mesías, Sthepanie; Muñoz, Claudio; Marchetti, Nella; Iglesias, Verónica

    2017-10-06

    The workplace remains a significant source of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure. This pollutant is known to be associated with respiratory and cardiovascular problems, but its effects on specific pulmonary function parameters remain largely unexplored. The objectives of this study were to measure SHS exposure among non-smoking employees of bar and restaurants in Santiago, Chile and to evaluate the effects of such exposure on pulmonary function. Cross-sectional design. The study sample included non-smoking workers from 57 restaurants and bars in Santiago, Chile. The outcome variable was pulmonary function and the exposure variables were urine cotinine concentration, a biomarker for current SHS exposure, and years of SHS exposure in the workplace as proxy of chronic exposure. Personal and occupational variables were also recorded. Data analysis was performed using linear regression models adjusted by confounders. The median age of the workers was 35 years and the median employment duration at the analysed venues was 1 year. Workers in smoking facilities reported greater SHS exposure (36 hours per week) than workers in smoke-free locations (4 hours per week). Urine cotinine levels were inversely correlated with forced vital capacity, but the finding was not statistically significant (β=-0.0002; 95% CI -0.007 to 0.006). Years of exposure to SHS showed to be significantly associated with forced expiratory flow 25/75 (β=-0.006; 95% CI -0.010 to -0.0004). These findings suggest that cumulative exposure to SHS at work may contribute to deterioration of pulmonary function in non-smoking employees. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  20. In utero exposure to antidepressants and the use of drugs for pulmonary diseases in children

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    ter Horst, P. G. J.; Bos, H. J.; de Jong-van de Berg, L. T. W.; Wilffert, B.

    Purpose The use of antidepressants during pregnancy is common. Some studies suggest an association between in utero exposure to antidepressants and the occurrence of pulmonary diseases like asthma later in life. Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) as well tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are

  1. Pulmonary Ozone Exposure Alters Essential Metabolic Pathways involved in Glucose Homeostasis in the Liver

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pulmonary Ozone Exposure Alters Essential Metabolic Pathways involved in Glucose Homeostasis in the Liver D.B. Johnson, 1 W.O. Ward, 2 V.L. Bass, 2 M.C.J. Schladweiler, 2A.D. Ledbetter, 2 D. Andrews, and U.P. Kodavanti 2 1 Curriculum in Toxicology, UNC School of Medicine, Cha...

  2. Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: diagnostic impact of multislice-CT and selective pulmonary-DSA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pitton, M.B.; Kemmerich, G.; Herber, S.; Schweden, F.; Thelen, M.; Mayer, E.

    2002-01-01

    Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic impact of multislice-CT and selective pulmonary DSA in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). Methods: 994 vessel segments of 14 consecutive patients with CTEPH were investigated with multislice-CT (slice thickness 3 mm, collimation 2.5 mm, reconstruction intervall 2 mm) and selective pulmonary DSA posterior-anterior, 45 oblique, and lateral projection. Analysis was performed by 2 investigators independently for CT and DSA. Diagnostic criteria were occlusions and non-occlusive changes like webs and bands, irregularities of the vessel wall, diameter reduction and thromboembolic depositions at different levels from central pulmonary arteries to subsegmental arteries. Reference diagnosis was made by synopsis of CT and DSA by consensus. Results: Concerning patency CT and DSA showed concordant findings overall in 88.9%, 92.9% for segmental arteries and 85.4% for subsegmental arteries. Concerning any thromboembolic changes, multislice-CT was significantly inferior to selective DSA (concordance 67.0% overall, 70.4% for segments and 63.6% for subsegments). Non-occlusive changes of the vessels were significantly underdiagnosed by CT (concordance of CT versus DSA: 23.1%). Conclusion: Multislice-CT and selective pulmonary DSA are equivalent for diagnosis of vessel occlusions at the level of segmental and subsegmental arteries. However, for visualisation of the non-occlusive thromboembolic changes of the vessel wall selective pulmonary DSA is still superior compared to multislice-CT. Multislice-CT and selective pulmonary DSA are complementary tools for diagnosis and treatment planning of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). (orig.) [de

  3. Cardiovascular health effects of oral and pulmonary exposure to multi-walled carbon nanotubes in ApoE-deficient mice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christophersen, Daniel V.; Jacobsen, Nicklas R.; Andersen, Maria H. G.

    2016-01-01

    or pulmonary exposures to MWCNTs (4 or 40μg each week) in Apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-/-) mice fed a Western-type diet. Intratracheal instillation of MWCNTs was associated with oxidative damage to DNA in lung tissue and elevated levels of lipid peroxidation products in plasma, whereas the exposure only...

  4. Pulmonary capillary recruitment in response to hypoxia in healthy humans: a possible role for hypoxic pulmonary venoconstriction?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Taylor, Bryan J; Kjaergaard, Jesper; Snyder, Eric M

    2011-01-01

    We examined mechanisms by which hypoxia may elicit pulmonary capillary recruitment in humans. On separate occasions, twenty-five healthy adults underwent exposure to intravenous saline infusion (30 ml/kg ∼ 15 min) or 17-h normobaric hypoxia ( [FIO2 = 12.5%). Cardiac output (Q) and pulmonary...... capillary blood volume (Vc) were measured before and after saline infusion and hypoxic-exposure by a rebreathing method. Pulmonary artery systolic pressure (sPpa) and left ventricular (LV) diastolic function were assessed before and after hypoxic-exposure via echocardiography. Saline infusion increased Q......Ppa and LV diastolic function. In conclusion, hypoxia-induced pulmonary capillary recruitment in humans is only partly accounted for by changes in Q, sPpa and LV diastolic function. We speculate that hypoxic pulmonary venoconstriction may play a role in such recruitment....

  5. A correlative study of CT findings and pulmonary function in patients with pulmonary involvement during the active phase of rheumatoid arthritis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu Xiaolei; Xu Defu

    2006-01-01

    Objective: It is a correlative study of CT findings and pulmonary function in patients with pulmonary involvement during the active phase of rheumatoid arthritis. Methods: The CT images of 28 cases of pulmonary involvement during the active phase of rheumatoid arthritis were retrospectively analyzed. The pulmonary abnormalities revealed on CT images including distribution and extend of the lesions were quantitatively analyzed and scored. The correlation of CT scores with the results of pulmonary function tests was compared statistically. Results: Interlobular septa thickening was shown in 16 cases; ground-glass opacification was revealed in 14 cases; irregular lines were found in 11 cases; bronchiolectasis was noted in 7 cases; micro nodules were demonstrated in 4 cases; and honey combing alteration was visualized in 3 cases. The abnormality most frequent seen on CT images was reticular shadow and ground-glass opacification. CT visual score had a negative correlation with pulmonary function. Conclusion: CT visual score provides quantitative evaluation of the pulmonary involvement during the active phase of rheumatoid arthritis, and also indicates the pulmonary function and prognosis as well. (authors)

  6. The normal squamocolumnar junction is circumferentially even and minimal irregularities are manifestations of gastroesophageal acid reflux.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guerrero Garcia Hall, Mats; Wenner, Jörgen; Öberg, Stefan

    2017-03-01

    The macroscopic appearance of the normal squamocolumnar junction (SCJ) is often described as serrated with short projections of columnar mucosa that extend into the esophagus. As studies of the normal SCJ are sparse, the aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the normal SCJ is even and that irregularities are manifestations of acid reflux. Fifty asymptomatic subjects and 149 patients with symptoms suggestive of gastroesophageal reflux disease underwent endoscopy and 48-h pH monitoring with a pH electrode positioned immediately above the SCJ. The shape of the SCJ was assessed according to the Z-line appearance classification and correlated with clinical characteristics and the degree of esophageal acid exposure in the most distal esophagus. Even SCJs without irregularities were significantly more common in asymptomatic subjects compared with patients (50% versus 10%, p acid exposure in individuals with an even SCJ was within normal limits. With increasing degree of irregularity of the SCJ, the frequency and duration of reflux episodes, the degree of distal esophageal acid exposure, and the prevalence of abnormal acid exposure increased progressively and significantly. The shape of the normal SCJ is even and also minimal irregularities are a consequence of acid reflux, likely due to the formation of small areas of metaplastic columnar mucosa.

  7. Pulmonary exposure of mice to engineered pseudomonads influences intestinal microbiota populations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    George, S.E.; Kohan, M.J.; Creason, J.P.; Claxton, L.D. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States). Health Effects Research Lab.)

    1993-09-01

    In this study, a mouse model was used to evaluate indirect effects of pulmonary exposure to representative biotechnology agents (Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain AC869 and Pseudomonas cepacia strain AC1100) selected for their ability to degrade hazardous chemicals. CD-1[reg sign] mice were challenged intranasally with approximately 10[sup 3] or 10[sup 7] colony-forming units (cfu) of strain AC869 or 10[sup 8] cfu of strain AC1100. At time intervals, clearance of the microorganisms and effects on resident microbiota were determined. When the low (10[sup 3] cfu) dose was administered, strain AC869 was not recovered from the small intestine but was detectable in the cecum and lungs 3 h after treatment and persisted in the nasal cavity intermittently for 14 d. Treatment of animals with 10[sup 7] cfu of strain AC869 resulted in detection 14 d following treatment. Strain AC869 challenge modified the small intestinal anaerobe count and cecal obligately anaerobic gram-negative rods (OAGNR) and lactobacilli. Following exposure, Pseudomonas cepacia strain AC1100 persisted in the lungs for 7 d and was recovered from the small intestine, cecum, and nasal cavity 2 d following treatment. Strain AC1100 treatment impacted the small intestinal anaerobe count, OAGNR counts, and reduced lactobacilli numbers. Strain AC1100 also altered the cecal OAGNR and lactobacilli. Therefore, pulmonary treatment of mice with Pseudomonas aeruginosa or cepacia affects the balance of the protective intestinal microbiota, which may cause further negative health effects.

  8. Evaluation of Pulmonary and Systemic Toxicity of Oil Dispersant (COREXIT EC9500A following Acute Repeated Inhalation Exposure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jenny R. Roberts

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction Oil spill cleanup workers come into contact with numerous potentially hazardous chemicals derived from the oil spills, as well as chemicals applied for mitigation of the spill, including oil dispersants. In response to the Deepwater Horizon Macondo well oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, a record volume of the oil dispersant, COREXIT EC9500A, was delivered via aerial applications, raising concern regarding potential health effects that may result from pulmonary exposure to the dispersant. Methods The current study examined the effects on pulmonary functions, cardiovascular functions, and systemic immune responses in rats to acute repeated inhalation exposure of COREXIT EC9500A at 25 mg/m 3 , five hours per day, over nine work days, or filtered air (control. At one and seven days following the last exposure, a battery of parameters was measured to evaluate lung function, injury, and inflammation; cardiovascular function; peripheral vascular responses; and systemic immune responses. Results No significant alterations in airway reactivity were observed at one or seven days after exposure either in baseline values or following metha-choline (MCh inhalation challenge. Although there was a trend for an increase in lung neutrophils and phagocyte oxidant production at one-day post exposure, there were no significant differences in parameters of lung inflammation. In addition, increased blood monocytes and neutrophils, and decreased lymphocyte numbers at one-day post exposure also did not differ significantly from air controls, and no alterations in splenocyte populations, or serum or spleen immunoglobulin M (IgM to antigen were observed. There were no significant differences in peripheral vascular responsiveness to vasoconstrictor and vasodilator agonists or in blood pressure (BP responses to these agents; however, the baseline heart rate (HR and HR responses to isoproterenol (ISO were significantly elevated at one-day post exposure

  9. Exposure to nickel oxide nanoparticles induces pulmonary inflammation through NLRP3 inflammasome activation in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Zhengwang; Fang, Yiliang; Lu, Yonghui; Qian, Fenghua; Ma, Qinglong; He, Mingdi; Pi, Huifeng; Yu, Zhengping; Zhou, Zhou

    2016-01-01

    With recent advances in the manufacture and application of nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiONPs), concerns about their adverse effects on the respiratory system are increasing. However, the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms of NiONP-induced pulmonary toxicity remain unclear. In this study, we focused on the impacts of NiONPs on pulmonary inflammation and investigated whether the NLRP3 inflammasome is involved in NiONP-induced pulmonary inflammation and injury. NiONP suspensions were administered by single intratracheal instillation to rats, and inflammatory responses were evaluated at 3 days, 7 days, or 28 days after treatment. NiONP exposure resulted in sustained pulmonary inflammation accompanied by inflammatory cell infiltration, alveolar proteinosis, and cytokine secretion. Expression of Nlrp3 was markedly upregulated by the NiONPs, which was accompanied by overexpression of the active form of caspase-1 (p20) and interleukin (IL)-1β secretion in vivo. NiONP-induced IL-1β secretion was partially prevented by co-treatment with a caspase-1 inhibitor in macrophages. Moreover, siRNA-mediated Nlrp3 knockdown completely attenuated NiONP-induced cytokine release and caspase-1 activity in macrophages in vitro. In addition, NiONP-induced NLRP3 inflammasome activation requires particle uptake and reactive oxygen species production. Collectively, our findings suggest that the NLRP3 inflammasome participates in NiONP-induced pulmonary inflammation and offer new strategies to combat the pulmonary toxicity induced by NiONPs.

  10. Comparative effects of pulmonary and parenteral Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol exposure on extinction of opiate-induced conditioned aversion in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manwell, Laurie A; Mallet, Paul E

    2015-05-01

    Evidence suggesting that the endogenous cannabinoid (eCB) system can be manipulated to facilitate or impair extinction of learned behaviours has important consequences for opiate withdrawal and abstinence. We demonstrated that the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) inhibitor URB597, which increases eCB levels, facilitates extinction of a naloxone-precipitated morphine withdrawal-induced conditioned place aversion (CPA). The potential of the exogenous CB1 ligand, Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ(9)-THC), to facilitate extinction of this CPA was tested. Effects of both pulmonary and parenteral Δ(9)-THC exposure were evaluated using comparable doses previously determined. Rats trained to associate a naloxone-precipitated morphine withdrawal with a floor cue were administered Δ(9)-THC-pulmonary (1, 5, 10 mg vapour inhalation) or parenteral (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 mg/kg intraperitoneal injection)-prior to each of 20 to 28 extinction/testing trials. Vapourized Δ(9)-THC facilitated extinction of the CPA in a dose- and time-dependent manner: 5 and 10 mg facilitated extinction compared to vehicle and 1 mg Δ(9)-THC. Injected Δ(9)-THC significantly impaired extinction only for the 1.0-mg/kg dose: it prolonged the CPA fourfold longer than the vehicle and 0.5- and 1.5-mg/kg doses. These data suggest that both dose and route of Δ(9)-THC administration have important consequences for its pharmacokinetic and behavioural effects; specifically, pulmonary exposure at higher doses facilitates, whereas pulmonary and parenteral exposure at lower doses impairs, rates of extinction learning for CPA. Pulmonary-administered Δ(9)-THC may prove beneficial for potentiation of extinction learning for aversive memories, such as those supporting drug-craving/seeking in opiate withdrawal syndrome, and other causes of conditioned aversions, such as illness and stress.

  11. Irregular Applications: Architectures & Algorithms

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Feo, John T.; Villa, Oreste; Tumeo, Antonino; Secchi, Simone

    2012-02-06

    Irregular applications are characterized by irregular data structures, control and communication patterns. Novel irregular high performance applications which deal with large data sets and require have recently appeared. Unfortunately, current high performance systems and software infrastructures executes irregular algorithms poorly. Only coordinated efforts by end user, area specialists and computer scientists that consider both the architecture and the software stack may be able to provide solutions to the challenges of modern irregular applications.

  12. Exposure to ultrafine carbon particles at levels below detectable pulmonary inflammation affects cardiovascular performance in spontaneously hypertensive rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bader Michael

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Exposure to particulate matter is a risk factor for cardiopulmonary disease but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. In the present study we sought to investigate the cardiopulmonary responses on spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs following inhalation of UfCPs (24 h, 172 μg·m-3, to assess whether compromised animals (SHR exhibit a different response pattern compared to the previously studied healthy rats (WKY. Methods Cardiophysiological response in SHRs was analyzed using radiotelemetry. Blood pressure (BP and its biomarkers plasma renin-angiotensin system were also assessed. Lung and cardiac mRNA expressions for markers of oxidative stress (hemeoxygenase-1, blood coagulation (tissue factor, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, and endothelial function (endothelin-1, and endothelin receptors A and B were analyzed following UfCPs exposure in SHRs. UfCPs-mediated inflammatory responses were assessed from broncho-alveolar-lavage fluid (BALF. Results Increased BP and heart rate (HR by about 5% with a lag of 1–3 days were detected in UfCPs exposed SHRs. Inflammatory markers of BALF, lung (pulmonary and blood (systemic were not affected. However, mRNA expression of hemeoxygenase-1, endothelin-1, endothelin receptors A and B, tissue factor, and plasminogen activator inhibitor showed a significant induction (~2.5-fold; p Conclusion Our finding shows that UfCPs exposure at levels which does not induce detectable pulmonary neutrophilic inflammation, triggers distinct effects in the lung and also at the systemic level in compromised SHRs. These effects are characterized by increased activity of plasma renin-angiotensin system and circulating white blood cells together with moderate increases in the BP, HR and decreases in heart rate variability. This systemic effect is associated with pulmonary, but not cardiac, mRNA induction of biomarkers reflective of oxidative stress; activation of vasoconstriction

  13. Multi-walled carbon nanotube-physicochemical properties predict the systemic acute phase response following pulmonary exposure in mice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Poulsen, Sarah Søs; Knudsen, Kristina Bram; Jackson, Petra

    2017-01-01

    of acute phase proteins to the blood. We identified physicochemical determinants of MWCNT-induced systemic acute phase response by analyzing effects of pulmonary exposure to 14 commercial, well-characterized MWCNTs in female C57BLI6J mice pulmonary exposed to 0, 6, 18 or 54 lag MWCNT/mouse. Plasma levels...... of acute phase response proteins serum amyloid A1/2 (SAA1/2) and SAA3 were determined on day 1, 28 or 92. Expression levels of hepatic Saal and pulmonary Saa3 mRNA levels were assessed to determine the origin of the acute phase response proteins. Pulmonary Saa3 mRNA expression levels were greater...... limited changes were observed on day 28 and 92. SAA1/2 and SAA3 protein levels did not correlate and only SAA3 protein levels correlated with neutrophil influx. The multiple regression analyses revealed a protective effect of MWCNT length on SAA1/2 protein level on day 1, such that a longer length...

  14. Pulmonary toxicity after exposure to military-relevant heavy metal tungsten alloy particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roedel, Erik Q.; Cafasso, Danielle E.; Lee, Karen W.M.; Pierce, Lisa M.

    2012-01-01

    Significant controversy over the environmental and public health impact of depleted uranium use in the Gulf War and the war in the Balkans has prompted the investigation and use of other materials including heavy metal tungsten alloys (HMTAs) as nontoxic alternatives. Interest in the health effects of HMTAs has peaked since the recent discovery that rats intramuscularly implanted with pellets containing 91.1% tungsten/6% nickel/2.9% cobalt rapidly developed aggressive metastatic tumors at the implantation site. Very little is known, however, regarding the cellular and molecular mechanisms associated with the effects of inhalation exposure to HMTAs despite the recognized risk of this route of exposure to military personnel. In the current study military-relevant metal powder mixtures consisting of 92% tungsten/5% nickel/3% cobalt (WNiCo) and 92% tungsten/5% nickel/3% iron (WNiFe), pure metals, or vehicle (saline) were instilled intratracheally in rats. Pulmonary toxicity was assessed by cytologic analysis, lactate dehydrogenase activity, albumin content, and inflammatory cytokine levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid 24 h after instillation. The expression of 84 stress and toxicity-related genes was profiled in lung tissue and bronchoalveolar lavage cells using real-time quantitative PCR arrays, and in vitro assays were performed to measure the oxidative burst response and phagocytosis by lung macrophages. Results from this study determined that exposure to WNiCo and WNiFe induces pulmonary inflammation and altered expression of genes associated with oxidative and metabolic stress and toxicity. Inhalation exposure to both HMTAs likely causes lung injury by inducing macrophage activation, neutrophilia, and the generation of toxic oxygen radicals. -- Highlights: ► Intratracheal instillation of W–Ni–Co and W–Ni–Fe induces lung inflammation in rats. ► W–Ni–Co and W–Ni–Fe alter expression of oxidative stress and toxicity genes. ► W

  15. Evaluation of Pulmonary and Systemic Toxicity of Oil Dispersant (COREXIT EC9500A(®)) Following Acute Repeated Inhalation Exposure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roberts, Jenny R; Anderson, Stacey E; Kan, Hong; Krajnak, Kristine; Thompson, Janet A; Kenyon, Allison; Goldsmith, William T; McKinney, Walter; Frazer, David G; Jackson, Mark; Fedan, Jeffrey S

    2014-01-01

    Oil spill cleanup workers come into contact with numerous potentially hazardous chemicals derived from the oil spills, as well as chemicals applied for mitigation of the spill, including oil dispersants. In response to the Deepwater Horizon Macondo well oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, a record volume of the oil dispersant, COREXIT EC9500A, was delivered via aerial applications, raising concern regarding potential health effects that may result from pulmonary exposure to the dispersant. The current study examined the effects on pulmonary functions, cardiovascular functions, and systemic immune responses in rats to acute repeated inhalation exposure of COREXIT EC9500A at 25 mg/m(3), five hours per day, over nine work days, or filtered air (control). At one and seven days following the last exposure, a battery of parameters was measured to evaluate lung function, injury, and inflammation; cardiovascular function; peripheral vascular responses; and systemic immune responses. No significant alterations in airway reactivity were observed at one or seven days after exposure either in baseline values or following methacholine (MCh) inhalation challenge. Although there was a trend for an increase in lung neutrophils and phagocyte oxidant production at one-day post exposure, there were no significant differences in parameters of lung inflammation. In addition, increased blood monocytes and neutrophils, and decreased lymphocyte numbers at one-day post exposure also did not differ significantly from air controls, and no alterations in splenocyte populations, or serum or spleen immunoglobulin M (IgM) to antigen were observed. There were no significant differences in peripheral vascular responsiveness to vasoconstrictor and vasodilator agonists or in blood pressure (BP) responses to these agents; however, the baseline heart rate (HR) and HR responses to isoproterenol (ISO) were significantly elevated at one-day post exposure, with resolution by day 7. In summary, acute

  16. Pulmonary Toxicity and Modifications in Iron Homeostasis Following Libby Amphibole Asbestos Exposure in Rat Models of Cardiovascular Disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rationale: Individuals suffering from cardiovascular disease (CVD) develop iron dysregulation which may influence pulmonary toxicity and injury upon exposure to asbestos. We hypothesized spontaneously hypertensive (SH) and spontaneously hypertensive heart failure (SHHF) rats woul...

  17. Effects of exposure to flour dust on respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function of mill workers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hamdy A. Mohammadien

    2013-10-01

    Conclusion: Flour mill workers in Sohag Governorate, like grain workers elsewhere, were at an increased risk of developing pulmonary symptoms, a strong association exists between exposure to flour dust and the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and functional impairments of the lungs. The result has implications for improved dust control measures in the grain industry in Egypt.

  18. Pulmonary Talcosis in an Immunocompromised Patient

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thanh-Phuong Nguyen

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The first case of pulmonary talcosis or talc pneumoconiosis related to inhalation of talc during its extraction and processing in mines was described by Thorel in 1896. Pulmonary talcosis is most commonly seen secondary to occupational exposure or intravenous (IV drug abuse and, occasionally, in excessive use of cosmetic talc. Based on literature review, there has been an increase in reported incidents of pulmonary talcosis due to various forms of exposure to the mineral. We report an 82-year-old man who is diagnosed with Philadelphia chromosome positive pre-B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL treated with palliative imatinib who presented with chronic hemoptysis and dyspnea shortly after his diagnosis. His symptoms were initially thought to be due to an infectious etiology due to his malignancy, immunocompromised state, and radiographic findings until high-resolution computerized tomographic (HRCT findings showed a diffuse pulmonary fibrosis picture that prompted further questioning and a more thorough history inquiry on his exposure to causative agents of interstitial lung disease. Very often, patients do not recognize their exposure, especially in those whose exposure is unrelated to their occupation. Our case emphasizes the need for thorough and careful history taking of occupational and nonoccupational exposure to known causative agents of interstitial lung disease.

  19. Diagnosis of secondary pulmonary lymphangiectasia in congenital heart disease: a novel role for chest ultrasound and prognostic implications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lam, Christopher Z; Bhamare, Tanmay Anant; Gazzaz, Tamadhir; Manson, David; Humpl, Tilman; Seed, Mike

    2017-10-01

    Secondary pulmonary lymphangiectasia is a complication of congenital heart disease that results from chronic pulmonary venous obstruction. We aimed to evaluate the performance of chest ultrasound (US) in diagnosing secondary pulmonary lymphangiectasia and to review the clinical course of children with secondary pulmonary lymphangiectasia. Chest US was performed on 26 children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, total anomalous pulmonary venous connection or cor triatriatum in a prospective observational study. Thirteen children had pulmonary venous obstruction (62% male; median age: 17 days old, range: 1-430 days old) and 13 children did not have obstruction (62% male; median age: 72 days old, range: 4-333 days old). US features of secondary pulmonary lymphangiectasia were documented and diagnostic performance was determined. Clinical course of patients with secondary pulmonary lymphangiectasia was reviewed. Eleven of 13 (84.6%) patients in the obstructed group had a clinical and/or biopsy diagnosis of secondary pulmonary lymphangiectasia. Statistically significant chest US criteria for diagnosis were presence of irregular lung surface (likelihood ratio [LR] 6.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.9-25.1), subpleural cystic appearing structures (LR 3.6, 95% CI 1.2-10.7), and combination of subpleural cystic appearing structures and surface irregularity together (LR 10.9, 95% CI 1.6-75.0). Seven of 11 (63.6%) patients with secondary pulmonary lymphangiectasia died during follow-up, the majority due to cardiopulmonary failure or complications. Chest US is an accurate and reproducible bedside method for diagnosing secondary pulmonary lymphangiectasia in patients with pulmonary venous obstruction. These patients may have worse prognoses.

  20. Occupational exposure and risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alif, Sheikh M; Dharmage, Shyamali C; Bowatte, Gayan; Karahalios, Amalia; Benke, Geza; Dennekamp, Martine; Mehta, Amar J; Miedinger, David; Künzli, Nino; Probst-Hensch, Nicole; Matheson, Melanie C

    2016-08-01

    Due to contradictory literature we have performed a systematic review and meta-analyse of population-based studies that have used Job Exposure Matrices to assess occupational exposure and risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Two researchers independently searched databases for published articles using predefined inclusion criteria. Study quality was assessed, and results pooled for COPD and chronic bronchitis for exposure to biological dust, mineral dust, and gases/fumes using a fixed and random effect model. Five studies met predetermined inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis showed low exposure to mineral dust, and high exposure to gases/fumes were associated with an increased risk of COPD. We also found significantly increased the risk of chronic bronchitis for low and high exposure to biological dust and mineral dust. Expert commentary: The relationship between occupational exposure assessed by the JEM and the risk of COPD and chronic bronchitis shows significant association with occupational exposure. However, the heterogeneity of the meta-analyses suggests more wide population-based studies with older age groups and longitudinal phenotype assessment of COPD to clarify the role of occupational exposure to COPD risk.

  1. Bronchiolitis obliterans following exposure to sulfur mustard: chest high resolution computed tomography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ghanei, Mostafa E-mail: m.ghanei@bmsu.ac.ir; Mokhtari, Majid; Mohammad, Mehdi Mir; Aslani, Jafar

    2004-11-01

    Background: Pulmonary complications are known to occur in over half of the patients exposed to sulfur mustard (SM). Chemical weapons of mass destruction (WMD) including SM were used by Iraq during Iran-Iraq war between 1983 and 1989. We undertook this study to evaluate the chest high resolution computerized tomography (HRCT) as a diagnostic tool in patients with documented exposure to SM and chronic respiratory symptoms. Method: The medical records of 155 patients exposed to SM during Iran-Iraq war and suffered respiratory complications were reviewed. Chest HRCTs of these patients were examined. Ten healthy controls with no history of exposure to HD were matched for age, gender, and chest HRCT protocol applied. Results: Fifty chest HRCTs of these patients were randomly selected for this study. The most frequent findings were; air trapping 38 (76%), bronchiectasis 37 (74%), mosaic parenchymal attenuation (MPA) 36 (72%), irregular and dilated major airways 33 (66%) bronchial wall thickening (BWT) 45 (90%), and interlobular septal wall thickening (SWT) 13 (26%), respectively. Air trapping in one patient (10%) was the only positive finding in the control group. Conclusions: Chest HRCT findings of bronchiectasis, air trapping, MPA, SWT, and BWT were seen in our patients 15 years after exposure to HD. These findings suggest the diagnosis of bronchiolitis obliterans (BO). We did not encounter chest HRCT features consistent with pulmonary fibrosis.

  2. Repeated exposures to roadside particulate matter extracts suppresses pulmonary defense mechanisms, resulting in lipid and protein oxidative damage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pardo, Michal; Porat, Ziv; Rudich, Assaf; Schauer, James J.; Rudich, Yinon

    2016-01-01

    Exposure to particulate matter (PM) pollution in cities and urban canyons can be harmful to the exposed population. However, the underlying mechanisms that lead to health effects are not yet elucidated. It is postulated that exposure to repeated, small, environmentally relevant concentrations can affect lung homeostasis. This study examines the impact of repeated exposures to urban PM on mouse lungs with focus on inflammatory and oxidative stress parameters. Aqueous extracts from collected urban PM were administered to mice by 5 repeated intra-tracheal instillations (IT). Multiple exposures, led to an increase in cytokine levels in both bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and in the blood serum, indicating a systemic reaction. Lung mRNA levels of antioxidant/phase II detoxifying enzymes decreased by exposure to the PM extract, but not when metals were removed by chelation. Finally, disruption of lung tissue oxidant-inflammatory/defense balance was evidenced by increased levels of lipid and protein oxidation. Unlike response to a single IT exposure to the same dose and source of extract, multiple exposures result in lung oxidative damage and a systemic inflammatory reaction. These could be attributed to compromised capacity to activate the protective Nrf2 tissue defense system. It is suggested that water-soluble metals present in urban PM, potentially from break and tire wear, may constitute major drivers of the pulmonary and systemic responses to multiple exposure to urban PM. - Highlights: • Repeated exposure to urban PM cause systemic inflammation and oxidative damage to lung tissue lipids and proteins. • Repeated exposure to these PM extracts decreased transcription of Nrf2 protective genes. • Single as opposed to repeated exposure, induced confined lung response accompanied by activated defense mechanisms. • Metals, potentially from break and tire wear, drive the pulmonary response with exposure to urban PM. - Repeated exposures to urban PM water extracts

  3. Pediatric Pulmonary Abscess

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kyle Barbour

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available History of present illness: A 6-year-old previously healthy male presented to the emergency department with three days of left upper quadrant abdominal pain. Family endorsed one week of fevers, cough productive of yellow sputum, and non-bilious, non-bloody emesis. He denied shortness of breath and chest pain. On exam, the patient was febrile with otherwise normal vital signs. He had diffuse tenderness to his abdomen but clear lungs. Laboratory studies revealed leukocytosis to 25,000/mm3 with a left shift. Significant findings: Upright posterior-anterior plain chest films show a left lower lobe consolidation with an air-fluid level and a single septation consistent with a pulmonary abscess (white arrows. A small left pleural effusion was also present, seen as blunting of the left costophrenic angle and obscuration of the left hemidiaphragm (black arrows. Discussion: Pediatric pulmonary abscesses are rare, most commonly caused by aspiration, and the majority consequently arise in dependent portions of the lung.1 The most common pathogens in children are Streptococcus pneumoniaeand Staphylococcus aureus.1 Immunocompromised patients and those with existing pulmonary disease more commonly contract Pseudomonas aeruginosaor Bacteroides, and fungal pathogens are possible.1 Common symptoms include tachypnea, fever, and cough. Imaging is necessary to distinguish pulmonary abscesses from pneumonia, empyema, pneumatocele, and other etiologies. Plain film radiography may miss up to 18% of pulmonary abscesses yet is often the first modality to visualize an intrathoracic abnormality.2 If seen, pulmonary abscesses most often appear as consolidations with air-fluid levels. Generally, pulmonary abscesses are round with irregular, thick walls, whereas empyemas are elliptical with smooth, thin walls.3 However, these characteristics cannot definitively distinguish these processes.2 Advantages of plain films include being low cost and easily obtained. Computed

  4. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD and occupational exposures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zeni Elena

    2006-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in both industrialized and developing countries. Cigarette smoking is the major risk factor for COPD. However, relevant information from the literature published within the last years, either on general population samples or on workplaces, indicate that about 15% of all cases of COPD is work-related. Specific settings and agents are quoted which have been indicated or confirmed as linked to COPD. Coal miners, hard-rock miners, tunnel workers, concrete-manufacturing workers, nonmining industrial workers have been shown to be at highest risk for developing COPD. Further evidence that occupational agents are capable of inducing COPD comes from experimental studies, particularly in animal models. In conclusion, occupational exposure to dusts, chemicals, gases should be considered an established, or supported by good evidence, risk factor for developing COPD. The implications of this substantial occupational contribution to COPD must be considered in research planning, in public policy decision-making, and in clinical practice.

  5. Star Formation in Irregular Galaxies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunter, Deidre; Wolff, Sidney

    1985-01-01

    Examines mechanisms of how stars are formed in irregular galaxies. Formation in giant irregular galaxies, formation in dwarf irregular galaxies, and comparisons with larger star-forming regions found in spiral galaxies are considered separately. (JN)

  6. Differential diagnosis between pulmonary tuberculosis and lung abscess by contrast enhanced CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kanauchi, Tetsu; Hoshi, Toshiko; Konno, Miyuki; Hando, Yumiko

    2001-01-01

    The contrast enhanced CT findings in 14 patients with active tuberculosis and 26 patients with lung abscess were retrospectively analyzed. Reflecting the difference of pathogenesis between tuberculosis and abscess, the findings are widely different. The findings suggesting pulmonary tuberculosis rather than lung abscess were as follows; multiple and irregular necrotic areas, positive CT angiogram sign, no marginal enhancement surrounding necrosis. Contrast enhanced CT may help to distinguish pulmonary tuberculosis from lung abscess, especially in cases of caseous pneumonia showing broad consolidations or mass-like shadows. (author)

  7. Occupational exposures are associated with worse morbidity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paulin, Laura M; Diette, Gregory B; Blanc, Paul D; Putcha, Nirupama; Eisner, Mark D; Kanner, Richard E; Belli, Andrew J; Christenson, Stephanie; Tashkin, Donald P; Han, MeiLan; Barr, R Graham; Hansel, Nadia N

    2015-03-01

    Links between occupational exposures and morbidity in individuals with established chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remain unclear. To determine the impact of occupational exposures on COPD morbidity. A job exposure matrix (JEM) determined occupational exposure likelihood based on longest job in current/former smokers (n = 1,075) recruited as part of the Subpopulations and Intermediate Outcomes in COPD Study, of whom 721 had established COPD. Bivariate and multivariate linear regression models estimated the association of occupational exposure with COPD, and among those with established disease, the occupational exposure associations with 6-minute-walk distance (6MWD), the Modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale (mMRC), the COPD Assessment Test (CAT), St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), 12-item Short-Form Physical Component (SF-12), and COPD exacerbations requiring health care utilization, adjusting for demographics, current smoking status, and cumulative pack-years. An intermediate/high risk of occupational exposure by JEM was found in 38% of participants. In multivariate analysis, those with job exposures had higher odds of COPD (odds ratio, 1.44; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-1.97). Among those with COPD, job exposures were associated with shorter 6MWDs (-26.0 m; P = 0.006); worse scores for mMRC (0.23; P = 0.004), CAT (1.8; P = 0.003), SGRQ (4.5; P = 0.003), and SF-12 Physical (-3.3; P Accounting for smoking, occupational exposure was associated with COPD risk and, for those with established disease, shorter walk distance, greater breathlessness, worse quality of life, and increased exacerbation risk. Clinicians should obtain occupational histories from patients with COPD because work-related exposures may influence disease burden.

  8. Pulmonary health effects of agriculture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nordgren, Tara M; Bailey, Kristina L

    2016-03-01

    Occupational exposures in the agricultural industry are associated with numerous lung diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, lung cancer, and interstitial lung diseases. Efforts are ongoing to ascertain contributing factors to these negative respiratory outcomes and improve monitoring of environmental factors leading to disease. In this review, recently published studies investigating the deleterious effects of occupational exposures in the agricultural industry are discussed. Occupational exposures to numerous agricultural environment aerosols, including pesticides, fungi, and bacteria are associated with impaired respiratory function and disease. Increases in certain farming practices, including mushroom and greenhouse farming, present new occupational exposure concerns. Improved detection methods may provide opportunities to better monitor safe exposure levels to known lung irritants. In the agricultural industry, occupational exposures to organic and inorganic aerosols lead to increased risk for lung disease among workers. Increased awareness of respiratory risks and improved monitoring of agricultural environments are necessary to limit pulmonary health risks to exposed populations.

  9. Pulmonary talc granulomatosis mimicking malignant disease 30 years after last exposure: a case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Krimsky William S

    2008-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Pulmonary talc granulomatosis is a rare disorder characterized by the development of foreign body granuloma secondary to talc exposure. Previous case reports have documented the illness in current intravenous drug users who inject medications intended for oral use. We present a rare case of the disease in a patient with a distant history of heroin abuse who presented initially with history and imaging findings highly suggestive of malignancy. Case presentation A 53-year-old man reported a 4-month history of increasing dyspnea and weight loss. He had a long history of smoking and admission chest X-ray revealed a density in the right hemithorax. Computed tomography confirmed a probable mass with further speculated opacities in both lung fields suspicious for malignant spread. Biopsies obtained using endobronchial ultrasound-guided aspiration returned negative for malignancy and showed bronchial epithelial cells with foreign body giant cell reaction and polarizable birefringent talc crystals. Conclusion This case demonstrates a rare presentation of talc granulomatosis three decades after the last likely exposure. The history and imaging findings in a chronic smoker were initially strongly suggestive of malignant disease, and we recommend that talc-induced lung disease is considered in any patient with multiple scattered pulmonary lesions and a history of intravenous drug use. Confirmation of the disease by biopsy is essential, but unfortunately there are few successful proven management options for patients with worsening disease.

  10. Prenatal nicotinic exposure upregulates pulmonary C-fiber NK1R expression to prolong pulmonary C-fiber-mediated apneic response

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao, Lei; Zhuang, Jianguo; Zang, Na; Lin, Yong; Lee, Lu-Yuan; Xu, Fadi

    2016-01-01

    Prenatal nicotinic exposure (PNE) prolongs bronchopulmonary C-fiber (PCF)-mediated apneic response to intra-atrial bolus injection of capsaicin in rat pups. The relevant mechanisms remain unclear. Pulmonary substance P and adenosine and their receptors (neurokinin-A receptor, NK1R and ADA 1 receptor, ADA 1 R) and transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 (TRPV1) expressed on PCFs are critical for PCF sensitization and/or activation. Here, we compared substance P and adenosine in BALF and NK1R, ADA 1 R, and TRPV1 expression in the nodose/jugular (N/J) ganglia (vagal pulmonary C-neurons retrogradely labeled) between Ctrl and PNE pups. We found that PNE failed to change BALF substance P and adenosine content, but significantly upregulated both mRNA and protein TRPV1 and NK1R in the N/J ganglia and only NK1R mRNA in pulmonary C-neurons. To define the role of NK1R in the PNE-induced PCF sensitization, the apneic response to capsaicin (i.v.) without or with pretreatment of SR140333 (a peripheral and selective NK1R antagonist) was compared and the prolonged apnea by PNE significantly shortened by SR140333. To clarify if the PNE-evoked responses depended on action of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), particularly α7nAChR, mecamylamine or methyllycaconitine (a general nAChR or a selective α7nAChR antagonist) was administrated via another mini-pump over the PNE period. Mecamylamine or methyllycaconitine eliminated the PNE-evoked mRNA and protein responses. Our data suggest that PNE is able to elevate PCF NK1R expression via activation of nAChRs, especially α7nAChR, which likely contributes to sensitize PCFs and prolong the PCF-mediated apneic response to capsaicin. - Highlights: • PNE upregulated NK1R and TRPV1 gene and protein expression in the N/J ganglia. • PNE only elevated NK1R mRNA in vagal pulmonary C-neurons. • Blockage of peripheral NK1R reduced the PNE-induced PCF sensitization. • PNE induced gene and protein changes in

  11. Lung inflammation and genotoxicity in mice lungs after pulmonary exposure to candle light combustion particles

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skovmand, Astrid; Damiao Gouveia, Ana Cecilia; Koponen, Ismo Kalevi

    2017-01-01

    Candle burning produces a large amount of particles that contribute substantially to the exposure to indoor particulate matter. The exposures to various types of combustion particles, such as diesel exhaust particles, have been associated with increased risk of lung cancer by mechanisms that invo......Candle burning produces a large amount of particles that contribute substantially to the exposure to indoor particulate matter. The exposures to various types of combustion particles, such as diesel exhaust particles, have been associated with increased risk of lung cancer by mechanisms...... that involve oxidative stress, inflammation and genotoxicity. The aim of this study was to compare pulmonary effects of candle light combustion particles (CP) with two benchmark diesel exhaust particles (A-DEP and SRM2975). Intratracheal (i.t.) instillation of CP (5mg/kg bodyweight) in C57BL/6n mice produced......-DEP or SRM2975. The i.t. instillation of CP did not generate oxidative damage to DNA in lung tissue, measured as DNA strand breaks and human 8-oxoguanine glycosylase-sensitive sites by the comet assay. The lack of genotoxic response was confirmed in lung epithelial (A549) cells, although the exposure to CP...

  12. Pulmonary changes on HRCT scans in nonsmoking females with COPD due to wood smoke exposure *

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moreira, Maria Auxiliadora Carmo; Barbosa, Maria Alves; de Queiroz, Maria Conceição de Castro Antonelli Monteiro; Teixeira, Kim Ir Sen Santos; Torres, Pedro Paulo Teixeira e Silva; de Santana, Pedro José; Montadon, Marcelo Eustáquio; Jardim, José Roberto

    2013-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To identify and characterize alterations seen on HRCT scans in nonsmoking females with COPD due to wood smoke exposure. METHODS: We evaluated 42 nonsmoking females diagnosed with wood smoke-related COPD and 31 nonsmoking controls with no history of wood smoke exposure or pulmonary disease. The participants completed a questionnaire regarding demographic data, symptoms, and environmental exposure. All of the participants underwent spirometry and HRCT of the chest. The COPD and control groups were adjusted for age (23 patients each). RESULTS: Most of the patients in the study group were diagnosed with mild to moderate COPD (83.3%). The most common findings on HRCT scans in the COPD group were bronchial wall thickening, bronchiectasis, mosaic perfusion pattern, parenchymal bands, tree-in-bud pattern, and laminar atelectasis (p < 0.001 vs. the control group for all). The alterations were generally mild and not extensive. There was a positive association between bronchial wall thickening and hour-years of wood smoke exposure. Centrilobular emphysema was uncommon, and its occurrence did not differ between the groups (p = 0.232). CONCLUSIONS: Wood smoke exposure causes predominantly bronchial changes, which can be detected by HRCT, even in patients with mild COPD. PMID:23670500

  13. Increase in a distinct pulmonary macrophage subset possessing an antigen-presenting cell phenotype and in vitro APC activity following silica exposure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Migliaccio, Christopher T.; Hamilton, Raymond F.; Holian, Andrij

    2005-01-01

    Silica inhalation results in chronic lung inflammation and fibrosis. While the role of the alveolar macrophage (AM) is considered key to the effects of silica on lung pathology, the etiology is not completely understood. Evidence suggests an increase in antigen presenting cell (APC) activity as a contributing factor to this process, as well as potential roles for both AM and interstitial macrophages (IM) in silicosis. In order to study the effects of crystalline silica on the APC activity of pulmonary macrophages, mice were exposed intranasally and changes in pulmonary macrophage populations were assessed using flow cytometry. Following intranasal instillation of silica, a significant increase in the APC activity of AM was observed, as well as a significant increase in a subset of IM expressing classic APC markers (MHC class II, CD11c). In addition, an in vitro system using bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) was generated to assess the effects of silica on the APC activity of macrophages in vitro. Data using BMDM in the in vitro APC assay demonstrated a significant increase in APC activity following silica exposure, but not following exposure to saline or a control particle (TiO 2 ). Using a combination of in vivo and in vitro experiments, the current study describes a significant increase in an interstitial macrophage subset with an APC phenotype, as well as an increase in the APC activity of both AM and BMDM, as a direct result of exposure to crystalline silica. These studies suggest a specific mechanism, macrophage subset activation, by which crystalline silica exposure results in chronic pulmonary inflammation and, eventually, fibrosis

  14. Aggravating Impact of Nanoparticles on Immune-Mediated Pulmonary Inflammation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ken-Ichiro Inoue

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Although the adverse health effects of nanoparticles have been proposed and are being clarified, their aggravating effects on pre-existing pathological conditions have not been fully investigated. In this review, we provide insights into the immunotoxicity of both airborne and engineered nanoparticles as an exacerbating factor on hypersusceptible subjects, especially those with immune-mediated pulmonary inflammation, using our in vivo experimental model. First, we exhibit the effects of nanoparticles on pulmonary inflammation induced by bacterial endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide: LPS as a disease model in innate immunity, and demonstrate that nanoparticles instilled through both an intratracheal tube and an inhalation system can exacerbate the lung inflammation. Second, we introduce the effects of nanoparticles on allergic pulmonary inflammation as a disease model in adaptive immunity, and show that repetitive pulmonary exposure to nanoparticles has aggravating effects on allergic inflammation, including adjuvant effects on Th2-milieu. Third, we show that very small nanoparticle exposure exacerbates emphysematous pulmonary inflammation, which is concomitant with enhanced lung expression of proinflammatory molecules (including those that are innate immunity related. Taken together, nanoparticle exposure may synergistically facilitate pathological pulmonary inflammation via both innate and adaptive immunological impairment.

  15. γδ T cells are required for pulmonary IL-17A expression after ozone exposure in mice: role of TNFα.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joel A Mathews

    Full Text Available Ozone is an air pollutant that causes pulmonary symptoms. In mice, ozone exposure causes pulmonary injury and increases bronchoalveolar lavage macrophages and neutrophils. We have shown that IL-17A is important in the recruitment of neutrophils after subacute ozone exposure (0.3 ppm for 24-72 h. We hypothesized that γδ T cells are the main producers of IL-17A after subacute ozone. To explore this hypothesis we exposed wildtype mice and mice deficient in γδ T cells (TCRδ-/- to ozone or room air. Ozone-induced increases in BAL macrophages and neutrophils were attenuated in TCRδ-/- mice. Ozone increased the number of γδ T cells in the lungs and increased pulmonary Il17a mRNA expression and the number of IL-17A+ CD45+ cells in the lungs and these effects were abolished in TCRδ-/- mice. Ozone-induced increases in factors downstream of IL-17A signaling, including G-CSF, IL-6, IP-10 and KC were also decreased in TCRδ-/- versus wildtype mice. Neutralization of IL-17A during ozone exposure in wildtype mice mimicked the effects of γδ T cell deficiency. TNFR2 deficiency and etanercept, a TNFα antagonist, also reduced ozone-induced increases in Il17a mRNA, IL-17A+ CD45+ cells and BAL G-CSF as well as BAL neutrophils. TNFR2 deficient mice also had decreased ozone-induced increases in Ccl20, a chemoattractant for IL-17A+ γδ T cells. Il17a mRNA and IL-17A+ γδ T cells were also lower in obese Cpefat versus lean WT mice exposed to subacute ozone, consistent with the reduced neutrophil recruitment observed in the obese mice. Taken together, our data indicate that pulmonary inflammation induced by subacute ozone requires γδ T cells and TNFα-dependent recruitment of IL-17A+ γδ T cells to the lung.

  16. Different profiles of notch signaling in cigarette smoke-induced pulmonary emphysema and bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Shi; Hu, Xiaofei; Wang, Zheng; Wu, Meng; Zhang, Jinnong

    2015-05-01

    Different profiles of Notch signaling mediate naive T cell differentiation which might be involved in pulmonary emphysema and fibrosis. C57BL/6 mice were randomized into cigarette smoke (CS) exposure, bleomycin (BLM) exposure, and two separate groups of control for sham exposure to CS or BLM. The paratracheal lymph nodes of the animals were analyzed by real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry. Morphometry of the lung parenchyma, measurement of the cytokines, and cytometry of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were also done accordingly. In comparison with controls, all Notch receptors and ligands were upregulated by chronic CS exposure, especially Notch3 and DLL1 (P emphysema-like morphology and Th1-biased inflammation. While Notch3 and DLL1 were downregulated by BLM exposure (P pulmonary emphysema. Unable to initiate the Th1 response or inhibit it may lead to Th2 polarization and aberrant repair.

  17. Prenatal nicotinic exposure upregulates pulmonary C-fiber NK1R expression to prolong pulmonary C-fiber-mediated apneic response

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhao, Lei; Zhuang, Jianguo; Zang, Na; Lin, Yong [Pathophysiology Program, Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM (United States); Lee, Lu-Yuan [Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (United States); Xu, Fadi, E-mail: fxu@lrri.org [Pathophysiology Program, Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM (United States); Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (United States)

    2016-01-01

    Prenatal nicotinic exposure (PNE) prolongs bronchopulmonary C-fiber (PCF)-mediated apneic response to intra-atrial bolus injection of capsaicin in rat pups. The relevant mechanisms remain unclear. Pulmonary substance P and adenosine and their receptors (neurokinin-A receptor, NK1R and ADA{sub 1} receptor, ADA{sub 1}R) and transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 (TRPV1) expressed on PCFs are critical for PCF sensitization and/or activation. Here, we compared substance P and adenosine in BALF and NK1R, ADA{sub 1}R, and TRPV1 expression in the nodose/jugular (N/J) ganglia (vagal pulmonary C-neurons retrogradely labeled) between Ctrl and PNE pups. We found that PNE failed to change BALF substance P and adenosine content, but significantly upregulated both mRNA and protein TRPV1 and NK1R in the N/J ganglia and only NK1R mRNA in pulmonary C-neurons. To define the role of NK1R in the PNE-induced PCF sensitization, the apneic response to capsaicin (i.v.) without or with pretreatment of SR140333 (a peripheral and selective NK1R antagonist) was compared and the prolonged apnea by PNE significantly shortened by SR140333. To clarify if the PNE-evoked responses depended on action of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), particularly α7nAChR, mecamylamine or methyllycaconitine (a general nAChR or a selective α7nAChR antagonist) was administrated via another mini-pump over the PNE period. Mecamylamine or methyllycaconitine eliminated the PNE-evoked mRNA and protein responses. Our data suggest that PNE is able to elevate PCF NK1R expression via activation of nAChRs, especially α7nAChR, which likely contributes to sensitize PCFs and prolong the PCF-mediated apneic response to capsaicin. - Highlights: • PNE upregulated NK1R and TRPV1 gene and protein expression in the N/J ganglia. • PNE only elevated NK1R mRNA in vagal pulmonary C-neurons. • Blockage of peripheral NK1R reduced the PNE-induced PCF sensitization. • PNE induced gene and protein

  18. Occupational and Biomass Exposure in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Results of a Cross-Sectional Analysis of the On-Sint Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    López-Campos, José Luis; Fernández-Villar, Alberto; Calero-Acuña, Carmen; Represas-Represas, Cristina; López-Ramírez, Cecilia; Fernández, Virginia Leiro; Casamor, Ricard

    2017-01-01

    Although tobacco smoke is the main risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), other inhaled toxics have also been associated with the disease. The present study analyzes data from exposure to these substances in a cohort of patients with COPD and assesses their impact on the clinical presentation of the disease. This is a cross-sectional analysis of the Clinical presentation, diagnosis and course of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (On-Sint) study. All patients were smokers or ex-smokers as per protocol. In addition, during the inclusion visit patients were enquired about their occupational and biomass exposure history. The clinical features of patients with and without an added risk factor to tobacco were compared and those significant were entered in a multivariate logistic regression analysis, expressed as odds ratio (OR). The sample size was 1214 patients with COPD, of which 1012 (83.4%) had tobacco as the only risk factor and 202 (16.6%) had additional ones, mainly 174 (14.3%) with occupational gases and 32 (2.6%) with biomass exposure. The geographical distribution of this exposure showed a preference for the northern parts of the country and the East coast. The biomass exposure was rather low. Male gender (OR: 2.180), CAT score (OR: 1.036) and the use of long-term oxygen therapy (OR: 1.642) were associated with having an additional risk factor in the multivariate analysis. Occupational exposures are more common than biomass in Spain. COPD caused by tobacco plus other inhalants has some differential features and a more impaired quality of life. Copyright © 2016 SEPAR. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  19. Inspiratory and expiratory HRCT findings in Behcet's disease and correlation with pulmonary function tests

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oezer, Caner [Department of Radiology, Mersin University, Faculty of Medicine, Mersin (Turkey)]. E-mail: cozer@mersin.edu.tr; Duce, Meltem Nass [Department of Radiology, Mersin University, Faculty of Medicine, Mersin (Turkey); Ulubas, Bahar [Department of Respiratory Disease, Mersin University, Faculty of Medicine, Mersin (Turkey); Bicer, Ali [Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Mersin University, Faculty of Medicine, Mersin (Turkey); Tuersen, Uemit [Department of Dermatology, Mersin University, Faculty of Medicine, Mersin (Turkey); Apaydin, F. Demir [Department of Radiology, Mersin University, Faculty of Medicine, Mersin (Turkey); Yildiz, Altan [Department of Radiology, Mersin University, Faculty of Medicine, Mersin (Turkey); Camdeviren, Handan [Department of Biostatistics, Mersin University, Faculty of Medicine, Mersin (Turkey)

    2005-10-01

    Purpose: The purpose of our study was to describe the pulmonary parenchymal changes of Behcet's disease using high-resolution computed tomography and to correlate them with pulmonary function tests. Materials and methods: Thirty-four patients with Behcet's disease (18 men, 16 women), 3 of whom were symptomatic, were included as the study group. Four of 34 patients were smokers. Twenty asymptomatic volunteers (12 men, 8 women), 4 of whom were smokers, constituted the control group. The pulmonary function tests and high-resolution computed tomography were performed for both groups. Results: Inspiratory high-resolution computed tomography findings were abnormal in nine patients (26.5%) of the study group. In eight patients, there were multiple abnormalities, whereas one patient had only one abnormality. Pleural thickening and irregularities, major fissure thickening, emphysematous changes, bronchiectasis, parenchymal bands, and irregular densities, and parenchymal nodules were the encountered abnormalities. Inspiratory high-resolution computed tomography scans were normal in the control group. On expiratory scans, there was statistically significant difference between study group and control group when air trapping, especially grades 3 and 4, was compared (P < 0.01). Pulmonary function tests of both the study and the control groups were in normal ranges, and there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups according to pulmonary function tests (P > 0.05). Discussion and conclusion: High-resolution computed tomography is sensitive in the demonstration of pulmonary changes in patients with Behcet's disease. End-expiratory high-resolution computed tomography examination is very useful and necessary to show the presence of air trapping, thus the presence of small airway disease, even if the patient is asymptomatic or has normal pulmonary function tests.

  20. Capture of irregular satellites at Jupiter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nesvorný, David; Vokrouhlický, David; Deienno, Rogerio

    2014-01-01

    The irregular satellites of outer planets are thought to have been captured from heliocentric orbits. The exact nature of the capture process, however, remains uncertain. We examine the possibility that irregular satellites were captured from the planetesimal disk during the early solar system instability when encounters between the outer planets occurred. Nesvorný et al. already showed that the irregular satellites of Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune were plausibly captured during planetary encounters. Here we find that the current instability models present favorable conditions for capture of irregular satellites at Jupiter as well, mainly because Jupiter undergoes a phase of close encounters with an ice giant. We show that the orbital distribution of bodies captured during planetary encounters provides a good match to the observed distribution of irregular satellites at Jupiter. The capture efficiency for each particle in the original transplanetary disk is found to be (1.3-3.6) × 10 –8 . This is roughly enough to explain the observed population of jovian irregular moons. We also confirm Nesvorný et al.'s results for the irregular satellites of Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

  1. Comparison of acute ozone-induced nasal and pulmonary inflammatory responses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hotchkiss, J.A.; Harkema, J.R.; Sun, J.D.; Henderson, R.F.

    1988-01-01

    The present study was designed to compare the effects of acute ozone exposure in the nose and lungs of rats. Rats were exposed to 0.0, 0.12, 0.80, or 1.5 ppm O 3 for 6 h and were sacrificed immediately, 3,18, 42, or 66 h after exposure. Cellular inflammatory responses were assessed by quantitating polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) recovered by nasal lavage (NL) and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and morphometric quantitation of PMN within the nasal mucosa and pulmonary centriacinar region. Rats exposed to 0.12 ppm O 3 had a transient nasal PMN response 18 h after exposure but no increase in pulmonary PMN. Rats exposed to 0.8 ppm O 3 had a marked increase in nasal PMN immediately after exposure but the number of PMN within the nasal cavity decreased as the number of pulmonary PMN increased with time after exposure. Rats exposed to 1.5 ppm O 3 had an increase in pulmonary PMN beginning 3 h post-exposure, but no increase in nasal PMN at any time. Our results suggest that at high O 3 concentrations, the acute nasal inflammatory response is attenuated by a simultaneous, competing, inflammatory response within the lung. (author)

  2. Comparison of acute ozone-induced nasal and pulmonary inflammatory responses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hotchkiss, J A; Harkema, J R; Sun, J D; Henderson, R F

    1988-12-01

    The present study was designed to compare the effects of acute ozone exposure in the nose and lungs of rats. Rats were exposed to 0.0, 0.12, 0.80, or 1.5 ppm O{sub 3} for 6 h and were sacrificed immediately, 3,18, 42, or 66 h after exposure. Cellular inflammatory responses were assessed by quantitating polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) recovered by nasal lavage (NL) and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and morphometric quantitation of PMN within the nasal mucosa and pulmonary centriacinar region. Rats exposed to 0.12 ppm O{sub 3} had a transient nasal PMN response 18 h after exposure but no increase in pulmonary PMN. Rats exposed to 0.8 ppm O{sub 3} had a marked increase in nasal PMN immediately after exposure but the number of PMN within the nasal cavity decreased as the number of pulmonary PMN increased with time after exposure. Rats exposed to 1.5 ppm O{sub 3} had an increase in pulmonary PMN beginning 3 h post-exposure, but no increase in nasal PMN at any time. Our results suggest that at high O{sub 3} concentrations, the acute nasal inflammatory response is attenuated by a simultaneous, competing, inflammatory response within the lung. (author)

  3. The effect of chemical warfare on respiratory symptoms, pulmonary function tests and their reversibility 23-25 years after exposure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boskabady, Mrteza; Boskabady, Mohammad Hossein; Zabihi, Narges Amel; Boskabady, Marzie

    2015-01-01

    Pulmonary complications due to mustard gas exposure range from no effect to severe bronchial stenosis. Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and respiratory symptoms in chemical war victims were studied 23-25 years after exposure to sulfur mustard (SM). Respiratory symptoms were evaluated in a sample of 142 chemical war victims and 120 control subjects with similar age from the general population using a questionnaire including questions on respiratory symptoms in the past year. PFT values were also measured in chemical war victims before and 15 min after the inhalation of 200 µg salbutamol and baseline PFT in controls. All chemical war victims (100%) reported respiratory symptoms. Wheezing (66.19%), cough (64.78%), and chest tightness (54.4%) were the most common symptoms and only 15.5% of chemical war victims reported sputum (p chemical war victims had wheeze in chest examination, which were significantly higher than control group (p chemical war victims than that in control subjects (p chemical war victims, 23-25 years after exposure to chemical warfare have higher frequencies and severity of respiratory symptoms. PFT values were also significantly reduced among chemical war victims, which showed reversibility due to the inhalation of 200 µg salbutamol. © The Author(s) 2012.

  4. Irregular Migrants and the Law

    OpenAIRE

    Kassim, Azizah; Mat Zin, Ragayah Hj.

    2013-01-01

    This paper examines Malaysia`s policy on irregular migrants and its implementation, and discusses its impact. A survey and interview covering 404 respondents was conducted between July 2010 and June 2011 to ascertain the real situations surrounding irregular migrants in Malaysia, which is one of the major host countries of international migrants from developing nations. The policy on foreign workers was formulated in the mid-1980s to deal with the large number of irregular migrants and their ...

  5. Oxidative stress-induced autophagy: Role in pulmonary toxicity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Malaviya, Rama; Laskin, Jeffrey D.; Laskin, Debra L.

    2014-01-01

    Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved catabolic process important in regulating the turnover of essential proteins and in elimination of damaged organelles and protein aggregates. Autophagy is observed in the lung in response to oxidative stress generated as a consequence of exposure to environmental toxicants. Whether autophagy plays role in promoting cell survival or cytotoxicity is unclear. In this article recent findings on oxidative stress-induced autophagy in the lung are reviewed; potential mechanisms initiating autophagy are also discussed. A better understanding of autophagy and its role in pulmonary toxicity may lead to the development of new strategies to treat lung injury associated with oxidative stress. - Highlights: • Exposure to pulmonary toxicants is associated with oxidative stress. • Oxidative stress is known to induce autophagy. • Autophagy is upregulated in the lung following exposure to pulmonary toxicants. • Autophagy may be protective or pathogenic

  6. Oxidative stress-induced autophagy: Role in pulmonary toxicity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Malaviya, Rama [Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854 (United States); Laskin, Jeffrey D. [Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854 (United States); Laskin, Debra L., E-mail: laskin@eohsi.rutgers.edu [Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854 (United States)

    2014-03-01

    Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved catabolic process important in regulating the turnover of essential proteins and in elimination of damaged organelles and protein aggregates. Autophagy is observed in the lung in response to oxidative stress generated as a consequence of exposure to environmental toxicants. Whether autophagy plays role in promoting cell survival or cytotoxicity is unclear. In this article recent findings on oxidative stress-induced autophagy in the lung are reviewed; potential mechanisms initiating autophagy are also discussed. A better understanding of autophagy and its role in pulmonary toxicity may lead to the development of new strategies to treat lung injury associated with oxidative stress. - Highlights: • Exposure to pulmonary toxicants is associated with oxidative stress. • Oxidative stress is known to induce autophagy. • Autophagy is upregulated in the lung following exposure to pulmonary toxicants. • Autophagy may be protective or pathogenic.

  7. Differences in the effects of Asian dust on pulmonary function between adult patients with asthma and those with asthma–chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap syndrome

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watanabe, Masanari; Noma, Hisashi; Kurai, Jun; Sano, Hiroyuki; Ueda, Yasuto; Mikami, Masaaki; Yamamoto, Hiroyuki; Tokuyasu, Hirokazu; Kato, Kazuhiro; Konishi, Tatsuya; Tatsukawa, Toshiyuki; Shimizu, Eiji; Kitano, Hiroya

    2016-01-01

    Background Asian dust (AD) exposure exacerbates pulmonary dysfunction in patients with asthma. Asthma–chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap syndrome (ACOS), characterized by coexisting symptoms of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is considered a separate disease entity. Previously, we investigated the effects of AD on pulmonary function in adult patients with asthma. Here, we present the findings of our further research on the differences in the effects of AD exposure on pulmonary function between patients with asthma alone and those with ACOS. Methods Between March and May 2012, we conducted a panel study wherein we monitored daily peak expiratory flow (PEF) values in 231 adult patients with asthma. These patients were divided into 190 patients with asthma alone and 41 patients with ACOS in this study. Daily AD particle levels were measured using light detection and ranging systems. Two heavy AD days (April 23 and 24) were determined according to the Japan Meteorological Agency definition. A linear mixed model was used to estimate the association between PEF and AD exposure. Results Increments in the interquartile range of AD particles (0.018 km−1) led to PEF changes of −0.50 L/min (95% confidence interval, −0.98 to −0.02) in patients with asthma alone and −0.11 L/min (−0.11 to 0.85) in patients with ACOS. The PEF changes after exposure to heavy AD were −2.21 L/min (−4.28 to −0.15) in patients with asthma alone and −2.76 L/min (−6.86 to 1.35) in patients with ACOS. In patients with asthma alone, the highest decrease in PEF values was observed on the heavy AD day, with a subsequent gradual increase over time. Conclusion Our results suggest that the effects of AD exposure on pulmonary function differ between patients with asthma alone and ACOS, with the former exhibiting a greater likelihood of decreased pulmonary function after AD exposure. PMID:26869784

  8. Whither the Pulmonary Ward Attending? Preserving Subspecialty Exposure in United States Internal Medicine Residency Training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santhosh, Lekshmi; Babik, Jennifer; Looney, Mark R; Hollander, Harry

    2017-04-01

    Twenty years ago, the term "hospitalist" was coined at the University of California-San Francisco (San Francisco, CA), heralding a new specialty focused on the care of inpatients. There are now more than 50,000 hospitalists practicing in the United States. At many academic medical centers, hospitalists are largely replacing subspecialists as attendings on the inpatient medicine wards. At University of California-San Francisco, this has been accompanied by declining percentages of residency graduates who enter subspecialty training in internal medicine. The decline in subspecialty medicine interest can be attributed to many factors, including differences in compensation, decreased subspecialist exposure, and a changing research funding landscape. Although there has not been systematic documentation of this trend in pulmonary and critical care medicine, we have noted previously pulmonary and critical care-bound trainees switching to hospital medicine instead. With our broad, multiorgan system perspective, pulmonary and critical care faculty should embrace teaching general medicine. Residency programs have instituted creative solutions to encourage more internal medicine residents to pursue careers in subspecialty medicine. Some solutions include creating rotations that promote more contact with subspecialists and physician-scientists, creating clinician-educator tracks within fellowship programs, and appointing subspecialists to internal medicine residency leadership positions. We need more rigorous research to track the trends and implications of the generalist-specialist balance of inpatient ward teams on resident career choices, and learn what interventions affect those choices.

  9. Occupational exposure to dusts, gases, and fumes and incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the Swiss Cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung and Heart Diseases in Adults

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mehta, A.J.; Miedinger, D.; Keidel, D.; Bettschart, R.; Bircher, A.; Bridevaux, P.O.; Curjuric, I; Kromhout, H.; Rochat, T.; Rothe, T.; Russi, E.W.; Schikowski, T.; Schindler, C.; Schwartz, J.; Turk, A.; Vermeulen, R.; Probst-Hensch, N.; Künzli, N.

    2012-01-01

    RATIONALE There is limited evidence from population-based studies demonstrating incidence of spirometric-defined chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in association with occupational exposures. OBJECTIVES We evaluated the association between occupational exposures and incidence of COPD in

  10. Chemotherapy-induced pulmonary hypertension: role of alkylating agents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ranchoux, Benoît; Günther, Sven; Quarck, Rozenn; Chaumais, Marie-Camille; Dorfmüller, Peter; Antigny, Fabrice; Dumas, Sébastien J; Raymond, Nicolas; Lau, Edmund; Savale, Laurent; Jaïs, Xavier; Sitbon, Olivier; Simonneau, Gérald; Stenmark, Kurt; Cohen-Kaminsky, Sylvia; Humbert, Marc; Montani, David; Perros, Frédéric

    2015-02-01

    Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD) is an uncommon form of pulmonary hypertension (PH) characterized by progressive obstruction of small pulmonary veins and a dismal prognosis. Limited case series have reported a possible association between different chemotherapeutic agents and PVOD. We evaluated the relationship between chemotherapeutic agents and PVOD. Cases of chemotherapy-induced PVOD from the French PH network and literature were reviewed. Consequences of chemotherapy exposure on the pulmonary vasculature and hemodynamics were investigated in three different animal models (mouse, rat, and rabbit). Thirty-seven cases of chemotherapy-associated PVOD were identified in the French PH network and systematic literature analysis. Exposure to alkylating agents was observed in 83.8% of cases, mostly represented by cyclophosphamide (43.2%). In three different animal models, cyclophosphamide was able to induce PH on the basis of hemodynamic, morphological, and biological parameters. In these models, histopathological assessment confirmed significant pulmonary venous involvement highly suggestive of PVOD. Together, clinical data and animal models demonstrated a plausible cause-effect relationship between alkylating agents and PVOD. Clinicians should be aware of this uncommon, but severe, pulmonary vascular complication of alkylating agents. Copyright © 2015 American Society for Investigative Pathology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. The usefulness of 99mTc-Technegas scintigraphy for diagnosing pulmonary impairment caused by pulmonary emphysema

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Satoh, Katashi; Takahashi, Kazue; Kobayashi, Takuya; Yamamoto, Yuka; Nishiyama, Yoshihiro; Tanabe, Masatada

    1998-01-01

    X-ray computed tomography (CT) has been used for diagnosis of pulmonary emphysema because it can reveal the morphology of low attenuation areas. Recently, 99m Tc-Technegas imaging, one of several types of scintigraphic techniques, has been used for ventilation scintigraphy. Technegas scintigraphy was performed on 15 patients with pulmonary emphysema, and we compared the extent and degree of abnormal findings on Technegas scintigraphy with the extent of low attenuation areas shown by CT. We classified the findings of Technegas imaging into three grades, from mild to severe, according to the extent of peripheral irregularity and central hot spot formation. We also classified the findings of CT as centrilobular emphysema into three grades from mild to severe according to the extent of low attention areas in the peripheral lung fields. In 5 cases, CT and Technegas assessment resulted in equivalent diagnoses. In eight cases, Technegas images showed more detailed findings than CT images. In the two remaining cases, which were diagnosed as panlobular emphysema on CT, Technegas images showed the severe stage. Technegas scintigraphy was useful for diagnostic assessment of pulmonary emphysema, especially for panlobular emphysema, which is difficult to distinguish from the normal lung condition by CT assessment. (author)

  12. Short-term respiratory effects of 0. 12 ppm ozone exposure in volunteers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Linn, W.S.; Fischer, D.A.; Medway, D.A.; Anzar, U.T.; Spier, C.E.; Valencia, L.M.; Venet, T.G.; Hackney, J.D.

    1982-06-01

    Twenty-five volunteers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease of mild to moderately severe degree underwent 1-h exposures to 0.12 ppm ozone (O/sub 2/) in purified air with intermittent mild exercise. Their responses were assessed in terms of forced expiratory performance, ear oximetry, and reported symptoms. Control studied consisted of similar exposures to purified air alone. Control studies were separated from O/sub 2/ exposures by 1 month, and the order was randomized. All studies took place in a controlled-environment chamber, and were preceded by approximately 1 h of rest in a purified-air environment. No significant disturbances in forced expiratory performance or symptoms attributable to O/sub 2/ exposure were found. A slight but significant tendency to decreased arterial hemoglobin oxygen saturation (SaO/sub 2/) during exercise in O/sub 2/ was observed. The decrement in SaO/sub 2/ with O/sub 2/ relative to clean air (mean 1.3%) was near the limit of resolution of the ear oximeter test and was detected by signal averaging, thus its physiologic or clinical significance is uncertain.

  13. Exposure to neonatal cigarette smoke causes durable lung changes but does not potentiate cigarette smoke–induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adult mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGrath-Morrow, Sharon; Malhotra, Deepti; Lauer, Thomas; Collaco, J. Michael; Mitzner, Wayne; Neptune, Enid; Wise, Robert; Biswal, Shyam

    2016-01-01

    The impact of early childhood cigarette smoke (CS) exposure on CS-induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is unknown. This study was performed to evaluate the individual and combined effects of neonatal and adult CS exposure on lung structure, function, and gene expression in adult mice. To model a childhood CS exposure, neonatal C57/B6 mice were exposed to 14 days of CS (Neo CS). At 10 weeks of age, Neo CS and control mice were exposed to 4 months of CS. Pulmonary function tests, bronchoalveolar lavage, and lung morphometry were measured and gene expression profiling was performed on lung tissue. Mean chord lengths and lung volumes were increased in neonatal and/or adult CS-exposed mice. Differences in immune, cornified envelope protein, muscle, and erythrocyte genes were found in CS-exposed lung. Neonatal CS exposure caused durable structural and functional changes in the adult lung but did not potentiate CS-induced COPD changes. Cornified envelope protein gene expression was decreased in all CS-exposed mice, whereas myosin and erythrocyte gene expression was increased in mice exposed to both neonatal and adult CS, suggesting an adaptive response. Additional studies may be warranted to determine the utility of these genes as biomarkers of respiratory outcomes. PMID:21649527

  14. Characteristics of pulmonary cysts in Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome: Thin-section CT findings of the chest in 12 patients

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tobino, Kazunori, E-mail: tobino@juntendo.ac.jp [Department of Respiratory Medicine, Juntendo University, School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo 113-8421 (Japan); Gunji, Yoko [Department of Respiratory Medicine, Juntendo University, School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo 113-8421 (Japan); Kurihara, Masatoshi [Pneumothorax Center, Nissan Tamagawa Hospital, 4-8-1 Seta, Setagaya-Ku, Tokyo 158-0095 (Japan); The Study Group of Pneumothorax and Cystic Lung Diseases, 4-8-1 Seta, Setagaya-Ku, Tokyo 158-0095 (Japan); Kunogi, Makiko; Koike, Kengo [Department of Respiratory Medicine, Juntendo University, School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo 113-8421 (Japan); Tomiyama, Noriyuki [Department of Radiology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Johkoh, Takeshi [Department of Radiology, Kinki Central Hospital of Mutual Aid Association of Public School Teachers, Kurumazuka 3-1, Itami, Hyogo 664-0872 (Japan); Kodama, Yuzo [Department of Respiratory Medicine, Juntendo University, School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo 113-8421 (Japan); Iwakami, Shin-ichiro [Department of Respiratory Medicine, Juntendo University, Shizuoka Hospital, 1129 Nagaoka, Izunokuni, Shizuoka 410-2295 (Japan); Kikkawa, Mika [Biochemical Research Center, Division of Proteomics and Biomolecular Sciences, Juntendo University, Graduate School of Medicine, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo (Japan); Takahashi, Kazuhisa [Department of Respiratory Medicine, Juntendo University, School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo 113-8421 (Japan); Seyama, Kuniaki [Department of Respiratory Medicine, Juntendo University, School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo 113-8421 (Japan); Study Group of Pneumothorax and Cystic Lung Diseases, 4-8-1 Seta, Setagaya-Ku, Tokyo 158-0095 (Japan)

    2011-03-15

    Purpose: To describe in detail the characteristic chest computed tomography (CT) findings of Birt-Hogg-Dube (BHD) syndrome. Materials and methods: Thin-section chest CT scans of consecutive 12 patients with genetically diagnosed BHD syndrome were retrospectively evaluated by two observers, especially about the characteristics (distribution, number, size, shape and relation to pleura) of pulmonary cysts. Interobserver agreement in the identification of abnormalities on the CT images was achieved using the {kappa} statistic, and the degree of interobserver correlation for the characterization of pulmonary cysts was assessed using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient. Results: Multiple pulmonary cysts were seen in all patients. The number of cysts in each patient was various (range, 29-407), and cysts of various sizes (from a few mm to 2 cm or more) were seen in all patient. 76.6% (mean) of cysts were irregular-shaped, and 40.5% (mean) of cysts were located along the pleura. The mean extent score of cysts was 13% of the whole lung, and the distribution of cysts was predominantly in the lower medial zone. Finally, cysts abutting or including the proximal portions of lower pulmonary arteries or veins were also seen in all patients. Conclusion: Multiple, irregular-shaped cysts of various sizes with lower medial lung zone predominance are characteristic CT findings of BHD syndrome. Cysts abutting or including the proximal portions of lower pulmonary arteries or veins may also exist in this syndrome in a high probability.

  15. Characteristics of pulmonary cysts in Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome: Thin-section CT findings of the chest in 12 patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tobino, Kazunori; Gunji, Yoko; Kurihara, Masatoshi; Kunogi, Makiko; Koike, Kengo; Tomiyama, Noriyuki; Johkoh, Takeshi; Kodama, Yuzo; Iwakami, Shin-ichiro; Kikkawa, Mika; Takahashi, Kazuhisa; Seyama, Kuniaki

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: To describe in detail the characteristic chest computed tomography (CT) findings of Birt-Hogg-Dube (BHD) syndrome. Materials and methods: Thin-section chest CT scans of consecutive 12 patients with genetically diagnosed BHD syndrome were retrospectively evaluated by two observers, especially about the characteristics (distribution, number, size, shape and relation to pleura) of pulmonary cysts. Interobserver agreement in the identification of abnormalities on the CT images was achieved using the κ statistic, and the degree of interobserver correlation for the characterization of pulmonary cysts was assessed using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient. Results: Multiple pulmonary cysts were seen in all patients. The number of cysts in each patient was various (range, 29-407), and cysts of various sizes (from a few mm to 2 cm or more) were seen in all patient. 76.6% (mean) of cysts were irregular-shaped, and 40.5% (mean) of cysts were located along the pleura. The mean extent score of cysts was 13% of the whole lung, and the distribution of cysts was predominantly in the lower medial zone. Finally, cysts abutting or including the proximal portions of lower pulmonary arteries or veins were also seen in all patients. Conclusion: Multiple, irregular-shaped cysts of various sizes with lower medial lung zone predominance are characteristic CT findings of BHD syndrome. Cysts abutting or including the proximal portions of lower pulmonary arteries or veins may also exist in this syndrome in a high probability.

  16. Pathogenic mechanisms in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to biomass smoke exposure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silva, Rafael; Oyarzún, Manuel; Olloquequi, Jordi

    2015-06-01

    Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) mortality and morbidity have increased significantly worldwide in recent decades. Although cigarette smoke is still considered the main risk factor for the development of the disease, estimates suggest that between 25% and 33% of COPD patients are non-smokers. Among the factors that may increase the risk of developing COPD, biomass smoke has been proposed as one of the most important, affecting especially women and children in developing countries. Despite the epidemiological evidence linking exposure to biomass smoke with adverse health effects, the specific cellular and molecular mechanisms by which this pollutant can be harmful for the respiratory and cardiovascular systems remain unclear. In this article we review the main pathogenic mechanisms proposed to date that make biomass smoke one of the major risk factors for COPD. Copyright © 2014 SEPAR. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  17. Acute Ozone (O3) Exposure Accelerates Diet-Induced Pulmonary Injury and Metabolic Alterations in a Rat Model of Type II Diabetes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abstract for Society of Toxicology, March 22-25, 2015, San Diego, CAAcute Ozone (O3) Exposure Accelerates Diet-Induced Pulmonary Injury and Metabolic Alterations in a Rat Model of Type II DiabetesS.J. Snow1,3, D. Miller2, V. Bass2, M. Schladweiler3, A. Ledbetter3, J. Richards3, C...

  18. Evaluation of pulmonary and systemic toxicity following lung exposure to graphite nanoplates: a member of the graphene-based nanomaterial family.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roberts, Jenny R; Mercer, Robert R; Stefaniak, Aleksandr B; Seehra, Mohindar S; Geddam, Usha K; Chaudhuri, Ishrat S; Kyrlidis, Angelos; Kodali, Vamsi K; Sager, Tina; Kenyon, Allison; Bilgesu, Suzan A; Eye, Tracy; Scabilloni, James F; Leonard, Stephen S; Fix, Natalie R; Schwegler-Berry, Diane; Farris, Breanne Y; Wolfarth, Michael G; Porter, Dale W; Castranova, Vincent; Erdely, Aaron

    2016-06-21

    Graphene, a monolayer of carbon, is an engineered nanomaterial (ENM) with physical and chemical properties that may offer application advantages over other carbonaceous ENMs, such as carbon nanotubes (CNT). The goal of this study was to comparatively assess pulmonary and systemic toxicity of graphite nanoplates, a member of the graphene-based nanomaterial family, with respect to nanoplate size. Three sizes of graphite nanoplates [20 μm lateral (Gr20), 5 μm lateral (Gr5), and m(2). At the low dose, none of the Gr materials induced toxicity. At the high dose, Gr20 and Gr5 exposure increased indices of lung inflammation and injury in lavage fluid and tissue gene expression to a greater degree and duration than Gr1 and CB. Gr5 and Gr20 showed no or minimal lung epithelial hypertrophy and hyperplasia, and no development of fibrosis by 2 months post-exposure. In addition, the aorta and liver inflammatory and acute phase genes were transiently elevated in Gr5 and Gr20, relative to Gr1. Pulmonary and systemic toxicity of graphite nanoplates may be dependent on lateral size and/or surface reactivity, with the graphite nanoplates > 5 μm laterally inducing greater toxicity which peaked at the early time points post-exposure relative to the 1-2 μm graphite nanoplate.

  19. Immersion Pulmonary Edema in Female Triathletes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eric A. Carter

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Pulmonary edema has been reported in SCUBA divers, apnea divers, and long-distance swimmers however, no instances of pulmonary edema in triathletes exist in the scientific literature. Pulmonary edema may cause seizures and loss of consciousness which in a water environment may become life threatening. This paper describes pulmonary edema in three female triathletes. Signs and symptoms including cough, fatigue, dyspnea, haemoptysis, and rales may occur within minutes of immersion. Contributing factors include hemodynamic changes due to water immersion, cold exposure, and exertion which elevate cardiac output, causing pulmonary capillary stress failure, resulting in extravasation of fluid into the airspace of the lung. Previous history is a major risk factor. Treatment involves immediate removal from immersion and in more serious cases, hospitalization, and oxygen administration. Immersion pulmonary edema is a critical environmental illness of which triathletes, race organizers, and medical staff, should be made aware.

  20. Multi-walled carbon nanotube-physicochemical properties predict the systemic acute phase response following pulmonary exposure in mice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Poulsen, Sarah Søs; Knudsen, Kristina Bram; Jackson, Petra

    2017-01-01

    of acute phase response proteins serum amyloid A1/2 (SAA1/2) and SAA3 were determined on day 1, 28 or 92. Expression levels of hepatic Saal and pulmonary Saa3 mRNA levels were assessed to determine the origin of the acute phase response proteins. Pulmonary Saa3 mRNA expression levels were greater...... and lasted longer than hepatic Saal mRNA expression. Plasma SAA1/2 and SAA3 protein levels were related to time and physicochemical properties using adjusted, multiple regression analyses. SAA3 and SAA1/2 plasma protein levels were increased after exposure to almost all of the MWCNTs on day 1, whereas...... limited changes were observed on day 28 and 92. SAA1/2 and SAA3 protein levels did not correlate and only SAA3 protein levels correlated with neutrophil influx. The multiple regression analyses revealed a protective effect of MWCNT length on SAA1/2 protein level on day 1, such that a longer length...

  1. Emphysema and pulmonary impairment in coal miners: Quantitative relationship with dust exposure and cigarette smoking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuempel, E. D.; Vallyathan, V.; Green, F. H. Y.

    2009-02-01

    Coal miners have been shown to be at increased risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases including emphysema. The objective of this study was to determine whether lifetime cumulative exposure to respirable coal mine dust is a significant predictor of developing emphysema at a clinically-relevant level of severity by the end of life, after controlling for cigarette smoking and other covariates. Clinically-relevant emphysema severity was determined from the association between individuals' lung function during life (forced expiratory volume in one second, FEV1, as a percentage of predicted normal values) and emphysema severity at autopsy (as the proportion of lung tissue affected). In a logistic regression model, cumulative exposure to respirable coal mine dust was a statistically significant predictor of developing clinically-relevant emphysema severity, among both ever-smokers and never-smokers. The odds ratio for developing emphysema associated with FEV1 <80% at the cohort mean cumulative coal dust exposure (87 mg/m3 x yr) was 2.30 (1.46-3.64, 95% confidence limits), and at the cohort mean cigarette smoking (among smokers: 42 pack-years) was 1.95 (1.39-2.79).

  2. Emphysema and pulmonary impairment in coal miners: quantitative relationship with dust exposure and cigarette smoking

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    E.D. Kuempel; V. Vallyathan; F.H.Y. Green [National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH (United States)

    2009-07-01

    Coal miners have been shown to be at increased risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases including emphysema. The objective of this study was to determine whether lifetime cumulative exposure to respirable coal mine dust is a significant predictor of developing emphysema at a clinically-relevant level of severity by the end of life, after controlling for cigarette smoking and other covariates. Clinically-relevant emphysema severity was determined from the association between individuals' lung function during life (forced expiratory volume in one second, FEV{sub 1}, as a percentage of predicted normal values) and emphysema severity at autopsy (as the proportion of lung tissue affected). In a logistic regression model, cumulative exposure to respirable coal mine dust was a statistically significant predictor of developing clinically-relevant emphysema severity, among both ever-smokers and never-smokers. The odds ratio for developing emphysema associated with FEV1 <80% at the cohort mean cumulative coal dust exposure (87 mg/m{sup 3} x yr) was 2.30 (1.46-3.64, 95% confidence limits), and at the cohort mean cigarette smoking (among smokers: 42 pack-years) was 1.95 (1.39-2.79). 20 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs.

  3. Emphysema and pulmonary impairment in coal miners: Quantitative relationship with dust exposure and cigarette smoking

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kuempel, E D [National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Education and Information Division, Risk Evaluation Branch, Cincinnati, Ohio (United States); Vallyathan, V [National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Health Effects Laboratory Division, Pathology and Physiology Research Branch, Morgantown, West Virginia (United States); Green, F H Y, E-mail: ekuempel@cdc.go [Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta (Canada)

    2009-02-01

    Coal miners have been shown to be at increased risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases including emphysema. The objective of this study was to determine whether lifetime cumulative exposure to respirable coal mine dust is a significant predictor of developing emphysema at a clinically-relevant level of severity by the end of life, after controlling for cigarette smoking and other covariates. Clinically-relevant emphysema severity was determined from the association between individuals' lung function during life (forced expiratory volume in one second, FEV{sub 1}, as a percentage of predicted normal values) and emphysema severity at autopsy (as the proportion of lung tissue affected). In a logistic regression model, cumulative exposure to respirable coal mine dust was a statistically significant predictor of developing clinically-relevant emphysema severity, among both ever-smokers and never-smokers. The odds ratio for developing emphysema associated with FEV{sub 1} <80% at the cohort mean cumulative coal dust exposure (87 mg/m{sup 3} x yr) was 2.30 (1.46-3.64, 95% confidence limits), and at the cohort mean cigarette smoking (among smokers: 42 pack-years) was 1.95 (1.39-2.79).

  4. Strategic Analysis of Irregular Warfare

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-03-01

    the same mathematical equations used by Lanchester .10 Irregular Warfare Theory and Doctrine It is time to develop new analytical methods and models...basis on which to build, similar to what Lanchester provided almost 100 years ago. Figure 9 portrays both Lanchester’s approach and an irregular 17

  5. Irregular Migration in Jordan, 1995-2007

    OpenAIRE

    AROURI, Fathi A.

    2008-01-01

    Euro-Mediterranean Consortium for Applied Research on International Migration (CARIM) This paper tackles the question of irregular migration in Jordan through its four main aspects. The first concerns irregular labour migrants and has been approached by using figures showing the socio-economic profile of non Jordanians working in Jordan and, additionally, unemployment in Jordan. This is done by assuming close similarities between legal and irregular labour migrants. The second is an attemp...

  6. Pulmonary berylliosis. Experimental induction. Early detection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andre, Stephane

    1984-01-01

    This research thesis reports the study of the biological reactivity of industrial and environmental aerosols, notably beryllium powder aerosols. In order to study beryllium toxicity under its metal form, and the dose-effect relationship and the suspected carcinogen effect, a pulmonary berylliosis has been experimentally induced in rat and monkey. In order to develop means of rapid detection of exposure and sensitisation to beryllium, the author studied early pathological cellular mechanisms occurring during a pulmonary granulomatosis. Quantitative and qualitative modifications have been searched for, more particularly at the level of endo-alveolar cellular populations of macrophages and lymphocytes. The study has also been extended to the sensitisation of lymphocytes with respect to beryllium. After some generalities about beryllium (properties, sources, uses, exposure sources), and an overview of its toxicity (epidemiology, pathologies, experiments, biological mechanisms, detoxification), the author reports the introduction of a chronic pulmonary berylliosis into animals, discusses the various noticed pathologies and their analysis, and reports in situ and in vitro studies [fr

  7. Pulmonary Hypertension in Pregnancy: Critical Care Management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adel M. Bassily-Marcus

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Pulmonary hypertension is common in critical care settings and in presence of right ventricular failure is challenging to manage. Pulmonary hypertension in pregnant patients carries a high mortality rates between 30–56%. In the past decade, new treatments for pulmonary hypertension have emerged. Their application in pregnant women with pulmonary hypertension may hold promise in reducing morbidity and mortality. Signs and symptoms of pulmonary hypertension are nonspecific in pregnant women. Imaging workup may have undesirable radiation exposure. Pulmonary artery catheter remains the gold standard for diagnosing pulmonary hypertension, although its use in the intensive care unit for other conditions has slowly fallen out of favor. Goal-directed bedside echocardiogram and lung ultrasonography provide attractive alternatives. Basic principles of managing pulmonary hypertension with right ventricular failure are maintaining right ventricular function and reducing pulmonary vascular resistance. Fluid resuscitation and various vasopressors are used with caution. Pulmonary-hypertension-targeted therapies have been utilized in pregnant women with understanding of their safety profile. Mainstay therapy for pulmonary embolism is anticoagulation, and the treatment for amniotic fluid embolism remains supportive care. Multidisciplinary team approach is crucial to achieving successful outcomes in these difficult cases.

  8. Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis in Setting of Inhaled Toxin Exposure and Chronic Substance Abuse

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meirui Li

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP is a rare lung disorder in which defects in alveolar macrophage maturation or function lead to the accumulation of proteinaceous surfactant in alveolar space, resulting in impaired gas exchange and hypoxemia. PAP is categorized into three types: hereditary, autoimmune, and secondary. We report a case of secondary PAP in a 47-year-old man, whose risk factors include occupational exposure to inhaled toxins, especially aluminum dust, the use of anabolic steroids, and alcohol abuse, which in mice leads to alveolar macrophage dysfunction through a zinc-dependent mechanism that inhibits granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF receptor signalling. Although the rarity and vague clinical presentation of PAP can pose diagnostic challenges, clinician awareness of PAP risk factors may facilitate the diagnostic process and lead to more prompt treatment.

  9. Technical aspects of mediastinal ultrasound for pediatric pulmonary tuberculosis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pool, Kara-Lee; Heuvelings, Charlotte C.; Bélard, Sabine; Grobusch, Martin P.; Zar, Heather J.; Bulas, Dorothy; Garra, Brian; Andronikou, Savvas

    2017-01-01

    Diagnosing childhood pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) may be challenging due to difficulties in obtaining adequate sputum samples, paucibacillary disease and the low sensitivity of diagnostic tests. Chest radiography is an important diagnostic tool for pulmonary TB, but it involves radiation exposure,

  10. Occupational chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Omland, Oyvind; Würtz, Else Toft; Aasen, Tor Børvig

    2014-01-01

    Occupational-attributable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) presents a substantial health challenge. Focusing on spirometric criteria for airflow obstruction, this review of occupational COPD includes both population-wide and industry-specific exposures....

  11. Cyclophosphamide-induced pulmonary toxicity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Siemann, D.W.; Macler, L.; Penney, D.P.

    1986-01-01

    Unlike radiation effects, pulmonary toxicity following drug treatments may develop soon after exposure. The dose-response relationship between Cyclophosphamide and lung toxicity was investigated using increased breathing frequency assays used successfully for radiation induced injury. The data indicate that release of protein into the alveolus may play a significant role in Cy induced pulmonary toxicity. Although the mechanism responsible for the increased alveolar protein is as yet not identified, the present findings suggest that therapeutic intervention to inhibit protein release may be an approach to protect the lungs from toxic effects. (UK)

  12. Fitting Irregular Shape Figures into Irregular Shape Areas for the Nesting Problem in the Leather Industry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guevara-Palma Luis

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The nesting problem of irregular shapes within irregular areas has been studied from several approaches due to their application in different industries. The particular case of cutting leather involves several restrictions that add complexity to this problem, it is necessary to generate products that comply with the quality required by customers This paper presents a methodology for the accommodation of irregular shapes in an irregular area (leather considering the constraints set by the footwear industry, and the results of this methodology when applied by a computer system. The scope of the system is to develop a working prototype that operates under the guidelines of a commercial production line of a sponsor company. Preliminary results got a reduction of 70% of processing time and improvement of 5% to 7% of the area usage when compared with manual accommodation.

  13. Experimental pulmonary carcinogenesis by radon and its daughters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sato, Fumiaki

    1989-01-01

    Information on experimental pulmonary carcinogenesis by radon and its daughters has come mostly from experiments carried out in France and United States of America. In rats a dose response relation was estimated to be linear with dose at low dose region. Studies of rats exposed daily to radon and radon daughters indicated that the frequency of pulmonary cancer at total exposure greater than 3000 WLM was greater when the exposure rates were low. At low total exposures the dose-rate effect was less apparent. Cigarette smoke increased the pulmonary cancer in rats but decreased in dogs. The decrease may be due to a decrease of absorbed doses with increased secretion of mucus and to an enhancement of mucociliary clearance. After inhalation of 222 Ru at equilibrium with radon daughters, rats were inoculated intrapleurally with asbestos fibres or glass fibres. The additive co-carcinogenic effects of this type of insult were demonstrated by the increased incidence of malignant thoracic tumours. As for species differences, dogs and hamsters are relatively resistant to cancer induction and rats are sensitive. While bronchogenic carcinomas are the most frequently observed radiation-induced pulmonary cancer in humans, bronchioloalveolar carcinomas are the most frequent type in most animal species. (author)

  14. Pulmonary functions in plastic factory workers: a preliminary study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khaliq, Farah; Singh, Pawan; Chandra, Prakash; Gupta, Keshav; Vaney, Neelam

    2011-01-01

    Exposure to long term air pollution in the work environment may result in decreased lung functions and various other health problems. A significant occupational hazard to lung functions is experienced by plastic factory workers. The present study is planned to assess the pulmonary functions of workers in the plastic factory where recycling of pastic material was done. These workers were constantly exposed to fumes of various chemicals throughout the day. Thirty one workers of plastic factory were assessed for their pulmonary functions. Parameters were compared with 31 age and sex matched controls not exposed to the same environment. The pulmonary function tests were done using Sibelmed Datospir 120 B portable spirometer. A significant decrease in most of the flow rates (MEF 25%, MEF 50%, MEF 75% and FEF 25-75%) and most of the lung volumes and capacities (FVC, FEV1, VC, TV, ERV, MVV) were observed in the workers. Smoking and duration of exposure were not affecting the lung functions as the non smokers also showed a similar decrement in pulmonary functions. Similarly the workers working for less than 5 years also had decrement in pulmonary functions indicating that their lungs are being affected even if they have worked for one year. Exposure to the organic dust in the work environment should be controlled by adequate engineering measures, complemented by effective personal respiratory protection.

  15. Pulmonary function in relation to total dust exposure at a bauxite refinery and alumina-based chemical products plant.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Townsend, M C; Enterline, P E; Sussman, N B; Bonney, T B; Rippey, L L

    1985-12-01

    A cross-sectional study of 1,142 male employees at the Arkansas Operations of a large aluminum production company examined the effect on pulmonary function of chronic exposure to total dust produced in the mining and refining of bauxite and the production of alumina chemicals. Never smokers, ex-smokers, and current smokers were analyzed separately. Among never smokers, a pattern of decreasing FEV1 was observed in relation to increasing duration and cumulative total dust exposure. Among never smokers with cumulative total dust exposures of greater than or equal to 100 mg/m3 yr and greater than or equal to 20 yr of exposure, there was a mean reduction from the predicted FEV1 of 0.29 to 0.39 L, in addition to a 3- to 4-fold excess of observed/expected numbers of subjects with FEV1 less than 80% of predicted. These results were observed relative to an external and an internal comparison group. Among current smokers, the deviations from predicted and the excess numbers of subjects with FEV1 less than 80% of predicted were larger in all exposure groups than for the never smokers. However, the quality of the smoking data was inadequate to allow separation of the effects of smoking and dust exposure.

  16. Short- and long-term effects of diving on pulmonary function

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kay Tetzlaff

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The diving environment provides a challenge to the lung, including exposure to high ambient pressure, altered gas characteristics and cardiovascular effects on the pulmonary circulation. Several factors associated with diving affect pulmonary function acutely and can potentially cause prolonged effects that may accumulate gradually with repeated diving exposure. Evidence from experimental deep dives and longitudinal studies suggests long-term adverse effects of diving on the lungs in commercial deep divers, such as the development of small airways disease and accelerated loss of lung function. In addition, there is an accumulating body of evidence that diving with self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (scuba may not be associated with deleterious effects on pulmonary function. Although changes in pulmonary function after single scuba dives have been found to be associated with immersion, ambient cold temperatures and decompression stress, changes in lung function were small and suggest a low likelihood of clinical significance. Recent evidence points to no accelerated loss of lung function in military or recreational scuba divers over time. Thus, the impact of diving on pulmonary function largely depends on factors associated with the individual diving exposure. However, in susceptible subjects clinically relevant worsening of lung function may occur even after single shallow-water scuba dives.

  17. Scanning electron microscopy of vascular corrosion casts and histologic examination of pulmonary microvasculature in dogs with dirofilariosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ninomiya, Hiroyoshi; Wakao, Yoshito

    2002-11-01

    To characterize structural changes in pulmonary vessels of dogs with dirofilariosis. 8 dogs with dirofilariosis and 2 unaffected control dogs. Pulmonary artery pressure was measured in affected dogs, and dogs then were euthanatized. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine vascular corrosion casts of pulmonary vasculature. Tissue sections of pulmonary vasculature were evaluated by use of histologic examination. Pulmonary artery pressure was higher in dogs with severely affected pulmonary vessels. In tissue sections, dilatation, as well as lesions in the tunica intima and proliferative lesions resulting in constriction or obstruction, were frequently observed in branches of the pulmonary artery. Numerous dilated bronchial arteries were observed around affected pulmonary arteries. Hyperplastic venous sphincters were observed in small pulmonary veins and venules. In corrosion casts, affected pulmonary lobar arteries had dilatation, pruning, abnormal tapering, constriction, and obstruction. In small arteries and arterioles, surface structures representing aneurisms and edema were seen. Bronchial arteries were well developed and extremely dilated, and they formed numerous anastomoses with pulmonary arteries at all levels, from the pulmonary trunk to peripheral vessels. Capillaries in the lungs were dilated with little structural change. Small pulmonary veins and venules had irregular annular constrictions that were caused by hyperplastic smooth muscle cells of venous sphincters. Scanning electron microscopy of microvascular casts delineated links between the bronchial and pulmonary circulations in dogs with dirofilariosis. Results of scanning electron microscopy provided a structural explanation for the development of pulmonary circulatory disturbances and pulmonary hypertension in dogs affected by dirofilariosis.

  18. Lung inflammation and genotoxicity following pulmonary exposure to nanoparticles in ApoE-/- mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ladefoged Ole

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The toxic and inflammatory potential of 5 different types of nanoparticles were studied in a sensitive model for pulmonary effects in apolipoprotein E knockout mice (ApoE-/-. We studied the effects instillation or inhalation Printex 90 of carbon black (CB and compared CB instillation in ApoE-/- and C57 mice. Three and 24 h after pulmonary exposure, inflammation was assessed by mRNA levels of cytokines in lung tissue, cell composition, genotoxicity, protein and lactate dehydrogenase activity in broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL fluid. Results Firstly, we found that intratracheal instillation of CB caused far more pulmonary toxicity in ApoE-/- mice than in C57 mice. Secondly, we showed that instillation of CB was more toxic than inhalation of a presumed similar dose with respect to inflammation in the lungs of ApoE-/- mice. Thirdly, we compared effects of instillation in ApoE-/- mice of three carbonaceous particles; CB, fullerenes C60 (C60 and single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT as well as gold particles and quantum dots (QDs. Characterization of the instillation media revealed that all particles were delivered as agglomerates and aggregates. Significant increases in Il-6, Mip-2 and Mcp-1 mRNA were detected in lung tissue, 3 h and 24 h following instillation of SWCNT, CB and QDs. DNA damage in BAL cells, the fraction of neutrophils in BAL cells and protein in BAL fluid increased statistically significantly. Gold and C60 particles caused much weaker inflammatory responses. Conclusion Our data suggest that ApoE-/- model is sensitive for evaluating particle induced inflammation. Overall QDs had greatest effects followed by CB and SWCNT with C60 and gold being least inflammatory and DNA-damaging. However the gold was used at a much lower mass dose than the other particles. The strong effects of QDs were likely due to Cd release. The surface area of the instilled dose correlated well the inflammatory response for low toxicity particles.

  19. The behaviour of the pulmonary vessels on X-ray films of children with asthma bronchiale

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hegenbarth, R.; Toeroek, M.; Medizinische Hochschule Hannover

    1986-01-01

    On X-ray films of 51 children with asthma bronchiale the authors determined the vascular diameter of the right ascending pulmonary artery, the right vein of the upper lobe, and the peripheral vessels in the upper and lower pulmonary fields at an exactly defined distance from the hilus point, and compared these data with those of a control group of 143 healthy children. During the asthma attack the width of the right descending pulmonary artery and of the vein of the upper lobe corresponded to the values of the control group, whereas the vascular diameters in the upper and lower fields were clearly narrowed. Moreover, in most of the asthmatic children the authors found arc-shaped vessels and irregularly occluded vessels in the periphery of the lungs. (orig.) [de

  20. Ambient polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and pulmonary function in children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Padula, Amy M.; Balmes, John R.; Eisen, Ellen A.; Mann, Jennifer; Noth, Elizabeth M.; Lurmann, Frederick W.; Pratt, Boriana; Tager, Ira B.; Nadeau, Kari; Hammond, S. Katharine

    2014-01-01

    Few studies have examined the relationship between ambient polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and pulmonary function in children. Major sources include vehicular emissions, home heating, wildland fires, agricultural burning, and power plants. PAHs are an important component of fine particulate matter that has been linked to respiratory health. This cross-sectional study examines the relationship between estimated individual exposures to the sum of PAHs with 4, 5, or 6 rings (PAH456) and pulmonary function tests (forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of vital capacity) in asthmatic and non-asthmatic children. We applied land-use regression to estimate individual exposures to ambient PAHs for averaging periods ranging from 1 week to 1 year. We used linear regression to estimate the relationship between exposure to PAH456 with pre- and postbronchodilator pulmonary function tests in children in Fresno, California (N =297). Among non-asthmatics, there was a statistically significant association between PAH456 during the previous 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year and postbronchodilator FEV1. The magnitude of the association increased with the length of the averaging period ranging from 60 to 110 ml decrease in FEV1 for each 1 ng/m3 increase in PAH456. There were no associations with PAH456 observed among asthmatic children. We identified an association between annual PAHs and chronic pulmonary function in children without asthma. Additional studies are needed to further explore the association between exposure to PAHs and pulmonary function, especially with regard to differential effects between asthmatic and non-asthmatic children. PMID:24938508

  1. Repeated exposures to roadside particulate matter extracts suppresses pulmonary defense mechanisms, resulting in lipid and protein oxidative damage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pardo, Michal; Porat, Ziv; Rudich, Assaf; Schauer, James J; Rudich, Yinon

    2016-03-01

    Exposure to particulate matter (PM) pollution in cities and urban canyons can be harmful to the exposed population. However, the underlying mechanisms that lead to health effects are not yet elucidated. It is postulated that exposure to repeated, small, environmentally relevant concentrations can affect lung homeostasis. This study examines the impact of repeated exposures to urban PM on mouse lungs with focus on inflammatory and oxidative stress parameters. Aqueous extracts from collected urban PM were administered to mice by 5 repeated intra-tracheal instillations (IT). Multiple exposures, led to an increase in cytokine levels in both bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and in the blood serum, indicating a systemic reaction. Lung mRNA levels of antioxidant/phase II detoxifying enzymes decreased by exposure to the PM extract, but not when metals were removed by chelation. Finally, disruption of lung tissue oxidant-inflammatory/defense balance was evidenced by increased levels of lipid and protein oxidation. Unlike response to a single IT exposure to the same dose and source of extract, multiple exposures result in lung oxidative damage and a systemic inflammatory reaction. These could be attributed to compromised capacity to activate the protective Nrf2 tissue defense system. It is suggested that water-soluble metals present in urban PM, potentially from break and tire wear, may constitute major drivers of the pulmonary and systemic responses to multiple exposure to urban PM. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Pulmonary tissue volume, cardiac output, and diffusing capacity in sustained microgravity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verbanck, S.; Larsson, H.; Linnarsson, D.; Prisk, G. K.; West, J. B.; Paiva, M.

    1997-01-01

    In microgravity (microG) humans have marked changes in body fluids, with a combination of an overall fluid loss and a redistribution of fluids in the cranial direction. We investigated whether interstitial pulmonary edema develops as a result of a headward fluid shift or whether pulmonary tissue fluid volume is reduced as a result of the overall loss of body fluid. We measured pulmonary tissue volume (Vti), capillary blood flow, and diffusing capacity in four subjects before, during, and after 10 days of exposure to microG during spaceflight. Measurements were made by rebreathing a gas mixture containing small amounts of acetylene, carbon monoxide, and argon. Measurements made early in flight in two subjects showed no change in Vti despite large increases in stroke volume (40%) and diffusing capacity (13%) consistent with increased pulmonary capillary blood volume. Late in-flight measurements in four subjects showed a 25% reduction in Vti compared with preflight controls (P volume, to the extent that it was no longer significantly different from preflight control. Diffusing capacity remained elevated (11%; P pulmonary perfusion and pulmonary capillary blood volume, interstitial pulmonary edema does not result from exposure to microG.

  3. Peripheral venous malformations and pulmonary hypertension: A case report and literature review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nambakam Tanuja Subramanyam

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Extensive pure peripheral venous malformations are rare. We report occurrence of peripheral venous malformations associated with pulmonary hypertension in a middle-aged male, who had nodular, irregular, soft, compressible, painless, non-pulsatile swellings over dependant positions such as forearms, hands, axilla, and genitalia, with overgrowth of hands and fingers enlarging slowly since early childhood. He had right ventricular failure signs. Plain films showed soft-tissue mass with diffuse calcifications (phleboliths. Doppler study showed low flow vascular channels, compressible hypoechoic lesions along with occasional hyperechoeic lesion corresponding with phleboliths. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, T1-weighted showed polypoidal mass with heterogenous hypo to intermediate signal with no flow voids. T2-weighted MRI showed high-signal intensity mass. Computed tomography (CT pulmonary angiogram showed pulmonary hypertension, no thrombi or vascular malformation. He was treated with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, diuretics, amiodarone, antiplatelets, and venous stockings. Specific therapy such as sclerosis and surgical resection could not be done as he was discharged against medical advice.

  4. Pulmonary Function and Incidence of Selected Respiratory Diseases Depending on the Exposure to Ambient PM10

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Artur Badyda

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available It is essential in pulmonary disease research to take into account traffic-related air pollutant exposure among urban inhabitants. In our study, 4985 people were examined for spirometric parameters in the presented research which was conducted in the years 2008–2012. The research group was divided into urban and rural residents. Traffic density, traffic structure and velocity, as well as concentrations of selected air pollutants (CO, NO2 and PM10 were measured at selected areas. Among people who live in the city, lower percentages of predicted values of spirometric parameters were noticed in comparison to residents of rural areas. Taking into account that the difference in the five-year mean concentration of PM10 in the considered city and rural areas was over 17 μg/m3, each increase of PM10 by 10 μg/m3 is associated with the decline in FEV1 (forced expiratory volume during the first second of expiration by 1.68%. These findings demonstrate that traffic-related air pollutants may have a significant influence on the decline of pulmonary function and the growing rate of respiratory diseases.

  5. MCPIP1 Regulates Alveolar Macrophage Apoptosis and Pulmonary Fibroblast Activation After in vitro Exposure to Silica.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xingang; Zhang, Yuxia; Zhang, Wei; Liu, Haijun; Zhou, Zewei; Dai, Xiaoniu; Cheng, Yusi; Fang, Shencun; Zhang, Yingming; Yao, Honghong; Chao, Jie

    2016-05-01

    Silicosis is a fatal and fibrotic pulmonary disease caused by the inhalation of silica. After arriving at the alveoli, silica is ingested by alveolar macrophages (AMOs), in which monocyte chemotactic protein-induced protein 1 (MCPIP1) plays an essential role in controlling macrophage-mediated inflammatory responses. However, the mechanism of action of MCPIP1 in silicosis is poorly understood. Primary rat AMOs were isolated and treated with SiO2 (50 µg/cm(2)). MCPIP1 and AMO activation/apoptosis markers were detected by immunoblotting. MCPIP1 was down-regulated using siRNA in AMOs. The effects of AMOs on fibroblast activation and migration were evaluated using a gel contraction assay, a scratch assay, and a nested collagen matrix migration model. After exposure to SiO2, MCPIP1 was significantly increased in rat AMOs. Activation and apoptosis markers in AMOs were up-regulated after exposure to SiO2 Following siRNA-mediated silencing of MCPIP1 mRNA, the markers of AMO activation and apoptosis were significantly decreased. Rat pulmonary fibroblasts (PFBs) cultured in conditional medium from AMOs treated with MCPIP1 siRNA and SiO2 showed significantly less activation and migration compared with those cultured in conditional medium from AMOs treated with control siRNA and SiO2 CONCLUSION: Our data suggest a vital role for MCPIP1 in AMO apoptosis and PFB activation/migration induced by SiO2. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Toxicology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  6. Pulmonary function abnormalities associated with exposure to automobile exhaust in a diesel bus garage and roads.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chattopadhyay, B P; Alam, J; Roychowdhury, A

    2003-01-01

    In Kolkata city the road transports are maintained by private and Government organization. A major work force belonged to the State Transport Corporation (KSTC), Government of West-Bengal. The pollution caused by these vehicles affects the workers health and caused different types of respiratory problems. This study was undertaken to assess the pulmonary function status of these workers. City KSTC garage workers were investigated and categorically divided into two group: garage mechanics and the (2) those transporting the passengers (drivers and conductors). Vital capacity (VC), forced vital capacity (FVC) and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) were recorded by Spirovit-SP-10 (Schiller Ltd, Switzerland) and Wright's Peak Flow Meter (UK) on 236 workers. The different flow volumes, FEV(1), FEV(1%), and flow rates, FEF(02-121), FEF(25-75%), etc. were calculated. The administrative people had higher PFT than the other categories. Drivers and conductors have almost equal mean PFT values but mechanical workers had slightly higher. PFT values according to different age ranges and duration of exposure showed gradual decrement as age and duration of exposure increased. Non-smokers had higher lung volumes compared to smokers and ex-smokers. Restrictive, obstructive and combined types of impairments were noticed in 28.4%, 1.7% and 2.9%, respectively, workers. The restrictive impairment was found to be 30.4% in conductors; 28.9% in drivers, 27.9% in mechanics and 21.7% in administration people. Obstructive type of impairment was found to be 2.9% in both drivers and conductors. The effect of pollution by dust and fumes may be responsible for these pulmonary function impairments, restrictive impairments being greater.

  7. Legal aspects of the EU policy on irregular immigration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Voinikov Vadim

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available This article addresses the issues pertaining to the adoption and development of legislation on irregular migration in the context of uncontrolled growth in the number of immigrants from North Africa and the Middle East to the EU. The article attempts at studying the EU legislation on irregular migration, classifying it, and analysing the prospects of EU migration legislation in the light of an increase in irregular immigration into the EU. The author systematises, classifies the current EU legislation on irregular immigration, and analyses the conditions, in which this legislation was developed. Using the legislation analysis method, the author proposes the following system of EU legislation on irregular immigration: rules preventing assistance to irregular immigration, rules preventing employment of irregular immigrants, rules on the return of irregular migrants and readmission, rules on border control, and rules on collaboration with third countries. The author pays special attention to analysing the current state of irregular immigration to the EU, which was dubbed the ‘greatest migration crisis in Europe’. The conclusion is that the European Union succeeded in the development of pioneering legislation on irregular immigration, which can serve as the basis for reception by other states. However, changes in the political and economic situation in the EU’s southern borderlands made the current legal mechanisms incapable of withstanding new threats. It necessitates a radical reform of the legislation on irregular immigration.

  8. Emphysema and pulmonary impairment in coal miners: Quantitative relationship with dust exposure and cigarette smoking

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuempel, E D; Vallyathan, V; Green, F H Y

    2009-01-01

    Coal miners have been shown to be at increased risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases including emphysema. The objective of this study was to determine whether lifetime cumulative exposure to respirable coal mine dust is a significant predictor of developing emphysema at a clinically-relevant level of severity by the end of life, after controlling for cigarette smoking and other covariates. Clinically-relevant emphysema severity was determined from the association between individuals' lung function during life (forced expiratory volume in one second, FEV 1 , as a percentage of predicted normal values) and emphysema severity at autopsy (as the proportion of lung tissue affected). In a logistic regression model, cumulative exposure to respirable coal mine dust was a statistically significant predictor of developing clinically-relevant emphysema severity, among both ever-smokers and never-smokers. The odds ratio for developing emphysema associated with FEV 1 3 x yr) was 2.30 (1.46-3.64, 95% confidence limits), and at the cohort mean cigarette smoking (among smokers: 42 pack-years) was 1.95 (1.39-2.79).

  9. Irregular menstruation according to occupational status.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwak, Yeunhee; Kim, Yoonjung

    2017-07-06

    This cross-sectional study explored associations of irregular menstruation with occupational characteristics, using secondary analyses of data from 4,731 women aged 19-54 years, collected from a nationally representative sample, the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey-V during 2010-2012. The associations between irregular menstruation and occupation were explored using multiple logistic regression. Compared to non-manual workers, service/sales workers had a greater odds of irregular menstruation (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.44; 95percent confidence interval [CI]: 1.04-1.99) as did manual workers and unemployed women (aOR: 1.56; 95percent CI: 1.10-2.22, aOR: 1.46; 95percent CI: 1.14-1.89, respectively). Compared to regular workers, temporary workers and unemployed women had aORs of 1.52 (95percent CI: 1.08-2.13) and 1.33 (95percent CI: 1.05-1.69), respectively. Also, when compared to full-time workers, part-time workers and unemployed women had greater odds of irregular menstruation (aOR: 1.41; 95percent CI: 1.00-2.00 and aOR: 1.29; 95percent CI: 1.03-1.63, respectively). Furthermore, compared to daytime workers, shift workers and unemployed women had greater odds irregular menstruation (aOR: 1.39; 95percent CI: 1.03-1.88 and aOR: 1.28; 95percent CI: 1.04-1.59, respectively). Women with these occupational characteristics should be screened for early diagnosis and intervention for irregular menstruation.

  10. Single-tracer technique to evaluate pulmonary edema and its application to detect the effect of hexamethylene diisocyanate trimer aerosol exposures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valentini, J.E.; Wong, K.L.; Alarie, Y.

    1983-01-01

    Two hours after a four-hour exposure to hexamethylene diisocyanate trimer (HDIt) aerosol between 2.5 and 39 mg/m3, mice were injected iv with 51 Cr-EDTA (chromium ethylenediaminetetraacetate). Ten minutes later the lung was lavaged. A larger amount of 51 Cr-EDTA was detected in the lung lavage of HDIt mice than of controls in a concentration-related fashion. The concentration-response curve was shifted to the left compared with that constructed using lung weight increase as response. Kinetic studies of the plasma level of 51 Cr-EDTA revealed a three-exponential profile in normal mice, and similar plasma levels were obtained with mice exposed to 18-24 mg/m3 HDIt. However, both the amount of 51 Cr-EDTA in the alveolar space and concentration in the pulmonary extravascular compartment were higher in HDIt-exposed mice than in controls. The data of 51 Cr-EDTA distribution in the lung were fitted with a three-compartment model. According to the model, HDIt exposures increase the permeability constants of 51 Cr-EDTA transport into the alveolar space from blood which accounts for the larger amount of 51 Cr-EDTA in lung lavage of HDIt-exposed mice. This 51 Cr-EDTA injection and lung lavage technique is a sensitive method for detecting pulmonary edema

  11. Pulmonary decompression sickness at altitude: early symptoms and circulating gas emboli

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balldin, Ulf I.; Pilmanis, Andrew A.; Webb, James T.

    2002-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: Pulmonary altitude decompression sickness (DCS) is a rare condition. 'Chokes' which are characterized by the triad of substernal pain, cough, and dyspnea, are considered to be associated with severe accumulation of gas bubbles in the pulmonary capillaries and may rapidly develop into a life-threatening medical emergency. This study was aimed at characterizing early symptomatology and the appearance of venous gas emboli (VGE). METHODS: Symptoms of simulated-altitude DCS and VGE (with echo-imaging ultrasound) were analyzed in 468 subjects who participated in 22 high altitude hypobaric chamber research protocols from 1983 to 2001 at Brooks Air Force Base, TX. RESULTS: Of 2525 subject-exposures to simulated altitude, 1030 (41%) had symptoms of DCS. Only 29 of those included DCS-related pulmonary symptoms. Of these, only 3 subjects had all three pulmonary symptoms of chokes; 9 subjects had two of the pulmonary symptoms; and 17 subjects had only one. Of the 29 subject-exposures with pulmonary symptoms, 27 had VGE and 21 had severe VGE. The mean onset times of VGE and symptoms in the 29 subject-exposures were 42 +/- 30 min and 109 +/- 61 min, respectively. In 15 subjects, the symptoms disappeared during recompression to ground level followed by 2 h of oxygen breathing. In the remaining 14 cases, the symptoms disappeared with immediate hyperbaric oxygen treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Pulmonary altitude DCS or chokes is confirmed to be a rare condition. Our data showed that when diagnosed early, recompression to ground level pressure and/or hyperbaric oxygen treatment was 100% successful in resolving the symptoms.

  12. Irregular conformal block, spectral curve and flow equations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Sang Kwan; Rim, Chaiho; Zhang, Hong

    2016-01-01

    Irregular conformal block is motivated by the Argyres-Douglas type of N=2 super conformal gauge theory. We investigate the classical/NS limit of irregular conformal block using the spectral curve on a Riemann surface with irregular punctures, which is equivalent to the loop equation of irregular matrix model. The spectral curve is reduced to the second order (Virasoro symmetry, SU(2) for the gauge theory) and third order (W_3 symmetry, SU(3)) differential equations of a polynomial with finite degree. The conformal and W symmetry generate the flow equations in the spectral curve and determine the irregular conformal block, hence the partition function of the Argyres-Douglas theory ala AGT conjecture.

  13. Irregular sleep/wake patterns are associated with poorer academic performance and delayed circadian and sleep/wake timing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phillips, Andrew J K; Clerx, William M; O'Brien, Conor S; Sano, Akane; Barger, Laura K; Picard, Rosalind W; Lockley, Steven W; Klerman, Elizabeth B; Czeisler, Charles A

    2017-06-12

    The association of irregular sleep schedules with circadian timing and academic performance has not been systematically examined. We studied 61 undergraduates for 30 days using sleep diaries, and quantified sleep regularity using a novel metric, the sleep regularity index (SRI). In the most and least regular quintiles, circadian phase and light exposure were assessed using salivary dim-light melatonin onset (DLMO) and wrist-worn photometry, respectively. DLMO occurred later (00:08 ± 1:54 vs. 21:32 ± 1:48; p sleep propensity rhythm peaked later (06:33 ± 0:19 vs. 04:45 ± 0:11; p academic performance and SRI was observed. These findings show that irregular sleep and light exposure patterns in college students are associated with delayed circadian rhythms and lower academic performance. Moreover, the modeling results reveal that light-based interventions may be therapeutically effective in improving sleep regularity in this population.

  14. Determination of the activity of pulmonary tuberculosis : the utility of high-resolution computed tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, Myung Hee; Lee, Hae Giu; Yu, Won Jong; Chung, Hong Jun; Yang, Bo Sung; Kwon, Soon Suck; Park, Seog Hee

    2000-01-01

    To evaluate the utility of high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT), as used to determine the activity of tuberculosis, and to analyze the HRCT findings in active and in inactive tuberculosis. We analyzed the HRCT findings of 100 patients (54 men, 46 women; average age, 54 years) who according to the results of chest radiography had pulmonary tuberculosis of undetermined activity. We assessed HRCT findings such as the presence of a centrilobular, macro-, or micronodule; consolidation, ground-glass opacity, cavity, interlobular septal thickening, irregular linear opacities, bronchial wall thickening, bronchovascular bundle distortion, bronchiectasis, atelectasis, and pericicatrical emphysema. We compared the ratio of the area of nodule and consolidation to that of whole lung, and compared the findings between active and inactive tuberculosis. Eleven of 100 patients were excluded because the final diagnosis was other than tuberculosis. In 59 patients, the presence of active pulmonary tuberculosis was proven by positive sputum smear and/or culture for mycobacterium tuberculosis. On the basis of the negative results of these tests, pulmonary tuberculosis was found to be inactive in 30 patients; serial chest radiographs indicated that their condition remained stable over a 6-month period. For HRCT, sensitivity was 96.6%, specificity 56.7%, positive predictive value 81.4%, negative predictive value 89.5%, and accuracy 83.1%. For active tuberculosis, the presence of centrilobular nodules, tree-in-bud, macronodules, cavity within the nodule, and consolidations was statistically significant, while for inactive tuberculosis, that of irregular linear opacities, micronodules, bronchiectasis, and cicatrization atectasis was similarly significant. The CT score for the area of nodules and consolidations was higher in active than in inactive tuberculosis, but only the nodule score showed statistical significance. HRCT can be a useful diagnostic tool for evaluating the activity

  15. Differences in inflammation and acute phase response but similar genotoxicity in mice following pulmonary exposure to graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bengtson, Stefan; Knudsen, Kristina Bram; Kyjovska, Zdenka O.

    2017-01-01

    assessed exposure levels of particulate matter emitted during production of graphene in a clean room and in a normal industrial environment using chemical vapour deposition. Toxicity was evaluated at day 1, 3, 28 and 90 days (18, 54 and 162 μg/mouse), except for GO exposed mice at day 28 and 90 where only......We investigated toxicity of 2-3 layered >1 μm sized graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) in mice following single intratracheal exposure with respect to pulmonary inflammation, acute phase response (biomarker for risk of cardiovascular disease) and genotoxicity. In addition, we...

  16. 16 CFR 501.6 - Cellulose sponges, irregular dimensions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Cellulose sponges, irregular dimensions. 501... REQUIREMENTS AND PROHIBITIONS UNDER PART 500 § 501.6 Cellulose sponges, irregular dimensions. Variety packages of cellulose sponges of irregular dimensions, are exempted from the requirements of § 500.25 of this...

  17. Ethical issues in irregular migration research

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Duvell, F.; Triandafyllidou, A.; Vollmer, B.

    2008-01-01

    This paper is concerned with the ethical issues arising for researchers engaged in the study of irregular migration. Irregular migration is by definition an elusive phenomenon as it takes place in violation of the law and at the margins of society. This very nature of the phenomenon raises important

  18. Long-term exposure to PM2.5 lowers influenza virus resistance via down-regulating pulmonary macrophage Kdm6a and mediates histones modification in IL-6 and IFN-β promoter regions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Jing-Hui; Song, Shao-Hua; Guo, Meng; Zhou, Ji; Liu, Fang; Peng, Li; Fu, Zhi-Ren

    2017-11-18

    Atmospheric particulates, especially PM2.5, not only damage the respiratory system, but also play important roles in pulmonary immunity. China is influenced by atmospheric diffusion conditions, industrial manufacturers, and heating and discharging. PM2.5 levels in the air rise substantially in the winter, which is also a period of flu high-incidence. Although an epidemiological link exists between PM2.5 and flu, we do not understand how long-term PM2.5 inhalation affects pulmonary immunity and the influenza virus response. Our study has prepared an in vivo PM2.5 mouse pharyngeal wall drop-in model and has found that PM2.5 exposure leads to mouse inflammatory injuries and furthers influenza A infection. Our results suggest that short-term exposure to PM2.5 significantly enhances the survival rate of influenza A-contaminated mice, while long-term PM2.5 inhalation lowers the capacity of pulmonary macrophages to secrete IL-6 and IFN-β. A disorder in the pulmonary innate defense system results in increased death rates following influenza infection. On a macromolecular level, this mechamism involves Kdm6a down-regulation after long-term exposure to PM 2.5 and a resultant increase in H3K4 and H3K9 methylation in IL-6 and IFN-β promoter regions. In summary, PM2.5 causes injuries of lung tissue cells and downregulates immune defense mechanisms in the lung. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  19. DNA strand breaks, acute phase response and inflammation following pulmonary exposure by instillation to the diesel exhaust particle NIST1650b in mice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kyjovska, Zdenka O.; Jacobsen, Nicklas R.; Saber, Anne T.

    2015-01-01

    by the alkaline comet assay as DNA strand breaks in BAL cells, lung and liver tissue. The pulmonary acute phase response was analysed by Saa3 mRNA levels by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Instillation of DEP induced a strong neutrophil influx 1 and 3 days, but not 28 days post-exposure. Saa3 m...

  20. Characterization of the early pulmonary inflammatory response associated with PTFE fume exposure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnston, C. J.; Finkelstein, J. N.; Gelein, R.; Baggs, R.; Oberdorster, G.; Clarkson, T. W. (Principal Investigator)

    1996-01-01

    Heating of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) has been described to release fumes containing ultrafine particles (approximately 18 nm diam). These fumes can be highly toxic in the respiratory tract inducing extensive pulmonary edema with hemorrhagic inflammation. Fischer-344 rats were exposed to PTFE fumes generated by temperatures ranging from 450 to 460 degrees C for 15 min at an exposure concentration of 5 x 10(5) particles/cm3, equivalent to approximately 50 micrograms/m3. Responses were examined 4 hr post-treatment when these rats demonstrated 60-85% neutrophils (PMNs) in their lung lavage. Increases in abundance for messages encoding the antioxidants manganese superoxide dismutase and metallothionein (MT) increased 15- and 40-fold, respectively. For messages encoding the pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines: inducible nitric oxide synthase, interleukin 1 alpha, 1 beta, and 6 (IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, and IL-6), macrophage inflammatory protein-2, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha) increases of 5-, 5-, 10-, 40-, 40-, and 15-fold were present. Vascular endothelial growth factor, which may play a role in the integrity of the endothelial barrier, was decreased to 20% of controls. In situ sections were hybridized with 33P cRNA probes encoding IL-6, MT, surfactant protein C, and TNF alpha. Increased mRNA abundance for MT and IL-6 was expressed around all airways and interstitial regions with MT and IL-6 demonstrating similar spatial distribution. Large numbers of activated PMNs expressed IL-6, MT, and TNF alpha. Additionally, pulmonary macrophages and epithelial cells were actively involved. These observations support the notion that PTFE fumes containing ultrafine particles initiate a severe inflammatory response at low inhaled particle mass concentrations, which is suggestive of an oxidative injury. Furthermore, PMNs may actively regulate the inflammatory process through cytokine and antioxidant expression.

  1. Exposure to nitrogen dioxide and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Zili; Wang, Jian; Lu, Wenju

    2018-05-01

    Exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) has long been linked to elevated mortality and morbidity from epidemiological evidences. However, questions remain unclear whether NO 2 acts directly on human health or being an indicator of other ambient pollutants. In this study, random-effect meta-analyses were performed on examining exposure to nitrogen oxide (NO x ) and its association with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The overall relative risk (RR) of COPD risk related to a 10 μg/m 3 increase in NO 2 exposure increased by 2.0%. The pooled effect on prevalence was 17% with an increase of 10 μg/m 3 in NO 2 concentration, and 1.3% on hospital admissions, and 2.6% on mortality. The RR of COPD cases related to NO 2 long-term exposure was 2.5 and 1.4% in short-term exposure. The COPD effect related with a 10 μg/m 3 increase in exposure to a general outdoor-sourced NO 2 was 1.7 and 17.8% to exposure to an exclusively traffic-sourced NO 2 ; importantly, we did observe the effect of NO 2 on COPD mortality with a large majority in lag0. Long-term traffic exerted more severe impairments on COPD prevalence than long-term or short-term outdoor effect; long-term mortality effect on COPD was serious in single model from this meta-analysis. Overall, our study reported consistent evidence of the potential positive association between NO 2 and COPD risk.

  2. Locating irregularly shaped clusters of infection intensity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Niko Yiannakoulias

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available Patterns of disease may take on irregular geographic shapes, especially when features of the physical environment influence risk. Identifying these patterns can be important for planning, and also identifying new environmental or social factors associated with high or low risk of illness. Until recently, cluster detection methods were limited in their ability to detect irregular spatial patterns, and limited to finding clusters that were roughly circular in shape. This approach has less power to detect irregularly-shaped, yet important spatial anomalies, particularly at high spatial resolutions. We employ a new method of finding irregularly-shaped spatial clusters at micro-geographical scales using both simulated and real data on Schistosoma mansoni and hookworm infection intensities. This method, which we refer to as the “greedy growth scan”, is a modification of the spatial scan method for cluster detection. Real data are based on samples of hookworm and S. mansoni from Kitengei, Makueni district, Kenya. Our analysis of simulated data shows how methods able to find irregular shapes are more likely to identify clusters along rivers than methods constrained to fixed geometries. Our analysis of infection intensity identifies two small areas within the study region in which infection intensity is elevated, possibly due to local features of the physical or social environment. Collectively, our results show that the “greedy growth scan” is a suitable method for exploratory geographical analysis of infection intensity data when irregular shapes are suspected, especially at micro-geographical scales.

  3. Detecting chaos in irregularly sampled time series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kulp, C W

    2013-09-01

    Recently, Wiebe and Virgin [Chaos 22, 013136 (2012)] developed an algorithm which detects chaos by analyzing a time series' power spectrum which is computed using the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT). Their algorithm, like other time series characterization algorithms, requires that the time series be regularly sampled. Real-world data, however, are often irregularly sampled, thus, making the detection of chaotic behavior difficult or impossible with those methods. In this paper, a characterization algorithm is presented, which effectively detects chaos in irregularly sampled time series. The work presented here is a modification of Wiebe and Virgin's algorithm and uses the Lomb-Scargle Periodogram (LSP) to compute a series' power spectrum instead of the DFT. The DFT is not appropriate for irregularly sampled time series. However, the LSP is capable of computing the frequency content of irregularly sampled data. Furthermore, a new method of analyzing the power spectrum is developed, which can be useful for differentiating between chaotic and non-chaotic behavior. The new characterization algorithm is successfully applied to irregularly sampled data generated by a model as well as data consisting of observations of variable stars.

  4. Diagnosis and Management of Pulmonary Embolism in Pregnancy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarah Broder

    1996-01-01

    Full Text Available Pulmonary embolism in pregnancy is a significant and under-recognized problem. In British Columbia, where there are 46,000 pregnancies per year, it is estimated that there are approximately 160 pulmonary embolisms per year and one maternal death every two years secondary to pulmonary embolism. A complete assessment for suspected pulmonary embolus can be performed without putting the fetus at significant risk from radiation exposure. An algorithm is provided for the workup of pulmonary embolus during pregnancy. Heparin is the drug of choice for anticoagulating pregnant women, initially managing the situation with intravenous heparin and then switching to the subcutaneous route given in a bid or tid regimen, aiming to keep the activated partial thromboplastin time 1.5 to 2 times the control. The risks to both the fetus and the mother from anticoagulation during pregnancy are reviewed.

  5. Fatigue damage estimation using irregularity factor. First report, irregularity factor calculations for narrow and broadband random time histories

    Science.gov (United States)

    Susuki, I.

    1981-11-01

    The results of an analysis of the irregularity factors of stationary and Gaussian random processes which are generated by filtering the output of a pure or a band-limited white noise are presented. An ideal band pass filter, a trapezoidal filter, and a Butterworth type band pass filter were examined. It was found that the values of the irregularity factors were approximately equal among these filters if only the end-slopes were the same rates. As the band width of filters increases, irregularity factors increase monotonically and approach the respective constant values depending on the end-slopes. This implies that the noise characteristics relevant to the fatigue damage such as statistical aspects of the height of the rise and fall or the distribution of the peak values are not changed for a broad band random time history. It was also found that the effect of band limitation of input white noise on irregularity factors is negligibly small.

  6. DNA Damage Following Pulmonary Exposure by Instillation to Low Doses of Carbon Black (Printex 90) Nanoparticles in Mice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kyjovska, Zdenka O.; Jacobsen, Nicklas R.; Saber, Anne T.

    2015-01-01

    of 0.67, 2, 6, and 162 mu g Printex 90 NPCB and vehicle. Cellular composition and protein concentration was evaluated in BAL fluid as markers of inflammatory response and cell damage. DNA strand breaks in BAL cells, lung, and liver tissue were assessed using the alkaline comet assay. The pulmonary...... the comet assay. We interpret the increased DNA strand breaks occurring following these low exposure doses of NPCB as DNA damage caused by primary genotoxicity in the absence of substantial inflammation, cell damage, and acute phase response. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 56:41-49, 2015. (c) 2014 The Authors...

  7. Primary pulmonary low-grade angiosarcoma characterized by mismatch between {sup 18}F-FDG FET and dynamic contrast-enhanced CT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    KIm, Eun Young; Lee, Ho Yun; Han, Joung Ho; Choi, Joon Young [Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-10-15

    We report a rare case of primary pulmonary low-grade angiosarcoma on dynamic contrast-enhanced CT and {sup 18}F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/CT imaging. A 38-year-old, asymptomatic woman was hospitalized because of an abnormality on chest radiography. A dynamic contrast-enhanced chest CT showed a 1.2 cm-sized irregular-margined nodule with strong and persistent enhancement in the right lower lobe. The lesion had low metabolic activity on an {sup 18}F-FDG PET/CT scan. The patient underwent a wedge resection for the lesion, and pathology revealed a primary pulmonary low-grade angiosarcoma.

  8. Acute and subacute pulmonary toxicity and mortality in mice after intratracheal instillation of ZnO nanoparticles in three laboratories

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jacobsen, Nicklas Raun; Stoeger, Tobias; van den Brule, Sybille

    2015-01-01

    Inhalation is the main pathway of ZnO exposure in the occupational environment but only few studies have addressed toxic effects after pulmonary exposure to ZnO nanoparticles (NP). Here we present results from three studies of pulmonary exposure and toxicity of ZnO NP in mice. The studies were...

  9. On irregularity strength of disjoint union of friendship graphs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali Ahmad

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available We investigate the vertex total and edge total modication of the well-known irregularity strength of graphs. We have determined the exact values of the total vertex irregularity strength and the total edge irregularity strength of a disjoint union of friendship graphs.

  10. Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Edema in a Triathlon

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hirotomo Yamanashi

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Family physicians have more opportunities to attend athletic competitions as medical staff at first-aid centers because of the increasing popularity of endurance sports. Case. A 38-year-old man who participated in a triathlon race experienced difficulty in breathing after swimming and was moved to a first-aid center. His initial oxygen saturation was 82% and a thoracic computed tomography scan showed bilateral ground glass opacity in the peripheral lungs. His diagnosis was noncardiogenic pulmonary edema associated with exercise or swimming: exercise-induced pulmonary edema (EIPE or swimming-induced pulmonary edema (SIPE. Treatment with furosemide and corticosteroid relieved his symptoms of pulmonary edema. Discussion. Noncardiogenic pulmonary edema associated with endurance sports is not common, but knowledge about EIPE/SIPE or neurogenic pulmonary edema associated with hyponatremia, which is called Ayus-Arieff syndrome, is crucial. Knowledge and caution for possible risk factors, such as exposure to cold water or overhydration, are essential for both medical staff and endurance athletes. Conclusion. To determine the presence of pulmonary edema associated with strenuous exercise, oxygen saturation should be used as a screening tool at a first-aid center. To avoid risks for EIPE/SIPE, knowledge about these diseases is essential for medical staff and for athletes who perform extreme exercise.

  11. Defining and targeting health disparities in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pleasants RA

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Roy A Pleasants,1–3 Isaretta L Riley,1–3 David M Mannino4 1Duke Asthma, Allergy, and Airways Center, 2Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, 3Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC, 4Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Pulmonary Epidemiology Research Laboratory, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA Abstract: The global burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD continues to grow in part due to better outcomes in other major diseases and in part because a substantial portion of the worldwide population continues to be exposed to inhalant toxins. However, a disproportionate burden of COPD occurs in people of low socioeconomic status (SES due to differences in health behaviors, sociopolitical factors, and social and structural environmental exposures. Tobacco use, occupations with exposure to inhalant toxins, and indoor biomass fuel (BF exposure are more common in low SES populations. Not only does SES affect the risk of developing COPD and etiologies, it is also associated with worsened COPD health outcomes. Effective interventions in these people are needed to decrease these disparities. Efforts that may help lessen these health inequities in low SES include 1 better surveillance targeting diagnosed and undiagnosed COPD in disadvantaged people, 2 educating the public and those involved in health care provision about the disease, 3 improving access to cost-effective and affordable health care, and 4 markedly increasing the efforts to prevent disease through smoking cessation, minimizing use and exposure to BF, and decreasing occupational exposures. COPD is considered to be one the most preventable major causes of death from a chronic disease in the world; therefore, effective interventions could have a major impact on reducing the global burden of the disease, especially in socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. Keywords: health disparities

  12. Characteristics of ionospheric irregularities causing scintillations at VHF/UHF

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vats, H.O.; Deshpande, M.R.; Rastogi, R.G.

    1978-01-01

    Some properties of ionization irregularities using amplitude scintillation records of radio beacons from ATS-6 (phase II) at Ootacamund, India have been investigated. For the estimation of scale-size and strength of the irregularities a simple diffraction model has been used which explains only weak and moderate equatorial scintillation observations. It was found that the scale sizes of day time E-region irregularities are smaller than those in the F-region during night time in addition, irregularities are generated initially at large scale sizes which later break up into smaller scale sizes

  13. Influence of Regularity of Exposure to Chronic Stress on the Pattern of Habituation of Pituitary-Adrenal Hormones, Prolactin and Glucose.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martí; Armario

    1997-05-01

    The effect of regularity of exposure to two different chronic stressors (noise or immobilization (IMO)) on the pattern of habituation of pituitary-adrenal (PA) hormones, prolactin and glucose was evaluated in adult male rats. Animals were chronically subjected to either regular or irregular time schedule of noise (30 min/day) or IMO (2 h/day) for two weeks. The day after the last stress session the rats were killed without stress or after having been subjected to 30 min of the homotypic stressor. Whereas regular noise did not affect food intake, body weight gain or adrenal weight, irregular noise decreased body weight gain and induced a moderate adrenal hypertrophy. In addition, previous daily exposure to regular but not to irregular noise reduced both prolactin and corticosterone responses to acute noise. In contrast, glucose response to acute noise was reduced after both regular and irregular exposure to chronic noise. Either regular or irregular exposure to chronic IMO decreased food intake and body weight and increased adrenal weight to the same extent. Likewise, no influence of regularity of exposure to chronic IMO on corticosterone and prolactin responses to acute IMO was observed. However, habituation of the ACTH response to acute IMO was observed in rats subjected to chronic regular IMO, but not in rats subjected to chronic irregular IMO. Finally, acute IMO-induced hyperglycemia diminished to the same extent after regular and irregular IMO. From these results we can conclude that: first, the process of habituation of the PA axis to chronic stress is greatly dependent upon factors such as regularity of exposure to the stressor and stressor intensity, and second, the influence of regularity on the pattern of habituation to a repeated stressor is dependent on the physiological variable we are dealing with.

  14. Epidemiology of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ley B

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Brett Ley, Harold R Collard Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA Abstract: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic fibrotic lung disease of unknown cause that occurs in adults and has a poor prognosis. Its epidemiology has been difficult to study because of its rarity and evolution in diagnostic and coding practices. Though uncommon, it is likely underappreciated both in terms of its occurrence (ie, incidence, prevalence and public health impact (ie, health care costs and resource utilization. Incidence and mortality appear to be on the rise, and prevalence is expected to increase with the aging population. Potential risk factors include occupational and environmental exposures, tobacco smoking, gastroesophageal reflux, and genetic factors. An accurate understanding of its epidemiology is important, especially as novel therapies are emerging. Keywords: idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, epidemiology, incidence, prevalence, mortality, risk factors

  15. Association between Household Air Pollution Exposure and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Outcomes in 13 Low- and Middle-Income Country Settings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siddharthan, Trishul; Grigsby, Matthew R; Goodman, Dina; Chowdhury, Muhammad; Rubinstein, Adolfo; Irazola, Vilma; Gutierrez, Laura; Miranda, J Jaime; Bernabe-Ortiz, Antonio; Alam, Dewan; Kirenga, Bruce; Jones, Rupert; van Gemert, Frederick; Wise, Robert A; Checkley, William

    2018-03-01

    Forty percent of households worldwide burn biomass fuels for energy, which may be the most important contributor to household air pollution. To examine the association between household air pollution exposure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) outcomes in 13 resource-poor settings. We analyzed data from 12,396 adult participants living in 13 resource-poor, population-based settings. Household air pollution exposure was defined as using biomass materials as the primary fuel source in the home. We used multivariable regressions to assess the relationship between household air pollution exposure and COPD outcomes, evaluated for interactions, and conducted sensitivity analyses to test the robustness of our findings. Average age was 54.9 years (44.2-59.6 yr across settings), 48.5% were women (38.3-54.5%), prevalence of household air pollution exposure was 38% (0.5-99.6%), and 8.8% (1.7-15.5%) had COPD. Participants with household air pollution exposure were 41% more likely to have COPD (adjusted odds ratio, 1.41; 95% confidence interval, 1.18-1.68) than those without the exposure, and 13.5% (6.4-20.6%) of COPD prevalence may be caused by household air pollution exposure, compared with 12.4% caused by cigarette smoking. The association between household air pollution exposure and COPD was stronger in women (1.70; 1.24-2.32) than in men (1.21; 0.92-1.58). Household air pollution exposure was associated with a higher prevalence of COPD, particularly among women, and it is likely a leading population-attributable risk factor for COPD in resource-poor settings.

  16. 14 CFR 135.65 - Reporting mechanical irregularities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... irregularities and their correction. (b) The pilot in command shall enter or have entered in the aircraft maintenance log each mechanical irregularity that comes to the pilot's attention during flight time. Before each flight, the pilot in command shall, if the pilot does not already know, determine the status of...

  17. Pulmonary functional MR imaging for COPD

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohno, Yoshiharu

    2008-01-01

    Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a slowly progressive disease characterized by airflow limitation, cough, sputum production, and, at later stages, dyspnea. COPD is currently the fourth-leading cause of mortality and the twelfth-leading cause of disability, and by the year 2020 it is expected to be the third-leading cause of death and the fifth-leading cause of disability worldwide. The diagnosis of COPD largely relies on a history of exposure to noxious stimuli and abnormal lung function test results. Since the pathology of COPD varies and the molecular mechanisms are only slightly understood, the diagnosis and stage assessment of COPD have relied on the results of pulmonary function test. In addition, CT and nuclear medicine study are utilized for assessment of regional morphological and functional abnormalities. Recently, pulmonary functional MR imaging is suggested as a new technique for assessment of regional physiopathologic information in various pulmonary diseases including COPD, pulmonary thromboembolism, lung cancer and interstitial lung diseases. This review article covers the brief description of theory and clinical application of contrast-enhanced perfusion MR imaging; hyperpolarized noble gas MR imaging and oxygen-enhanced MR imaging in COPD subjects. We believe that further basic studies as well as clinical applications of this new technique will define the real significance of pulmonary functional MR imaging for the future of pulmonary functional imaging and its usefulness for diagnosis and patients' management in COPD. (author)

  18. The effect of composition, size, and solubility on acute pulmonary injury in rats following exposure to Mexico city ambient particulate matter samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snow, Samantha J; De Vizcaya-Ruiz, Andrea; Osornio-Vargas, Alvaro; Thomas, Ronald F; Schladweiler, Mette C; McGee, John; Kodavanti, Urmila P

    2014-01-01

    Particulate matter (PM)-associated metals can contribute to adverse cardiopulmonary effects following exposure to air pollution. The aim of this study was to investigate how variation in the composition and size of ambient PM collected from two distinct regions in Mexico City relates to toxicity differences. Male Wistar Kyoto rats (14 wk) were intratracheally instilled with chemically characterized PM10 and PM2.5 from the north and PM10 from the south of Mexico City (3 mg/kg). Both water-soluble and acid-leachable fractions contained several metals, with levels generally higher in PM10 South. The insoluble and total, but not soluble, fractions of all PM induced pulmonary damage that was indicated by significant increases in neutrophilic inflammation, and several lung injury biomarkers including total protein, albumin, lactate dehydrogenase activity, and γ-glutamyl transferase activity 24 and 72 h postexposure. PM10 North and PM2.5 North also significantly decreased levels of the antioxidant ascorbic acid. Elevation in lung mRNA biomarkers of inflammation (tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α and macrophage inflammatory protein [MIP]-2), oxidative stress (heme oxygenase [HO]-1, lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor [LOX]-1, and inducibile nitric oxide synthase [iNOS]), and thrombosis (tissue factor [TF] and plasminogen activator inhibitor [PAI]-1), as well as reduced levels of fibrinolytic protein tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), further indicated pulmonary injury following PM exposure. These responses were more pronounced with PM10 South (PM10 South > PM10 North > PM2.5 North), which contained higher levels of redox-active transition metals that may have contributed to specific differences in selected lung gene markers. These findings provide evidence that surface chemistry of the PM core and not the water-soluble fraction played an important role in regulating in vivo pulmonary toxicity responses to Mexico City PM.

  19. Orbital and Collisional Evolution of the Irregular Satellites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nesvorný, David; Alvarellos, Jose L. A.; Dones, Luke; Levison, Harold F.

    2003-07-01

    The irregular moons of the Jovian planets are a puzzling part of the solar system inventory. Unlike regular satellites, the irregular moons revolve around planets at large distances in tilted and eccentric orbits. Their origin, which is intimately linked with the origin of the planets themselves, is yet to be explained. Here we report a study of the orbital and collisional evolution of the irregular satellites from times after their formation to the present epoch. The purpose of this study is to find out the features of the observed irregular moons that can be attributed to this evolution and separate them from signatures of the formation process. We numerically integrated ~60,000 test satellite orbits to map orbital locations that are stable on long time intervals. We found that the orbits highly inclined to the ecliptic are unstable due to the effect of the Kozai resonance, which radially stretches them so that satellites either escape from the Hill sphere, collide with massive inner moons, or impact the parent planet. We also found that prograde satellite orbits with large semimajor axes are unstable due to the effect of the evection resonance, which locks the orbit's apocenter to the apparent motion of the Sun around the parent planet. In such a resonance, the effect of solar tides on a resonant moon accumulates at each apocenter passage of the moon, which causes a radially outward drift of its orbital apocenter; once close to the Hill sphere, the moon escapes. By contrast, retrograde moons with large orbital semimajor axes are long-lived. We have developed an analytic model of the distant satellite orbits and used it to explain the results of our numerical experiments. In particular, we analytically studied the effect of the Kozai resonance. We numerically integrated the orbits of the 50 irregular moons (known by 2002 August 16) for 108 yr. All orbits were stable on this time interval and did not show any macroscopic variations that would indicate

  20. Effects of exercise training on pulmonary vessel muscularization and right ventricular function in an animal model of COPD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hassel, Erlend; Berre, Anne Marie; Skjulsvik, Anne Jarstein; Steinshamn, Sigurd

    2014-09-28

    Right ventricular dysfunction in COPD is common, even in the absence of pulmonary hypertension. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of high intensity interval training (HIIT) on right ventricular (RV) function, as well as pulmonary blood vessel remodeling in a mouse model of COPD. 42 female A/JOlaHsd mice were randomized to exposure to either cigarette smoke or air for 6 hours/day, 5 days/week for 14 weeks. Mice from both groups were further randomized to sedentariness or HIIT for 4 weeks. Cardiac function was evaluated by echocardiography and muscularization of pulmonary vessel walls by immunohistochemistry. Smoke exposure induced RV systolic dysfunction demonstrated by reduced tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion. HIIT in smoke-exposed mice reversed RV dysfunction. There were no significant effects on the left ventricle of neither smoke exposure nor HIIT. Muscularization of the pulmonary vessels was reduced after exercise intervention, but no significant effects on muscularization were observed from smoke exposure. RV function was reduced in mice exposed to cigarette smoke. No Increase in pulmonary vessel muscularization was observed in these mice, implying that other mechanisms caused the RV dysfunction. HIIT attenuated the RV dysfunction in the smoke exposed mice. Reduced muscularization of the pulmonary vessels due to HIIT suggests that exercise training not only affects the heart muscle, but also has important effects on the pulmonary vasculature.

  1. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – diagnosis and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – diagnosis and classification of ... biomass fuel exposure/household pollution, tuberculosis, HIV and mining ... There is a very high prevalence of COPD in SA and it is the third leading cause of mortality ...

  2. Decomposing Oriented Graphs into Six Locally Irregular Oriented Graphs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bensmail, Julien; Renault, Gabriel

    2016-01-01

    An undirected graph G is locally irregular if every two of its adjacent vertices have distinct degrees. We say that G is decomposable into k locally irregular graphs if there exists a partition E1∪E2∪⋯∪Ek of the edge set E(G) such that each Ei induces a locally irregular graph. It was recently co...

  3. Acrolein - a pulmonary hazard.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bein, Kiflai; Leikauf, George D

    2011-09-01

    Acrolein is a respiratory irritant that can be generated during cooking and is in environmental tobacco smoke. More plentiful in cigarette smoke than polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), acrolein can adduct tumor suppressor p53 (TP53) DNA and may contribute to TP53-mutations in lung cancer. Acrolein is also generated endogenously at sites of injury, and excessive breath levels (sufficient to activate metalloproteinases and increase mucin transcripts) have been detected in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Because of its reactivity with respiratory-lining fluid or cellular macromolecules, acrolein alters gene regulation, inflammation, mucociliary transport, and alveolar-capillary barrier integrity. In laboratory animals, acute exposures have lead to acute lung injury and pulmonary edema similar to that produced by smoke inhalation whereas lower concentrations have produced bronchial hyperreactivity, excessive mucus production, and alveolar enlargement. Susceptibility to acrolein exposure is associated with differential regulation of cell surface receptor, transcription factor, and ubiquitin-proteasome genes. Consequent to its pathophysiological impact, acrolein contributes to the morbidly and mortality associated with acute lung injury and COPD, and possibly asthma and lung cancer. Copyright © 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  4. Design Optimization of Irregular Cellular Structure for Additive Manufacturing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Guo-Hua; Jing, Shi-Kai; Zhao, Fang-Lei; Wang, Ye-Dong; Xing, Hao; Zhou, Jing-Tao

    2017-09-01

    Irregularcellular structurehas great potential to be considered in light-weight design field. However, the research on optimizing irregular cellular structures has not yet been reporteddue to the difficulties in their modeling technology. Based on the variable density topology optimization theory, an efficient method for optimizing the topology of irregular cellular structures fabricated through additive manufacturing processes is proposed. The proposed method utilizes tangent circles to automatically generate the main outline of irregular cellular structure. The topological layoutof each cellstructure is optimized using the relative density informationobtained from the proposed modified SIMP method. A mapping relationship between cell structure and relative densityelement is builtto determine the diameter of each cell structure. The results show that the irregular cellular structure can be optimized with the proposed method. The results of simulation and experimental test are similar for irregular cellular structure, which indicate that the maximum deformation value obtained using the modified Solid Isotropic Microstructures with Penalization (SIMP) approach is lower 5.4×10-5 mm than that using the SIMP approach under the same under the same external load. The proposed research provides the instruction to design the other irregular cellular structure.

  5. Hypoxia-induced pulmonary vascular remodeling: cellular and molecular mechanisms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stenmark, Kurt R; Fagan, Karen A; Frid, Maria G

    2006-09-29

    Chronic hypoxic exposure induces changes in the structure of pulmonary arteries, as well as in the biochemical and functional phenotypes of each of the vascular cell types, from the hilum of the lung to the most peripheral vessels in the alveolar wall. The magnitude and the specific profile of the changes depend on the species, sex, and the developmental stage at which the exposure to hypoxia occurred. Further, hypoxia-induced changes are site specific, such that the remodeling process in the large vessels differs from that in the smallest vessels. The cellular and molecular mechanisms vary and depend on the cellular composition of vessels at particular sites along the longitudinal axis of the pulmonary vasculature, as well as on local environmental factors. Each of the resident vascular cell types (ie, endothelial, smooth muscle, adventitial fibroblast) undergo site- and time-dependent alterations in proliferation, matrix protein production, expression of growth factors, cytokines, and receptors, and each resident cell type plays a specific role in the overall remodeling response. In addition, hypoxic exposure induces an inflammatory response within the vessel wall, and the recruited circulating progenitor cells contribute significantly to the structural remodeling and persistent vasoconstriction of the pulmonary circulation. The possibility exists that the lung or lung vessels also contain resident progenitor cells that participate in the remodeling process. Thus the hypoxia-induced remodeling of the pulmonary circulation is a highly complex process where numerous interactive events must be taken into account as we search for newer, more effective therapeutic interventions. This review provides perspectives on each of the aforementioned areas.

  6. Effects of biomass smoke on pulmonary functions: a case control study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balcan, Baran; Akan, Selcuk; Ugurlu, Aylin Ozsancak; Handemir, Bahar Ozcelik; Ceyhan, Berrin Bagcı; Ozkaya, Sevket

    2016-01-01

    Biomass smoke is the leading cause of COPD in developing countries such as Turkey. In rural areas of Turkey, females are more exposed to biomass smoke because of traditional lifestyles. The aim of this study was to determine the adverse effects of biomass smoke on pulmonary functions and define the relationship between duration in years and an index (cumulative exposure index) with altered pulmonary function test results. A total of 115 females who lived in the village of Kağizman (a borough of Kars located in the eastern part of Turkey) and were exposed to biomass smoke were included in the study. The control group was generated with 73 individuals living in the same area who were never exposed to biomass smoke. Twenty-seven (23.8%) females in the study group and four (5.5%) in the control group had small airway disease (P=0.038). Twenty-two (19.1%) females in the study group and ten (13.7%) in the control group had obstruction (P=0.223). Twenty (17.3%) females in the study group who were exposed to biomass smoke had restriction compared with ten (13%) in the control group (P=0.189). The duration needed for the existence of small airway disease was 16 years, for obstructive airway disease was 17 years, and for restrictive airway disease was 17 years. The intensity of biomass smoke was defined in terms of cumulative exposure index; it was calculated by multiplying hours per day, weeks per month, and total years of smoke exposure and dividing the result by three. Exposure to biomass smoke is a serious public health problem, especially in rural areas of developing countries, because of its negative effects on pulmonary functions. As the duration and the intensity of exposure increase, the probability of having altered pulmonary function test results is higher.

  7. Plasma Irregularity Production in the Polar Cap F-Region Ionosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lamarche, Leslie

    Plasma in the Earth's ionosphere is highly irregular on scales ranging between a few centimeters and hundreds of kilometers. Small-scale irregularities or plasma waves can scatter radio waves resulting in a loss of signal for navigation and communication networks. The polar region is particularly susceptible to strong disturbances due to its direct connection with the Sun's magnetic field and energetic particles. In this thesis, factors that contribute to the production of decameter-scale plasma irregularities in the polar F region ionosphere are investigated. Both global and local control of irregularity production are studied, i.e. we consider global solar control through solar illumination and solar wind as well as much more local control by plasma density gradients and convection electric field. In the first experimental study, solar control of irregularity production is investigated using the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) radar at McMurdo, Antarctica. The occurrence trends for irregularities are analyzed statistically and a model is developed that describes the location of radar echoes within the radar's field-of-view. The trends are explained through variations in background plasma density with solar illumination affecting radar beam propagation. However, it is found that the irregularity occurrence during the night is higher than expected from ray tracing simulations based on a standard ionospheric density model. The high occurrence at night implies an additional source of plasma density and it is proposed that large-scale density enhancements called polar patches may be the source of this density. Additionally, occurrence maximizes around the terminator due to different competing irregularity production processes that favor a more or less sunlit ionosphere. The second study is concerned with modeling irregularity characteristics near a large-scale density gradient reversal, such as those expected near polar patches, with a particular focus on

  8. A new model of progressive pulmonary fibrosis in rats

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Last, J.A.; Gelzleichter, T.R.; Pinkerton, K.E.; Walker, R.M.; Witschi, H. (Univ. of California, Davis (United States))

    1993-08-01

    Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed for 6 h daily to 0.8 ppm of ozone and 14.4 ppm of nitrogen dioxide. Approximately 7 to 10 wk after the initiation of exposure, animals began to demonstrate respiratory insufficiency and severe weight loss. About half of the rats died between Days 55 and 78 of exposure; no overt ill effects were observed in animals exposed to filtered air, to ozone alone, or to nitrogen dioxide. Biochemical findings in animals exposed to ozone and nitrogen dioxide included increased lung content of DNA, protein, collagen, and elastin, which was about 300% higher than the control values. The collagen-specific crosslink hydroxy-pyridinium, a biomarker for mature collagen in the lung, was decreased by about 40%. These results are consistent with extensive breakdown and remodeling of the lung parenchyma and its associated vasculature. Histopathologic evaluation showed severe fibrosis, alveolar collapse, honeycombing, macrophage and mast cell accumulation, vascular smooth muscle hypertrophy, and other indications of severe progressive interstitial pulmonary fibrosis and end-stage lung disease. This unique animal model of progressive pulmonary fibrosis resembles the final stages of human idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and should facilitate studying underlying mechanisms and potential therapy of progressive pulmonary fibrosis.

  9. Effect of Organic Dust Exposure on Pulmonary Functions in Workers of Vegetable Market with Special Reference to its Microbial Content.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goel, Arun; Omar, Balram Ji; Kathrotia, Rajesh; Patil, Prashant M; Mittal, Sunita

    2018-01-01

    Wholesale vegetable market is a rich source of generation of organic dust as loads of fruits and vegetables are loaded and unloaded here daily. Thus, regular workers are exposed to this organic dust for a considerable period of time depending on their work schedule. This study was planned to determine the microbial status of organic dust and to explore its association with pulmonary functions in the workers of wholesale vegetable market in Rishikesh. It was a cross-sectional exploratory/observational study. Thirty-five apparently healthy adult males were selected from vegetable market having no history of any chronic illness. Smokers and alcoholic were excluded from the study. The same number of age- and sex-matched controls with the same exclusion criteria were recruited from workers not working in the vegetable market and also not exposed to any other kinds of organic dust. Microbial culture of air in the vegetable market was done. It was compared with the microbial status of air in the working place of controls. Pulmonary functions of all the workers were performed with the help of digital spirometer (Helios 401). Bacterial and fungal concentration was found to be significantly higher in the air of vegetable market as compared to air in the workplace of controls (such as coagulase-negative staphylococci >25 colony-forming unit (CFU) at incubation temperature vs. 10-12 CFU at incubation temperature, significant growth of Mucor , Aspergillus niger , and Candida nonalbicans in vegetable market as compared to workplace of controls). Pulmonary function parameters (percentage forced expiratory volume in 1 st s (FEV 1 ), percentage predicted forced expiratory flow in mid-half of expiration, and FEV 1 ) of workers exposed to organic dust in vegetable market were also significantly lower ( P < 0.05). Exposure of organic dust is associated with compromised pulmonary functions and there is a need of formulation of safety guidelines.

  10. Pulmonary CT findings in acute mercury vapour exposure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hashimoto, Manabu; Sato, Kimihiko; Heianna, Jyouiti; Hirano, Yoshinori; Omachi, Kohiti; Izumi, Jyunichi; Watarai, Jiro

    2001-01-01

    AIM: We describe the pulmonary computed tomography (CT) findings in acute mercury poisoning. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Initial (n= 8) and follow-up (n= 6) chest CT examinations in eight patients exposed to mercury vapour while cutting pipes in a sulphuric acid plant were reviewed. Of the eight patients, two were asymptomatic and had normal CT results, two were asymptomatic but had abnormalities on CT, and four had both acute symptoms and positive CT results. The patients were all men whose ages ranged from 37 to 54 years (mean, 49 years). RESULTS: Poorly defined nodules were present in five of six patients with positive CT findings, present alone in two patients or as part of a mixed pattern in three. They were random in distribution. Alveolar consolidation (n= 3) and areas of ground-glass opacity (n= 4) were observed and were more prominent in the most severely affected patients with the highest blood and urine level of mercury, predominantly in the upper and/or middle zone. These abnormal findings on CT resolved with (n= 1) or without (n= 5) steroid therapy. Pathological findings (n= 1) demonstrated acute interstitial changes predominantly with oedema. CONCLUSION: We report CT findings in eight patients acutely exposed to mercury vapour. The pulmonary injury was reversible on CT in these cases. Hashimoto, M. (2001)

  11. Non-neoplastic pulmonary disease from inhaled radon daughters with uranium ore dust in beagle dogs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Filipy, R.E.; Palmer, R.F.; Stuart, B.O.

    1977-01-01

    Daily exposures of adult beagle dogs to inhaled radon daughters plus uranium ore dust, with and without concurrent cigarette smoking, for 2 to 5-1/2 yr have produced massive pulmonary fibrosis and severe emphysema. The cumulative exposure doses are similar to those associated with a 5-fold or greater increase in death rate of uranium miners due to chronic respiratory insufficiency, including pneumoconiosis, pulmonary fibrosis, and emphysema

  12. Irregular activity arises as a natural consequence of synaptic inhibition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Terman, D.; Rubin, J. E.; Diekman, C. O.

    2013-01-01

    Irregular neuronal activity is observed in a variety of brain regions and states. This work illustrates a novel mechanism by which irregular activity naturally emerges in two-cell neuronal networks featuring coupling by synaptic inhibition. We introduce a one-dimensional map that captures the irregular activity occurring in our simulations of conductance-based differential equations and mathematically analyze the instability of fixed points corresponding to synchronous and antiphase spiking for this map. We find that the irregular solutions that arise exhibit expansion, contraction, and folding in phase space, as expected in chaotic dynamics. Our analysis shows that these features are produced from the interplay of synaptic inhibition with sodium, potassium, and leak currents in a conductance-based framework and provides precise conditions on parameters that ensure that irregular activity will occur. In particular, the temporal details of spiking dynamics must be present for a model to exhibit this irregularity mechanism and must be considered analytically to capture these effects

  13. Irregular activity arises as a natural consequence of synaptic inhibition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Terman, D., E-mail: terman@math.ohio-state.edu [Department of Mathematics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210 (United States); Rubin, J. E., E-mail: jonrubin@pitt.edu [Department of Mathematics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260 (United States); Diekman, C. O., E-mail: diekman@njit.edu [Department of Mathematical Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey 07102 (United States)

    2013-12-15

    Irregular neuronal activity is observed in a variety of brain regions and states. This work illustrates a novel mechanism by which irregular activity naturally emerges in two-cell neuronal networks featuring coupling by synaptic inhibition. We introduce a one-dimensional map that captures the irregular activity occurring in our simulations of conductance-based differential equations and mathematically analyze the instability of fixed points corresponding to synchronous and antiphase spiking for this map. We find that the irregular solutions that arise exhibit expansion, contraction, and folding in phase space, as expected in chaotic dynamics. Our analysis shows that these features are produced from the interplay of synaptic inhibition with sodium, potassium, and leak currents in a conductance-based framework and provides precise conditions on parameters that ensure that irregular activity will occur. In particular, the temporal details of spiking dynamics must be present for a model to exhibit this irregularity mechanism and must be considered analytically to capture these effects.

  14. Parallel Computing Strategies for Irregular Algorithms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biswas, Rupak; Oliker, Leonid; Shan, Hongzhang; Biegel, Bryan (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    Parallel computing promises several orders of magnitude increase in our ability to solve realistic computationally-intensive problems, but relies on their efficient mapping and execution on large-scale multiprocessor architectures. Unfortunately, many important applications are irregular and dynamic in nature, making their effective parallel implementation a daunting task. Moreover, with the proliferation of parallel architectures and programming paradigms, the typical scientist is faced with a plethora of questions that must be answered in order to obtain an acceptable parallel implementation of the solution algorithm. In this paper, we consider three representative irregular applications: unstructured remeshing, sparse matrix computations, and N-body problems, and parallelize them using various popular programming paradigms on a wide spectrum of computer platforms ranging from state-of-the-art supercomputers to PC clusters. We present the underlying problems, the solution algorithms, and the parallel implementation strategies. Smart load-balancing, partitioning, and ordering techniques are used to enhance parallel performance. Overall results demonstrate the complexity of efficiently parallelizing irregular algorithms.

  15. Lack of bcr and abr promotes hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension in mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Min Yu

    Full Text Available Bcr and Abr are GTPase activating proteins that specifically downregulate activity of the small GTPase Rac in restricted cell types in vivo. Rac1 is expressed in smooth muscle cells, a critical cell type involved in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension. The molecular mechanisms that underlie hypoxia-associated pulmonary hypertension are not well-defined.Bcr and abr null mutant mice were compared to wild type controls for the development of pulmonary hypertension after exposure to hypoxia. Also, pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells from those mice were cultured in hypoxia and examined for proliferation, p38 activation and IL-6 production. Mice lacking Bcr or Abr exposed to hypoxia developed increased right ventricular pressure, hypertrophy and pulmonary vascular remodeling. Perivascular leukocyte infiltration in the lungs was increased, and under hypoxia bcr-/- and abr-/- macrophages generated more reactive oxygen species. Consistent with a contribution of inflammation and oxidative stress in pulmonary hypertension-associated vascular damage, Bcr and Abr-deficient animals showed elevated endothelial leakage after hypoxia exposure. Hypoxia-treated pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells from Bcr- or Abr-deficient mice also proliferated faster than those of wild type mice. Moreover, activated Rac1, phosphorylated p38 and interleukin 6 were increased in these cells in the absence of Bcr or Abr. Inhibition of Rac1 activation with Z62954982, a novel Rac inhibitor, decreased proliferation, p38 phosphorylation and IL-6 levels in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells exposed to hypoxia.Bcr and Abr play a critical role in down-regulating hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension by deactivating Rac1 and, through this, reducing both oxidative stress generated by leukocytes as well as p38 phosphorylation, IL-6 production and proliferation of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells.

  16. Advances in electron dosimetry of irregular fields; Avances en dosimetria de electrones de campos irregulares

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mendez V, J. [Departamento de Radioterapia, Instituto de Enfermedades Neoplasicas, Avenida Angamos Este 2520, Lima 34 (Peru)

    1998-12-31

    In this work it is presented an advance in Electron dosimetry of irregular fields for beams emitted by linear accelerators. At present diverse methods exist which are coming to apply in the Radiotherapy centers. In this work it is proposed a method for irregular fields dosimetry. It will be allow to calculate the dose rate absorbed required for evaluating the time for the treatment of cancer patients. Utilizing the results obtained by the dosimetric system, it has been possible to prove the validity of the method describe for 12 MeV energy and for square field 7.5 x 7.5 cm{sup 2} with percentile error less than 1 % . (Author)

  17. Biodiesel versus diesel exposure: Enhanced pulmonary inflammation, oxidative stress, and differential morphological changes in the mouse lung

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yanamala, Naveena; Hatfield, Meghan K.; Farcas, Mariana T.; Schwegler-Berry, Diane; Hummer, Jon A.; Shurin, Michael R.; Birch, M. Eileen; Gutkin, Dmitriy W.; Kisin, Elena; Kagan, Valerian E.; Bugarski, Aleksandar D.; Shvedova, Anna A.

    2013-01-01

    The use of biodiesel (BD) or its blends with petroleum diesel (D) is considered to be a viable approach to reduce occupational and environmental exposures to particulate matter (PM). Due to its lower particulate mass emissions compared to D, use of BD is thought to alleviate adverse health effects. Considering BD fuel is mainly composed of unsaturated fatty acids, we hypothesize that BD exhaust particles could induce pronounced adverse outcomes, due to their ability to readily oxidize. The main objective of this study was to compare the effects of particles generated by engine fueled with neat BD and neat petroleum-based D. Biomarkers of tissue damage and inflammation were significantly elevated in lungs of mice exposed to BD particulates. Additionally, BD particulates caused a significant accumulation of oxidatively modified proteins and an increase in 4-hydroxynonenal. The up-regulation of inflammatory cytokines/chemokines/growth factors was higher in lungs upon BD particulate exposure. Histological evaluation of lung sections indicated presence of lymphocytic infiltrate and impaired clearance with prolonged retention of BD particulate in pigment laden macrophages. Taken together, these results clearly indicate that BD exhaust particles could exert more toxic effects compared to D. - Highlights: • Exposure of mice to BDPM caused higher pulmonary toxicity compared to DPM. • Oxidative stress and inflammation were higher in BD vs to D exposed mice. • Inflammatory lymphocyte infiltrates were seen only in lungs of mice exposed to BD. • Ineffective clearance, prolonged PM retention was present only after BD exposure

  18. Biodiesel versus diesel exposure: Enhanced pulmonary inflammation, oxidative stress, and differential morphological changes in the mouse lung

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yanamala, Naveena, E-mail: wqu1@cdc.gov [Pathology and Physiology Research Branch/NIOSH/CDC, Morgantown, WV 26505 (United States); Hatfield, Meghan K., E-mail: wla4@cdc.gov [Pathology and Physiology Research Branch/NIOSH/CDC, Morgantown, WV 26505 (United States); Farcas, Mariana T., E-mail: woe7@cdc.gov [Pathology and Physiology Research Branch/NIOSH/CDC, Morgantown, WV 26505 (United States); Schwegler-Berry, Diane [Pathology and Physiology Research Branch/NIOSH/CDC, Morgantown, WV 26505 (United States); Hummer, Jon A., E-mail: qzh3@cdc.gov [Office of Mine Safety and Health Research/NIOSH/CDC, Pittsburgh, PA 15236 (United States); Shurin, Michael R., E-mail: shurinmr@upmc.edu [Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Birch, M. Eileen, E-mail: mib2@cdc.gov [NIOSH/CDC, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226 (United States); Gutkin, Dmitriy W., E-mail: dwgutkin@hotmail.com [Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Kisin, Elena, E-mail: edk8@cdc.gov [Pathology and Physiology Research Branch/NIOSH/CDC, Morgantown, WV 26505 (United States); Kagan, Valerian E., E-mail: kagan@pitt.edu [Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Bugarski, Aleksandar D., E-mail: zjl1@cdc.gov [Office of Mine Safety and Health Research/NIOSH/CDC, Pittsburgh, PA 15236 (United States); Shvedova, Anna A., E-mail: ats1@cdc.gov [Pathology and Physiology Research Branch/NIOSH/CDC, Morgantown, WV 26505 (United States); Department Physiology and Pharmacology, WVU, Morgantown, WV 26505 (United States)

    2013-10-15

    The use of biodiesel (BD) or its blends with petroleum diesel (D) is considered to be a viable approach to reduce occupational and environmental exposures to particulate matter (PM). Due to its lower particulate mass emissions compared to D, use of BD is thought to alleviate adverse health effects. Considering BD fuel is mainly composed of unsaturated fatty acids, we hypothesize that BD exhaust particles could induce pronounced adverse outcomes, due to their ability to readily oxidize. The main objective of this study was to compare the effects of particles generated by engine fueled with neat BD and neat petroleum-based D. Biomarkers of tissue damage and inflammation were significantly elevated in lungs of mice exposed to BD particulates. Additionally, BD particulates caused a significant accumulation of oxidatively modified proteins and an increase in 4-hydroxynonenal. The up-regulation of inflammatory cytokines/chemokines/growth factors was higher in lungs upon BD particulate exposure. Histological evaluation of lung sections indicated presence of lymphocytic infiltrate and impaired clearance with prolonged retention of BD particulate in pigment laden macrophages. Taken together, these results clearly indicate that BD exhaust particles could exert more toxic effects compared to D. - Highlights: • Exposure of mice to BDPM caused higher pulmonary toxicity compared to DPM. • Oxidative stress and inflammation were higher in BD vs to D exposed mice. • Inflammatory lymphocyte infiltrates were seen only in lungs of mice exposed to BD. • Ineffective clearance, prolonged PM retention was present only after BD exposure.

  19. Effects of polymorphic variations in tumor necrosis factor alpha and occupational exposure to grain dust on longitudinal decline in pulmonary function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pahwa, Punam; Nakagawa, Kazuko; Koehncke, Niels; McDuffie, Helen H

    2009-01-01

    Longitudinal declines in pulmonary function are associated with individuals experiencing occupational exposure to organic dusts in combination with lifestyle factors such as cigarette smoking and with genetic factors, and interactions between these factors. To investigate the relationship between polymorphism of genes encoding Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF-alpha) and longitudinal lung function decline in grain workers exposed to grain dust. Male grain handlers who participated in the Saskatchewan Grain Workers Surveillance Program from 2002 through 2005 provided demographic, occupational, lifestyle, and respiratory symptoms information as well as pulmonary function measurements and DNA for genotyping. Marginal models using the generalized estimating equations approach were fitted by using a SAS PROC GENMOD to predict the annual decline in Forced Expired Volume in one second (FEV(1)) and Forced Vital Capacity (FVC). Smoking intensity contributed to the decline in FEV(1.)Among *1/*1 homozygotes and *1/*2 heterozygotes, grain workers with grain industry had significantly lower FEV(1)declines compared to those of the other two exposure groups (>10 and 20 years in the grain industry). The annual declines in FEV(1)for grain workers who were either *1/*1 homozygote or *1/*2 heterozygote and had been in the grain industry for grain workers who were *2/*2 genotype and had been in the industry for grain industry is an effect modifier between TNF-alpha 308 genotype and longitudinal decline in FEV(1)in male subjects exposed to grain dust.

  20. Pulmonary Hypertension and Pulmonary Vasodilators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keller, Roberta L

    2016-03-01

    Pulmonary hypertension in the perinatal period can present acutely (persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn) or chronically. Clinical and echocardiographic diagnosis of acute pulmonary hypertension is well accepted but there are no broadly validated criteria for echocardiographic diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension later in the clinical course, although there are significant populations of infants with lung disease at risk for this diagnosis. Contributing cardiovascular comorbidities are common in infants with pulmonary hypertension and lung disease. It is not clear who should be treated without confirmation of pulmonary vascular disease by cardiac catheterization, with concurrent evaluation of any contributing cardiovascular comorbidities. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Increasing the Resolution of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Definition. Lessons from a Cohort with Remote but Extensive Exposure to Secondhand Tobacco Smoke.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arjomandi, Mehrdad; Zeng, Siyang; Blanc, Paul D; Gold, Warren M

    2018-04-01

    The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease criteria require a ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV 1 ) to forced vital capacity (FVC) (FEV 1 /FVC) of less than 0.70 for the diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, whereas other criteria emphasize a lower limit of normal approach. However, the use of Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (or lower limit of normal) criteria may result in classification of many smokers with respiratory morbidities as not having chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Additional accuracy in defining chronic obstructive pulmonary disease could improve its management. To determine whether in a cohort with remote but longstanding exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke, air trapping as measured by ratio of residual volume to total lung capacity (RV/TLC) can identify a subgroup at risk for respiratory morbidity among those without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease defined by Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (or lower limit of normal) criteria. We performed an observational study of symptoms and lung function in a cohort of 256 subjects with a history of extensive occupational exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke but with preserved spirometry (FEV 1 /FVC and FEV 1  ≥ lower limit of normal). We elicited symptom prevalence by structured questionnaire, and estimated the correlations between plethysmography-measured RV/TLC and spirometry-measured FEV 1 /FVC and FEV 1 . In subgroups of the cohort, we examined the association of maximum oxygen consumption ([Formula: see text]o 2 max) on exercise testing with RV/TLC (n = 179), dynamic hyperinflation (exercise-induced changes in fraction of tidal breathing that is flow-limited on expiration [percentage of expiratory flow limitation, %EFL] and end-expiratory lung volume) (n = 32), and radiographic gas trapping (percent low attenuation area in -860 to -950 Hounsfield units at end-expiration on computerized

  2. Pulmotoxicological effects caused by long-term titanium dioxide nanoparticles exposure in mice

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sun, Qingqing; Tan, Danning; Ze, Yuguan; Sang, Xuezi [Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou 215123 (China); Liu, Xiaorun [Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009 (China); Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biomaterials and Devices, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009 (China); Gui, Suxin; Cheng, Zhe; Cheng, Jie; Hu, Renping; Gao, Guodong; Liu, Gan; Zhu, Min; Zhao, Xiaoyang; Sheng, Lei; Wang, Ling [Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou 215123 (China); Tang, Meng, E-mail: tm@seu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009 (China); Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biomaterials and Devices, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009 (China); Hong, Fashui, E-mail: Hongfsh_cn@sina.com [Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou 215123 (China)

    2012-10-15

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Exposure to TiO{sub 2} NPs could be significantly accumulated in the lung. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Exposure to TiO{sub 2} NPs caused pulmonary injury in mice. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Exposure to TiO{sub 2} NP promoted the expression of inflammatory cytokines in the lung. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Exposure to TiO{sub 2} NP caused ROS overproduction in the lung. - Abstract: Exposure to titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO{sub 2} NPs) has been demonstrated to result in pulmonary inflammation in animals; however, very little is known about the molecular mechanisms of pulmonary injury due to TiO{sub 2} NPs exposure. The aim of this study was to evaluate the oxidative stress and molecular mechanism associated with pulmonary inflammation in chronic lung toxicity caused by the intratracheal instillation of TiO{sub 2} NPs for 90 consecutive days in mice. Our findings suggest that TiO{sub 2} NPs are significantly accumulated in the lung, leading to an obvious increase in lung indices, inflammation and bleeding in the lung. Exposure to TiO{sub 2} NPs significantly increased the accumulation of reactive oxygen species and the level of lipid peroxidation, and decreased antioxidant capacity in the lung. Furthermore, TiO{sub 2} NPs exposure activated nuclear factor-{kappa}B, increased the levels of tumor necrosis factor-{alpha}, cyclooxygenase-2, heme oxygenase-1, interleukin-2, interleukin-4, interleukin-6, interleukin-8, interleukin-10, interleukin-18, interleukin-1{beta}, and CYP1A1 expression. However, TiO{sub 2} NPs exposure decreased NF-{kappa}B-inhibiting factor and heat shock protein 70 expression. Our results suggest that the generation of pulmonary inflammation caused by TiO{sub 2} NPs in mice is closely related to oxidative stress and the expression of inflammatory cytokines.

  3. Role of parametric decay instabilities in generating ionospheric irregularities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuo, S.P.; Cheo, B.R.; Lee, M.C.

    1983-01-01

    We show that purely growing instabilities driven by the saturation spectrum of parametric decay instabilities can produce a broad spectrum of ionospheric irregularities. The threshold field Vertical BarE/sub th/Vertical Bar of the instabilities decreases with the scale lengths lambda of the ionospheric irregularities as Vertical BarE/sub th/Vertical Barproportionallambda -2 in the small-scale range ( -2 with scale lengths larger than a few kilometers. The excitation of kilometer-scale irregularities is strictly restricted by the instabilities themselves and by the spatial inhomogeneity of the medium. These results are drawn from the analyses of four-wave interaction. Ion-neutral collisions impose no net effect on the instabilities when the excited ionospheric irregularities have a field-aligned nature

  4. Analysis of pulmonary coin lesions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, O; Kim, K. H.; Oh, K. K.; Park, C. Y.

    1979-01-01

    For A long time the solitary pulmonary nodule has remained a difficult problem to solve and has attracted a great deal of attension in recent years. Circumscribed coin lesions of the lung were generally peripheral in location with respect to the pulmonary hilus. Because of this, important clinical problem in management and diagnosis arise. Such a lesion is discovered through roentgenologic examination. So the roentgenologists is the first be in a position to offer advise. This presentation is an attempt to correlate a useful diagnosis with roentgenologic findings of pulmonary coin lesion which enables us to get differential diagnosis of benign and malignant lesion. Histologically proven 120 cases of the pulmonary coin lesion during the period of 8 years were reviewed through plain film, tomogram, bronchoscopy, variable laboratory findings, and clinical history. The results are as follows: 1. Male to female sex ratio was 3 : 1. In age distribution, most of the malignant pulmonary coin lesion appeared in 6th decade (39%) and 5th decade (27%). In benign lesion, the most cases were in 3 rd decade. 2. Pathological cell type are as follows: Primary bronchogenic cancer 43.3%, tuberculoma 25.8%, inflammatory lesion 17.5%, benign tumor 10%, and bronchial adenoma, harmartoma, A.V. malformation, mesothelioma, are 1 case respectively. As a result benign and malignant lesion showed equal distribution (49.1% : 50.3%). 3. In symptom analysis ; cough is the most common (43.5%) symptom in malignant lesion, next follows hemoptysis (20.9%) and chest pain (14.5%). In benign lesion, most of the patient (32.7%) did not complain any symptom. 4. In malignant lesion, the most common nodular size was 4 cm (32.3%), and in benign lesion 2 cm sized coin was most common (39.3%). 5. In general, margin of nodule was very sharp and well demarcated in benign lesion (83.3%), and in malignant lesion that was less demarcated and poorly defined. 6. Most case of calcification (82.7%) was seen in benign

  5. Prevalence and etiological profile of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in nonsmokers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tariq Mahmood

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Tobacco smoking has been recognized as the most important risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD for a long time, but recent studies have shown that nonsmokers also contribute to a significant proportion of COPD. This study was performed to find out the proportion of nonsmoker individuals among COPD patients and to determine various etiologies in nonsmoker COPD patients. Materials and Methods: This study was an observational cross-sectional study conducted in Department of Pulmonary Medicine, MLN Medical College, Allahabad. A total of 200 COPD patients, aged >18 years of either gender with COPD, diagnosed by clinical and spirometric criteria (GOLD guideline were included in the study. Results: Of the 200 COPD patients, the proportion of nonsmoker patients was 56.5%, and the smoker was 43.5%. Among 113 nonsmoker COPD patients, maximum number of patients (69.03% belonged to low socioeconomic status but most important and statistically significant risk factor was exposure to biomass smoke (53.98%, other significant risk factors were treated pulmonary tuberculosis (32.74%, and long-standing asthma (14.16%. Risk factors that were not statistically significant were occupational exposure (9.73%, exposure to outdoor air pollution (3.54%, and lower respiratory tract infection during childhood (1.77%. The patients who were exposed to more than one risk factors, developed COPD at an earlier age. Conclusions: This study revealed that nonsmokers contribute a significant proportion of COPD patients. Multiple risk factors other than smoking also play a major role in the development of COPD, particularly exposure to biomass smoke, treated pulmonary tuberculosis, and long-standing asthma.

  6. Influence of experimental pulmonary emphysema on the toxicological effects from inhaled nitrogen dioxide and diesel exhaust

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mauderly, J.L.; Bice, D.E.; Cheng, Y.S.; Gillett, N.A.; Henderson, R.F.; Pickrell, J.A.; Wolff, R.K.

    1989-01-01

    This project examined the influence of preexisting, experimentally induced pulmonary emphysema on the adverse health effects in rats of chronic inhalation exposure to either nitrogen dioxide or automotive diesel-engine exhaust. Previous reports indicated that humans with chronic lung disease were among those most severely affected by episodic exposures to high concentrations of airborne toxicants. There were no previous reports comparing the effects of chronic inhalation exposure to components of automotive emissions in emphysematous and normal animals. The hypothesis tested in this project was that rats with preexisting pulmonary emphysema were more susceptible than rats with normal lungs to the adverse effects of the toxicant exposures. Young adult rats were housed continuously in inhalation exposure chambers and exposed seven hours per day, five days per week, for 24 months to nitrogen dioxide at 9.5 parts per million (ppm)2, or to diesel exhaust at 3.5 mg soot/m3, or to clean air as control animals. These concentrations were selected to produce mild, but distinct, effects in rats with normal lungs. Pulmonary emphysema was induced in one-half of the rats by intratracheal instillation of the proteolytic enzyme elastase six weeks before the toxicant exposures began. Health effects were evaluated after 12, 18, and 24 months of exposure. The measurements included respiratory function, clearance of inhaled radiolabeled particles, pulmonary immune responses to instilled antigen, biochemistry and cytology of airway fluid, total lung collagen, histopathology, lung morphometry, and lung burdens of diesel soot. The significance of influences of emphysema and toxicant exposure, and interactions between influences of the two treatments, were evaluated by analysis of variance

  7. Intra-arterial digital subtraction angiography of the pulmonary arteries using a flow-directed balloon catheter in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rooij, W.J.J. van; Heeten, G.J. den

    1992-01-01

    Selective intra-arterial digital subtraction angiography (IA-DSA) of the pulmonary vessels was performed in 70 patients suspected of acute pulmonary embolism. A flow-directed Swan-Ganz pulmonary angiography catheter was used. The spatial resolution of the equipment used was 3.3 lp/mm for DSA and 6.0 lp/mm for conventional pulmonary angiography (CPA). Image quality of the angiograms was assessed by determining the highest visible branching division of the main pulmonary artery. The mean visible branching division for IA-DSA was 4.71 (range 3-7). In 10 patients where IA-DSA and CPA were performed during the same procedure there was no difference in visualization of peripheral arteries (mean 4.70 visible or for both modalities). IA-DSA makes the procedure rapid, saves on films and contrast material and allows good visualization of areas where exposure is difficult. The spatial resolution of state-of-the-art equipment permits sufficient definition of subsegmental vessels. The use of the flow-directed balloon catheter makes the examination easy to perform and minimizes the risk of catheter induced cardiac arrhythmias. (orig.) [de

  8. Pulmonary hypertension and vascular remodeling in mice exposed to crystalline silica.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zelko, Igor N; Zhu, Jianxin; Ritzenthaler, Jeffrey D; Roman, Jesse

    2016-11-28

    Occupational and environmental exposure to crystalline silica may lead to the development of silicosis, which is characterized by inflammation and progressive fibrosis. A substantial number of patients diagnosed with silicosis develop pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary hypertension associated with silicosis and with related restrictive lung diseases significantly reduces survival in affected subjects. An animal model of silicosis has been described previously however, the magnitude of vascular remodeling and hemodynamic effects of inhaled silica are largely unknown. Considering the importance of such information, this study investigated whether mice exposed to silica develop pulmonary hypertension and vascular remodeling. C57BL6 mice were intratracheally injected with either saline or crystalline silica at doses 0.2 g/kg, 0.3 g/kg and 0.4 g/kg and then studied at day 28 post-exposure. Pulmonary hypertension was characterized by changes in right ventricular systolic pressure and lung histopathology. Mice exposed to saline showed normal lung histology and hemodynamic parameters while mice exposed to silica showed increased right ventricular systolic pressure and marked lung pathology characterized by a granulomatous inflammatory reaction and increased collagen deposition. Silica-exposed mice also showed signs of vascular remodeling with pulmonary artery muscularization, vascular occlusion, and medial thickening. The expression of pro-inflammatory genes such as TNF-α and MCP-1 was significantly upregulated as well as the expression of the pro-remodeling genes collagen type I, fibronectin and the metalloproteinases MMP-2 and TIMP-1. On the other hand, the expression of several vasculature specific genes involved in the regulation of endothelial function was significantly attenuated. We characterized a new animal model of pulmonary hypertension secondary to pulmonary fibrosis induced by crystalline silica. Our data suggest that silica promotes the damage of the

  9. Biological alterations resulting from chronic lung irradiation. III. Effect of partial 60Co thoracic irradiation upon pulmonary collagen metabolism and fractionation in syrian hamsters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pickrell, J.A.; Harris, D.V.; Hahn, F.F.; Belasich, J.J.; Jones, R.K.

    1975-01-01

    Radiation-induced changes in pulmonary collagen metabolism were studied in Syrian hamsters given multiple thoracic doses of 60 Co radiation to achieve cumulative exposures of 6000, 4000, and 2000 R. At 13 to 14 wk after initial exposure, 6000- and 4000-R exposures had increased incorporation of injected [ 14 C]proline into pulmonary collagenous protein which suggested an increased collagen synthesis. By 21 to 22 wk after exposure, increased pulmonary soluble collagen was noted. Increased pulmonary scarring was indicated by a variable increase in native collagen at 13 to 36 wk. A collection of alveolar macrophages at 7 to 8 wk followed by inflammation at 13 to 14 wk and a beginning of pulmonary fibrosis at 13 to 19 wk were noted. At 21 to 22 wk after exposure a somewhat more marked pulmonary fibrosis and some epithelialization were observed. Hemosiderin deposits were also observed at 35 to 36 wk after exposure, but pathologic processes were lessened by this time. The early activation of collagen synthesis presumably caused the radiation-induced fibrosis. Later, when collagen tended to accumulate, the synthetic rate was normal. The activation of collagen synthesis caused by external thoracic irradiation resembles that caused by thoracic irradiation from the internal emitter, 144 Ce. Moreover, it demonstrates the usefulness of monitoring collagen biosynthesis by [ 14 C]proline incorporation into the lung. (U.S.)

  10. Pulmonary phenotypes associated with genetic variation in telomere-related genes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoffman, Thijs W; van Moorsel, Coline H M; Borie, Raphael; Crestani, Bruno

    2018-05-01

    Genomic mutations in telomere-related genes have been recognized as a cause of familial forms of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, it has become increasingly clear that telomere syndromes and telomere shortening are associated with various types of pulmonary disease. Additionally, it was found that also single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in telomere-related genes are risk factors for the development of pulmonary disease. This review focuses on recent updates on pulmonary phenotypes associated with genetic variation in telomere-related genes. Genomic mutations in seven telomere-related genes cause pulmonary disease. Pulmonary phenotypes associated with these mutations range from many forms of pulmonary fibrosis to emphysema and pulmonary vascular disease. Telomere-related mutations account for up to 10% of sporadic IPF, 25% of familial IPF, 10% of connective-tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease, and 1% of COPD. Mixed disease forms have also been found. Furthermore, SNPs in TERT, TERC, OBFC1, and RTEL1, as well as short telomere length, have been associated with several pulmonary diseases. Treatment of pulmonary disease caused by telomere-related gene variation is currently based on disease diagnosis and not on the underlying cause. Pulmonary phenotypes found in carriers of telomere-related gene mutations and SNPs are primarily pulmonary fibrosis, sometimes emphysema and rarely pulmonary vascular disease. Genotype-phenotype relations are weak, suggesting that environmental factors and genetic background of patients determine disease phenotypes to a large degree. A disease model is presented wherever genomic variation in telomere-related genes cause specific pulmonary disease phenotypes whenever triggered by environmental exposure, comorbidity, or unknown factors.

  11. Pulmonary exposure to particles from diesel exhaust, urban dust or single-walled carbon nanotubes and oxidatively damaged DNA and vascular function in apoE(-/-)mice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vesterdal, Lise K; Jantzen, Kim; Sheykhzade, Majid

    2012-01-01

    Abstract This study compared the oxidative stress level and vasomotor dysfunction after exposure to urban dust, diesel exhaust particles (DEP) or single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT). DEP and SWCNT increased the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cultured endothelial cells and acell......Abstract This study compared the oxidative stress level and vasomotor dysfunction after exposure to urban dust, diesel exhaust particles (DEP) or single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT). DEP and SWCNT increased the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cultured endothelial cells...... and acellullarly, whereas the exposure to urban dust did not generate ROS. ApoE(-/-) mice, which were exposed twice to 0.5 mg/kg of the particles by intratracheal instillation, had unaltered acetylcholine-elicited vasorelaxation in aorta segments. There was unaltered pulmonary expression level of Vcam-1, Icam-1...

  12. Body Burden of Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethene (DDE and Childhood Pulmonary Function

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pallavi P. Balte

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Longitudinal studies have shown that early life exposure to dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethene (DDE can lead to growth reduction during childhood and adolescence. In addition, DDE exposure has been linked to respiratory tract infections and an increased risk of asthma in children. Our aim was to understand the relationships between DDE exposure and pulmonary function in children, and, particularly, whether associations are mediated by the height of the children. We used data from an environmental epidemiologic study conducted in central Germany in children aged 8-10 years. The pulmonary function (forced vital capacity, FVC, and forced expiratory volume in one second, FEV1 were measured in three consecutive years. Blood DDE levels were measured at 8 and 10 years. We used linear mixed models for repeated measurements and path analyses to assess the association between blood levels of DDE and pulmonary function measurements. All models were adjusted for confounders. Linear mixed approaches and modelling concurrent effects showed no significant associations. The path analytical models demonstrated that DDE measured at eight years had significant, inverse, indirect, and total effects on FVC at ten years (n = 328; −0.18 L per μg/L of DDE and FEV1 (n = 328; −0.17 L per μg/L of DDE, mediated through effects of DDE on height and weight. The DDE burden reduces pulmonary function through its diminishing effects on height and weight in children. Further studies are required to test these associations in other samples, preferably from a region with ongoing, high DDT application.

  13. Potential Occupational Risks Associated with Pulmonary Toxicity of Carbon Nanotubes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manke, Amruta; Luanpitpong, Sudjit; Rojanasakul, Yon

    Given their remarkable properties, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have made their way through various industrial and medicinal applications and the overall production of CNTs is expected to grow rapidly in the next few years, thus requiring an additional recruitment of workers. However, their unique applications and desirable properties are fraught with concerns regarding occupational exposure. The concern about worker exposure to CNTs arises from the results of recent animal studies. Short-term and sub-chronic exposure studies in rodents have shown consistent adverse health effects such as pulmonary inflammation, granulomas, fibrosis, genotoxicity and mesothelioma after inhalation or instillation of several types of CNTs. Furthermore, physicochemical properties of CNTs such as dispersion, functionalization and particle size can significantly affect their pulmonary toxicity. Risk estimates from animal studies necessitate implementation of protective measures to limit worker exposure to CNTs. Information on workplace exposure is very limited, however, studies have reported that CNTs can be aerosolized and attain respirable airborne levels during synthesis and processing activities in the workplace. Quantitative risk assessments from sub-chronic animal studies recommend the health-based need to reduce exposures below the recommended exposure limit of 1 µg/m 3 . Practice of prevention measures including the use of engineering controls, personal protective equipment, health surveillance program, safe handling and use, as well as worker training can significantly minimize worker exposure and improve worker health and safety.

  14. Pulmonary function abnormalities and airway irritation symptoms of metal fumes exposure on automobile spot welders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Jiin-Chyuan John; Hsu, Kuang-Hung; Shen, Wu-Shiun

    2006-06-01

    Spot or resistance welding has been considered less hazardous than other types of welding. Automobile manufacturing is a major industry in Taiwan. Spot and arc welding are common processes in this industry. The respiratory effects on automobile spot welders exposed to metal fumes are investigated. The cohort consisted of 41 male auto-body spot welders, 76 male arc welders, 71 male office workers, and 59 assemblers without welding exposure. Inductivity Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrophotometer (ICP-MS) was applied to detect metals' (zinc, copper, nickel) levels in the post-shift urine samples. Demographic data, work history, smoking status, and respiratory tract irritation symptoms were gathered by a standard self-administered questionnaire. Pulmonary function tests were also performed. There were significantly higher values for average urine metals' (zinc, copper, nickel) levels in spot welders and arc welders than in the non-welding controls. There were 4 out of 23 (17.4%) abnormal forced vital capacity (FVC) among the high-exposed spot welders, 2 out of 18 (11.1%) among the low-exposed spot welders, and 6 out of 130 (4.6%) non-welding-exposed workers. There was a significant linear trend between spot welding exposure and the prevalence of restrictive airway abnormalities (P = 0.036) after adjusting for other factors. There were 9 out of 23 (39.1%) abnormal peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) among high-exposed spot welders, 5 out of 18 (27.8%) among the low-exposed spot welders, and 28 out of 130 (21.5%) non-welding-exposed workers. There was a borderline significant linear trend between spot welding exposure and the prevalence of obstructive lung function abnormalities (P = 0.084) after adjusting for other factors. There was also a significant dose-response relationship of airway irritation symptoms (cough, phlegm, chronic bronchitis) among the spot welders. Arc welders with high exposure status also had a significant risk of obstructive lung abnormalities (PEFR

  15. Airway Epithelial Barrier Dysfunction in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Role of Cigarette Smoke Exposure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aghapour, Mahyar; Raee, Pourya; Moghaddam, Seyed Javad; Hiemstra, Pieter S; Heijink, Irene H

    2018-02-01

    The epithelial lining of the airway forms the first barrier against environmental insults, such as inhaled cigarette smoke, which is the primary risk factor for the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The barrier is formed by airway epithelial junctions, which are interconnected structures that restrict permeability to inhaled pathogens and environmental stressors. Destruction of the epithelial barrier not only exposes subepithelial layers to hazardous agents in the inspired air, but also alters the normal function of epithelial cells, which may eventually contribute to the development of COPD. Of note, disruption of epithelial junctions may lead to modulation of signaling pathways involved in differentiation, repair, and proinflammatory responses. Epithelial barrier dysfunction may be particularly relevant in COPD, where repeated injury by cigarette smoke exposure, pathogens, inflammatory mediators, and impaired epithelial regeneration may compromise the barrier function. In the current review, we discuss recent advances in understanding the mechanisms of barrier dysfunction in COPD, as well as the molecular mechanisms that underlie the impaired repair response of the injured epithelium in COPD and its inability to redifferentiate into a functionally intact epithelium.

  16. Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease in a female gardener.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodríguez Rodríguez, Paula; Pedraza Serrano, Fernando; Morán Caicedo, Liliana Patricia; Rodríguez de Guzmán, Maria Carmen; Cebollero Presmanes, María; de Miguel Díez, Javier

    2014-01-01

    Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD) is a subgroup of pulmonary arterial hypertension with a poor prognosis. The diagnosis is usually delayed and treatment options other than lung transplantation are unfortunately limited. We report the case of 51-year-old female gardener diagnosed with PVOD by open lung biopsy before her death. Although there are many reported cases of hepatic veno-occlusive disease due to toxic agents present in nature, such as pyrrolizidine alkaloid exposure, to date this has not been linked to PVOD. Copyright © 2013 SEPAR. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  17. New Opportunities for Remote Sensing Ionospheric Irregularities by Fitting Scintillation Spectra

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carrano, C. S.; Rino, C. L.; Groves, K. M.

    2017-12-01

    In a recent paper, we presented a phase screen theory for the spectrum of intensity scintillations when the refractive index irregularities follow a two-component power law [Carrano and Rino, DOI: 10.1002/2015RS005903]. More recently we have investigated the inverse problem, whereby phase screen parameters are inferred from scintillation time series. This is accomplished by fitting the spectrum of intensity fluctuations with a parametrized theoretical model using Maximum Likelihood (ML) methods. The Markov-Chain Monte-Carlo technique provides a-posteriori errors and confidence intervals. The Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) provides justification for the use of one- or two-component irregularity models. We refer to this fitting as Irregularity Parameter Estimation (IPE) since it provides a statistical description of the irregularities from the scintillations they produce. In this talk, we explore some new opportunities for remote sensing ionospheric irregularities afforded by IPE. Statistical characterization of irregularities and the plasma bubbles in which they are embedded provides insight into the development of the underlying instability. In a companion paper by Rino et al., IPE is used to interpret scintillation due to simulated EPB structure. IPE can be used to reconcile multi-frequency scintillation observations and to construct high fidelity scintillation simulation tools. In space-to-ground propagation scenarios, for which an estimate of the distance to the scattering region is available a-priori, IPE enables retrieval of zonal irregularity drift. In radio occultation scenarios, the distance to the irregularities is generally unknown but IPE enables retrieval of Fresnel frequency. A geometric model for the effective scan velocity maps Fresnel frequency to Fresnel scale, yielding the distance to the irregularities. We demonstrate this approach by geolocating irregularities observed by the CORISS instrument onboard the C/NOFS satellite.

  18. State reconstruction and irregular wavefunctions for the hydrogen atom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krähmer, D. S.; Leonhardt, U.

    1997-07-01

    Inspired by a recently proposed procedure by Leonhardt and Raymer for wavepacket reconstruction, we calculate the irregular wavefunctions for the bound states of the Coulomb potential. We select the irregular solutions which have the simplest semiclassical limit.

  19. Polyhexamethylene guanidine phosphate aerosol particles induce pulmonary inflammatory and fibrotic responses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Ha Ryong; Lee, Kyuhong; Park, Chang We; Song, Jeong Ah; Shin, Da Young; Park, Yong Joo; Chung, Kyu Hyuck

    2016-03-01

    Polyhexamethylene guanidine (PHMG) phosphate was used as a disinfectant for the prevention of microorganism growth in humidifiers, without recognizing that a change of exposure route might cause significant health effects. Epidemiological studies reported that the use of humidifier disinfectant containing PHMG-phosphate can provoke pulmonary fibrosis. However, the pulmonary toxicity of PHMG-phosphate aerosol particles is unknown yet. This study aimed to elucidate the toxicological relationship between PHMG-phosphate aerosol particles and pulmonary fibrosis. An in vivo nose-only exposure system and an in vitro air-liquid interface (ALI) co-culture model were applied to confirm whether PHMG-phosphate induces inflammatory and fibrotic responses in the respiratory tract. Seven-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to PHMG-phosphate aerosol particles for 3 weeks and recovered for 3 weeks in a nose-only exposure chamber. In addition, three human lung cells (Calu-3, differentiated THP-1 and HMC-1 cells) were cultured at ALI condition for 12 days and were treated with PHMG-phosphate at set concentrations and times. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, airway barrier injuries and inflammatory and fibrotic responses were evaluated in vivo and in vitro. The rats exposed to PHMG-phosphate aerosol particles in nanometer size showed pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis including inflammatory cytokines and fibronectin mRNA increase, as well as histopathological changes. In addition, PHMG-phosphate triggered the ROS generation, airway barrier injuries and inflammatory responses in a bronchial ALI co-culture model. Those results demonstrated that PHMG-phosphate aerosol particles cause pulmonary inflammatory and fibrotic responses. All features of fibrogenesis by PHMG-phosphate aerosol particles closely resembled the pathology of fibrosis that was reported in epidemiological studies. Finally, we expected that PHMG-phosphate infiltrated into the lungs in the form of

  20. On a new process for cusp irregularity production

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. C. Carlson

    2008-09-01

    Full Text Available Two plasma instability mechanisms were thought until 2007 to dominate the formation of plasma irregularities in the F region high latitude and polar ionosphere; the gradient-drift driven instability, and the velocity-shear driven instability. The former mechanism was accepted as accounting for plasma structuring in polar cap patches, the latter for plasma structuring in polar cap sun aligned arcs. Recent work has established the need to replace this view of the past two decades with a new patch plasma structuring process (not a new mechanism, whereby shear-driven instabilities first rapidly structure the entering plasma, after which gradient drift instabilities build on these large "seed" irregularities. Correct modeling of cusp and early polar cap patch structuring will not be accomplished without allowing for this compound process. This compound process explains several previously unexplained characteristics of cusp and early polar cap patch irregularities. Here we introduce additional data, coincident in time and space, to extend that work to smaller irregularity scale sizes and relate it to the structured cusp current system.

  1. Ionospheric Irregularities at Mars Probed by MARSIS Topside Sounding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harada, Y.; Gurnett, D. A.; Kopf, A. J.; Halekas, J. S.; Ruhunusiri, S.

    2018-01-01

    The upper ionosphere of Mars contains a variety of perturbations driven by solar wind forcing from above and upward propagating atmospheric waves from below. Here we explore the global distribution and variability of ionospheric irregularities around the exobase at Mars by analyzing topside sounding data from the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) instrument on board Mars Express. As irregular structure gives rise to off-vertical echoes with excess propagation time, the diffuseness of ionospheric echo traces can be used as a diagnostic tool for perturbed reflection surfaces. The observed properties of diffuse echoes above unmagnetized regions suggest that ionospheric irregularities with horizontal wavelengths of tens to hundreds of kilometers are particularly enhanced in the winter hemisphere and at high solar zenith angles. Given the known inverse dependence of neutral gravity wave amplitudes on the background atmospheric temperature, the ionospheric irregularities probed by MARSIS are most likely associated with plasma perturbations driven by atmospheric gravity waves. Though extreme events with unusually diffuse echoes are more frequently observed for high solar wind dynamic pressures during some time intervals, the vast majority of the diffuse echo events are unaffected by varying solar wind conditions, implying limited influence of solar wind forcing on the generation of ionospheric irregularities. Combination of remote and in situ measurements of ionospheric irregularities would offer the opportunity for a better understanding of the ionospheric dynamics at Mars.

  2. Bottomside sinusoidal irregularities in the equatorial F region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valladares, C. E.; Hanson, W. B.; Mcclure, J. P.; Cragin, B. L.

    1983-01-01

    By using the Ogo 6 satellite, McClure and Hanson (1973) have discovered sinusoidal irregularities in the equatorial F region ion number density. In the present investigation, a description is provided of the properties of a distinct category of sinusoidal irregularities found in equatorial data from the AE-C and AE-E satellites. The observed scale sizes vary from about 300 m to 3 km in the direction perpendicular to B, overlapping with and extending the range observed by using Ogo 6. Attention is given to low and high resolution data, a comparison with Huancayo ionograms, the confinement of 'bottomside sinusoidal' (BSS) irregularities essentially to the bottomside of the F layer, spectral characteristics, and BSS, scintillation, and ionosonde observations.

  3. The Impact of Irregular Warfare on the US Army

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    McDonald, III, Roger L

    2006-01-01

    Although the U.S. Army has yet to clearly define irregular warfare, it is imperative that the Army take near-term action to enhance the ability of Soldiers and units to operate effectively in an irregular warfare environment...

  4. Influence of initial stress, irregularity and heterogeneity on Love-type wave propagation in double pre-stressed irregular layers lying over a pre-stressed half-space

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Abhishek Kumar; Das, Amrita; Parween, Zeenat; Chattopadhyay, Amares

    2015-10-01

    The present paper deals with the propagation of Love-type wave in an initially stressed irregular vertically heterogeneous layer lying over an initially stressed isotropic layer and an initially stressed isotropic half-space. Two different types of irregularities, viz., rectangular and parabolic, are considered at the interface of uppermost initially stressed heterogeneous layer and intermediate initially stressed isotropic layer. Dispersion equations are obtained in closed form for both cases of irregularities, distinctly. The effect of size and shape of irregularity, horizontal compressive initial stress, horizontal tensile initial stress, heterogeneity of the uppermost layer and width ratio of the layers on phase velocity of Love-type wave are the major highlights of the study. Comparative study has been made to identify the effects of different shapes of irregularity, presence of heterogeneity and initial stresses. Numerical computations have been carried out and depicted by means of graphs for the present study.

  5. Ozone-Induced Pulmonary Injury and Inflammation are Modulated by Adrenal-Derived Stress Hormones

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozone exposure promotes pulmonary injury and inflammation. Previously we have characterized systemic changes that occur immediately after acute ozone exposure and are mediated by neuro-hormonal stress response pathway. Both HPA axis and sympathetic tone alterations induce the rel...

  6. Pulmonary mass with renal carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giraldo Estrada, Horacio

    2003-01-01

    The paper analyzes the case of a 73 year-old patient, masculine sex, obese, with syndrome of obstructive apnoea of the dream, reason why he uses nasal CPAP for 2 at 3 hours in the night for 2 years. It was intervened by renal carcinoma of clear cells at the end of the year 2002. The Rx of thorax preoperative had been informed as normal, but in an abdominal preoperative tomography, the presence of a mass was suggested in the base right lung thorax, reason why Tac is practiced, which demonstrates an irregular nodular image clearly, stuck to the pleura that that suggests unique metastasis of the renal carcinoma. Masses neither mediastinal adenopaties were not evidenced. In the post-operative of their nefrectomy the patient presented dehiscence of the sutures and evisceration, reason why he was re-intervened with primary closing and managed with antibiotics, achieving appropriate scaring. It was programmed for resection of the pulmonary mass. Their evolution and discusses of the case are studied

  7. HIGH-Resolution CT in Chronic Pulmonary Changes after Mustard Gas Exposure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bagheri, M.H.; Mostafavi, S.H.

    2003-01-01

    Purpose: To identify the findings of high-resolution CT (HRCT) of the lung in patients with previous sulfur mustard gas exposure, and to correlate these findings with clinical and chest X-ray (CXR) results. Material and Methods: 50 consecutive patients were studied prospectively. The clinical data were recorded. Standard p.a. CXR and HRCT of the lung and spirometry were performed. The findings of CXR, HRCT and clinical and spirometry results were scored between 0 and 3 according to the severity of the findings. Results: HRCT abnormality was detected in all 50 patients (100%), while CXR was abnormal in 40 patients (80%). The most common HRCT findings was airway abnormalities (bronchial wall thickening in 100% of cases). Other important findings were suggestive of interstitial lung disease (ILD) (80%), bronchiectasis (26%), and emphysema (24%). A statistically significant correlation was found between the severity of clinical presentation and that of the HCTR scores in patients with bronchiectasis, bronchitis and ILD (p< 0.05), but not with severity scores of HRCT in patients with emphysema. No significant correlation was found between severity scores of CXR findings. HRCT evidence of bronchial wall thickening and with a lower frequency ILD were present despite normal CXR in 20% of the patients. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that bronchial wall thickening, ILD and emphysema are common chronic pulmonary sequelae of sulfur mustard injury. HRCT of the chest should be considered as the imaging modality of choice in chemical war injury

  8. HIGH-Resolution CT in Chronic Pulmonary Changes after Mustard Gas Exposure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bagheri, M.H.; Mostafavi, S.H. [Shiraz Univ. of Medical Siences (Iran, Islamic Republic of). Dept. of Radiology; Hosseini, S.K. [Shiraz Univ. of Medical Siences (Iran, Islamic Republic of). Dept. of Internal Medicine; Alavi, S.A. [Medical Center for Chemical Warfare Victims Foundation, Shiraz (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2003-05-01

    Purpose: To identify the findings of high-resolution CT (HRCT) of the lung in patients with previous sulfur mustard gas exposure, and to correlate these findings with clinical and chest X-ray (CXR) results. Material and Methods: 50 consecutive patients were studied prospectively. The clinical data were recorded. Standard p.a. CXR and HRCT of the lung and spirometry were performed. The findings of CXR, HRCT and clinical and spirometry results were scored between 0 and 3 according to the severity of the findings. Results: HRCT abnormality was detected in all 50 patients (100%), while CXR was abnormal in 40 patients (80%). The most common HRCT findings was airway abnormalities (bronchial wall thickening in 100% of cases). Other important findings were suggestive of interstitial lung disease (ILD) (80%), bronchiectasis (26%), and emphysema (24%). A statistically significant correlation was found between the severity of clinical presentation and that of the HCTR scores in patients with bronchiectasis, bronchitis and ILD (p< 0.05), but not with severity scores of HRCT in patients with emphysema. No significant correlation was found between severity scores of CXR findings. HRCT evidence of bronchial wall thickening and with a lower frequency ILD were present despite normal CXR in 20% of the patients. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that bronchial wall thickening, ILD and emphysema are common chronic pulmonary sequelae of sulfur mustard injury. HRCT of the chest should be considered as the imaging modality of choice in chemical war injury.

  9. Nonredundant functions of alphabeta and gammadelta T cells in acrolein-induced pulmonary pathology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borchers, Michael T; Wesselkamper, Scott C; Eppert, Bryan L; Motz, Gregory T; Sartor, Maureen A; Tomlinson, Craig R; Medvedovic, Mario; Tichelaar, Jay W

    2008-09-01

    Acrolein exposure represents a significant human health hazard. Repeated acrolein exposure causes the accumulation of monocytes/macrophages and lymphocytes, mucous cell metaplasia, and epithelial injury. Currently, the mechanisms that control these events are unclear, and the relative contribution of T-cell subsets to pulmonary pathologies following repeated exposures to irritants is unknown. To examine whether lymphocyte subpopulations regulate inflammation and epithelial cell pathology, we utilized a mouse model of pulmonary pathology induced by repeated acrolein exposures. The role of lymphocyte subsets was examined by utilizing transgenic mice genetically deficient in either alphabeta T cells or gammadelta T cells, and changes in cellular, molecular, and pathologic outcomes associated with repeated inhalation exposure to 2.0 and 0.5 ppm acrolein were measured. To examine the potential functions of lymphocyte subsets, we purified these cells from the lungs of mice repeatedly exposed to 2.0 ppm acrolein, isolated and amplified messenger RNA, and performed microarray analysis. Our data demonstrate that alphabeta T cells are required for macrophage accumulation, whereas gammadelta T cells are critical regulators of epithelial cell homeostasis, as identified by epithelial cell injury and apoptosis, following repeated acrolein exposure. This is supported by microarray analyses that indicated the T-cell subsets are unique in their gene expression profiles following acrolein exposures. Microarray analyses identified several genes that may contribute to phenotypes mediated by T-cell subpopulations including those involved in cytokine receptor signaling, chemotaxis, growth factor production, lymphocyte activation, and apoptosis. These data provide strong evidence that T-cell subpopulations in the lung are major determinants of pulmonary pathology and highlight the advantages of dissecting their effector functions in response to toxicant exposures.

  10. The occurrence of primary pulmonary neoplasms in rats after inhalation of 147Pm in fused aluminosilicate particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Herbert, R.A.; Scott, B.R.; Hahn, F.F.; Newton, G.J.; Snipes, M.B.; Damon, E.G.; Boecker, B.B.

    1988-01-01

    To determine the biological response following low-energy, beta irradiation of the lung, F344/Crl rats were exposed to aerosols of promethium-147 in fused aluminosilicate particles and observed for their life spans. Radiation pneumonitis and pulmonary fibrosis caused the majority of deaths during the first year after exposure with cumulative doses to the lungs of 210 to 630 Gy. Primary pulmonary neoplasms were responsible for the majority of deaths that occurred beyond 1 yr after exposure and in rats receiving lower cumulative doses to the lung. Hemangiosarcomas and squamous cell carcinomas were the most prevalent pulmonary neoplasms. Three adenocarcinomas were found. The uncorrected crude incidence of primary lung tumors increased with increasing dose to the lung for cumulative doses less than 140 Gy. With higher doses, the incidence declined. Adjusting the data for competing risks eliminated the turnover in the dose-response curve. The times of onset of pulmonary tumors and median survival times were dose-dependent. Rats with higher accumulated radiation doses developed fatal lung tumors at earlier times after exposure. (author)

  11. Software support for irregular and loosely synchronous problems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choudhary, A.; Fox, G.; Hiranandani, S.; Kennedy, K.; Koelbel, C.; Ranka, S.; Saltz, J.

    1992-01-01

    A large class of scientific and engineering applications may be classified as irregular and loosely synchronous from the perspective of parallel processing. We present a partial classification of such problems. This classification has motivated us to enhance FORTRAN D to provide language support for irregular, loosely synchronous problems. We present techniques for parallelization of such problems in the context of FORTRAN D.

  12. Irregular Shaped Building Design Optimization with Building Information Modelling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lee Xia Sheng

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This research is to recognise the function of Building Information Modelling (BIM in design optimization for irregular shaped buildings. The study focuses on a conceptual irregular shaped “twisted” building design similar to some existing sculpture-like architectures. Form and function are the two most important aspects of new buildings, which are becoming more sophisticated as parts of equally sophisticated “systems” that we are living in. Nowadays, it is common to have irregular shaped or sculpture-like buildings which are very different when compared to regular buildings. Construction industry stakeholders are facing stiff challenges in many aspects such as buildability, cost effectiveness, delivery time and facility management when dealing with irregular shaped building projects. Building Information Modelling (BIM is being utilized to enable architects, engineers and constructors to gain improved visualization for irregular shaped buildings; this has a purpose of identifying critical issues before initiating physical construction work. In this study, three variations of design options differing in rotating angle: 30 degrees, 60 degrees and 90 degrees are created to conduct quantifiable comparisons. Discussions are focused on three major aspects including structural planning, usable building space, and structural constructability. This research concludes that Building Information Modelling is instrumental in facilitating design optimization for irregular shaped building. In the process of comparing different design variations, instead of just giving “yes or no” type of response, stakeholders can now easily visualize, evaluate and decide to achieve the right balance based on their own criteria. Therefore, construction project stakeholders are empowered with superior evaluation and decision making capability.

  13. Upregulated copper transporters in hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adriana M Zimnicka

    Full Text Available Pulmonary vascular remodeling and increased arterial wall stiffness are two major causes for the elevated pulmonary vascular resistance and pulmonary arterial pressure in patients and animals with pulmonary hypertension. Cellular copper (Cu plays an important role in angiogenesis and extracellular matrix remodeling; increased Cu in vascular smooth muscle cells has been demonstrated to be associated with atherosclerosis and hypertension in animal experiments. In this study, we show that the Cu-uptake transporter 1, CTR1, and the Cu-efflux pump, ATP7A, were both upregulated in the lung tissues and pulmonary arteries of mice with hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension. Hypoxia also significantly increased expression and activity of lysyl oxidase (LOX, a Cu-dependent enzyme that causes crosslinks of collagen and elastin in the extracellular matrix. In vitro experiments show that exposure to hypoxia or treatment with cobalt (CoCl2 also increased protein expression of CTR1, ATP7A, and LOX in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMC. In PASMC exposed to hypoxia or treated with CoCl2, we also confirmed that the Cu transport is increased using 64Cu uptake assays. Furthermore, hypoxia increased both cell migration and proliferation in a Cu-dependent manner. Downregulation of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α with siRNA significantly attenuated hypoxia-mediated upregulation of CTR1 mRNA. In summary, the data from this study indicate that increased Cu transportation due to upregulated CTR1 and ATP7A in pulmonary arteries and PASMC contributes to the development of hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension. The increased Cu uptake and elevated ATP7A also facilitate the increase in LOX activity and thus the increase in crosslink of extracellular matrix, and eventually leading to the increase in pulmonary arterial stiffness.

  14. Surgical resection of highly suspicious pulmonary nodules without a tissue diagnosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heo, Eun-Young; Lee, Kyung-Won; Jheon, Sanghoon; Lee, Jae-Ho; Lee, Choon-Taek; Yoon, Ho-II

    2011-01-01

    The safety and efficacy of surgical resection of lung nodule without tissue diagnosis is controversial. We evaluated direct surgical resection of highly suspicious pulmonary nodules and the clinical and radiological predictors of malignancy. Retrospective analyses were performed on 113 patients who underwent surgical resection without prior tissue diagnosis for highly suspicious pulmonary nodules. Clinical and radiological characteristics were compared between histologically proven benign and malignant nodules after resection. Total costs, length of hospitalization and waiting time to surgery were compared with those of patients who had tissue diagnosis prior to surgery. Among 280 patients with pulmonary nodules suspicious for lung cancer, 113 (40.4%) underwent operation without prior tissue diagnosis. Lung nodules were diagnosed as malignant in 96 (85%) of the 113 patients. Except for forced expiratory volume in 1 s, clinical characteristics were not significantly different according to the pathologic results. Forty-five (90%) of 50 patients with ground-glass opacity nodules had a malignancy. Mixed ground-glass opacity, bubble lucency, irregular margin and larger size correlated with malignancy in ground-glass opacity nodules (P<0.05). Fifty-one (81%) of 67 patients with solid nodules had a malignancy. Spiculation, pre-contrast attenuation and contrast enhancement significantly correlated with malignancy in solid nodules (P<0.05). Surgical resection without tissue diagnosis significantly decreased total costs, hospital stay and waiting time (P<0.05). Direct surgical resection of highly suspicious pulmonary nodules can be a valid procedure. However, careful patient selection and further investigations are required to justify direct surgical resection. (author)

  15. A Comparison of the Pharmacokinetics and Pulmonary Lymphatic Exposure of a Generation 4 PEGylated Dendrimer Following Intravenous and Aerosol Administration to Rats and Sheep.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ryan, Gemma M; Bischof, Robert J; Enkhbaatar, Perenlei; McLeod, Victoria M; Chan, Linda J; Jones, Seth A; Owen, David J; Porter, Christopher J H; Kaminskas, Lisa M

    2016-02-01

    Cancer metastasis to pulmonary lymph nodes dictates the need to deliver chemotherapeutic and diagnostic agents to the lung and associated lymph nodes. Drug conjugation to dendrimer-based delivery systems has the potential to reduce toxicity, enhance lung retention and promote lymphatic distribution in rats. The current study therefore evaluated the pharmacokinetics and lung lymphatic exposure of a PEGylated dendrimer following inhaled administration. Plasma pharmacokinetics and disposition of a 22 kDa PEGylated dendrimer were compared after aerosol administration to rats and sheep. Lung-derived lymph could not be sampled in rats and so lymphatic transport of the dendrimer from the lung was assessed in sheep. Higher plasma concentrations were achieved when dendrimer was administered to the lungs of rats as a liquid instillation when compared to an aerosol. Plasma pharmacokinetics were similar between sheep and rats, although some differences in disposition patterns were evident. Unexpectedly, less than 0.5% of the aerosol dose was recovered in pulmonary lymph. The data suggest that rats provide a relevant model for assessing the pharmacokinetics of inhaled macromolecules prior to evaluation in larger animals, but that the pulmonary lymphatics are unlikely to play a major role in the absorption of nanocarriers from the lungs.

  16. Saturn's Irregular Moon Ymir

    Science.gov (United States)

    Denk, Tilmann; Mottola, S.

    2012-10-01

    Ymir (diameter 18 km), Saturn's second largest retrograde outer or irregular moon, has been observed six times by the Cassini narrow-angle camera (NAC) during the first 7 months in 2012. The observations span phase angles from 2° up to 102° and were taken at ranges between 15 and 18 million kilometers. From such a distance, Ymir is smaller than a pixel in the Cassini NAC. The data reveal a sidereal rotation period of 11.93 hrs, which is 1.6x longer than the previously reported value (Denk et al. 2011, EPSC/DPS #1452). Reason for this discrepancy is that the rotational light curve shows a rather uncommon 3-maxima and 3-minima shape at least in the phase angle range 50° to 100°, which was not recognizable in earlier data. The data cover several rotations from different viewing and illumination geometries and allow for a convex shape inversion with possibly a unique solution for the pole direction. The model reproduces the observed light curves to a very good accuracy without requiring albedo variegation, thereby suggesting that the lightcurve is dominated by the shape of Ymir. Among Saturn's irregular moons, the phenomenon of more than two maxima and minima at moderate to high phase angles is not unique to Ymir. At least Siarnaq and Paaliaq also show light curves with a strong deviation from a double-sine curve. Their rotation periods, however, remain unknown until more data can be taken. The light curve of Phoebe is fundamentally different to Ymir's because it is mainly shaped by local albedo differences and not by shape. Other reliable rotation periods of irregular satellites measured by Cassini include: Mundilfari 6.74 h; Kari 7.70 h; Albiorix 13.32 h; Kiviuq 21.82 h. More uncertain values are: Skathi 12 h; Bebhionn 16 h; Thrymr 27 h; Erriapus 28 h.

  17. Diagnosing pulmonary edema: lung ultrasound versus chest radiography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martindale, Jennifer L; Noble, Vicki E; Liteplo, Andrew

    2013-10-01

    Diagnosing the underlying cause of acute dyspnea can be challenging. Lung ultrasound may help to identify pulmonary edema as a possible cause. To evaluate the ability of residents to recognize pulmonary edema on lung ultrasound using chest radiographs as a comparison standard. This is a prospective, blinded, observational study of a convenience sample of resident physicians in the Departments of Emergency Medicine (EM), Internal Medicine (IM), and Radiology. Residents were given a tutorial on interpreting pulmonary edema on both chest radiograph and lung ultrasound. They were then shown both ultrasounds and chest radiographs from 20 patients who had presented to the emergency department with dyspnea, 10 with a primary diagnosis of pulmonary edema, and 10 with alternative diagnoses. Cohen's κ values were calculated to describe the strength of the correlation between resident and gold standard interpretations. Participants included 20 EM, 20 IM, and 20 Radiology residents. The overall agreement with gold standard interpretation of pulmonary edema on lung ultrasound (74%, κ = 0.51, 95% confidence interval 0.46-0.55) was superior to chest radiographs (58%, κ = 0.25, 95% confidence interval 0.20-0.30) (P Radiology residents interpreted chest radiographs more accurately than did EM and IM residents. Residents were able to more accurately identify pulmonary edema with lung ultrasound than with chest radiograph. Physicians with minimal exposure to lung ultrasound may be able to correctly recognize pulmonary edema on lung ultrasound.

  18. Protective effect of curcumin on pulmonary and cardiovascular effects induced by repeated exposure to diesel exhaust particles in mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abderrahim Nemmar

    Full Text Available Particulate air pollution has been associated with increased risk of cardiopulmonary diseases. However, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. We have previously demonstrated that single dose exposure to diesel exhaust particle (DEP causes lung inflammation and peripheral thrombotic events. Here, we exposed mice with repeated doses of DEP (15 µg/animal every 2(nd day for 6 days (a total of 4 exposures, and measured several cardiopulmonary endpoints 48 h after the end of the treatments. Moreover, the potential protective effect of curcumin (the yellow pigment isolated from turmeric on DEP-induced cardiopulmonary toxicity was assessed. DEP exposure increased macrophage and neutrophil numbers, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF α in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL fluid, and enhanced airway resistance to methacoline measured invasively using Flexivent. DEP also significantly increased plasma C-reactive protein (CRP and TNF α concentrations, systolic blood pressure (SBP as well as the pial arteriolar thrombosis. It also significantly enhanced the plasma D-dimer and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1. Pretreatment with curcumin by oral gavage (45 mg/kg 1 h before exposure to DEP significantly prevented the influx of inflammatory cells and the increase of TNF α in BAL, and the increased airway resistance caused by DEP. Likewise, curcumin prevented the increase of SBP, CRP, TNF α, D-dimer and PAI-1. The thrombosis was partially but significantly mitigated. In conclusion, repeated exposure to DEP induced lung and systemic inflammation characterized by TNFα release, increased SBP, and accelerated coagulation. Our findings indicate that curcumin is a potent anti-inflammatory agent that prevents the release of TNFα and protects against the pulmonary and cardiovascular effects of DEP.

  19. Uniform irradiation of irregularly shaped cavities for photodynamic therapy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rem, A. I.; van Gemert, M. J.; van der Meulen, F. W.; Gijsbers, G. H.; Beek, J. F.

    1997-01-01

    It is difficult to achieve a uniform light distribution in irregularly shaped cavities. We have conducted a study on the use of hollow 'integrating' moulds for more uniform light delivery of photodynamic therapy in irregularly shaped cavities such as the oral cavity. Simple geometries such as a

  20. Pulmonary artery-to-pulmonary artery anastomoses: angiographic demonstration in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hodson, J.; Graham, A.; Hughes, J.M.B.; Gibbs, J.S.R.; Jackson, J.E.

    2006-01-01

    AIM: To describe direct pulmonary artery-to-pulmonary artery anastomoses seen at pulmonary angiography in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension and discuss their possible significance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 1 August 2000 and 31 July 2004 43 patients (male-to-female ratio 25:18) with a diagnosis of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) underwent selective pulmonary angiography to assess the extent of disease and suitability for surgical pulmonary endarterectomy. The mean pulmonary artery pressure ranged from 27-84 mmHg (average of 51 mmHg). Selective bilateral digital subtraction pulmonary angiograms performed in all individuals were reviewed for the presence of intrapulmonary collaterals. RESULTS: In 15 of the 43 patients (male-to-female ratio =7:8) definite (n=12) or probable (n=3) pulmonary artery-to-pulmonary artery anastomoses were demonstrated. Of the remaining 28 patients in whom intrapulmonary collaterals were not seen it was felt that in 16 the angiograms were of insufficient diagnostic quality (grades 4-5) to exclude their presence. Twelve patients, eight of whom had angiograms of sufficient diagnostic quality (grades 1-3), demonstrated one or more areas of luxury perfusion but intrapulmonary collaterals were not seen. CONCLUSION: Direct pulmonary artery-to-pulmonary artery anastomoses were demonstrated in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, which to our knowledge have not been previously described. The importance of these collateral vessels is unclear but they may play a role in the maintenance of pulmonary parenchymal viability in patients with chronic pulmonary embolic disease. The rate of development of these collaterals and their prognostic significance in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension are areas worthy of further study

  1. Pulmonary artery-to-pulmonary artery anastomoses: angiographic demonstration in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hodson, J. [Department of Imaging, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London (United Kingdom); Graham, A. [Department of Imaging, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London (United Kingdom); Hughes, J.M.B. [Department of Respiratory Medicine, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London (United Kingdom); Gibbs, J.S.R. [Department of Cardiology, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London (United Kingdom); Jackson, J.E. [Department of Imaging, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London (United Kingdom)]. E-mail: jejackson@hhnt.org

    2006-03-15

    AIM: To describe direct pulmonary artery-to-pulmonary artery anastomoses seen at pulmonary angiography in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension and discuss their possible significance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 1 August 2000 and 31 July 2004 43 patients (male-to-female ratio 25:18) with a diagnosis of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) underwent selective pulmonary angiography to assess the extent of disease and suitability for surgical pulmonary endarterectomy. The mean pulmonary artery pressure ranged from 27-84 mmHg (average of 51 mmHg). Selective bilateral digital subtraction pulmonary angiograms performed in all individuals were reviewed for the presence of intrapulmonary collaterals. RESULTS: In 15 of the 43 patients (male-to-female ratio =7:8) definite (n=12) or probable (n=3) pulmonary artery-to-pulmonary artery anastomoses were demonstrated. Of the remaining 28 patients in whom intrapulmonary collaterals were not seen it was felt that in 16 the angiograms were of insufficient diagnostic quality (grades 4-5) to exclude their presence. Twelve patients, eight of whom had angiograms of sufficient diagnostic quality (grades 1-3), demonstrated one or more areas of luxury perfusion but intrapulmonary collaterals were not seen. CONCLUSION: Direct pulmonary artery-to-pulmonary artery anastomoses were demonstrated in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, which to our knowledge have not been previously described. The importance of these collateral vessels is unclear but they may play a role in the maintenance of pulmonary parenchymal viability in patients with chronic pulmonary embolic disease. The rate of development of these collaterals and their prognostic significance in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension are areas worthy of further study.

  2. Analysis of an Irregular RC Multi-storeyed Building Subjected to Dynamic Loading

    Science.gov (United States)

    AkashRaut; Pachpor, Prabodh; Dautkhani, Sanket

    2018-03-01

    Many buildings in the present scenario have irregular configurations both in plan and elevation. This in future may subject to devastating earthquakes. So it is necessary to analyze the structure. The present paper is made to study three type of irregularity wiz vertical, mass and plan irregularity as per clause 7.1 of IS 1893 (part1)2002 code. The paper discusses the analysis of RC (Reinforced Concrete) Buildings with vertical irregularity. The study as a whole makes an effort to evaluate the effect of vertical irregularity on RC buildings for which comparison of three parameters namely shear force, bending moment and deflection are taken into account.

  3. Spatial irregularities in Jupiter's upper ionosphere observed by Voyager radio occultations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hinson, D. P.; Tyler, G. L.

    1982-01-01

    Radio scintillations (at 3.6 and 13 cm) produced by scattering from ionospheric irregularities during the Voyager occultations are interpreted using a weak-scattering theory. Least squares solutions for ionospheric parameters derived from the observed fluctuation spectra yield estimates of (1) the axial ratio, (2) angular orientation of the anisotropic irregularities, (3) the power law exponent of the spatial spectrum of irregularities, and (4) the magnitude of the spatial variations in electron density. It is shown that the measured angular orientation of the anisotropic irregularities indicates magnetic field direction and may provide a basis for refining Jovian magnetic field models.

  4. Exposure of pregnant mice to carbon black by intratracheal instillation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jackson, Petra; Hougaard, Karin S.; Vogel, Ulla

    2011-01-01

    Exposure to nanomaterials (NM) during sensitive developmental stages may predispose organisms to diseases later in life. However, direct translocation of NM from mother to fetus through the placenta is limited. The present study tests the hypothesis that pulmonary exposure to NM and NM-induced re......Exposure to nanomaterials (NM) during sensitive developmental stages may predispose organisms to diseases later in life. However, direct translocation of NM from mother to fetus through the placenta is limited. The present study tests the hypothesis that pulmonary exposure to NM and NM...... only in the high dose group. Analysis of newborn livers by DNA microarrays revealed that female offspring were more sensitive to maternal exposure than male offspring. Cellular signalling, inflammation, cell cycle and lipid metabolism were among the biological pathways affected in female offspring...

  5. Rosiglitazone attenuates pulmonary fibrosis and radiation-induced intestinal damage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mangoni, M.; Gerini, C.; Sottili, M.; Cassani, S.; Stefania, G.; Biti, G.; Castiglione, F.; Vanzi, E.; Bottoncetti, A.; Pupi, A.

    2011-01-01

    Full text of publication follows: Purpose.-The aim of the study was to evaluate radioprotective effect of rosiglitazone (RGZ) on a murine model of late pulmonary damage and of acute intestinal damage. Methods.- Lung fibrosis: C57 mice were treated with the radiomimetic agent bleomycin, with or without rosiglitazone (5 mg/kg/day). To obtain an independent qualitative and quantitative measure for lung fibrosis we used high resolution CT, performed twice a week during the entire observation period. Hounsfield Units (HU) of section slides from the upper and lower lung region were determined. On day 31 lungs were collected for histological analysis. Acute intestinal damage: mice underwent 12 Gy total body irradiation with or without rosiglitazone. Mice were sacrificed 24 or 72 h after total body irradiation and ileum and colon were collected. Results.- Lung fibrosis: after bleomycin treatment, mice showed typical CT features of lung fibrosis, including irregular septal thickening and patchy peripheral reticular abnormalities. Accordingly, HU lung density was dramatically increased. Rosiglitazone markedly attenuated the radiological signs of fibrosis and strongly inhibited HU lung density increase (60% inhibition at the end of the observation period). Histological analysis revealed that in bleomycin-treated mice, fibrosis involved 50-55% of pulmonary parenchyma and caused an alteration of the alveolar structures in 10% of parenchyma, while in rosiglitazone-treated mice, fibrosis involved only 20-25% of pulmonary parenchyma, without alterations of the alveolar structures. Acute intestinal damage: 24 h after 12 Gy of total body irradiation intestinal mucosa showed villi shortening, mucosal thickness and crypt necrotic changes. Rosiglitazone showed a histological improvement of tissue structure, with villi and crypts normalization and oedema reduction. Conclusion.- These results demonstrate that rosiglitazone displays a protective effect on pulmonary fibrosis and radiation

  6. Rosiglitazone attenuates pulmonary fibrosis and radiation-induced intestinal damage

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mangoni, M.; Gerini, C.; Sottili, M.; Cassani, S.; Stefania, G.; Biti, G. [Radiotherapy Unit, Clinical Physiopathology Department, University of Florence, Firenze (Italy); Castiglione, F. [Department of Human Pathology and Oncology, University of Florence, Firenze (Italy); Vanzi, E.; Bottoncetti, A.; Pupi, A. [Nuclear Medicine Unit, Clinical Physiopathology Department, University of Florence, Firenze (Italy)

    2011-10-15

    Full text of publication follows: Purpose.-The aim of the study was to evaluate radioprotective effect of rosiglitazone (RGZ) on a murine model of late pulmonary damage and of acute intestinal damage. Methods.- Lung fibrosis: C57 mice were treated with the radiomimetic agent bleomycin, with or without rosiglitazone (5 mg/kg/day). To obtain an independent qualitative and quantitative measure for lung fibrosis we used high resolution CT, performed twice a week during the entire observation period. Hounsfield Units (HU) of section slides from the upper and lower lung region were determined. On day 31 lungs were collected for histological analysis. Acute intestinal damage: mice underwent 12 Gy total body irradiation with or without rosiglitazone. Mice were sacrificed 24 or 72 h after total body irradiation and ileum and colon were collected. Results.- Lung fibrosis: after bleomycin treatment, mice showed typical CT features of lung fibrosis, including irregular septal thickening and patchy peripheral reticular abnormalities. Accordingly, HU lung density was dramatically increased. Rosiglitazone markedly attenuated the radiological signs of fibrosis and strongly inhibited HU lung density increase (60% inhibition at the end of the observation period). Histological analysis revealed that in bleomycin-treated mice, fibrosis involved 50-55% of pulmonary parenchyma and caused an alteration of the alveolar structures in 10% of parenchyma, while in rosiglitazone-treated mice, fibrosis involved only 20-25% of pulmonary parenchyma, without alterations of the alveolar structures. Acute intestinal damage: 24 h after 12 Gy of total body irradiation intestinal mucosa showed villi shortening, mucosal thickness and crypt necrotic changes. Rosiglitazone showed a histological improvement of tissue structure, with villi and crypts normalization and oedema reduction. Conclusion.- These results demonstrate that rosiglitazone displays a protective effect on pulmonary fibrosis and radiation

  7. Irregular Dwarf Galaxy IC 1613

    Science.gov (United States)

    2005-01-01

    Ultraviolet image (left) and visual image (right) of the irregular dwarf galaxy IC 1613. Low surface brightness galaxies, such as IC 1613, are more easily detected in the ultraviolet because of the low background levels compared to visual wavelengths.

  8. Significance of pulmonary nodules in patients with colorectal cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pomerri, Fabio [Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Oncological Radiology Unit, Padua (Italy); University of Padua, Department of Medicine, Padua (Italy); Istituto Oncologico Veneto IOV-IRCCS, Radiologia, Padova (Italy); Pucciarelli, Salvatore; Nitti, Donato [University of Padua, Department of Oncological and Surgical Sciences, 2nd Surgical Clinic, Padua (Italy); Maretto, Isacco [Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Surgical Unit, Padua (Italy); Perrone, Ernesta; Pintacuda, Giovanna [Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Oncological Radiology Unit, Padua (Italy); Lonardi, Sara [Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Medical Oncology Unit 1, Padua (Italy); Muzzio, Pier Carlo [Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Padua (Italy)

    2012-08-15

    Radiographically small pulmonary nodules (PNs) in patients with colorectal cancer are troublesome because their discovery raises concern about metastases. This study sought to establish the appropriate timing of radiological follow-up for PNs detected at initial staging evaluation of colorectal carcinoma patients. The medical records of 376 consecutive colorectal cancer patients who underwent curative surgery and had baseline and follow-up chest X-rays (CXR) and computed tomography (CT) were reviewed. The study included 92 patients who had all CXR and chest CT available for review, at least one PN found on baseline imaging, and no synchronous neoplasms. On baseline chest CT, these 92 patients had 170 PNs altogether and 77 (45.2 %) of them were greater than 5 mm in size. Baseline CXR detected 13 PNs in 12 patients and all but 2 were larger than 5 mm. Nodule size greater than 5 mm and irregular margins were predictors of nodule growth. The mean doubling time of 24/170 (14.1 %) growing PNs was about 4 months. Our findings suggest that baseline and follow-up CXR are pointless, and short-interval CT follow-up is warranted when PNs larger than 5 mm with irregular margins are detected on preoperative chest CT. (orig.)

  9. Regularisation of irregular verbs in child English second language ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Data was collected from the language of English medium preschool children. The study concludes that when the Blocking Principle interferes, children resort to a novel interlanguage rule that regularises irregular verbs. This interlanguage rule applies in a similar way to all irregular verbs, thus children produce utterances ...

  10. Multi-walled carbon nanotube physicochemical properties predict pulmonary inflammation and genotoxicity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Poulsen, Sarah S.; Jackson, Petra; Kling, Kirsten

    2016-01-01

    Lung deposition of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) induces pulmonary toxicity. Commercial MWCNT vary greatly in physicochemical properties and consequently in biological effects. To identify determinants of MWCNT-induced toxicity, we analyzed the effects of pulmonary exposure to 10 commerci...... diameter was associated with increased genotoxicity. This study provides information on possible toxicity-driving physicochemical properties of MWCNT. The results may contribute to safe-by-design manufacturing of MWCNT, thereby minimizing adverse effects....

  11. Low frequency sound reproduction in irregular rooms using CABS (Control Acoustic Bass System)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Celestinos, Adrian; Nielsen, Sofus Birkedal

    2011-01-01

    of an irregular room model using the FDTD (Finite Difference Time Domain) method has been presented. CABS has been simulated in the irregular room model. Measurements of CABS in a real irregular room have been performed. The performance of CABS was affected by the irregular shape of the room due to the corner...

  12. Personal exposure to ultrafine particles and oxidative DNA damage

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vinzents, Peter S; Møller, Peter; Sørensen, Mette

    2005-01-01

    Exposure to ultrafine particles (UFPs) from vehicle exhaust has been related to risk of cardiovascular and pulmonary disease and cancer, even though exposure assessment is difficult. We studied personal exposure in terms of number concentrations of UFPs in the breathing zone, using portable instr......, particularly during bicycling in traffic. The results indicate that biologic effects of UFPs occur at modest exposure, such as that occurring in traffic, which supports the relationship of UFPs and the adverse health effects of air pollution.......Exposure to ultrafine particles (UFPs) from vehicle exhaust has been related to risk of cardiovascular and pulmonary disease and cancer, even though exposure assessment is difficult. We studied personal exposure in terms of number concentrations of UFPs in the breathing zone, using portable...... instruments in six 18-hr periods in 15 healthy nonsmoking subjects. Exposure contrasts of outdoor pollution were achieved by bicycling in traffic for 5 days and in the laboratory for 1 day. Oxidative DNA damage was assessed as strand breaks and oxidized purines in mononuclear cells isolated from venous blood...

  13. High energy model for irregular absorbing particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chiappetta, Pierre.

    1979-05-01

    In the framework of a high energy formulation of relativistic quantum scattering a model is presented which describes the scattering functions and polarization of irregular absorbing particles, whose dimensions are greater than the incident wavelength. More precisely in the forward direction an amplitude parametrization of eikonal type is defined which generalizes the usual diffraction theory, and in the backward direction a reflective model is used including a shadow function. The model predictions are in good agreement with the scattering measurements off irregular compact and fluffy particles performed by Zerull, Giese and Weiss (1977)

  14. [Role of MRI for detection and characterization of pulmonary nodules].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sommer, G; Koenigkam-Santos, M; Biederer, J; Puderbach, M

    2014-05-01

    Due to physical and technical limitations, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has hitherto played only a minor role in image-based diagnostics of the lungs. However, as a consequence of important methodological developments during recent years, MRI has developed into a technically mature and clinically well-proven method for specific pulmonary questions. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview on the currently available sequences and techniques for assessment of pulmonary nodules and analyzes the clinical significance according to the current literature. The main focus is on the detection of lung metastases, the detection of primary pulmonary malignancies in high-risk individuals and the differentiation between pulmonary nodules of benign and malignant character. The MRI technique has a sensitivity of approximately 80 % for detection of malignant pulmonary nodules compared to the reference standard low-dose computed tomography (CT) and is thus somewhat inferior to CT. Advantages of MRI on the other hand are a higher specificity in differentiating malignant and benign pulmonary nodules and the absence of ionizing radiation exposure. A systematic use of MRI as a primary tool for detection and characterization of pulmonary nodules is currently not recommended due to insufficient data. The diagnostic potential of MRI for early detection and staging of malignant pulmonary diseases, however, seems promising. Therefore, further evaluation of MRI as a secondary imaging modality in clinical trials is highly warranted.

  15. Pulmonary sensitivity to ozone exposure in sedentary versus chronically trained, female rats

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Pulmonary effects to ozone with rats that have chronically exercised or have been continuously sedentary. Also includes body composition of both groups throughout...

  16. Total edge irregularity strength of (n,t)-kite graph

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winarsih, Tri; Indriati, Diari

    2018-04-01

    Let G(V, E) be a simple, connected, and undirected graph with vertex set V and edge set E. A total k-labeling is a map that carries vertices and edges of a graph G into a set of positive integer labels {1, 2, …, k}. An edge irregular total k-labeling λ :V(G)\\cup E(G)\\to \\{1,2,\\ldots,k\\} of a graph G is a labeling of vertices and edges of G in such a way that for any different edges e and f, weights wt(e) and wt(f) are distinct. The weight wt(e) of an edge e = xy is the sum of the labels of vertices x and y and the label of the edge e. The total edge irregularity strength of G, tes(G), is defined as the minimum k for which a graph G has an edge irregular total k-labeling. An (n, t)-kite graph consist of a cycle of length n with a t-edge path (the tail) attached to one vertex of a cycle. In this paper, we investigate the total edge irregularity strength of the (n, t)-kite graph, with n > 3 and t > 1. We obtain the total edge irregularity strength of the (n, t)-kite graph is tes((n, t)-kite) = \\lceil \\frac{n+t+2}{3}\\rceil .

  17. Effects of age, socioeconomic status, and menstrual cycle on pulmonary response to ozone

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Seal, E. Jr.; McDonnell, W.F.; House, D.E. [Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States)

    1996-03-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of age, socioeconomic status, and menstrual cycle phase on the pulmonary response to ozone exposure. Three hundred seventy-two healthy white and black young adults, between the ages of 18 and 35 y, were exposed only once to 0.0, 0.12, 0.18, 0.24, 0.30, or 0.40 ppm ozone for 2.3 h. Prior to and after exposure, pulmonary function tests were obtained. Prior to exposure, each subject completed a personal and family-history questionnaire. The response to this questionnaire were used to investigate age, socioeconomic status, and menstrual cycle phase effects on pulmonary responsiveness to ozone. We concluded that the ages of subjects, within the age range studied, had an effect on responsiveness (i.e., decrements in forced expiratory volume in 1 s decreased as the subjects` ages decreased). Socioeconomic status, as reflected by education of fathers, also appeared to affect forced expiratory volume in 1-s responsiveness to ozone, with the middle socioeconomic group being the most responsive. The phase of menstrual cycle did not have an impact on individual responsiveness to ozone. 14 refs., 4 figs.

  18. Pulmonary MR angiography and perfusion imaging—A review of methods and applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Johns, Christopher S.; Swift, Andrew J.; Hughes, Paul J.C. [University of Sheffield (United Kingdom); Ohno, Yoshiharu [Division of Functional and Diagnostic Imaging Research, Department of Radiology, KobeUniversity Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Hyogo (Japan); Schiebler, Mark [UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI (United States); Wild, Jim M., E-mail: j.m.wild@sheffield.ac.uk [University of Sheffield (United Kingdom)

    2017-01-15

    Highlights: • This article represents an overview of the methodology and clinical applications of pulmonary MRA and perfusion imaging. • Both contrast enhanced and non-contrast enhanced metholodology for MRA and perfusion are covered. • The current clinical uses and future directions of MRA and MR perfusion are discussed. - Abstract: The pulmonary vasculature and its role in perfusion and gas exchange is an important consideration in many conditions of the lung and heart. Currently the mainstay of imaging of the vasculature and perfusion of the lungs lies with CT and nuclear medicine perfusion scans, both of which require ionizing radiation exposure. Improvements in MRI techniques have increased the use of MRI in pulmonary vascular imaging. Here we review MRI methods for imaging the pulmonary vasculature and pulmonary perfusion, both using contrast enhanced and non-contrast enhanced methodology. In many centres pulmonary MR angiography and dynamic contrast enhanced perfusion MRI are now well established in the routine workflow of patients particularly with pulmonary hypertension and thromboembolic disease. However, these imaging modalities offer exciting new directions for future research and clinical use in other respiratory diseases where consideration of pulmonary perfusion and gas exchange can provide insight in to pathophysiology.

  19. Pulmonary MR angiography and perfusion imaging—A review of methods and applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johns, Christopher S.; Swift, Andrew J.; Hughes, Paul J.C.; Ohno, Yoshiharu; Schiebler, Mark; Wild, Jim M.

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • This article represents an overview of the methodology and clinical applications of pulmonary MRA and perfusion imaging. • Both contrast enhanced and non-contrast enhanced metholodology for MRA and perfusion are covered. • The current clinical uses and future directions of MRA and MR perfusion are discussed. - Abstract: The pulmonary vasculature and its role in perfusion and gas exchange is an important consideration in many conditions of the lung and heart. Currently the mainstay of imaging of the vasculature and perfusion of the lungs lies with CT and nuclear medicine perfusion scans, both of which require ionizing radiation exposure. Improvements in MRI techniques have increased the use of MRI in pulmonary vascular imaging. Here we review MRI methods for imaging the pulmonary vasculature and pulmonary perfusion, both using contrast enhanced and non-contrast enhanced methodology. In many centres pulmonary MR angiography and dynamic contrast enhanced perfusion MRI are now well established in the routine workflow of patients particularly with pulmonary hypertension and thromboembolic disease. However, these imaging modalities offer exciting new directions for future research and clinical use in other respiratory diseases where consideration of pulmonary perfusion and gas exchange can provide insight in to pathophysiology.

  20. The Critical Role of Pulmonary Arterial Compliance in Pulmonary Hypertension

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prins, Kurt W.; Pritzker, Marc R.; Scandurra, John; Volmers, Karl; Weir, E. Kenneth

    2016-01-01

    The normal pulmonary circulation is a low-pressure, high-compliance system. Pulmonary arterial compliance decreases in the presence of pulmonary hypertension because of increased extracellular matrix/collagen deposition in the pulmonary arteries. Loss of pulmonary arterial compliance has been consistently shown to be a predictor of increased mortality in patients with pulmonary hypertension, even more so than pulmonary vascular resistance in some studies. Decreased pulmonary arterial compliance causes premature reflection of waves from the distal pulmonary vasculature, leading to increased pulsatile right ventricular afterload and eventually right ventricular failure. Evidence suggests that decreased pulmonary arterial compliance is a cause rather than a consequence of distal small vessel proliferative vasculopathy. Pulmonary arterial compliance decreases early in the disease process even when pulmonary artery pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance are normal, potentially enabling early diagnosis of pulmonary vascular disease, especially in high-risk populations. With the recognition of the prognostic importance of pulmonary arterial compliance, its impact on right ventricular function, and its contributory role in the development and progression of distal small-vessel proliferative vasculopathy, pulmonary arterial compliance is an attractive target for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension. PMID:26848601

  1. Experimental human exposure to inhaled grain dust and ammonia: towards a model of concentrated animal feeding operations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sigurdarson, Sigurdur T; O'Shaughnessy, Patrick T; Watt, Janet A; Kline, Joel N

    2004-10-01

    Ammonia and endotoxin-rich dust are present in high concentrations in swine confinement facilities; exposure to this environment is linked to workers' respiratory problems. We hypothesized that experimental exposure to ammonia and dust would impair pulmonary function, and that these exposures would be synergistic. We exposed six normal subjects and eight subjects with mild asthma to ammonia (16-25 ppm) and/or endotoxin-rich grain dust (4 mg/m3). Pulmonary function and exhaled NOx were measured before and after exposure. There was no significant change in pulmonary function in the normal subjects following any of the exposure conditions. Among asthmatics, a significant transient decrease in FEV1 was induced by grain dust, but was not altered by ammonia; increased bronchial hyperreactivity was also noted in this group. In a vulnerable population, exposure to grain dust results in transient airflow obstruction. Short-term exposure to ammonia does not increase this response.

  2. Reducing pulmonary injury by hyperbaric oxygen preconditioning during simulated high altitude exposure in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Zhuo; Gao, Chunjin; Wang, Yanxue; Liu, Fujia; Ma, Linlin; Deng, Changlei; Niu, Ko-Chi; Lin, Mao-Tsun; Wang, Chen

    2011-09-01

    Hyperbaric oxygen preconditioning (HBO₂P + HAE) has been found to be beneficial in preventing the occurrence of ischemic damage to brain, spinal cord, heart, and liver in several disease models. In addition, pulmonary inflammation and edema are associated with a marked reduction in the expression levels of both aquaporin (AQP) 1 and AQP5 in the lung. Here, the aims of this study are first to ascertain whether acute lung injury can be induced by simulated high altitude in rats and second to assess whether HBO2P + HAE is able to prevent the occurrence of the proposed high altitude-induced ALI. Rats were randomly divided into the following three groups: the normobaric air (NBA; 21% O₂ at 1 ATA) group, the HBO₂P + high altitude exposure (HAE) group, and the NBA + HAE group. In HBO₂P + HAE group, animals received 100% O₂ at 2.0 ATA for 1 hour per day, for five consecutive days. In HAE groups, animals were exposed to a simulated HAE of 6,000 m in a hypobaric chamber for 24 hours. Right after being taken out to the ambient, animals were anesthetized generally and killed and thoroughly exsanguinated before their lungs were excised en bloc. The lungs were used for both histologic and molecular evaluation and analysis. In NBA + HAE group, the animals displayed higher scores of alveolar edema, neutrophil infiltration, and hemorrhage compared with those of NBA controls. In contrast, the levels of both AQP1 and AQP5 proteins and mRNA expression in the lung in the NBA + HAE group were significantly lower than those of NBA controls. However, the increased lung injury scores and the decreased levels of both AQP1 and AQP5 proteins and mRNA expression in the lung caused by HAE was significantly reduced by HBO₂P + HAE. Our results suggest that high altitude pulmonary injury may be prevented by HBO2P + HAE in rats.

  3. Classical limit of irregular blocks and Mathieu functions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Piątek, Marcin; Pietrykowski, Artur R.

    2016-01-01

    The Nekrasov-Shatashvili limit of the N = 2 SU(2) pure gauge (Ω-deformed) super Yang-Mills theory encodes the information about the spectrum of the Mathieu operator. On the other hand, the Mathieu equation emerges entirely within the frame of two-dimensional conformal field theory (2d CFT) as the classical limit of the null vector decoupling equation for some degenerate irregular block. Therefore, it seems to be possible to investigate the spectrum of the Mathieu operator employing the techniques of 2d CFT. To exploit this strategy, a full correspondence between the Mathieu equation and its realization within 2d CFT has to be established. In our previous paper http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/JHEP12(2014)032, we have found that the expression of the Mathieu eigenvalue given in terms of the classical irregular block exactly coincides with the well known weak coupling expansion of this eigenvalue in the case in which the auxiliary parameter is the noninteger Floquet exponent. In the present work we verify that the formula for the corresponding eigenfunction obtained from the irregular block reproduces the so-called Mathieu exponent from which the noninteger order elliptic cosine and sine functions may be constructed. The derivation of the Mathieu equation within the formalism of 2d CFT is based on conjectures concerning the asymptotic behaviour of irregular blocks in the classical limit. A proof of these hypotheses is sketched. Finally, we speculate on how it could be possible to use the methods of 2d CFT in order to get from the irregular block the eigenvalues of the Mathieu operator in other regions of the coupling constant.

  4. Track Irregularity Time Series Analysis and Trend Forecasting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jia Chaolong

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The combination of linear and nonlinear methods is widely used in the prediction of time series data. This paper analyzes track irregularity time series data by using gray incidence degree models and methods of data transformation, trying to find the connotative relationship between the time series data. In this paper, GM (1,1 is based on first-order, single variable linear differential equations; after an adaptive improvement and error correction, it is used to predict the long-term changing trend of track irregularity at a fixed measuring point; the stochastic linear AR, Kalman filtering model, and artificial neural network model are applied to predict the short-term changing trend of track irregularity at unit section. Both long-term and short-term changes prove that the model is effective and can achieve the expected accuracy.

  5. Extra-pulmonary oxidative stress investigations of an over-the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    OLUWATOBI

    2015-03-20

    Mar 20, 2015 ... nitrate were found (Narendra et al., 2007). In addition to the active ... gated if exposure to the insecticide could lead to extra- pulmonary oxidative ..... SOD and CAT activity in mice (Omotuyi et al., 2006;. Eraslan et al., 2007) and ...

  6. Dental technician pneumoconiosis mimicking pulmonary tuberculosis: a case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Han Loong; Faisal, Mohamed; Soo, Chun Ian; Ban, Andrea Y L; Manap, Roslina Abdul; Hassan, Tidi M

    2016-09-07

    Dental laboratory technicians are at risk of developing occupational respiratory diseases due to exposure to various potentially toxic substances in their working environment. Since 1939, few cases of silicosis among dental technician have been reported. We illustrate a 38 year-old female, who worked in a dental laboratory for 20 years, initially treated as pulmonary tuberculosis and chronic necrotising aspergillosis without much improvement. Computed tomography guided lung biopsy and bronchoscopic transbronchial lung biopsy were performed. Lung tissue biopsies showed presence of refractile dental materials within the areas of histiocyte proliferation. The diagnosis of dental technician pneumoconiosis was obtained and our patient underwent pulmonary rehabilitation. This case highlights the importance of obtaining a detailed occupational history in tuberculosis endemic area, as pulmonary tuberculosis is a great mimicker of other respiratory diseases.

  7. Examining U.S. Irregular Warfare Doctrine

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Kimbrough, IV, James M

    2008-01-01

    ... of insurgency and terrorism. In response to the associated strategic challenges, a growing debate occurred among military historians, strategists, and leaders about the proper principles necessary for contemporary irregular...

  8. Matrix Remodeling in Pulmonary Fibrosis and Emphysema

    Science.gov (United States)

    O’Reilly, Philip; Antony, Veena B.; Gaggar, Amit

    2016-01-01

    Pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema are chronic lung diseases characterized by a progressive decline in lung function, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. A hallmark of these diseases is recurrent or persistent alveolar epithelial injury, typically caused by common environmental exposures such as cigarette smoke. We propose that critical determinants of the outcome of the injury-repair processes that result in fibrosis versus emphysema are mesenchymal cell fate and associated extracellular matrix dynamics. In this review, we explore the concept that regulation of mesenchymal cells under the influence of soluble factors, in particular transforming growth factor-β1, and the extracellular matrix determine the divergent tissue remodeling responses seen in pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema. PMID:26741177

  9. Traffic dispersion through a series of signals with irregular split

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagatani, Takashi

    2016-01-01

    We study the traffic behavior of a group of vehicles moving through a sequence of signals with irregular splits on a roadway. We present the stochastic model of vehicular traffic controlled by signals. The dynamic behavior of vehicular traffic is clarified by analyzing traffic pattern and travel time numerically. The group of vehicles breaks up more and more by the irregularity of signal's split. The traffic dispersion is induced by the irregular split. We show that the traffic dispersion depends highly on the cycle time and the strength of split's irregularity. Also, we study the traffic behavior through the series of signals at the green-wave strategy. The dependence of the travel time on offset time is derived for various values of cycle time. The region map of the traffic dispersion is shown in (cycle time, offset time)-space.

  10. Evaluation of the regional lung function revealed in radioaerosol scintigram of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 1. The comparison of radioaerosol scintigram with the lung function tests in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suzuki, T [Kyoto Univ. (Japan). Faculty of Medicine

    1980-02-01

    We classified the findings of radioaerosol inhalation scintigrams of patients with various stages of obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) into 4 grades, according to the extent of peripheral irregularity and central hot spot formation; Stage I represents normal homogeneous distribution, stage II represents peripheral irregularity, stage III represents additional hot spot formation and stage IV represents further regional defect. This aerosol grading criteria was then compared with routine and specific lung function tests. The aerosol grading criterion correlated well with FEV sub(1.0)% which is a good indicator of the severity of COPD. The central hot spot formation correlated well with FEV sub(1.0)% and respiratory resistance (R.p.) determined by the oscillation method, both of which are good indicators of abnormality in central airway resistance. Peripheral irregularity correlated well with: 1) flows at 50%VC and 25%VC in a maximum forced expiratory flow volume curve; 2) closing volume (CV/VC%); 3) delta N/sub 2/%/l in N/sub 2/ single washout test; and 4) the regional delay of /sup 133/Xe washout process, all of which are sensitive indicators of small airway disease. It is therefore reasonable to conclude that the radioaerosol scintigram reveals the regional lung function both in terms of airway resistance (R) and compliance (C). This criterion was useful in quantitatively evaluating the regional ventilation distribution of COPD and the therapeutic effect on bronchial asthma. The mechanism of aerosol particle deposition related to characteristic central hot spot formation accompanied with peripheral irregularity in a radioaerosol scintigram of COPD, needs further exploration concerning the aerodynamic behavior of aerosol particles in the airways both during inspiration and expiration.

  11. Primary pulmonary cryptococcosis: evaluation of CT characteristics in 26 immunocompetent Chinese patients

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Qu, Yanjuan; Liu, Guobing; Ghimire, Prasanna; Liao, Meiyan; Xu, Liying [Dept. of Radiology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan Univ., Wuhan (China)], E-mail: leometeor123@gmail.com; Shi, Heshui [Dept. of Radiology, Union Hospital affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong Univ. of Science and Technology, Wuhan (China); Yang, Guifang [Dept. of Pathology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan Univ., Wuhan (China); Wang, Guanliang [Dept. of Radiology, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Taizhou (China)

    2012-07-15

    Background. Discrepancies still exist in the diagnosis of primary pulmonary cryptococcosis in immunocompetent patients. Purpose. To describe and evaluate radiological manifestations of pulmonary cryptococcosis in immunocompetent patients. Material and Methods. Twenty-six histopathologically confirmed cases of pulmonary cryptococcosis were analyzed for clinical, pathological, and CT characteristics. Necessary statistical tests for differences in CT presentations and correlation analysis between clinical and CT characteristics were performed. Results. The patients' ages ranged from 24 to 79 years, with 20 men and six women. Eighteen patients were symptomatic, with cough as the most common symptom (n = 14, 53.8%). Nodules (n = 21, 80.8%) were the most common CT findings. Eight cases presented with solitary and nine with multiple nodules, while 13 cases presented with irregular and 19 with ill-defined nodules. The halo sign was demonstrated, encompassing nodules in 14 of the 21 patients. Lesions were mainly localized in the lower lobes of the lungs (n = 15, 57.7%) with peripheral distribution (n = 18, 69.2%). Ground-glass opacities (GGOs) were more easily detected in older patients (66.7%, P <0.01). No significant differences in CT abnormalities were found between male and female patients. Conclusion. Primary pulmonary cryptococcosis in immunocompetent patients exhibits certain CT characteristics. The typical presentation includes multiple nodules with the halo sign scattered in the peripheral field in the lower lobes of the bilateral lungs. This could contribute to diagnosis of the disease entity. However, vigilance should be exercised when facing GGOs, with or without nodules, in older patients.

  12. GARCH and Irregularly Spaced Data

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Meddahi, N.; Renault, E.; Werker, B.J.M.

    2003-01-01

    An exact discretization of continuous time stochastic volatility processes observed at irregularly spaced times is used to give insights on how a coherent GARCH model can be specified for such data. The relation of our approach with those in the existing literature is studied.

  13. Diesel exhaust particle exposure in vitro alters monocyte differentiation and function.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nazia Chaudhuri

    Full Text Available Air pollution by diesel exhaust particles is associated with elevated mortality and increased hospital admissions in individuals with respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. During active inflammation monocytes are recruited to the airways and can replace resident alveolar macrophages. We therefore investigated whether chronic fourteen day exposure to low concentrations of diesel exhaust particles can alter the phenotype and function of monocytes from healthy individuals and those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Monocytes were purified from the blood of healthy individuals and people with a diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Monocyte-derived macrophages were generated in the presence or absence of diesel exhaust particles and their phenotypes studied through investigation of their lifespan, cytokine generation in response to Toll like receptor agonists and heat killed bacteria, and expression of surface markers. Chronic fourteen day exposure of monocyte-derived macrophages to concentrations of diesel exhaust particles >10 µg/ml caused mitochondrial and lysosomal dysfunction, and a gradual loss of cells over time both in healthy and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease individuals. Chronic exposure to lower concentrations of diesel exhaust particles impaired CXCL8 cytokine responses to lipopolysaccharide and heat killed E. coli, and this phenotype was associated with a reduction in CD14 and CD11b expression. Chronic diesel exhaust particle exposure may therefore alter both numbers and function of lung macrophages differentiating from locally recruited monocytes in the lungs of healthy people and patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

  14. Pulmonary tuberculosis in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chung, Myung Jin; Goo, Jin Mo E-mail: jmgoo@plaza.snu.ac.kr; Im, Jung-Gi

    2004-11-01

    Objectives: Patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) have an increased risk of pulmonary tuberculosis. However, detecting pulmonary tuberculosis may be difficult due to the underlying fibrosis. The aim of this report is to describe the radiological and clinical findings of pulmonary tuberculosis in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Materials and methods: We reviewed 143 consecutive patients in whom IPF was diagnosed by either the histological or radio-clinical criteria. Among them, nine patients were histologically (n=2) or bacteriologically (n=7) confirmed to have active pulmonary tuberculosis. The location and patterns of pulmonary tuberculosis were examined on a thin section CT scan. Results: The most common thin section CT findings were subpleural nodules (n=6; mean diameter, 3.2 cm) and a lobar or segmental consolidation (n=3). The lesions were located most commonly in the right lower lobe (n=4). The incidence of tuberculosis in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was more than five times higher than that of the general population. Conclusion: The atypical manifestation of pulmonary tuberculosis is common in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which may mimic lung cancer or bacterial pneumonia.

  15. Pulmonary tuberculosis in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, Myung Jin; Goo, Jin Mo; Im, Jung-Gi

    2004-01-01

    Objectives: Patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) have an increased risk of pulmonary tuberculosis. However, detecting pulmonary tuberculosis may be difficult due to the underlying fibrosis. The aim of this report is to describe the radiological and clinical findings of pulmonary tuberculosis in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Materials and methods: We reviewed 143 consecutive patients in whom IPF was diagnosed by either the histological or radio-clinical criteria. Among them, nine patients were histologically (n=2) or bacteriologically (n=7) confirmed to have active pulmonary tuberculosis. The location and patterns of pulmonary tuberculosis were examined on a thin section CT scan. Results: The most common thin section CT findings were subpleural nodules (n=6; mean diameter, 3.2 cm) and a lobar or segmental consolidation (n=3). The lesions were located most commonly in the right lower lobe (n=4). The incidence of tuberculosis in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was more than five times higher than that of the general population. Conclusion: The atypical manifestation of pulmonary tuberculosis is common in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which may mimic lung cancer or bacterial pneumonia

  16. Volatile organic compounds and pulmonary function in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elliott, Leslie; Longnecker, Matthew P; Kissling, Grace E; London, Stephanie J

    2006-08-01

    Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are present in much higher concentrations indoors, where people spend most of their time, than outdoors and may have adverse health effects. VOCs have been associated with respiratory symptoms, but few studies address objective respiratory end points such as pulmonary function. Blood levels of VOCs may be more indicative of personal exposures than are air concentrations; no studies have addressed their relationship with respiratory outcomes. We examined whether concentrations of 11 VOCs that were commonly identified in blood from a sample of the U.S. population were associated with pulmonary function. We used data from 953 adult participants (20-59 years of age) in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988-1994) who had VOC blood measures as well as pulmonary function measures. Linear regression models were used to evaluate the relationship between 11 VOCs and measures of pulmonary function. After adjustment for smoking, only 1,4-dichlorobenzene (1,4-DCB) was associated with reduced pulmonary function. Participants in the highest decile of 1,4-DCB concentration had decrements of -153 mL [95% confidence interval (CI) , -297 to -8] in forced expiratory volume in 1 sec and -346 mL/sec (95% CI, -667 to -24) in maximum mid-expiratory flow rate, compared with participants in the lowest decile. Exposure to 1,4-DCB, a VOC related to the use of air fresheners, toilet bowl deodorants, and mothballs, at levels found in the U.S. general population, may result in reduced pulmonary function. This common exposure may have long-term adverse effects on respiratory health.

  17. Study of electromagnetic wave scattering by periodic density irregularities in plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lyle, R.; Kuo, S.P.; Huang, J.

    1995-01-01

    A quasi-particle approach is used to formulate wave propagation and scattering in a periodically structured plasma. The theory is then applied to study the effect of bottomside sinusoidal (BSS) irregularities on the propagation of beacon satellites signals through the ionosphere. In this approach, the radio wave is treated as a distribution of quasi-particles described by a Wigner distribution function governed by a transport equation. The irregularities providing the collisional effect are modeled as a two dimensional density modulation on a uniform background plasma. The present work generalizes the previous work by including the spectral bandwidth (Δk/k) effect of the spatially periodic irregularities on the transionospheric signal propagation. The collision of quasi-particles with the irregularities modifies the quasi-particle distribution and give rise to the wave scattering phenomenon. The multiple scattering process is generally considered in this deterministic analysis of radio wave scattering off the ionospheric density irregularities. The analysis shows that this two dimensional density grating effectively modulates the intensity of the beacon satellite signals. This spatial modulation of the wave intensity is converted into time modulation due to the drift of the ionospheric irregularities, which then results in the scintillation of the beacon satellite signals

  18. Pulmonary capillary haemangiomatosis: a rare cause of pulmonary hypertension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Babu, K Anand; Supraja, K; Singh, Raj B

    2014-01-01

    Pulmonary capillary haemangiomatosis (PCH) is a rare disorder of unknown aetiology, characterised by proliferating capillaries that invade the pulmonary interstitium, alveolar septae and the pulmonary vasculature. It is often mis-diagnosed as primary pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary veno-occlusive disease. Pulmonary capillary haemangiomatosis is a locally aggressive benign vascular neoplasm of the lung. We report the case of a 19-year-old female who was referred to us in the early post-partum period with severe pulmonary artery hypertension, which was diagnosed as PCH by open lung biopsy.

  19. Crime among irregular immigrants and the influence of internal border control

    OpenAIRE

    Leerkes, Arjen; Engbersen, Godfried; Leun, Joanne

    2012-01-01

    textabstractBoth the number of crime suspects without legal status and the number of irregular or undocumented immigrants held in detention facilities increased substantially in theNetherlands between 1997 and 2003. In this period, theDutch state increasingly attempted to exclude irregular immigrants from the formal labour market and public provisions. At the same time the registered crime among irregular migrants rose. The 'marginalisation thesis' asserts that a larger number of migrants hav...

  20. Evaluation for asbestos exposure in lung cancer surgery cases. Relationships between asbestos body count and pleural plaques and between asbestos body count and pulmonary fibrosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yusa, Toshikazu; Yasukawa, Tomohisa; Shioda, Hironobu; Hirai, Fumiko; Hiroshima, Kenzo; Kishimoto, Takumi

    2011-01-01

    This study was designed to examine the significance of pleural plaques and pulmonary fibrosis in the evaluation of asbestos exposure level. The subjects were patients who had undergone surgery for lung cancer. There were 64 patients who had pleural plaques based on surgical findings (pleural plaque group) and 9 patients who had neither a history of asbestos exposure nor pleural plaque (control group). An examination was performed regarding the extent of pleural plaques and the presence or absence of pulmonary fibrosis. The relationships between these findings and the asbestos body count in the resected lung were investigated. If chest CT showed no pleural plaque, the case was classified as class 0. If chest CT showed pleural plaques, the CT slice with the most extensive pleural plaque in either side was selected. If the plaque extended to less than one quarter of the inner chest wall, the case was classified as class 1. If the extent was one quarter or more, the case was classified as class 2. The cases were considered to have pulmonary fibrosis if the fibrotic findings were equivalent to those of asbestosis of type 1 or more by chest X-ray photography (XP) and if fibrosis was observed in CT. All other cases were considered not to have pulmonary fibrosis. The median asbestos body counts were 1,018 bodies per gram of dried lung in the pleural plaque group and 263 per gram of dried lung in the control group. There was a statistically significant difference between these groups (p=0.0034). There were 25 patients with class 0 pleural plaque, 17 patients with class 1, and 22 patients with class 2. Their median asbestos body counts were 612, 439, and 5,626 bodies, respectively. All class 0 or 1 patients had an asbestos body count of less than 5,000 bodies. There was no significant difference in the counts between patients with class 0 and 1. All class 2 patients had an asbestos body count of 1,000 bodies or more. The count of class 2 patients was significantly higher

  1. Effect of occupational exposure to local powdered tobacco (snuff) on ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The effect of occupational exposure to local powdered tobacco (snuff) on pulmonary function was studied. Snuff industry workers in Onitsha and Enugu markets were studied and compared with age-, weight-, and height-matched control not exposed to any known air pollutant. The pulmonary indices studied include; forced ...

  2. Investigation of Acute Pulmonary Deficits Associated with Biomass Fuel Cookstove Emissions in Rural Bangladesh

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Danielle N. Medgyesi

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The use of solid biomass fuels in cookstoves has been associated with chronic health impacts that disproportionately affect women worldwide. Solid fuel stoves that use wood, plant matter, and cow dung are commonly used for household cooking in rural Bangladesh. This study investigates the immediate effects of acute elevated cookstove emission exposures on pulmonary function. Pulmonary function was measured with spirometry before and during cooking to assess changes in respiratory function during exposure to cookstove emissions for 15 females ages 18–65. Cookstove emissions were characterized using continuous measurements of particulate matter (PM2.5—aerodynamic diameter <2.5 μm concentrations at a 1 s time resolution for each household. Several case studies were observed where women ≥40 years who had been cooking for ≥25 years suffered from severe pulmonary impairment. Forced expiratory volume in one second over forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC was found to moderately decline (p = 0.06 during cooking versus non-cooking in the study cohort. The study found a significant (α < 0.05 negative association between 3- and 10-min maximum PM2.5 emissions during cooking and lung function measurements of forced vital capacity (FVC, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1, and FEV1/FVC obtained during cooking intervals. This study found that exposure to biomass burning emissions from solid fuel stoves- associated with acute elevated PM2.5 concentrations- leads to a decrease in pulmonary function, although further research is needed to ascertain the prolonged (e.g., daily, for multiple years impacts of acute PM2.5 exposure on immediate and sustained respiratory impairment.

  3. Drug-induced Pulmonary Fibrosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Daba, Mohammad H.; Al-Arifi, Mohammad N; Gubar, Othman A.; El-Tahir, Kamal E.

    2004-01-01

    Pulmonary fibrosis is characterized by the accumulation of excessive connective tissue in the lungs. Its causes include chronic administration of some drugs for example bleomycin, cyclophosphamide, amiodarone, procainamide, penicillamine, gold and nitrofurantoin; exposure to certain environmental factors such as gases, asbestos and silica and bacterial or fungal infections. Some systemic diseases also predispose to the disease for example rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. The disease is associated with release of oxygen radicals and some mediators such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha TNF-alpha, transforming growth factor-beta Tbgf-beta, PDGF, If-I, Et-I and interleukins 1, 4, 8 and 13. The symptoms of the disease include dyspne a, non-productive cough, fever and damage to the lung cells. It is diagnosed with the aid of chest radiography, high resolution computed tomographic scanning and the result of pulmonary function tests. Drug-induced pulmonary fibrosis may involve release of free oxygen radicals and various cytokines for example Il-I beta and TNF-alpha via activation of nuclear transcription factor Nf-beta as in the case of bleomycin and mitomycin or via release of TGF-beta as in case of tamoxifen or via inhibition of macrophages and lymphocytes phospholipases as in the case of amiodarone with the resultant accumulation of phospholipids and reduction of the immune system. (author)

  4. Measurements of electron density irregularities in the ionosphere of Jupiter by Pioneer 10

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Woo, R.; Yang, F.

    1976-01-01

    In this paper we demonstrate that when the frequency spectrum of the log amplitude fluctuations is used, the radio occultation experiment is a powerful tool for detecting, identifying, and studying ionospheric irregularities. Analysis of the Pioneer 10 radio occultation measurements reveals that the Jovian ionosphere possesses electron density irregularities which are very similar to those found in the earth's ionosphere. This is the first time such irregularities have been found in a planetary ionosphere other than that of earth. The Pioneer 10 results indicate that the spatial wave number spectrum of the electron density irregularities is close to the Kolmogorov spectrum and that the outer scale size is greater than the Fresnel size (6.15 km). This type of spectrum suggests that the irregularities are probably produced by the turbulent dissipation of irregularities larger than the outer scale size

  5. Grouping nanomaterials to predict their potential to induce pulmonary inflammation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Braakhuis, Hedwig M; Oomen, Agnes G; Cassee, Flemming R

    2016-01-01

    The rapidly expanding manufacturing, production and use of nanomaterials have raised concerns for both worker and consumer safety. Various studies have been published in which induction of pulmonary inflammation after inhalation exposure to nanomaterials has been described. Nanomaterials can vary in

  6. Pulmonary endarterectomy outputs in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    López Gude, María Jesús; Pérez de la Sota, Enrique; Pérez Vela, Jose Luís; Centeno Rodríguez, Jorge; Muñoz Guijosa, Christian; Velázquez, María Teresa; Alonso Chaterina, Sergio; Hernández González, Ignacio; Escribano Subías, Pilar; Cortina Romero, José María

    2017-07-07

    Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy surgery is the treatment of choice for patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension; extremely high pulmonary vascular resistance constitutes a risk factor for hospital mortality. The objective of this study was to analyze the immediate and long-term results of the surgical treatment of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension in patients with very severe pulmonary hypertension. Since February 1996, we performed 160 pulmonary thromboendarterectomies. We divided the patient population in 2 groups: group 1, which included 40 patients with pulmonary vascular resistance≥1090dyn/sec/cm -5 , and group 2, which included the remaining 120 patients. Hospital mortality (15 vs. 2.5%), reperfusion pulmonary edema (33 vs. 14%) and heart failure (23 vs. 3.3%) were all higher in group 1; however, after one year of follow-up, there were no significant differences in the clinical, hemodynamic and echocardiographic conditions of both groups. Survival rate after 5 years was 77% in group 1 and 92% in group 2 (P=.033). After the learning curve including the 46 first patients, there was no difference in hospital mortality (3.8 vs. 2.3%) or survival rate after 5 years (96.2% in group 1 and 96.2% in group 2). Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy is linked to significantly higher morbidity and mortality rates in patients with severe chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. Nevertheless, these patients benefit the same from the procedure in the mid-/long-term. In our experience, after the learning curve, this surgery is safe in severe pulmonary hypertension and no level of pulmonary vascular resistance should be an absolute counter-indication for this surgery. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  7. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Noble Paul W

    2008-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF is a non-neoplastic pulmonary disease that is characterized by the formation of scar tissue within the lungs in the absence of any known provocation. IPF is a rare disease which affects approximately 5 million persons worldwide. The prevalence is estimated to be slightly greater in men (20.2/100,000 than in women (13.2/100,000. The mean age at presentation is 66 years. IPF initially manifests with symptoms of exercise-induced breathless and dry coughing. Auscultation of the lungs reveals early inspiratory crackles, predominantly located in the lower posterior lung zones upon physical exam. Clubbing is found in approximately 50% of IPF patients. Cor pulmonale develops in association with end-stage disease. In that case, classic signs of right heart failure may be present. Etiology remains incompletely understood. Some environmental factors may be associated with IPF (cigarette smoking, exposure to silica and livestock. IPF is recognized on high-resolution computed tomography by peripheral, subpleural lower lobe reticular opacities in association with subpleural honeycomb changes. IPF is associated with a pathological lesion known as usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP. The UIP pattern consists of normal lung alternating with patches of dense fibrosis, taking the form of collagen sheets. The diagnosis of IPF requires correlation of the clinical setting with radiographic images and a lung biopsy. In the absence of lung biopsy, the diagnosis of IPF can be made by defined clinical criteria that were published in guidelines endorsed by several professional societies. Differential diagnosis includes other idiopathic interstitial pneumonia, connective tissue diseases (systemic sclerosis, polymyositis, rheumatoid arthritis, forme fruste of autoimmune disorders, chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis and other environmental (sometimes occupational exposures. IPF is typically progressive and leads to significant

  8. Influence of initial stress, irregularity and heterogeneity on Love-type ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    The present paper deals with the propagation of Love-type wave in an initially stressed irregular vertically heterogeneous layer lying over an initially stressed isotropic layer and an initially stressed isotropic half- space. Two different types of irregularities, viz., rectangular and parabolic, are considered at the interface.

  9. Expression of PDGF-beta receptor in broilers with pulmonary hypertension induced by cold temperature and its association with pulmonary vascular remodeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jin-Chun; Pan, Jia-Qiang; Huang, Guo-Qing; Tan, Xun; Sun, Wei-Dong; Liu, Yan-Juan; Wang, Xiao-Long

    2010-02-01

    The purpose of the present study was to characterize the relationship between platelet-derived growth factor beta receptor (PDGF-beta receptor) expression and pulmonary vascular remodeling found in broilers subjected to cold temperature beginning at 14 days of age. One hundred and sixty-one-day-old mixed-sex Avian-2000 commercial broilers were randomly divided into a normal temperature group (control) and a cold temperature group (cold). All the birds were brooded in normal temperature up to day 14, with the lighting schedule at 24 h per day. Starting at day 14, birds in the cold group were moved to a pen in the cold house and subjected to low temperature, while birds in the control group were still brooded at normal temperature. On days 14, 23, 30, 37 and 44, the right/total ventricle weight ratio (RV/TV), packed cell volume (PCV), the vessel wall area to vessel total area ratio (WA/TA), mean media thickness in pulmonary arterioles (mMTPA) and the expression of PDGF-beta receptor in pulmonary arterioles were measured, respectively. Cumulative pulmonary hypertension syndrome (PHS) morbidity was recorded in each group. Cool ambient temperature increased PHS morbidity of broilers. The values of WA/TA and mMTPA were also increased significantly compared with control group. PCV values in the cold temperature group were elevated from days 30 to 44, and RV/TV ratios were increased on days 37 and 44. Cold exposure enhanced PDGF-beta receptor expression in pulmonary arterioles, and the PDGF-beta receptor expression was significantly correlated with pulmonary vascular remodeling that was dedicated by increased WA/TA and mMTPA. The results indicated that PDGF-beta and its receptor were involved in the underlying mechanisms of pulmonary vascular remodeling in pulmonary hypertensive broilers. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE AND COPD

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Würtz, Else Toft

    Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a common disease. The main risk factor is smoking although 15% of the COPD cases are expected to be preventable if the occupational exposures from vapour, gas, dust, and fume were eliminated; the population attributable fraction (PAF). The thesis...... addresses the association between occupational exposure and COPD in a population-based cohort of Danes aged 45-84-years. 4717 participants were included at baseline and 2624 at the four year follow-up. COPD was defined by spirometry and the occupational exposure was based on specialist defined jobs...... and questionnaires. The main occupational exposure was organic dust and 49% reported no lifetime occupational exposure. The results suggest occupational exposures to be associated to COPD also in never smokers and women. We found an exposure-response relation in the cross sectional analyses. The results...

  11. Characterizing neural activities evoked by manual acupuncture through spiking irregularity measures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xue Ming; Wang Jiang; Deng Bin; Wei Xi-Le; Yu Hai-Tao; Chen Ying-Yuan

    2013-01-01

    The neural system characterizes information in external stimulations by different spiking patterns. In order to examine how neural spiking patterns are related to acupuncture manipulations, experiments are designed in such a way that different types of manual acupuncture (MA) manipulations are taken at the ‘Zusanli’ point of experimental rats, and the induced electrical signals in the spinal dorsal root ganglion are detected and recorded. The interspike interval (ISI) statistical histogram is fitted by the gamma distribution, which has two parameters: one is the time-dependent firing rate and the other is a shape parameter characterizing the spiking irregularities. The shape parameter is the measure of spiking irregularities and can be used to identify the type of MA manipulations. The coefficient of variation is mostly used to measure the spike time irregularity, but it overestimates the irregularity in the case of pronounced firing rate changes. However, experiments show that each acupuncture manipulation will lead to changes in the firing rate. So we combine four relatively rate-independent measures to study the irregularity of spike trains evoked by different types of MA manipulations. Results suggest that the MA manipulations possess unique spiking statistics and characteristics and can be distinguished according to the spiking irregularity measures. These studies have offered new insights into the coding processes and information transfer of acupuncture. (interdisciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology)

  12. Subchronic exposures to fungal bioaerosols promotes allergic pulmonary inflammation in naïve mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nayak, A P; Green, B J; Lemons, A R; Marshall, N B; Goldsmith, W T; Kashon, M L; Anderson, S E; Germolec, D R; Beezhold, D H

    2016-06-01

    Epidemiological surveys indicate that occupants of mold contaminated environments are at increased risk of respiratory symptoms. The immunological mechanisms associated with these responses require further characterization. The aim of this study was to characterize the immunotoxicological outcomes following repeated inhalation of dry Aspergillus fumigatus spores aerosolized at concentrations potentially encountered in contaminated indoor environments. Aspergillus fumigatus spores were delivered to the lungs of naïve BALB/cJ mice housed in a multi-animal nose-only chamber twice a week for a period of 13 weeks. Mice were evaluated at 24 and 48 h post-exposure for histopathological changes in lung architecture, recruitment of specific immune cells to the airways, and serum antibody responses. Germinating A. fumigatus spores were observed in lungs along with persistent fungal debris in the perivascular regions of the lungs. Repeated exposures promoted pleocellular infiltration with concomitant epithelial mucus hypersecretion, goblet cell metaplasia, subepithelial fibrosis and enhanced airway hyperreactivity. Cellular infiltration in airways was predominated by CD4(+) T cells expressing the pro-allergic cytokine IL-13. Furthermore, our studies show that antifungal T cell responses (IFN-γ(+) or IL-17A(+) ) co-expressed IL-13, revealing a novel mechanism for the dysregulated immune response to inhaled fungi. Total IgE production was augmented in animals repeatedly exposed to A. fumigatus. Repeated inhalation of fungal aerosols resulted in significant pulmonary pathology mediated by dynamic shifts in specific immune populations and their cytokines. These studies provide novel insights into the immunological mechanisms and targets that govern the health outcomes that result from repeated inhalation of fungal bioaerosols in contaminated environments. Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

  13. Drug-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension: a recent outbreak

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gérald Simonneau

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH is a rare disorder characterised by progressive obliteration of the pulmonary microvasculature resulting in elevated pulmonary vascular resistance and premature death. According to the current classification PAH can be associated with exposure to certain drugs or toxins, particularly to appetite suppressant intake drugs, such as aminorex, fenfluramine derivatives and benfluorex. These drugs have been confirmed to be risk factors for PAH and were withdrawn from the market. The supposed mechanism is an increase in serotonin levels, which was demonstrated to act as a growth factor for the pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells. Amphetamines, phentermine and mazindol were less frequently used, but are considered possible risk factors, for PAH. Dasatinib, dual Src/Abl kinase inhibitor, used in the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukaemia was associated with cases of severe PAH, potentially in part reversible after dasatinib withdrawal. Recently, several studies have raised the issue of potential endothelial dysfunction that could be induced by interferon, and a few cases of PAH have been reported with interferon therapy. PAH remains a rare complication of these drugs, suggesting possible individual susceptibility, and further studies are needed to identify patients at risk of drug-induced PAH.

  14. Advances in electron dosimetry of irregular fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mendez V, J.

    1998-01-01

    In this work it is presented an advance in Electron dosimetry of irregular fields for beams emitted by linear accelerators. At present diverse methods exist which are coming to apply in the Radiotherapy centers. In this work it is proposed a method for irregular fields dosimetry. It will be allow to calculate the dose rate absorbed required for evaluating the time for the treatment of cancer patients. Utilizing the results obtained by the dosimetric system, it has been possible to prove the validity of the method describe for 12 MeV energy and for square field 7.5 x 7.5 cm 2 with percentile error less than 1 % . (Author)

  15. New Model for Ionospheric Irregularities at Mars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keskinen, M. J.

    2018-03-01

    A new model for ionospheric irregularities at Mars is presented. It is shown that wind-driven currents in the dynamo region of the Martian ionosphere can be unstable to the electromagnetic gradient drift instability. This plasma instability can generate ionospheric density and magnetic field irregularities with scale sizes of approximately 15-20 km down to a few kilometers. We show that the instability-driven magnetic field fluctuation amplitudes relative to background are correlated with the ionospheric density fluctuation amplitudes relative to background. Our results can explain recent observations made by the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN spacecraft in the Martian ionosphere dynamo region.

  16. [Pulmonary disease due to asbestos in steel industry workers].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zurbriggen, Rita; Capone, Lilian

    2013-01-01

    Asbestos-related diseases are caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibers in their variety chrysotile or white asbestos. Although the ban in Argentina dates from 2003, there are numerous industries where work continues with this mineral, including iron and steel industries. It is currently known the high pathogenicity of this material, so that in many countries there are programs to monitoring the exposed workers. Here we describe the general characteristics and pulmonary manifestations in 27 patients who had worked in a very huge steel factory in South America. The diagnosis of asbestos-related diseases was made by a medical-occupational record, history of asbestos exposure, additional studies of lung function and chest images. Then the sources of exposure (occupational, domestic and environmental), exposure time and latency period were analyzed, in those patients in whom a related disease was detected. Smoking history was also taken into account. Twenty-two patients had benigns pathologies (81.4%), sixteen of them with lesions localyzed in pleura, and other six pulmonary asbestosis. The malignant pathologies occurred in five patients (18.5%), in four of them mesothelioma and in other one lung cancer. The problem of asbestos exposure has contemporary relevance. Hence the need for a surveillance program in workers exposed to asbestos in the past or currently, to detect, report, record and investigate the characteristics of these pathologies.

  17. Partial anomalous pulmonary venous return in patients with pulmonary hypertension

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sung, Won-kyung; Au, Virginia; Rose, Anand

    2012-01-01

    Anomalous pulmonary venous return is an uncommon congenital malformation, and may be partial or total. Partial anomalous pulmonary venous return (PAPVR) is more common than total anomalous pulmonary venous return, and is often associated with other congenital cardiac anomalies. Whilst many patients with PAPVR remain asymptomatic, some may present in later age with symptoms related to left-to-right shunt, right heart failure and pulmonary hypertension. We report two cases of PAPVR detected on Computed Tomography Pulmonary Angiogram (CTPA) for the work up of pulmonary hypertension. The cases demonstrate that, although uncommon, partial anomalous pulmonary venous return can be a contributing factor to pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary veins should be carefully examined when reading a CTPA study.

  18. Edge irregular total labellings for graphs of linear size

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brandt, Stephan; Rautenbach, D.; Miškuf, J.

    2009-01-01

    As an edge variant of the well-known irregularity strength of a graph G = (V, E) we investigate edge irregular total labellings, i.e. functions f : V ∪ E → {1, 2, ..., k} such that f (u) + f (u v) + f (v) ≠ f (u) + f (u v) + f (v) for every pair of different edges u v, u v ∈ E. The smallest possi...

  19. Effect of sulfur dioxide on pulmonary macrophage endocytosis at rest and during exercise

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Skornik, W.A.; Brain, J.D.

    1990-01-01

    Inhaled SO2 may cause damage by injuring upper airways. To what extent can SO2 also alter pulmonary macrophage function in the parenchyma and what is the impact of exercise? We studied the effect of SO2 on pulmonary macrophage endocytosis in resting and in exercising animals by measuring the rates of macrophage endocytosis in situ for 1 h of a test particle of insoluble radioactive colloidal gold (198Au), 1, 24, or 48 h after inhalation exposure to SO2. Resting hamsters exposed for 4 h to 50 ppm SO2 had no significant reduction in macrophage endocytosis compared with air-breathing control hamsters. However, if hamsters were exposed to the same concentration of SO2 while continuously running (40 min at 0.9 km/h), macrophage endocytosis was significantly reduced 1 h after exposure even though the exposure time was only one-sixth as long. Twenty-four hours later, the percentage of gold ingested by pulmonary macrophages remained significantly depressed. By 48 h, the rate had returned to control values. Exercise alone did not affect endocytosis. Hamsters exposed to 50 ppm SO2, with or without exercise, also showed significant reductions in the number of lavaged macrophages. This decrease was greatest and most persistent in the SO2 plus exercise group. These data indicate that even when animals are exposed to water-soluble gases, which are normally removed by the upper airways, exercise can potentiate damage to more peripheral components of the pulmonary defense system such as the macrophage

  20. Lysophosphatidic acid generation by pulmonary NKT cell ENPP-2/autotaxin exacerbates hyperoxic lung injury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nowak-Machen, Martina; Lange, Martin; Exley, Mark; Wu, Sherry; Usheva, Anny; Robson, Simon C

    2015-12-01

    Hyperoxia is still broadly used in clinical practice in order to assure organ oxygenation in critically ill patients, albeit known toxic effects. In this present study, we hypothesize that lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) mediates NKT cell activation in a mouse model of hyperoxic lung injury. In vitro, pulmonary NKT cells were exposed to hyperoxia for 72 h, and the induction of the ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase 2 (ENPP-2) was examined and production of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) was measured. In vivo, animals were exposed to 100 % oxygen for 72 h and lungs and serum were harvested. Pulmonary NKT cells were then incubated with the LPA antagonist Brp-LPA. Animals received BrP-LPA prior to oxygen exposure. Autotaxin (ATX, ENPP-2) was significantly up-regulated on pulmonary NKT cells after hyperoxia (p NKT cells. LPA levels were significantly reduced by incubating NKT cells with LPA-BrP during oxygen exposure (p NKT cell numbers in vivo. BrP-LPA injection significantly improved survival as well as significantly decreased lung injury and lowered pulmonary NKT cell numbers. We conclude that NKT cell-induced hyperoxic lung injury is mediated by pro-inflammatory LPA generation, at least in part, secondary to ENPP-2 up-regulation on pulmonary NKT cells. Being a potent LPA antagonist, BrP-LPA prevents hyperoxia-induced lung injury in vitro and in vivo.

  1. Pulmonary biomarkers in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Barnes, Peter J.; Chowdhury, Badrul; Kharitonov, Sergei A.; Magnussen, Helgo; Page, Clive P.; Postma, Dirkje; Saetta, Marina

    2006-01-01

    There has been increasing interest in using pulmonary biomarkers to understand and monitor the inflammation in the respiratory tract of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In this Pulmonary Perspective we discuss the merits of the various approaches by reviewing the current

  2. Modulation of cGMP by human HO-1 retrovirus gene transfer in pulmonary microvessel endothelial cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abraham, Nader G; Quan, Shuo; Mieyal, Paul A; Yang, Liming; Burke-Wolin, Theresa; Mingone, Christopher J; Goodman, Alvin I; Nasjletti, Alberto; Wolin, Michael S

    2002-11-01

    Carbon monoxide (CO) stimulates guanylate cyclase (GC) and increases guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) levels. We transfected rat-lung pulmonary endothelial cells with a retrovirus-mediated human heme oxygenase (hHO)-1 gene. Pulmonary cells that expressed hHO-1 exhibited a fourfold increase in HO activity associated with decreases in the steady-state levels of heme and cGMP without changes in soluble GC (sGC) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS) proteins or basal nitrite production. Heme elicited significant increases in CO production and intracellular cGMP levels in both pulmonary endothelial and pulmonary hHO-1-expressing cells. N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), an inhibitor of NOS, significantly decreased cGMP levels in heme-treated pulmonary endothelial cells but not heme-treated hHO-1-expressing cells. In the presence of exogenous heme, CO and cGMP levels in hHO-1-expressing cells exceeded the corresponding levels in pulmonary endothelial cells. Acute exposure of endothelial cells to SnCl2, which is an inducer of HO-1, increased cGMP levels, whereas chronic exposure decreased heme and cGMP levels. These results indicate that prolonged overexpression of HO-1 ultimately decreases sGC activity by limiting the availability of cellular heme. Heme activates sGC and enhances cGMP levels via a mechanism that is largely insensitive to NOS inhibition.

  3. Targeted activation of endothelin-1 exacerbates hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Satwiko, Muhammad Gahan; Ikeda, Koji; Nakayama, Kazuhiko; Yagi, Keiko; Hocher, Berthold; Hirata, Ken-ichi; Emoto, Noriaki

    2015-01-01

    Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a fatal disease that eventually results in right heart failure and death. Current pharmacologic therapies for PAH are limited, and there are no drugs that could completely cure PAH. Enhanced activity of endothelin system has been implicated in PAH severity and endothelin receptor antagonists have been used clinically to treat PAH. However, there is limited experimental evidence on the direct role of enhanced endothelin system activity in PAH. Here, we investigated the correlation between endothelin-1 (ET-1) and PAH using ET-1 transgenic (ETTG) mice. Exposure to chronic hypoxia increased right ventricular pressure and pulmonary arterial wall thickness in ETTG mice compared to those in wild type mice. Of note, ETTG mice exhibited modest but significant increase in right ventricular pressure and vessel wall thickness relative to wild type mice even under normoxic conditions. To induce severe PAH, we administered SU5416, a vascular endothelial growth factor receptor inhibitor, combined with exposure to chronic hypoxia. Treatment with SU5416 modestly aggravated hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension, right ventricular hypertrophy, and pulmonary arterial vessel wall thickening in ETTG mice in association with increased interleukin-6 expression in blood vessels. However, there was no sign of obliterative endothelial cell proliferation and plexiform lesion formation in the lungs. These results demonstrated that enhanced endothelin system activity could be a causative factor in the development of PAH and provided rationale for the inhibition of endothelin system to treat PAH. - Highlights: • Role of endothelin-1 in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) was investigated. • The endothelin-1 transgenic (ETTG) and wild type (WT) mice were analyzed. • ETTG mice spontaneously developed PAH under normoxia conditions. • SU5416 further aggravated PAH in ETTG mice. • Enhanced endothelin system activity could be a causative factor in

  4. Targeted activation of endothelin-1 exacerbates hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Satwiko, Muhammad Gahan [Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe (Japan); Ikeda, Koji [Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Kobe Pharmaceutical University, Kobe (Japan); Nakayama, Kazuhiko [Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe (Japan); Yagi, Keiko [Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Kobe Pharmaceutical University, Kobe (Japan); Hocher, Berthold [Institute for Nutritional Science, University of Potsdam, Potsdam (Germany); Hirata, Ken-ichi [Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe (Japan); Emoto, Noriaki, E-mail: emoto@med.kobe-u.ac.jp [Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe (Japan); Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Kobe Pharmaceutical University, Kobe (Japan)

    2015-09-25

    Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a fatal disease that eventually results in right heart failure and death. Current pharmacologic therapies for PAH are limited, and there are no drugs that could completely cure PAH. Enhanced activity of endothelin system has been implicated in PAH severity and endothelin receptor antagonists have been used clinically to treat PAH. However, there is limited experimental evidence on the direct role of enhanced endothelin system activity in PAH. Here, we investigated the correlation between endothelin-1 (ET-1) and PAH using ET-1 transgenic (ETTG) mice. Exposure to chronic hypoxia increased right ventricular pressure and pulmonary arterial wall thickness in ETTG mice compared to those in wild type mice. Of note, ETTG mice exhibited modest but significant increase in right ventricular pressure and vessel wall thickness relative to wild type mice even under normoxic conditions. To induce severe PAH, we administered SU5416, a vascular endothelial growth factor receptor inhibitor, combined with exposure to chronic hypoxia. Treatment with SU5416 modestly aggravated hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension, right ventricular hypertrophy, and pulmonary arterial vessel wall thickening in ETTG mice in association with increased interleukin-6 expression in blood vessels. However, there was no sign of obliterative endothelial cell proliferation and plexiform lesion formation in the lungs. These results demonstrated that enhanced endothelin system activity could be a causative factor in the development of PAH and provided rationale for the inhibition of endothelin system to treat PAH. - Highlights: • Role of endothelin-1 in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) was investigated. • The endothelin-1 transgenic (ETTG) and wild type (WT) mice were analyzed. • ETTG mice spontaneously developed PAH under normoxia conditions. • SU5416 further aggravated PAH in ETTG mice. • Enhanced endothelin system activity could be a causative factor in

  5. Pulmonary venous remodeling in COPD-pulmonary hypertension and idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Kasper Hasseriis; Andersen, Claus Bøgelund; Gustafsson, Finn

    2017-01-01

    Pulmonary vascular arterial remodeling is an integral and well-understood component of pulmonary hypertension (PH). In contrast, morphological alterations of pulmonary veins in PH are scarcely described. Explanted lungs (n = 101) from transplant recipients with advanced chronic obstructive...... pulmonary disease (COPD) and idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) were analyzed for venous vascular involvement according to a pre-specified, semi-quantitative grading scheme, which categorizes the intensity of venous remodeling in three groups of incremental severity: venous hypertensive (VH......) grade 0 = characterized by an absence of venous vascular remodeling; VH grade 1 = defined by a dominance of either arterialization or intimal fibrosis; and VH grade 2 = a substantial composite of arterialization and intimal fibrosis. Patients were grouped according to clinical and hemodynamic...

  6. Study of Track Irregularity Time Series Calibration and Variation Pattern at Unit Section

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chaolong Jia

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Focusing on problems existing in track irregularity time series data quality, this paper first presents abnormal data identification, data offset correction algorithm, local outlier data identification, and noise cancellation algorithms. And then proposes track irregularity time series decomposition and reconstruction through the wavelet decomposition and reconstruction approach. Finally, the patterns and features of track irregularity standard deviation data sequence in unit sections are studied, and the changing trend of track irregularity time series is discovered and described.

  7. Spectral classification of medium-scale high-latitude F region plasma density irregularities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, M.; Rodriguez, P.; Szuszczewicz, E.P.; Sachs Freeman Associates, Bowie, MD)

    1985-01-01

    The high-latitude ionosphere represents a highly structured plasma. Rodriguez and Szuszczewicz (1984) reported a wide range of plasma density irregularities (150 km to 75 m) at high latitudes near 200 km. They have shown that the small-scale irregularities (7.5 km to 75 m) populated the dayside oval more often than the other phenomenological regions. It was suggested that in the lower F region the chemical recombination is fast enough to remove small-scale irregularities before convection can transport them large distances, leaving structured particle precipitation as the dominant source term for irregularities. The present paper provides the results of spectral analyses of pulsed plasma probe data collected in situ aboard the STP/S3-4 satellite during the period March-September 1978. A quantitative description of irregularity spectra in the high-latitude lower F region plasma density is given. 22 references

  8. Systemic immune cell response in rats after pulmonary exposure to manganese-containing particles collected from welding aerosols.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antonini, James M; Zeidler-Erdely, Patti C; Young, Shih-Houng; Roberts, Jenny R; Erdely, Aaron

    2012-01-01

    Welding fume inhalation affects the immune system of exposed workers. Manganese (Mn) in welding fume may induce immunosuppressive effects. The goal was to determine if Mn in welding fume alters immunity by reducing the number of circulating total leukocytes and specific leukocyte sub-populations. Sprague-Dawley rats were treated by intratracheal instillation (ITI) with either a single dose (2.00 mg/rat) or repeated doses (0.125 or 2.00 mg/rat for 7 weeks) with welding fumes that contained different levels of Mn. Additional rats were treated by ITI once a week for 7 weeks with the two doses of manganese chloride (MnCl₂). Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed to assess lung inflammation. Also, whole blood was recovered, and the number of circulating total leukocytes, as well as specific lymphocyte subsets, was determined by flow cytometry. The welding fume highest in Mn content significantly increased lung inflammation, injury, and production of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines compared to all other treatment groups. In addition, the same group expressed significant decreases in the number of circulating CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T-lymphocytes after a single exposure, and significant reductions in the number of circulating total lymphocytes, primarily CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T-lymphocytes, after repeated exposures (compared to control values). Repeated MnCl₂ exposure led to a trend of a reduction (but not statistically significant) in circulating total lymphocytes, attributable to the changes in the CD4⁺ T-lymphocyte population levels. The welding fume with the lower concentration of Mn had no significant effect on the numbers of blood lymphocytes and lymphocyte subsets compared to control values. Evidence from this study indicates that pulmonary exposure to certain welding fumes cause decrements in systemic immune cell populations, specifically circulating T-lymphocytes, and these alterations in immune cell number are not dependent exclusively on Mn, but likely a

  9. Measurement of regional pulmonary blood volume in patients with increased pulmonary blood flow or pulmonary arterial hypertension

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wollmer, P.; Rozcovek, A.; Rhodes, C.G.; Allan, R.M.; Maseri, A.

    1984-01-01

    The effects of chronic increase in pulmonary blood flow and chronic pulmonary hypertension on regional pulmonary blood volume was measured in two groups of patients. One group of patients had intracardiac, left-to-right shunts without appreciable pulmonary hypertension, and the other consisted of patients with Eisenmenger's syndrome or primary pulmonary hypertension, i.e. patients with normal or reduced blood flow and severe pulmonary hypertension. A technique based on positron tomography was used to measure lung density (by transmission scanning) and regional pulmonary blood volume (after inhalation of /sup 11/CO). The distribution of pulmonary blood volume was more uniform in patients with chronic increase in pulmonary blood flow than in normal subjects. There were also indications of an absolute increase in intrapulmonary blood volume by about 15%. In patients with chronic pulmonary arterial hypertension, the distribution of pulmonary blood volume was also abnormally uniform. There was, however, no indication that overall intrapulmonary blood volume was substantially different from normal subjects. The abnormally uniform distribution of pulmonary blood volume can be explained by recruitment and/or dilatation of vascular beds. Intrapulmonary blood volume appears to be increased in patients with intracardiac, left-to-right shunts. With the development of pulmonary hypertension, intrapulmonary blood volume falls, which may be explained by reactive changes in the vasculature and/or obliteration of capillaries

  10. Detection and follow-up of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD and risk factors in the Southern Cone of Latin America. the pulmonary risk in South America (PRISA study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olivera Héctor

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The World Health Organization has estimated that by 2030, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease will be the third leading cause of death worldwide. Most knowledge of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is based on studies performed in Europe or North America and little is known about the prevalence, patient characteristics and change in lung function over time in patients in developing countries, such as those of Latin America. This lack of knowledge is in sharp contrast to the high levels of tobacco consumption and exposure to biomass fuels exhibited in Latin America, both major risk factors for the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Studies have also demonstrated that most Latin American physicians frequently do not follow international chronic obstructive pulmonary disease diagnostic and treatment guidelines. The PRISA Study will expand the current knowledge regarding chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and risk factors in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay to inform policy makers and health professionals on the best policies and practices to address this condition. Methods/Design PRISA is an observational, prospective cohort study with at least four years of follow-up. In the first year, PRISA has employed a randomized three-staged stratified cluster sampling strategy to identify 6,000 subjects from Marcos Paz and Bariloche, Argentina, Temuco, Chile, and Canelones, Uruguay. Information, such as comorbidities, socioeconomic status and tobacco and biomass exposure, will be collected and spirometry, anthropometric measurements, blood sampling and electrocardiogram will be performed. In year four, subjects will have repeat measurements taken. Discussion There is no longitudinal data on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease incidence and risk factors in the southern cone of Latin America, therefore this population-based prospective cohort study will fill knowledge gaps in the prevalence and incidence of

  11. When a pulmonary embolism is not a pulmonary embolism: a rare case of primary pulmonary leiomyosarcoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nargiz Muganlinskaya

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Arterial leiomyosarcomas account for up to 21% of vascular leiomyosarcomas, with 56% of arterial leiomyosarcomas occurring in the pulmonary artery. While isolated cases of primary pulmonary artery leiomyosarcoma document survival up to 36 months after treatment, these uncommon, aggressive tumors are highly lethal, with 1-year survival estimated at 20% from the onset of symptoms. We discuss a rare case of a pulmonary artery leiomyosarcoma that was originally diagnosed as a pulmonary embolism (PE. A 72-year-old Caucasian female was initially diagnosed with ‘saddle pulmonary embolism’ based on computerized tomographic angiography of the chest 2 months prior to admission and placed on anticoagulation. Dyspnea escalated, and serial computed tomography scans showed cardiomegaly with pulmonary emboli involving the right and left main pulmonary arteries with extension into the right and left upper and lower lobe branches. An echocardiogram on admission showed severe pulmonary hypertension with a pulmonary artery pressure of 82.9 mm Hg, and a severely enlarged right ventricle. Respiratory distress and multiorgan failure developed and, unfortunately, the patient expired. Autopsy showed a lobulated, yellow mass throughout the main pulmonary arteries measuring 13 cm in diameter. The mass extended into the parenchyma of the right upper lobe. On microscopy, the mass was consistent with a high-grade primary pulmonary artery leiomyosarcoma. Median survival of patients with primary pulmonary artery leiomyosarcoma without surgery is one and a half months, and mortality is usually due to right-sided heart failure. Pulmonary artery leiomyosarcoma is a rare but highly lethal disease commonly mistaken for PE. Thus, we recommend clinicians to suspect this malignancy when anticoagulation fails to relieve initial symptoms. In conclusion, early detection and suspicion of pulmonary artery leiomyosarcoma should be considered in patients refractory to anticoagulation

  12. Pulmonary histiocytosis X - imaging aspects of pulmonary involvement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sabedotti, Ismail Fernando; Maeda, Lucimara; Ferreira, Daniel Miranda; Montandon, Cristiano; Marins, Jose Luiz C.

    1999-01-01

    Pulmonary histiocytosis X is an idiopathic disease which is and uncommon but important cause of pulmonary fibrosis in young adults. Chest radiographs and high resolution computed tomographic (HRCT) scans of the lungs of 7 patients diagnosed as pulmonary histiocytosis X were examined retrospectively. The authors reviewed the pathologic, clinical and radiographic features of pulmonary histiocytosis X, focusing on differential diagnosis and disease progression. Pulmonary histiocytosis X can be suspected on the basis of chest radiographic findings; predominantly upper lobe nodules and cysts present an increased sensitivity and are virtually pathognomonic of this disorder. Chest HRCT allows good assessment of the evolution of pulmonary histiocytosis X and is also valuable in distinguishing histiocytosis from other disorders that produces nodules or cysts. (author)

  13. Pulmonary function evaluation during the Skylab and Apollo-Soyuz missions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sawin, C. F.; Nicogossian, A. E.; Rummel, J. A.; Michel, E. L.

    1976-01-01

    Previous experience during Apollo postflight exercise testing indicated no major changes in pulmonary function. Pulmonary function has been studied in detail following exposure to hypoxic and hyperoxic normal gravity environments, but no previous study has reported on men exposed to an environment that was both normoxic at 258 torr total pressure and at null gravity as encountered in Skylab. Forced vital capacity (FVC) was measured during the preflight and postflight periods of the Skylab 2 mission. Inflight measurements of vital capacity (VC) were obtained during the last 2 weeks of the second manned mission (Skylab 3). More detailed pulmonary function screening was accomplished during the Skylab 4 mission. The primary measurements made during Skylab 4 testing included residual volume determination (RV), closing volume (CV), VC, FVC and its derivatives. In addition, VC was measured in flight at regular intervals during the Skylab 4 mission. Vital capacity was decreased slightly (-10%) in flight in all Skylab 4 crewmen. No major preflight-to-postflight changes were observed. The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) crewmen were studied using equipment and procedures similar to those employed during Skylab 4. Postflight evaluation of the ASTP crewmen was complicated by their inadvertent exposure to nitrogen tetroxide gas fumes upon reentry.

  14. Characterizing spontaneous irregular behavior in coupled map lattices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dobyns, York; Atmanspacher, Harald

    2005-01-01

    Two-dimensional coupled map lattices display, in a specific parameter range, a stable phase (quasi-) periodic in both space and time. With small changes to the model parameters, this stable phase develops spontaneous eruptions of non-periodic behavior. Although this behavior itself appears irregular, it can be characterized in a systematic fashion. In particular, parameter-independent features of the spontaneous eruptions may allow useful empirical characterizations of other phenomena that are intrinsically hard to predict and reproduce. Specific features of the distributions of lifetimes and emergence rates of irregular states display such parameter-independent properties

  15. Characterizing spontaneous irregular behavior in coupled map lattices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dobyns, York [PEAR, Princeton University Princeton, NJ 08544-5263 (United States); Atmanspacher, Harald [Institut fuer Grenzgebiete der Psychologie und Psychohygiene Wilhelmstrasse 3a, Freiburg 79098 (Germany)]. E-mail: haa@igpp.de

    2005-04-01

    Two-dimensional coupled map lattices display, in a specific parameter range, a stable phase (quasi-) periodic in both space and time. With small changes to the model parameters, this stable phase develops spontaneous eruptions of non-periodic behavior. Although this behavior itself appears irregular, it can be characterized in a systematic fashion. In particular, parameter-independent features of the spontaneous eruptions may allow useful empirical characterizations of other phenomena that are intrinsically hard to predict and reproduce. Specific features of the distributions of lifetimes and emergence rates of irregular states display such parameter-independent properties.

  16. Integrated Genomics Reveals Convergent Transcriptomic Networks Underlying Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kusko, Rebecca L; Brothers, John F; Tedrow, John; Pandit, Kusum; Huleihel, Luai; Perdomo, Catalina; Liu, Gang; Juan-Guardela, Brenda; Kass, Daniel; Zhang, Sherry; Lenburg, Marc; Martinez, Fernando; Quackenbush, John; Sciurba, Frank; Limper, Andrew; Geraci, Mark; Yang, Ivana; Schwartz, David A; Beane, Jennifer; Spira, Avrum; Kaminski, Naftali

    2016-10-15

    Despite shared environmental exposures, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are usually studied in isolation, and the presence of shared molecular mechanisms is unknown. We applied an integrative genomic approach to identify convergent transcriptomic pathways in emphysema and IPF. We defined the transcriptional repertoire of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, IPF, or normal histology lungs using RNA-seq (n = 87). Genes increased in both emphysema and IPF relative to control were enriched for the p53/hypoxia pathway, a finding confirmed in an independent cohort using both gene expression arrays and the nCounter Analysis System (n = 193). Immunohistochemistry confirmed overexpression of HIF1A, MDM2, and NFKBIB members of this pathway in tissues from patients with emphysema or IPF. Using reads aligned across splice junctions, we determined that alternative splicing of p53/hypoxia pathway-associated molecules NUMB and PDGFA occurred more frequently in IPF or emphysema compared with control and validated these findings by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and the nCounter Analysis System on an independent sample set (n = 193). Finally, by integrating parallel microRNA and mRNA-Seq data on the same samples, we identified MIR96 as a key novel regulatory hub in the p53/hypoxia gene-expression network and confirmed that modulation of MIR96 in vitro recapitulates the disease-associated gene-expression network. Our results suggest convergent transcriptional regulatory hubs in diseases as varied phenotypically as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and IPF and suggest that these hubs may represent shared key responses of the lung to environmental stresses.

  17. Acrolein exposure suppresses antigen-induced pulmonary inflammation

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    Background Adverse health effects of tobacco smoke arise partly from its influence on innate and adaptive immune responses, leading to impaired innate immunity and host defense. The impact of smoking on allergic asthma remains unclear, with various reports demonstrating that cigarette smoke enhances asthma development but can also suppress allergic airway inflammation. Based on our previous findings that immunosuppressive effects of smoking may be largely attributed to one of its main reactive electrophiles, acrolein, we explored the impact of acrolein exposure in a mouse model of ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic asthma. Methods C57BL/6 mice were sensitized to ovalbumin (OVA) by intraperitoneal injection with the adjuvant aluminum hydroxide on days 0 and 7, and challenged with aerosolized OVA on days 14–16. In some cases, mice were also exposed to 5 ppm acrolein vapor for 6 hrs/day on days 14–17. Lung tissues or brochoalveolar lavage fluids (BALF) were collected either 6 hrs after a single initial OVA challenge and/or acrolein exposure on day 14 or 48 hrs after the last OVA challenge, on day 18. Inflammatory cells and Th1/Th2 cytokine levels were measured in BALF, and lung tissue samples were collected for analysis of mucus and Th1/Th2 cytokine expression, determination of protein alkylation, cellular thiol status and transcription factor activity. Results Exposure to acrolein following OVA challenge of OVA-sensitized mice resulted in markedly attenuated allergic airway inflammation, demonstrated by decreased inflammatory cell infiltrates, mucus hyperplasia and Th2 cytokines. Acrolein exposure rapidly depleted lung tissue glutathione (GSH) levels, and induced activation of the Nrf2 pathway, indicated by accumulation of Nrf2, increased alkylation of Keap1, and induction of Nrf2-target genes such as HO-1. Additionally, analysis of inflammatory signaling pathways showed suppressed activation of NF-κB and marginally reduced activation of JNK in acrolein

  18. Dose calculations for irregular fields using three-dimensional first-scatter integration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boesecke, R.; Scharfenberg, H.; Schlegel, W.; Hartmann, G.H.

    1986-01-01

    This paper describes a method of dose calculations for irregular fields which requires only the mean energy of the incident photons, the geometrical properties of the irregular field and of the therapy unit, and the attenuation coefficient of tissue. The method goes back to an approach including spatial aspects of photon scattering for inhomogeneities for the calculation of dose reduction factors as proposed by Sontag and Cunningham (1978). It is based on the separation of dose into a primary component and a scattered component. The scattered component can generally be calculated for each field by integration over dose contributions from scattering in neighbouring volume elements. The quotient of this scattering contribution in the irregular field and the scattering contribution in the equivalent open field is then the correction factor for scattering in an irregular field. A correction factor for the primary component can be calculated if the attenuation of the photons in the shielding block is properly taken into account. The correction factor is simply given by the quotient of primary photons of the irregular field and the primary photons of the open field. (author)

  19. Pulmonary arteriography by digital subtraction angiographic method in cyanotic heart disease with pulmonary stenosis or pulmonary atresia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kobayashi, Junjiro; Hirose, Hajime; Nakano, Susumu

    1985-01-01

    Pulmonary arteriography was performed by digital subtraction angiographic (DSA) method in 10 patients with cyanotic heart disease associated with pulmonary stenosis or pulmonary atresia. Ten patients consisted of five patients with tetralogy of Fallot, three with single ventricle and pulmonary stenosis, and two with pseudotruncus arteriosus. Hepato-clavicular position was taken in four patients. Pulmonary artery and its main branches were opacified and recognized clearly, and their diameter could be measured accurately with a small amount of contrast medium. There was a good correlation between the diameter of pulmonary artery measured by DSA and that measured by conventional pulmonary arteriography. DSA is a useful method for evaluating the size and the stenosis of pulmonary artery especially in small cyanotic infants. (author)

  20. Using forbidden ordinal patterns to detect determinism in irregularly sampled time series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kulp, C W; Chobot, J M; Niskala, B J; Needhammer, C J

    2016-02-01

    It is known that when symbolizing a time series into ordinal patterns using the Bandt-Pompe (BP) methodology, there will be ordinal patterns called forbidden patterns that do not occur in a deterministic series. The existence of forbidden patterns can be used to identify deterministic dynamics. In this paper, the ability to use forbidden patterns to detect determinism in irregularly sampled time series is tested on data generated from a continuous model system. The study is done in three parts. First, the effects of sampling time on the number of forbidden patterns are studied on regularly sampled time series. The next two parts focus on two types of irregular-sampling, missing data and timing jitter. It is shown that forbidden patterns can be used to detect determinism in irregularly sampled time series for low degrees of sampling irregularity (as defined in the paper). In addition, comments are made about the appropriateness of using the BP methodology to symbolize irregularly sampled time series.

  1. Scintillations associated with bottomside sinusoidal irregularities in the equatorial F region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Basu, S.; Basu, S.; Valladares, C. E.; Dasgupta, A.; Whitney, H. E.

    1986-01-01

    Multisatellite scintillation observations and spaced receiver drift measurements are presented for a category of equatorial F region plasma irregularities characterized by nearly sinusoidal waveforms in the ion number density. The observations were made at Huancayo, Peru, and the measurements at Ancon, Peru, associated with irregularities observed by the Atmospheric-Explorer-E satellite on a few nights in December 1979. Utilizing ray paths to various geostationary satellites, it was found that the irregularities grow and decay almost simultaneously in long-lived patches extending at least 1000 km in the east-west direction.

  2. Propagation and scattering of electromagnetic waves by the ionospheric irregularities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ho, A.Y.; Kuo, S.P.; Lee, M.C.

    1993-01-01

    The problem of wave propagation and scattering in the ionosphere is particularly important in the areas of communications, remote-sensing and detection. The ionosphere is often perturbed with coherently structured (quasiperiodic) density irregularities. Experimental observations suggest that these irregularities could give rise to significant ionospheric effect on wave propagation such as causing spread-F of the probing HF sounding signals and scintillation of beacon satellite signals. It was show by the latter that scintillation index S 4 ∼ 0.5 and may be as high as 0.8. In this work a quasi-particle theory is developed to study the scintillation phenomenon. A Wigner distribution function for the wave intensity in the (k,r) space is introduced and its governing equation is derived with an effective collision term giving rise to the attenuation and scattering of the wave. This kinetic equation leads to a hierarchy of moment equations in r space. This systems of equations is then truncated to the second moment which is equivalent to assuming a cold quasi-particle distribution In this analysis, the irregularities are modeled as a two dimensional density modulation on an uniform background plasma. The analysis shows that this two dimensional density grating, effectively modulates the intensity of the beacon satellite signals. This spatial modulation of the wave intensity is converted into time modulation due to the drift of the ionospheric irregularities, which then contributes to the scintillation of the beacon satellite signals. Using the proper plasma parameters and equatorial measured data of irregularities, it is shown that the scintillation index defined by S4=( 2 >- 2 )/ 2 where stands for spatial average over an irregularity wavelength is in the range of the experimentally detected values

  3. Acute secondhand smoke-induced pulmonary inflammation is diminished in RAGE knockout mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, Tyler T; Winden, Duane R; Marlor, Derek R; Wright, Alex J; Jones, Cameron M; Chavarria, Michael; Rogers, Geraldine D; Reynolds, Paul R

    2014-11-15

    The receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) has increasingly been demonstrated to be an important modulator of inflammation in cases of pulmonary disease. Published reports involving tobacco smoke exposure have demonstrated increased expression of RAGE, its participation in proinflammatory signaling, and its role in irreversible pulmonary remodeling. The current research evaluated the in vivo effects of short-term secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure in RAGE knockout and control mice compared with identical animals exposed to room air only. Quantitative PCR, immunoblotting, and immunohistochemistry revealed elevated RAGE expression in controls after 4 wk of SHS exposure and an anticipated absence of RAGE expression in RAGE knockout mice regardless of smoke exposure. Ras activation, NF-κB activity, and cytokine elaboration were assessed to characterize the molecular basis of SHS-induced inflammation in the mouse lung. Furthermore, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was procured from RAGE knockout and control animals for the assessment of inflammatory cells and molecules. As a general theme, inflammation coincident with leukocyte recruitment was induced by SHS exposure and significantly influenced by the availability of RAGE. These data reveal captivating information suggesting a role for RAGE signaling in lungs exposed to SHS. However, ongoing research is still warranted to fully explain roles for RAGE and other receptors in cells coping with involuntary smoke exposure for prolonged periods of time. Copyright © 2014 the American Physiological Society.

  4. The structure of plasma-density irregularities in the interplanetary medium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singleton, D.G.

    1975-01-01

    The conflict in the literature as to whether the plasma-density spatial spectrum of the irregularities in the interplanetary medium is of Gaussian or power law form is discussed. Particular attention is paid to the interplanetary scintillation effects ascribed to these irregularities. It is shown that the phase-screen theory of scintillations can be invoked to devise a set of critical tests which provide a means of discriminating between the conflicting hypotheses. Differences in the predicted behaviour of the single sensor temporal spectra of the scintillations for the two irregularity forms provide the main tests of the conflicting hypotheses. However, it is also shown that the two hypotheses lead to different forms of the variation of scintillation index with the observing frequency and the solar elongation of the scintillating source. Consideration is given to the optimum conditions for observing the Fourier and Bessel temporal spectra modulation which is due to the Fresnel filtering of the spatial spectrum. Determination of irregularity shape, orientation and motion in terms of this modulation is also discussed. (author)

  5. Pulmonary toxicity screening studies in male rats with TiO2 particulates substantially encapsulated with pyrogenically deposited, amorphous silica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Webb TR

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the acute lung toxicity in rats of intratracheally instilled TiO2 particles that have been substantially encapsulated with pyrogenically deposited, amorphous silica. Groups of rats were intratracheally instilled either with doses of 1 or 5 mg/kg of hydrophilic Pigment A TiO2 particles or doses of 1 or 5 mg/kg of the following control or particle-types: 1 R-100 TiO2 particles (hydrophilic in nature; 2 quartz particles, 3 carbonyl iron particles. Phosphate-buffered saline (PBS instilled rats served as additional controls. Following exposures, the lungs of PBS and particle-exposed rats were evaluated for bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL fluid inflammatory markers, cell proliferation, and by histopathology at post-instillation time points of 24 hrs, 1 week, 1 month and 3 months. The bronchoalveolar lavage results demonstrated that lung exposures to quartz particles, at both concentrations but particularly at the higher dose, produced significant increases vs. controls in pulmonary inflammation and cytotoxicity indices. Exposures to Pigment A or R-100 TiO2 particles produced transient inflammatory and cell injury effects at 24 hours postexposure (pe, but these effects were not sustained when compared to quartz-related effects. Exposures to carbonyl iron particles or PBS resulted only in minor, short-term and reversible lung inflammation, likely related to the effects of the instillation procedure. Histopathological analyses of lung tissues revealed that pulmonary exposures to Pigment A TiO2 particles produced minor inflammation at 24 hours postexposure and these effects were not significantly different from exposures to R-100 or carbonyl iron particles. Pigment A-exposed lung tissue sections appeared normal at 1 and 3 months postexposure. In contrast, pulmonary exposures to quartz particles in rats produced a dose-dependent lung inflammatory response characterized by neutrophils and foamy (lipid

  6. Asbestos exposure-cigarette smoking interactions among shipyard workers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blanc, P.D.; Golden, J.A.; Gamsu, G.; Aberle, D.R.; Gold, W.M.

    1988-01-01

    The authors studied the roentgenograms, pulmonary function tests, and physical findings of 294 shipyard workers to evaluate asbestos exposure-cigarette smoking interactions. Roentgenographic parenchymal opacities, decreased pulmonary diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide, decreased flow at low lung volume, rales, and clubbing were each significantly related to the number of years elapsed since first exposure to asbestos and cigarette smoking status when analyzed by logistic regression. A dose-dependent cigarette smoking response that was consistent with synergism was present only for parenchymal opacities and decreased flow at low lung volume. These findings suggest that decreased flow at low lung volume, possibly reflecting peribronchiolar fibrosis, may be a functional corollary to smoking-associated parenchymal roentgenographic opacities among some asbestos-exposed individuals

  7. On the Automatic Parallelization of Sparse and Irregular Fortran Programs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuan Lin

    1999-01-01

    Full Text Available Automatic parallelization is usually believed to be less effective at exploiting implicit parallelism in sparse/irregular programs than in their dense/regular counterparts. However, not much is really known because there have been few research reports on this topic. In this work, we have studied the possibility of using an automatic parallelizing compiler to detect the parallelism in sparse/irregular programs. The study with a collection of sparse/irregular programs led us to some common loop patterns. Based on these patterns new techniques were derived that produced good speedups when manually applied to our benchmark codes. More importantly, these parallelization methods can be implemented in a parallelizing compiler and can be applied automatically.

  8. NEOWISE: OBSERVATIONS OF THE IRREGULAR SATELLITES OF JUPITER AND SATURN

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grav, T. [Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719 (United States); Bauer, J. M.; Mainzer, A. K.; Masiero, J. R.; Sonnett, S.; Kramer, E. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Nugent, C. R.; Cutri, R. M., E-mail: tgrav@psi.edu [Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

    2015-08-10

    We present thermal model fits for 11 Jovian and 3 Saturnian irregular satellites based on measurements from the WISE/NEOWISE data set. Our fits confirm spacecraft-measured diameters for the objects with in situ observations (Himalia and Phoebe) and provide diameters and albedo for 12 previously unmeasured objects, 10 Jovian and 2 Saturnian irregular satellites. The best-fit thermal model beaming parameters are comparable to what is observed for other small bodies in the outer solar system, while the visible, W1, and W2 albedos trace the taxonomic classifications previously established in the literature. Reflectance properties for the irregular satellites measured are similar to the Jovian Trojan and Hilda Populations, implying common origins.

  9. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease symptom effects of long-term cumulative exposure to ambient levels of total suspended particulates and sulfur dioxide in California Seventh-Day Adventist residents

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Euler, G.L.; Abbey, D.E.; Magie, A.R.; Hodgkin, J.E.

    1987-07-01

    Risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease symptoms due to long-term exposure to ambient levels of total suspended particulates (TSP) and sulfur dioxide (SO/sub 2/) symptoms was ascertained using the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) respiratory symptoms questionnaire on 7445 Seventh-Day Adventists. They were non-smokers, at least 25 yr of age, and had lived 11 yr or more in areas ranging from high to low photochemical air pollution in California. Participant cumulative exposures to each pollutant in excess of four thresholds were estimated using monthly residence zip code histories and interpolated dosages from state air monitoring stations. These pollutant thresholds were entered individually and in combination in multiple logistic regression analyses with eight covariables including passive smoking. Statistically significant associations with chronic symptoms were seen for: SO/sub 2/ exposure above 4 pphm (104 mcg/m3), (p = .03), relative risk 1.18 for 500 hr/yr of exposure; and for total suspended particulates (TSP) above 200 mcg/m3, (p less than .00001), relative risk of 1.22 for 750 hr/yr.

  10. Pulmonary capillary pressure in pulmonary hypertension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Souza, Rogerio; Amato, Marcelo Britto Passos; Demarzo, Sergio Eduardo; Deheinzelin, Daniel; Barbas, Carmen Silvia Valente; Schettino, Guilherme Paula Pinto; Carvalho, Carlos Roberto Ribeiro

    2005-04-01

    Pulmonary capillary pressure (PCP), together with the time constants of the various vascular compartments, define the dynamics of the pulmonary vascular system. Our objective in the present study was to estimate PCPs and time constants of the vascular system in patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH), and compare them with these measures in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We conducted the study in two groups of patients with pulmonary hypertension: 12 patients with IPAH and 11 with ARDS. Four methods were used to estimate the PCP based on monoexponential and biexponential fitting of pulmonary artery pressure decay curves. PCPs in the IPAH group were considerably greater than those in the ARDS group. The PCPs measured using the four methods also differed significantly, suggesting that each method measures the pressure at a different site in the pulmonary circulation. The time constant for the slow component of the biexponential fit in the IPAH group was significantly longer than that in the ARDS group. The PCP in IPAH patients is greater than normal but methodological limitations related to the occlusion technique may limit interpretation of these data in isolation. Different disease processes may result in different times for arterial emptying, with resulting implications for the methods available for estimating PCP.

  11. Comparative CT study on cavitary pulmonary metastases from squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiong Yongsheng; Yu Xiaoping; Tang Li

    2007-01-01

    Objective: To explore the difference of CT features of cavitary pulmonary metastases(CPM)from squamous cell carcinoma (SCCCPM)and CPM from adenocarcinoma(ACCPM). Methods: CT findings of 61 CPM nodules in 13 patients with SCCCPM and 60 CPM nodules in 22 patients with ACCPM were retrospectively analyzed. Results: SCCCPM presented as bubble (n=13), irregular (n=9), cystic (n=26) or small circular (n=13) cavities. ACCPM presented as bubble (n=21), irregular (n=21) or small circular (n=18) cavities. No cystic cavity was found in ACCPM. The thickness of cavity wall was even in 57 CPM including 39 SCCCPM and 18 ACCPM. Of the 64 CPM with uneven cavity wall thickness, 22 were SCCCPM and 42 were ACCPM. Between SCCCPM and ACCPM, no statistically significant difference was found in the site, size and cavity wall thickness of CPM, cystic cavity and even cavity wall thickness were found much more in SCCCPM than ACCPM, which has statistically significant difference. Conclusion: Both SCCCPM and ACCPM had their own CT characteristics which was likely to predict the histological type of primary malignancy of CPM. (authors)

  12. Volatile Organic Compounds and Pulmonary Function in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988–1994

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elliott, Leslie; Longnecker, Matthew P.; Kissling, Grace E.; London, Stephanie J.

    2006-01-01

    Background Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are present in much higher concentrations indoors, where people spend most of their time, than outdoors and may have adverse health effects. VOCs have been associated with respiratory symptoms, but few studies address objective respiratory end points such as pulmonary function. Blood levels of VOCs may be more indicative of personal exposures than are air concentrations; no studies have addressed their relationship with respiratory outcomes. Objective We examined whether concentrations of 11 VOCs that were commonly identified in blood from a sample of the U.S. population were associated with pulmonary function. Methods We used data from 953 adult participants (20–59 years of age) in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988–1994) who had VOC blood measures as well as pulmonary function measures. Linear regression models were used to evaluate the relationship between 11 VOCs and measures of pulmonary function. Results After adjustment for smoking, only 1,4-dichlorobenzene (1,4-DCB) was associated with reduced pulmonary function. Participants in the highest decile of 1,4-DCB concentration had decrements of −153 mL [95% confidence interval (CI), −297 to −8] in forced expiratory volume in 1 sec and −346 mL/sec (95% CI, −667 to −24) in maximum mid-expiratory flow rate, compared with participants in the lowest decile. Conclusions Exposure to 1,4-DCB, a VOC related to the use of air fresheners, toilet bowl deodorants, and mothballs, at levels found in the U.S. general population, may result in reduced pulmonary function. This common exposure may have long-term adverse effects on respiratory health. PMID:16882527

  13. Occupational PAH Exposures during Prescribed Pile Burns

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robinson, M. S.; Anthony, T. R.; Littau, S. R.; Herckes, P.; Nelson, X.; Poplin, G. S.; Burgess, J. L.

    2008-01-01

    Wildland firefighters are exposed to particulate matter and gases containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), many of which are known carcinogens. Our objective was to evaluate the extent of firefighter exposure to particulate and PAHs during prescribed pile burns of mainly ponderosa pine slash and determine whether these exposures were correlated with changes in urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-HP), a PAH metabolite. Personal and area sampling for particulate and PAH exposures were conducted on the White Mountain Apache Tribe reservation, working with 21 Bureau of Indian Affairs/Fort Apache Agency wildland firefighters during the fall of 2006. Urine samples were collected pre- and post-exposure and pulmonary function was measured. Personal PAH exposures were detectable for only 3 of 16 PAHs analyzed: naphthalene, phenanthrene, and fluorene, all of which were identified only in vapor-phase samples. Condensed-phase PAHs were detected in PM2.5 area samples (20 of 21 PAHs analyzed were detected, all but naphthalene) at concentrations below 1 μg m−3. The total PAH/PM2.5 mass fractions were roughly a factor of two higher during smoldering (1.06 ± 0.15) than ignition (0.55 ± 0.04 μg mg−1). There were no significant changes in urinary 1-HP or pulmonary function following exposure to pile burning. In summary, PAH exposures were low in pile burns, and urinary testing for a PAH metabolite failed to show a significant difference between baseline and post-exposure measurements. PMID:18515848

  14. Crime among irregular immigrants and the influence of internal border control

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Leerkes, A.S.; Engbersen, G.; Leun, van der J.P.

    2012-01-01

    Abstract Both the number of crime suspects without legal status and the number of irregular or undocumented immigrants held in detention facilities increased substantially in theNetherlands between 1997 and 2003. In this period, theDutch state increasingly attempted to exclude irregular immigrants

  15. Crime among irregular immigrants and the influence of internal border control

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    A.S. Leerkes (Arjen); G.B.M. Engbersen (Godfried); J.P. van der Leun (Joanne)

    2012-01-01

    textabstractBoth the number of crime suspects without legal status and the number of irregular or undocumented immigrants held in detention facilities increased substantially in theNetherlands between 1997 and 2003. In this period, theDutch state increasingly attempted to exclude irregular

  16. Geostatistical regularization operators for geophysical inverse problems on irregular meshes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jordi, C.; Doetsch, J.; Günther, T.; Schmelzbach, C.; Robertsson, J. OA

    2018-05-01

    Irregular meshes allow to include complicated subsurface structures into geophysical modelling and inverse problems. The non-uniqueness of these inverse problems requires appropriate regularization that can incorporate a priori information. However, defining regularization operators for irregular discretizations is not trivial. Different schemes for calculating smoothness operators on irregular meshes have been proposed. In contrast to classical regularization constraints that are only defined using the nearest neighbours of a cell, geostatistical operators include a larger neighbourhood around a particular cell. A correlation model defines the extent of the neighbourhood and allows to incorporate information about geological structures. We propose an approach to calculate geostatistical operators for inverse problems on irregular meshes by eigendecomposition of a covariance matrix that contains the a priori geological information. Using our approach, the calculation of the operator matrix becomes tractable for 3-D inverse problems on irregular meshes. We tested the performance of the geostatistical regularization operators and compared them against the results of anisotropic smoothing in inversions of 2-D surface synthetic electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) data as well as in the inversion of a realistic 3-D cross-well synthetic ERT scenario. The inversions of 2-D ERT and seismic traveltime field data with geostatistical regularization provide results that are in good accordance with the expected geology and thus facilitate their interpretation. In particular, for layered structures the geostatistical regularization provides geologically more plausible results compared to the anisotropic smoothness constraints.

  17. Pulmonary edema

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... congestion; Lung water; Pulmonary congestion; Heart failure - pulmonary edema ... Pulmonary edema is often caused by congestive heart failure . When the heart is not able to pump efficiently, blood ...

  18. Generating Performance Models for Irregular Applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Friese, Ryan D.; Tallent, Nathan R.; Vishnu, Abhinav; Kerbyson, Darren J.; Hoisie, Adolfy

    2017-05-30

    Many applications have irregular behavior --- non-uniform input data, input-dependent solvers, irregular memory accesses, unbiased branches --- that cannot be captured using today's automated performance modeling techniques. We describe new hierarchical critical path analyses for the \\Palm model generation tool. To create a model's structure, we capture tasks along representative MPI critical paths. We create a histogram of critical tasks with parameterized task arguments and instance counts. To model each task, we identify hot instruction-level sub-paths and model each sub-path based on data flow, instruction scheduling, and data locality. We describe application models that generate accurate predictions for strong scaling when varying CPU speed, cache speed, memory speed, and architecture. We present results for the Sweep3D neutron transport benchmark; Page Rank on multiple graphs; Support Vector Machine with pruning; and PFLOTRAN's reactive flow/transport solver with domain-induced load imbalance.

  19. Reversal of reflex pulmonary vasoconstriction induced by main pulmonary arterial distension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juratsch, C E; Grover, R F; Rose, C E; Reeves, J T; Walby, W F; Laks, M M

    1985-04-01

    Distension of the main pulmonary artery (MPA) induces pulmonary hypertension, most probably by neurogenic reflex pulmonary vasoconstriction, although constriction of the pulmonary vessels has not actually been demonstrated. In previous studies in dogs with increased pulmonary vascular resistance produced by airway hypoxia, exogenous arachidonic acid has led to the production of pulmonary vasodilator prostaglandins. Hence, in the present study, we investigated the effect of arachidonic acid in seven intact anesthetized dogs after pulmonary vascular resistance was increased by MPA distention. After steady-state pulmonary hypertension was established, arachidonic acid (1.0 mg/min) was infused into the right ventricle for 16 min; 15-20 min later a 16-mg bolus of arachidonic acid was injected. MPA distension was maintained throughout the study. Although the infusion of arachidonic acid significantly lowered the elevated pulmonary vascular resistance induced by MPA distension, the pulmonary vascular resistance returned to control levels only after the bolus injection of arachidonic acid. Notably, the bolus injection caused a biphasic response which first increased the pulmonary vascular resistance transiently before lowering it to control levels. In dogs with resting levels of pulmonary vascular resistance, administration of arachidonic acid in the same manner did not alter the pulmonary vascular resistance. It is concluded that MPA distension does indeed cause reflex pulmonary vasoconstriction which can be reversed by vasodilator metabolites of arachidonic acid. Even though this reflex may help maintain high pulmonary vascular resistance in the fetus, its function in the adult is obscure.

  20. Industrial Exposures at Birth are Associated with Reduced Forced Vital Capacity in Childhood

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rationale: Previous studies have reported associations of ambient air pollutant exposures with childhood decrements in lung volumes. While the current study was designed primarily to examine traffic exposures, we also examined the impact of other early life exposures on pulmonary...

  1. Effects of magnetic storm phases on F layer irregularities below the auroral oval

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aarons, J.; Gurgiolo, C.; Rodger, A.S.

    1988-01-01

    Observations of F-layer irregularity development and intensity were obtained between September and October 1981, primarily over subauroral latitudes in the area of the plasmapause. The results reveal the descent of the auroral irregularity region to include subauroral latitudes in the general area of the plasmapause during the main phases of a series of magnetic storms. Irregularities were found primarily at lower latitudes during the subauroral or plasmapause storm. A model for the subauroral irregularities in recovery phases of magnetic storms is proposed in which energy stored in the ring current is slowly released. 27 references

  2. Dependence on zenith angle of the strength of 3-meter equatorial electrojet irregularities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ierkic, H.M.; Fejer, B.G.; Farley, D.T.

    1980-01-01

    Radar measurements in Peru were used to deduce the zenith angle dependence of the scattering cross section of plasma irregularities generated by instabilities in the equatorial electrojet. The irregularities probed by the 50 MHz Jicamarca radar had a wavelength of 3m. The cross section for the type 2 irregularities was isotopic in the plane perpendicular to the magnetic field, while the cross section for the stronger type 1 irregularities varied with zenith angle at a rate of approximately 0.3 dB/degree; the horizontally traveling waves were more than 100 times stronger than those traveling vertically

  3. Pulmonary tuberculosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    TB; Tuberculosis - pulmonary; Mycobacterium - pulmonary ... Pulmonary TB is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M tuberculosis) . TB is contagious. This means the bacteria is easily spread from an infected person ...

  4. TLR4 deficiency promotes autophagy during cigarette smoke-induced pulmonary emphysema.

    Science.gov (United States)

    An, Chang Hyeok; Wang, Xiao Mei; Lam, Hilaire C; Ifedigbo, Emeka; Washko, George R; Ryter, Stefan W; Choi, Augustine M K

    2012-11-01

    Toll-like receptors (TLRs) exert important nonimmune functions in lung homeostasis. TLR4 deficiency promotes pulmonary emphysema. We examined the role of TLR4 in regulating cigarette smoke (CS)-induced autophagy, apoptosis, and emphysema. Lung tissue was obtained from chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) patients. C3H/HeJ (Tlr4-mutated) mice and C57BL/10ScNJ (Tlr4-deficient) mice and their respective control strains were exposed to chronic CS or air. Human or mouse epithelial cells (wild-type, Tlr4-knockdown, and Tlr4-deficient) were exposed to CS-extract (CSE). Samples were analyzed for TLR4 expression, and for autophagic or apoptotic proteins by Western blot analysis or confocal imaging. Chronic obstructive lung disease lung tissues and human pulmonary epithelial cells exposed to CSE displayed increased TLR4 expression, and increased autophagic [microtubule-associated protein-1 light-chain-3B (LC3B)] and apoptotic (cleaved caspase-3) markers. Beas-2B cells transfected with TLR4 siRNA displayed increased expression of LC3B relative to control cells, basally and after exposure to CSE. The basal and CSE-inducible expression of LC3B and cleaved caspase-3 were elevated in pulmonary alveolar type II cells from Tlr4-deficient mice. Wild-type mice subjected to chronic CS-exposure displayed airspace enlargement;, however, the Tlr4-mutated or Tlr4-deficient mice exhibited a marked increase in airspace relative to wild-type mice after CS-exposure. The Tlr4-mutated or Tlr4-deficient mice showed higher levels of LC3B under basal conditions and after CS exposure. The expression of cleaved caspase-3 was markedly increased in Tlr4-deficient mice exposed to CS. We describe a protective regulatory function of TLR4 against emphysematous changes of the lung in response to CS.

  5. Spatial irregularities in Jupiter's upper ionosphere observed by voyager radio occultations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hinson, D.P.; Tyler, G.L.

    1982-07-01

    Dual frequency radio occultation experiments carried out with Voyagers 1 and 2 provided data on the spatial irregularities in Jupiter's ionosphere at four different locations. Sample spectra of weak fluctuations in amplitude and phase of the 3.6-cm and 13-cm wavelength radio signals can be interpreted by using the theory for scattering from an anisotropic power law phase screen. Least squares solutions for ionospheric parameters derived from the observed fluctuation spectra yielded estimates of (1) the axial ratio, (2) angular orientation of the anisotropic irregularities, (3) the power law exponent of the spatial spectrum of irregularities, and (4) the magnitude of the spatial variations in electron density. Equipment limitations and the method of analysis constrain the observations to irregularities of approximate size 1--200 km. No evidence of the inner or outer scale of the irregularities was found. For length scales in the range given, the three-dimensional spatial spectrum obeys a power law with exponent varying from -3.0 to -3.7, and the root mean square fractional variations in electron density are 1--15%. All observed irregularities appear to be anisotropic with axial ratios between 2:1 and 10:1. Ionospheric parameters vary with altitude and latitude. We conclude that the measured angular orientation of the anisotropic irregularities indicates magnetic field direction and may provide a basis for refining Jovian magnetic field models.

  6. Measurement of Dynamic Friction Coefficient on the Irregular Free Surface

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yeom, S. H.; Seo, K. S.; Lee, J. H.; Lee, K. H.

    2007-01-01

    A spent fuel storage cask must be estimated for a structural integrity when an earthquake occurs because it freely stands on ground surface without a restriction condition. Usually the integrity estimation for a seismic load is performed by a FEM analysis, the friction coefficient for a standing surface is an important parameter in seismic analysis when a sliding happens. When a storage cask is placed on an irregular ground surface, measuring a friction coefficient of an irregular surface is very difficult because the friction coefficient is affected by the surface condition. In this research, dynamic friction coefficients on the irregular surfaces between a concrete cylinder block and a flat concrete slab are measured with two methods by one direction actuator

  7. 30 MHz radar observations of artificial E region field-aligned plasma irregularities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. L. Hysell

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available Artificial E region field aligned irregularities (FAIs have been observed during heating experiments at the HAARP facility using a new 30 MHz coherent scatter radar imager deployed near Homer, Alaska. Irregularities were observed during brief experiments on three quiet days in July and August, 2007, when the daytime E region critical frequency was close to 3 MHz. Irregularities were consistently generated and detected during experiments with O-mode HF pumping on zenith with a 1-min on, 1-min off CW modulation. The scattering cross sections, rise, and fall times of the echoes were observed as well as their spectral properties. Results were found to be mainly in agreement with observations from other mid- and high-latitude sites with some discrepancies. Radar images of the irregularity-filled volume on one case exhibited clear variations in backscatter power and Doppler shift across the volume. The images furthermore show the emergence of a small irregularity-filled region to the south southwest of the main region in the approximate direction of magnetic zenith.

  8. Inhibition of chlorine-induced pulmonary inflammation and edema by mometasone and budesonide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, Jing; Mo, Yiqun; Schlueter, Connie F.; Hoyle, Gary W., E-mail: Gary.Hoyle@louisville.edu

    2013-10-15

    Chlorine gas is a widely used industrial compound that is highly toxic by inhalation and is considered a chemical threat agent. Inhalation of high levels of chlorine results in acute lung injury characterized by pneumonitis, pulmonary edema, and decrements in lung function. Because inflammatory processes can promote damage in the injured lung, anti-inflammatory therapy may be of potential benefit for treating chemical-induced acute lung injury. We previously developed a chlorine inhalation model in which mice develop epithelial injury, neutrophilic inflammation, pulmonary edema, and impaired pulmonary function. This model was used to evaluate nine corticosteroids for the ability to inhibit chlorine-induced neutrophilic inflammation. Two of the most potent corticosteroids in this assay, mometasone and budesonide, were investigated further. Mometasone or budesonide administered intraperitoneally 1 h after chlorine inhalation caused a dose-dependent inhibition of neutrophil influx in lung tissue sections and in the number of neutrophils in lung lavage fluid. Budesonide, but not mometasone, reduced the levels of the neutrophil attractant CXCL1 in lavage fluid 6 h after exposure. Mometasone or budesonide also significantly inhibited pulmonary edema assessed 1 day after chlorine exposure. Chlorine inhalation resulted in airway hyperreactivity to inhaled methacholine, but neither mometasone nor budesonide significantly affected this parameter. The results suggest that mometasone and budesonide may represent potential treatments for chemical-induced lung injury. - Highlights: • Chlorine causes lung injury when inhaled and is considered a chemical threat agent. • Corticosteroids may inhibit lung injury through their anti-inflammatory actions. • Corticosteroids inhibited chlorine-induced pneumonitis and pulmonary edema. • Mometasone and budesonide are potential rescue treatments for chlorine lung injury.

  9. Efficacy and safety of inhaled carbon monoxide during pulmonary inflammation in mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael R Wilson

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available Pulmonary inflammation is a major contributor to morbidity in a variety of respiratory disorders, but treatment options are limited. Here we investigate the efficacy, safety and mechanism of action of low dose inhaled carbon monoxide (CO using a mouse model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS-induced pulmonary inflammation.Mice were exposed to 0-500 ppm inhaled CO for periods of up to 24 hours prior to and following intratracheal instillation of 10 ng LPS. Animals were sacrificed and assessed for intraalveolar neutrophil influx and cytokine levels, flow cytometric determination of neutrophil number and activation in blood, lung and lavage fluid samples, or neutrophil mobilisation from bone marrow.When administered for 24 hours both before and after LPS, inhaled CO of 100 ppm or more reduced intraalveolar neutrophil infiltration by 40-50%, although doses above 100 ppm were associated with either high carboxyhemoglobin, weight loss or reduced physical activity. This anti-inflammatory effect of CO did not require pre-exposure before induction of injury. 100 ppm CO exposure attenuated neutrophil sequestration within the pulmonary vasculature as well as LPS-induced neutrophilia at 6 hours after LPS, likely due to abrogation of neutrophil mobilisation from bone marrow. In contrast to such apparently beneficial effects, 100 ppm inhaled CO induced an increase in pulmonary barrier permeability as determined by lavage fluid protein content and translocation of labelled albumin from blood to the alveolar space.Overall, these data confirm some protective role for inhaled CO during pulmonary inflammation, although this required a dose that produced carboxyhemoglobin values close to potentially toxic levels for humans, and increased lung permeability.

  10. Can in vitro assays substitute for in vivo studies in assessing the pulmonary hazards of fine and nanoscale materials?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sayes, Christie M.; Reed, Kenneth L. [DuPont Haskell Global Centers for Health and Environmental Sciences (United States); Subramoney, Shekhar; Abrams, Lloyd [DuPont Corporate Center for Analytical Services (United States); Warheit, David B., E-mail: David.B.Warheit@USA.dupont.co [DuPont Haskell Global Centers for Health and Environmental Sciences (United States)

    2009-02-15

    Risk evaluations for nanomaterials require the generation of hazard data as well as exposure assessments. Most of the validated nanotoxicity studies have been conducted using in vivo experimental designs. It would be highly desirable to develop in vitro pulmonary hazard tests to assess the toxicity of fine and nanoscale particle-types. However, in vitro evaluations for pulmonary hazards are known to have limited predictive value for identifying in vivo lung toxicity effects. Accordingly, this study investigated the capacity of in vitro screening studies to predict in vivo pulmonary toxicity of several fine or nanoparticle-types following exposures in rats. Initially, complete physicochemical characterization of particulates was conducted, both in the dry and wet states. Second, rats were exposed by intratracheal instillation to 1 or 5 mg/kg of the following particle-types: carbonyl iron, crystalline silica, amorphous silica, nanoscale zinc oxide, or fine zinc oxide. Inflammation and cytotoxicity endpoints were measured at 24 h, 1 week, 1 month and 3 months post-instillation exposure. In addition, histopathological analyses of lung tissues were conducted at 3 months post-exposure. Pulmonary cell in vitro studies consisted of three different culture conditions at 4 different time periods. These included (1) rat L2 lung epithelial cells, (2) primary rat alveolar macrophages, and (3) alveolar macrophage-L2 lung epithelial cell co-cultures which were incubated with the same particles as tested in the in vivo study for 1, 4, 24, or 48 h. Cell culture fluids were evaluated for cytotoxicity endpoints and inflammatory cytokines at the different time periods in an attempt to match the biomarkers assessed in the in vivo study. Results of in vivo pulmonary toxicity studies demonstrated that instilled carbonyl iron particles produced little toxicity. Crystalline silica and amorphous silica particle exposures produced substantial inflammatory and cytotoxic effects initially, but

  11. Can in vitro assays substitute for in vivo studies in assessing the pulmonary hazards of fine and nanoscale materials?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sayes, Christie M.; Reed, Kenneth L.; Subramoney, Shekhar; Abrams, Lloyd; Warheit, David B.

    2009-01-01

    Risk evaluations for nanomaterials require the generation of hazard data as well as exposure assessments. Most of the validated nanotoxicity studies have been conducted using in vivo experimental designs. It would be highly desirable to develop in vitro pulmonary hazard tests to assess the toxicity of fine and nanoscale particle-types. However, in vitro evaluations for pulmonary hazards are known to have limited predictive value for identifying in vivo lung toxicity effects. Accordingly, this study investigated the capacity of in vitro screening studies to predict in vivo pulmonary toxicity of several fine or nanoparticle-types following exposures in rats. Initially, complete physicochemical characterization of particulates was conducted, both in the dry and wet states. Second, rats were exposed by intratracheal instillation to 1 or 5 mg/kg of the following particle-types: carbonyl iron, crystalline silica, amorphous silica, nanoscale zinc oxide, or fine zinc oxide. Inflammation and cytotoxicity endpoints were measured at 24 h, 1 week, 1 month and 3 months post-instillation exposure. In addition, histopathological analyses of lung tissues were conducted at 3 months post-exposure. Pulmonary cell in vitro studies consisted of three different culture conditions at 4 different time periods. These included (1) rat L2 lung epithelial cells, (2) primary rat alveolar macrophages, and (3) alveolar macrophage-L2 lung epithelial cell co-cultures which were incubated with the same particles as tested in the in vivo study for 1, 4, 24, or 48 h. Cell culture fluids were evaluated for cytotoxicity endpoints and inflammatory cytokines at the different time periods in an attempt to match the biomarkers assessed in the in vivo study. Results of in vivo pulmonary toxicity studies demonstrated that instilled carbonyl iron particles produced little toxicity. Crystalline silica and amorphous silica particle exposures produced substantial inflammatory and cytotoxic effects initially, but

  12. A vapourized Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ(9)-THC) delivery system part II: comparison of behavioural effects of pulmonary versus parenteral cannabinoid exposure in rodents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manwell, Laurie A; Ford, Brittany; Matthews, Brittany A; Heipel, Heather; Mallet, Paul E

    2014-01-01

    Studies of the rewarding and addictive properties of cannabinoids using rodents as animal models of human behaviour often fail to replicate findings from human studies. Animal studies typically employ parenteral routes of administration, whereas humans typically smoke cannabis, thus discrepancies may be related to different pharmacokinetics of parenteral and pulmonary routes of administration. Accordingly, a novel delivery system of vapourized Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ(9)-THC) was developed and assessed for its pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and behavioural effects in rodents. A commercially available vapourizer was used to assess the effects of pulmonary (vapourized) administration of Δ(9)-THC and directly compared to parenteral (intraperitoneal, IP) administration of Δ(9)-THC. Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to pure Δ(9)-THC vapour (1, 2, 5, 10, and 20mg/pad), using a Volcano® vapourizing device (Storz and Bickel, Germany) or IP-administered Δ(9)-THC (0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 1.0mg/kg), and drug effects on locomotor activity, food and water consumption, and cross-sensitization to morphine (5mg/kg) were measured. Vapourized Δ(9)-THC significantly increased feeding during the first hour following exposure, whereas IP-administered Δ(9)-THC failed to produce a reliable increase in feeding at all doses tested. Acute administration of 10mg of vapourized Δ(9)-THC induced a short-lasting stimulation in locomotor activity compared to control in the first of four hours of testing over 7days of repeated exposure; this chronic exposure to 10mg of vapourized Δ(9)-THC did not induce behavioural sensitization to morphine. These results suggest vapourized Δ(9)-THC administration produces behavioural effects qualitatively different from those induced by IP administration in rodents. Furthermore, vapourized Δ(9)-THC delivery in rodents may produce behavioural effects more comparable to those observed in humans. We conclude that some of the conflicting findings in animal

  13. Pulmonary function evaluation during and following Skylab space flights

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sawin, C. F.; Nicogossian, A. E.; Schachter, A. P.; Rummel, J. A.; Michel, E. L.

    1974-01-01

    Previous experience during the Apollo postflight exercise testing indicated no major changes in pulmonary function. Although pulmonary function has been studied in detail following exposure to hypoxic and hyperoxic environments, few studies have dealt with normoxic environments at reduced total pressure as encountered during the Skylab missions. Forced vital capacity was measured during the preflight and postflight periods of the Skylab 2 mission. Initial in-flight measurements of vital capacity were obtained during the last two weeks of the second manned mission (Skylab 3). Comprehensive pulmonary function screening was accomplished during the Skylab 4 mission. The primary measurements made during Skylab 4 testing included residual volume determination, closing volume, vital capacity, and forced vital capacity and its derivatives. In addition, comprehensive in-flight vital capacity measurements were made during the Skylab 4 mission. Vital capacity was decreased slightly during flight in all Skylab 4 crewmen. No major preflight to postflight changes were observed in the other parameters.

  14. Balloon Pulmonary Angioplasty in Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension: New Horizons in the Interventional Management of Pulmonary Embolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rivers-Bowerman, Michael D; Zener, Rebecca; Jaberi, Arash; de Perrot, Marc; Granton, John; Moriarty, John M; Tan, Kong T

    2017-09-01

    Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is an underdiagnosed potential complication of acute or recurrent pulmonary thromboembolic disease. Multiple studies suggest that up to 5% of patients with acute pulmonary thromboembolic disease go on to develop CTEPH. The prognosis of untreated CTEPH is poor, but advances in medical and surgical treatments over the past few decades have improved patient outcomes. The gold standard and curative treatment for CTEPH is pulmonary endarterectomy; however, some patients are inoperable and others who have undergone pulmonary endarterectomy experience persistent or recurrent pulmonary hypertension despite medical therapy. In recent years, balloon pulmonary angioplasty has emerged as a primary and adjunctive treatment for these CTEPH patients at expert or specialized centers. This review outlines an approach to balloon pulmonary angioplasty for CTEPH, including clinical presentation and evaluation; patient selection and indications; treatment planning; equipment and technique; overcoming technical challenges; recognition and management of complications; postprocedural care and clinical follow-up; and expected outcomes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Irregular menses: an independent risk factor for gestational diabetes mellitus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haver, Mary Claire; Locksmith, Gregory J; Emmet, Emily

    2003-05-01

    Our purpose was to determine whether a history of irregular menses predicts gestational diabetes mellitus independently of traditional risk factors. We analyzed demographic characteristics, body mass index, and menstrual history of 85 pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus and compared them with 85 systematically selected control subjects who were matched for age, race, and delivery year. Subjects with pregestational diabetes mellitus, previous gestational diabetes mellitus, family history of diabetes mellitus, weight >200 pounds, previous macrosomic infants, or previous stillbirth were excluded. Demographic characteristics between case and control groups were similar. Mean body mass index was higher among cases (26.5 kg/m(2)) versus control subjects (24.5 kg/m(2), P =.004). Irregular cycles were more prevalent in the cases (24% vs 7%, P =.006). With the use of body mass index as a stratification factor, menstrual irregularity maintained a strong association with gestational diabetes mellitus (P =.014). A history of irregular menstrual cycles was a significant independent predictor of gestational diabetes mellitus. If selective screening is implemented for gestational diabetes mellitus, such history should be considered in the decision of whom to test.

  16. Low-dose cadmium exposure exacerbates polyhexamethylene guanidine-induced lung fibrosis in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Min-Seok; Kim, Sung-Hwan; Jeon, Doin; Kim, Hyeon-Young; Han, Jin-Young; Kim, Bumseok; Lee, Kyuhong

    2018-01-01

    Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic metal present in tobacco smoke, air, food, and water. Inhalation is an important route of Cd exposure, and lungs are one of the main target organs for metal-induced toxicity. Cd inhalation is associated with an increased risk of pulmonary diseases. The present study aimed to assess the effects of repeated exposure to low-dose Cd in a mouse model of polyhexamethylene guanidine (PHMG)-induced lung fibrosis. Mice were grouped into the following groups: vehicle control (VC), PHMG, cadmium chloride (CdCl 2 ), and PHMG + CdCl 2 . Animals in the PHMG group exhibited increased numbers of total cells and inflammatory cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) accompanied by inflammation and fibrosis in lung tissues. These parameters were exacerbated in mice in the PHMG + CdCl 2 group. In contrast, mice in the CdCl 2 group alone displayed only minimal inflammation in pulmonary tissue. Expression of inflammatory cytokines and fibrogenic mediators was significantly elevated in lungs of mice in the PHMG group compared with that VC. Further, expression of these cytokines and mediators was enhanced in pulmonary tissue in mice administered PHMG + CdCl 2 . Data demonstrate that repeated exposure to low-dose Cd may enhance the development of PHMG-induced pulmonary fibrosis.

  17. Decreased Pulmonary Function in School Children in Western Japan after Exposures to Asian Desert Dusts and Its Association with Interleukin-8

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Masanari Watanabe

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The objective of the study was to investigate the influence of Asian dust storms (ADS on pulmonary function of school children and the relationship of this effect with interleukin-8. Morning peak expiratory flow (PEF was measured daily in 399 children from April to May 2012 and in 384 of these children from March to May 2013. The data were analyzed for an association between ADS events and PEF by linear mixed models. Interleukin-8 transcriptional activity was assessed in THP-G8 cells stimulated by airborne particles collected on ADS days. Seven ADS days were identified: April 23 and 24, 2012; March 8 to 10, 2013; and March 19 and 20, 2013. Changes in PEF after ADS exposure were −8.17 L/min (95% confidence interval, −11.40 to −4.93 in 2012 and −1.17 L/min (−4.07 to 1.74 in 2013, and there was a significant difference between 2012 and 2013. Interleukin-8 transcriptional activity was significantly higher in 2012 at 10.6±2.9-fold compared to 3.7±0.4 in March 8 to 10, 2013, and 2.3±0.2 in March 19 and 20, 2013. The influence of ADS events on pulmonary function of children differs with each ADS event and may be related to interleukin-8 production.

  18. Decreased Pulmonary Function in School Children in Western Japan after Exposures to Asian Desert Dusts and Its Association with Interleukin-8

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watanabe, Masanari; Kurai, Jun; Sano, Hiroyuki; Saito, Rumiko; Kimura, Yutaka; Aiba, Setsuya; Oshimura, Mitsuo; Yamasaki, Akira; Shimizu, Eiji

    2015-01-01

    The objective of the study was to investigate the influence of Asian dust storms (ADS) on pulmonary function of school children and the relationship of this effect with interleukin-8. Morning peak expiratory flow (PEF) was measured daily in 399 children from April to May 2012 and in 384 of these children from March to May 2013. The data were analyzed for an association between ADS events and PEF by linear mixed models. Interleukin-8 transcriptional activity was assessed in THP-G8 cells stimulated by airborne particles collected on ADS days. Seven ADS days were identified: April 23 and 24, 2012; March 8 to 10, 2013; and March 19 and 20, 2013. Changes in PEF after ADS exposure were −8.17 L/min (95% confidence interval, −11.40 to −4.93) in 2012 and −1.17 L/min (−4.07 to 1.74) in 2013, and there was a significant difference between 2012 and 2013. Interleukin-8 transcriptional activity was significantly higher in 2012 at 10.6 ± 2.9-fold compared to 3.7 ± 0.4 in March 8 to 10, 2013, and 2.3 ± 0.2 in March 19 and 20, 2013. The influence of ADS events on pulmonary function of children differs with each ADS event and may be related to interleukin-8 production. PMID:26060816

  19. Pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis as a pulmonary manifestation of tuberous sclerosis - a case report-

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Young Rahn; Kang, Eun Young; Lee, Nam Joon; Suh, Won Hyuck

    1991-01-01

    Pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis is a very rare disease mainly arising in reproductive-aged women. Pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis as a pulmonary involvement of tuberous sclerosis is found in only 1 out of 100 patients. Pulmonary involvement in pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis itself and that as a pulmonary manifestation of tuberous sclerosis has been considered very similar with regard to clinical, radiologic, and pathologic manifestations. We report 1 case of pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis as a pulmonary manifestation of tuberous sclerosis in a 39-year-old Korean woman

  20. Evaluation of the regional lung function revealed in radioaerosol scintigram of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suzuki, Teruyasu

    1980-01-01

    We classified the findings of radioaerosol inhalation scintigrams of patients with various stages of obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) into 4 grades, according to the extent of peripheral irregularity and central hot spot formation; Stage I represents normal homogeneous distribution, stage II represents peripheral irregularity, stage III represents additional hot spot formation and stage IV represents further regional defect. This aerosol grading criteria was then compared with routine and specific lung function tests. The aerosol grading criterion correlated well with FEV sub(1.0)% which is a good indicator of the severity of COPD. The central hot spot formation correlated well with FEV sub(1.0)% and respiratory resistance (R.p.) determined by the oscillation method, both of which are good indicators of abnormality in central airway resistance. Peripheral irregularity correlated well with: 1) flows at 50%VC and 25%VC in a maximum forced expiratory flow volume curve; 2) closing volume (CV/VC%); 3) delta N 2 %/l in N 2 single washout test; and 4) the regional delay of 133 Xe washout process, all of which are sensitive indicators of small airway disease. It is therefore reasonable to conclude that the radioaerosol scintigram reveals the regional lung function both in terms of airway resistance (R) and compliance (C). This criterion was useful in quantitatively evaluating the regional ventilation distribution of COPD and the therapeutic effect on bronchial asthma. The mechanism of aerosol praticle deposition related to characteristic central hot spot formation accompanied with peripheral irregularity in a radioaerosol scintigram of COPD, needs further exploration concerning the aerodynamic behavior of aerosol particles in the airways both during inspiration and expiration. (author)

  1. Preliminary studies of pulmonary perfusion scanning in patients with pulmonary hypertension

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shi Rongfang; Liu Xiujie; Wang Yanqun

    1986-01-01

    A comparative analysis of pulmonary perfusion scanning through cardiac catheterization of 57 patients including 32 patients with congenital heart disease, 8 patients with chronic pulmonary thromboembolism and 7 patients with primary pulmonary hypertension is reported. The lung scintigram obtained with In-113m or Tc-99m-MAA represents the distribution of pulmonary blood. It has been found that the lung scintigram was abnormal in patients of congenital heart disease with pulmonary hypertension (i. e. pulmonary artery pressure between 41-80 mmHg) and the extent of radoiactive regional defects is proportional to the level of pulmonary hypertension. The results of the analysis indicated that pulmonary perfusion scanning being a noninvasive technique would be a useful method in evaluating the level of pulmonary hypertension in patients with left to right shunt before and after surgical operation

  2. Backscatter measurements of 11-cm equatorial spread-F irregularities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsunoda, R.T.

    1980-01-01

    In the equatorial F-region ionosphere, a turbulent cascade process has been found to exist that extends from irregularity spatial wavelengths longer than tens of kilometers down to wavelengths as short as 36 cm. To investigate the small-scale regime of wavelengths less than 36 cm, an equatorial radar experiment was conducted using a frequency of 1320 MHz that corresponds to an irregularity wavelength of 11 cm. The first observations of radar backscatter from 11-cm field-aligned irregularities (FAI) are described. These measurements extend the spatial wavelength regime of F-region FAI to lengths that approach both electron gyroradius and the Debye length. Agreement of these results with the theory of high-frequency drift waves suggests that these observations may be unique to the equatorial ionosphere. That is, the requirement of low electron densities for which the theroy calls may preclude the existence of 11-cm FAI elsewhere in the F-region ionosphere, except in equatorial plasma bubbles

  3. Stromal haze, myofibroblasts, and surface irregularity after PRK.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Netto, Marcelo V; Mohan, Rajiv R; Sinha, Sunilima; Sharma, Ajay; Dupps, William; Wilson, Steven E

    2006-05-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the level of stromal surface irregularity after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and myofibroblast generation along with the development of corneal haze. Variable levels of stromal surface irregularity were generated in rabbit corneas by positioning a fine mesh screen in the path of excimer laser during ablation for a variable percentage of the terminal pulses of the treatment for myopia that does not otherwise generate significant opacity. Ninety-six rabbits were divided into eight groups: [see table in text]. Slit lamp analysis and haze grading were performed in all groups. Rabbits were sacrificed at 4 hr or 4 weeks after surgery and histochemical analysis was performed on corneas for apoptosis (TUNEL assay), myofibroblast marker alpha-smooth muscle actin (SMA), and integrin alpha4 to delineate the epithelial basement membrane. Slit-lamp grading revealed severe haze formation in corneas in groups IV and VI, with significantly less haze in groups II, III, and VII and insignificant haze compared with the unwounded control in groups I and V. Analysis of SMA staining at 4 weeks after surgery, the approximate peak of haze formation in rabbits, revealed low myofibroblast formation in group I (1.2+/-0.2 cells/400x field) and group V (1.8+/-0.4), with significantly more in groups II (3.5+/-1.8), III (6.8+/-1.6), VII (7.9+/-3.8), IV (12.4+/-4.2) and VI (14.6+/-5.1). The screened groups were significantly different from each other (p PRK groups. The -9.0 diopter PRK group VI had significantly more myofibroblast generation than the -9.0 diopter PRK with PTK-smoothing group VII (p PRK and the level of stromal surface irregularity. PTK-smoothing with methylcellulose was an effective method to reduce stromal surface irregularity and decreased both haze and associated myofibroblast density. We hypothesize that stromal surface irregularity after PRK for high myopia results in defective basement membrane

  4. Criticality predicts maximum irregularity in recurrent networks of excitatory nodes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yahya Karimipanah

    Full Text Available A rigorous understanding of brain dynamics and function requires a conceptual bridge between multiple levels of organization, including neural spiking and network-level population activity. Mounting evidence suggests that neural networks of cerebral cortex operate at a critical regime, which is defined as a transition point between two phases of short lasting and chaotic activity. However, despite the fact that criticality brings about certain functional advantages for information processing, its supporting evidence is still far from conclusive, as it has been mostly based on power law scaling of size and durations of cascades of activity. Moreover, to what degree such hypothesis could explain some fundamental features of neural activity is still largely unknown. One of the most prevalent features of cortical activity in vivo is known to be spike irregularity of spike trains, which is measured in terms of the coefficient of variation (CV larger than one. Here, using a minimal computational model of excitatory nodes, we show that irregular spiking (CV > 1 naturally emerges in a recurrent network operating at criticality. More importantly, we show that even at the presence of other sources of spike irregularity, being at criticality maximizes the mean coefficient of variation of neurons, thereby maximizing their spike irregularity. Furthermore, we also show that such a maximized irregularity results in maximum correlation between neuronal firing rates and their corresponding spike irregularity (measured in terms of CV. On the one hand, using a model in the universality class of directed percolation, we propose new hallmarks of criticality at single-unit level, which could be applicable to any network of excitable nodes. On the other hand, given the controversy of the neural criticality hypothesis, we discuss the limitation of this approach to neural systems and to what degree they support the criticality hypothesis in real neural networks. Finally

  5. Pre-clinical medical student experience in a pediatric pulmonary clinic

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas G. Saba

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Objective: Our objective was to evaluate the educational value of introducing pre-clinical medical students to pediatric patients and their families in a subspecialty clinic setting. Methods: First- and second-year medical students at the University of Michigan seeking clinical experience outside of the classroom attended an outpatient pediatric pulmonary clinic. Evaluation of the experience consisted of pre- and post-clinic student surveys and post-clinic parent surveys with statements employing a four-point Likert scale as well as open-ended questions. Results: Twenty-eight first-year students, 6 second-year students, and 33 parents participated in the study. Post-clinic statement scores significantly increased for statements addressing empathic attitudes, confidence communicating with children and families, comfort in the clinical environment, and social awareness. Scores did not change for statements addressing motivation, a sense of team membership, or confidence with career goals. Students achieved their goals of gaining experience interacting with patients, learning about pulmonary diseases, and observing clinic workflow. Parents felt that they contributed to student education and were not inconvenienced. Conclusions: Students identified several educational benefits of exposure to a single pediatric pulmonary clinic. Patients and families were not inconvenienced by the participation of a student. Additional studies are warranted to further investigate the value of this model of pre-clinical medical student exposure to subspecialty pediatrics.

  6. Pulmonary effects of active smoking and secondhand smoke exposure among adolescent students in Juárez, Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bird, Yelena; Staines-Orozco, Hugo

    2016-01-01

    increased respiratory symptoms and reduction of pulmonary function test values. Public health initiatives that aim to prevent smoking initiation, assist in cessation, and lessen SHS exposure of adolescents need to be school-based and employed as early as middle school.

  7. Surface area-dependence of gas-particle interactions influences pulmonary and neuroinflammatory outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tyler, Christina R; Zychowski, Katherine E; Sanchez, Bethany N; Rivero, Valeria; Lucas, Selita; Herbert, Guy; Liu, June; Irshad, Hammad; McDonald, Jacob D; Bleske, Barry E; Campen, Matthew J

    2016-12-01

    Deleterious consequences of exposure to traffic emissions may derive from interactions between carbonaceous particulate matter (PM) and gaseous components in a manner that is dependent on the surface area or complexity of the particles. To determine the validity of this hypothesis, we examined pulmonary and neurological inflammatory outcomes in C57BL/6 and apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE -/- ) male mice after acute and chronic exposure to vehicle engine-derived particulate matter, generated as ultrafine (UFP) and fine (FP) sizes, with additional exposures using UFP or FP combined with gaseous copollutants derived from fresh gasoline and diesel emissions, labeled as UFP + G and FP + G. The UFP and UFP + G exposure groups resulted in the most profound pulmonary and neuroinflammatory effects. Phagocytosis of UFP + G particles via resident alveolar macrophages was substantial in both mouse strains, particularly after chronic exposure, with concurrent increased proinflammatory cytokine expression of CXCL1 and TNFα in the bronchial lavage fluid. In the acute exposure paradigm, only UFP and UFP + G induced significant changes in pulmonary inflammation and only in the ApoE -/- animals. Similarly, acute exposure to UFP and UFP + G increased the expression of several cytokines in the hippocampus of ApoE -/- mice including Il-1β, IL-6, Tgf-β and Tnf-α and in the hippocampus of C57BL/6 mice including Ccl5, Cxcl1, Il-1β, and Tnf-α. Interestingly, Il-6 and Tgf-β expression were decreased in the C57BL/6 hippocampus after acute exposure. Chronic exposure to UFP + G increased expression of Ccl5, Cxcl1, Il-6, and Tgf-β in the ApoE -/- hippocampus, but this effect was minimal in the C57BL/6 mice, suggesting compensatory mechanisms to manage neuroinflammation in this strain. Inflammatory responses the lung and brain were most substantial in ApoE -/- animals exposed to UFP + G, suggesting that the surface area-dependent interaction of gases and

  8. Radiation exposure of pediatric patients and physicians during cardiac catheterization and balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, J R; Huang, T Y; Wu, D K; Hsu, P C; Weng, P S

    1991-07-15

    Thermoluminescent dosimeters were applied to various areas of 61 pediatric patients and physicians to measure radiation doses during routine cardiac catheterization and during 4 cases of balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty. Radiation doses were measured during chest roentgenography, fluoroscopy and cineangiography. Average skin dose to the chest was 121 microGy during chest x-ray, 5,182 microGy during catheterization and 641 mGy during valvuloplasty. For the eyes, thyroid and gonads of the patients, the exposure during routine catheterization was equal to 0.4, 6 and 0.2 chest x-rays, respectively. Radiation dose of the operator was 3 microGy for the eyes and 6 miCroGy in the thyroid. About 56% of the operator's dose could be reduced by thyroid shields, and 80% by lead aprons. The assistant received only 1 microGy outside the thyroid shield. Therefore, we have concluded that the patients' dose during routine catheterization is largely based on our experimental results, but the dose is acceptable based on the risk factor analysis. The skin dose to the right lateral chest of the patient during valvuloplasty is extremely high, perhaps as high as the equivalent of 1,000 chest x-rays. Besides the clinical benefits of valvuloplasty, the long-term radiation-related hazards to the patient should be carefully monitored.

  9. Radiation exposure of pediatric patients and physicians during cardiac catheterization and balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, J.R.; Huang, T.Y.; Wu, D.K.; Hsu, P.C.; Weng, P.S.

    1991-01-01

    Thermoluminescent dosimeters were applied to various areas of 61 pediatric patients and physicians to measure radiation doses during routine cardiac catheterization and during 4 cases of balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty. Radiation doses were measured during chest roentgenography, fluoroscopy and cineangiography. Average skin dose to the chest was 121 microGy during chest x-ray, 5,182 microGy during catheterization and 641 mGy during valvuloplasty. For the eyes, thyroid and gonads of the patients, the exposure during routine catheterization was equal to 0.4, 6 and 0.2 chest x-rays, respectively. Radiation dose of the operator was 3 microGy for the eyes and 6 miCroGy in the thyroid. About 56% of the operator's dose could be reduced by thyroid shields, and 80% by lead aprons. The assistant received only 1 microGy outside the thyroid shield. Therefore, the authors have concluded that the patients dose during routine catheterization is largely based on our experimental results, but the dose is acceptable based on the risk factor analysis. The skin dose to the right lateral chest of the patient during valvuloplasty is extremely high, perhaps as high as the equivalent of 1,000 chest x-rays. Besides the clinical benefits of valvuloplasty, the long-term radiation-related hazards to the patient should be carefully monitored

  10. Target Tracking of a Linear Time Invariant System under Irregular Sampling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jin Xue-Bo

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Due to event-triggered sampling in a system, or maybe with the aim of reducing data storage, tracking many applications will encounter irregular sampling time. By calculating the matrix exponential using an inverse Laplace transform, this paper transforms the irregular sampling tracking problem to the problem of tracking with time-varying parameters of a system. Using the common Kalman filter, the developed method is used to track a target for the simulated trajectory and video tracking. The results of simulation experiments have shown that it can obtain good estimation performance even at a very high irregular rate of measurement sampling time.

  11. Lung cancer and bronchi-pulmonary diseases of iron uranium miners

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gneusheva, G. I.; Uspenskaya, K. M.

    2004-01-01

    The lung cancer mortality has been analyzed for 2.582 miners employed from 1943 to 1961. All persons observed had three years occupation at least. Basing upon the lung cancer risk value per unit of the exposure, the assessment of the effective standard of pulmonary organ irradiation to radon progeny was elaborated and mortality excess was calcuated. Medical demography studies of morbidity and mortality were elaborated for silicosis, silicotuberculosis, lung cancer and occupational bronchitis versus the magnitude of dust and radiation exposure. Annual and cumulative exposures have been assessed for seven cohorts of miners employed and vast primary material has been accumulated for the period of 40 years (1943-1984). Intensive indice of mortality were determined for observation periods. The mortality excess was compared to cumulated radiation exposure. The lung cancer mortality excess in iron-uranium miners was 3.3 cases per 106 man-years per 1 WLM; 4.8 cases per 106 man-years per 1 WLM was assessed if first years of occupation are negected. The latent period from radiation exposure to death from lung cancer is generally ten year or more. Changes of miners labor conditions (the magnitude of dust exposure) have been reflected by the bronchi pulmonary disease structure. The input of these dieseases into the occupational lung pathology has been significantly changed with the time course. Within first 18-20 years, pneumoconiosis was the only form of occupational lung pathology in the mine, whereas occupational bronchis and lung cancers were recorded within next then years thereafter. In cohorts of longest observation period, the average age of patients was increasingly ranked versus diseases as follows: silicosis, silicotuberculosis, chronic bronchitis, and lung cancer. (Author)

  12. Solitary pulmonary nodule by pulmonary hematoma under warfarin therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Scheppach, W.; Kulke, H.; Liebau, G.; Braun, H.; Wuerzburg Univ.

    1983-01-01

    Pulmonary hematoma is a rare cause of a pulmonary nodule. Mostly it results from penetrating or blunt chest injuries. The case of a patient is reported, whose chest X-ray showed a pulmonary nodule suspected of malignancy. This patient was maintained permanently on anticoagulants (warfarin derivates) after cardiac valve replacement with a prosthesis. A definite diagnosis could not be established by non-invasive methods. A needle biopsy of the lung was impracticable because of the location of the pulmonary lesion; an exploratory thoracotomy could not be carried out due to a general indication of nonoperability. Control examinations showed that the pulmonary nodule had vanished completely within four months. In consideration of the patient's clinical situation it can be concluded that the pulmonary lesion was caused by a hematoma of the lung. (orig.) [de

  13. Solitary pulmonary nodule by pulmonary hematoma under warfarin therapy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Scheppach, W.; Kulke, H.; Liebau, G.; Braun, H.

    1983-06-01

    Pulmonary hematoma is a rare cause of a pulmonary nodule. Mostly it results from penetrating or blunt chest injuries. The case of a patient is reported, whose chest X-ray showed a pulmonary nodule suspected of malignancy. This patient was maintained permanently on anticoagulants (warfarin derivates) after cardiac valve replacement with a prosthesis. A definite diagnosis could not be established by non-invasive methods. A needle biopsy of the lung was impracticable because of the location of the pulmonary lesion; an exploratory thoracotomy could not be carried out due to a general indication of nonoperability. Control examinations showed that the pulmonary nodule had vanished completely within four months. In consideration of the patient's clinical situation it can be concluded that the pulmonary lesion was caused by a hematoma of the lung.

  14. Effects on respiratory system due to exposure to wheat flour

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adel Mohammed Said

    2017-07-01

    Conclusions: Exposure to wheat flour increases the risk of developing respiratory symptoms; it also causes reduction in the pulmonary function parameters, as regards spirometry and DLCOSB. Exposure to wheat flour causes interstitial lung disease as detected by HRCT chest. Smoking augments the wheat flour induced lung disease.

  15. Introduction to Pulmonary Fibrosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... page: Introduction to Pulmonary Fibrosis What Is Pulmonary Fibrosis? Pulmonary fibrosis is a disease where there is scarring ... of pulmonary fibrosis. Learn more How Is Pulmonary Fibrosis Diagnosed? Pulmonary fibrosis can be difficult to diagnose, so it ...

  16. Measurement of pulmonary vascular resistance of Fontan candidates with pulmonary arterial distortion by means of pulmonary perfusion imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, In-Sam; Mizukami, Ayumi; Tomimatsu, Hirofumi; Kondou, Chisato; Nakanishi, Toshio; Nakazawa, Makoto; Momma, Kazuo

    1998-01-01

    We measured the distribution of blood flow to the right (R) and left lung (L) by means of pulmonary perfusion imaging and calculated pulmonary vascular resistance (Rp) in 13 patients, whose right and left pulmonary artery pressures were different by 2 to 9 mmHg due to pulmonary arterial distortion (5 interruption, 8 stenosis). The right lung/left lung blood flow ratio was determined and from the ratio and the total pulmonary blood flow, which was determined using the Fick's principle, the absolute values of right and left pulmonary blood flow were calculated. Using the right and left pulmonary blood flow and the right and left pulmonary arterial pressures, right and left pulmonary vascular resistance were calculated, separately. Vascular resistance of the whole lung (Rp) was then calculated using the following equation. 1/(Rp of total lung)=1/(Rp of right lung)+1/(Rp of left lung). Rp calculated from this equation was 1.8+/-0.8 U·m 2 and all values were less than 3 U·m 2 (range 0.3-2.8). Rp estimated from the conventional method using the total pulmonary blood flow and pulmonary arterial pressures, without using the right/left blood flow ratio, ranging from 0.4 to 3.8 U·m 2 and 5 of 13 patients showed Rp>3 U·m 2 . All patients underwent Fontan operation successfully. These data indicated that this method is useful to estimate Rp and to determine the indication of Fontan operation in patients with pulmonary arterial distortions. (author)

  17. Application of the pothole DAF method to vehicles traversing periodic roadway irregularities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pesterev, A. V.; Bergman, L. A.; Tan, C. A.; Yang, B.

    2005-01-01

    This paper is a sequel to the work discussed in Pesterev et al. (Journal of Sound and Vibration, in press). In that paper, it was suggested that the technique to determine the effect of a local road surface irregularity on the dynamics of a vehicle modelled as a linear multi-degree-of-freedom system relies on the so-called pothole dynamic amplification factor (DAF), which is a complex-valued function specific to the irregularity shape. This paper discusses the companion problem of how to determine the DAF function for an irregularity represented as a superposition of simpler ones. Another purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the application of the pothole DAF functions technique to finding a priori estimates of the effect of irregularities with a repeated structure. Specifically, we solve the problem of finding the conditions under which the dynamic effect of two identical potholes located one after another is greater than that due to the single pothole. We also find the estimate for the number of periods of a periodic irregularity that are sufficient in order to consider the oscillator response as steady state. The discussions are illustrated by numerical examples.

  18. Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... submissions. MORE We Imagine a World Without Pulmonary Fibrosis The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation mobilizes people and resources to provide ... its battle against the deadly lung disease, pulmonary fibrosis (PF). PULMONARY FIBROSIS WALK SURPASSES PARTICIPATION AND FUNDRAISING GOALS Nearly ...

  19. Irregular singularities in Liouville theory and Argyres-Douglas type gauge theories, I

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gaiotto, D. [Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), Princeton, NJ (United States); Teschner, J. [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany)

    2012-03-15

    Motivated by problems arising in the study of N=2 supersymmetric gauge theories we introduce and study irregular singularities in two-dimensional conformal field theory, here Liouville theory. Irregular singularities are associated to representations of the Virasoro algebra in which a subset of the annihilation part of the algebra act diagonally. In this paper we define natural bases for the space of conformal blocks in the presence of irregular singularities, describe how to calculate their series expansions, and how such conformal blocks can be constructed by some delicate limiting procedure from ordinary conformal blocks. This leads us to a proposal for the structure functions appearing in the decomposition of physical correlation functions with irregular singularities into conformal blocks. Taken together, we get a precise prediction for the partition functions of some Argyres-Douglas type theories on S{sup 4}. (orig.)

  20. Irregular singularities in Liouville theory and Argyres-Douglas type gauge theories, I

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gaiotto, D.; Teschner, J.

    2012-03-01

    Motivated by problems arising in the study of N=2 supersymmetric gauge theories we introduce and study irregular singularities in two-dimensional conformal field theory, here Liouville theory. Irregular singularities are associated to representations of the Virasoro algebra in which a subset of the annihilation part of the algebra act diagonally. In this paper we define natural bases for the space of conformal blocks in the presence of irregular singularities, describe how to calculate their series expansions, and how such conformal blocks can be constructed by some delicate limiting procedure from ordinary conformal blocks. This leads us to a proposal for the structure functions appearing in the decomposition of physical correlation functions with irregular singularities into conformal blocks. Taken together, we get a precise prediction for the partition functions of some Argyres-Douglas type theories on S 4 . (orig.)

  1. Pulmonary agenesis

    OpenAIRE

    Oyola, Mercedes; Pontificia Universidad Javeriana; Gordillo, Gisel; Pontificia Universidad Javeriana; García, Carlos A.; Pontificia Universidad Javeriana; Torres, David; Pontificia Universidad Javeriana

    2009-01-01

    Pulmonary agenesis is an infrequent pathology which occurs predominantly among females with no lateral preference. We report on the case of a newborn male diagnosed with prenatal diaphragm hernia though at birth seemed more likely either to be a congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation (congenital pulmonary airway malformation) or pulmonary agenesis. The patient died six days after birth and necropsy confirmed pulmonary agenesis. La agenesia pulmonar es una alteración poco frecuente, con...

  2. Pulmonary allergic reactions impair systemic vascular relaxation in ragweed sensitive mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hazarika, Surovi; Van Scott, Michael R; Lust, Robert M; Wingard, Christopher J

    2010-01-01

    Asthma is often associated with cardiovascular complications, and recent observations in animal models indicate that induction of pulmonary allergic inflammation increases susceptibility of the myocardium to ischemia and reperfusion injury. In this study, we used a murine model of allergen sensitization in which aspiration of allergen induces pulmonary and systemic inflammation, to test the hypothesis that pulmonary exposure to allergen alters vascular relaxation responses. BALB/C mice were sensitized by intraperitoneal injection of ragweed and challenged by intratracheal instillation of allergen. Airway hyperreactivity and pulmonary inflammation were confirmed, and endothelium-dependent and -independent reactivity of thoracic aorta rings were evaluated. Ragweed sensitization and challenge induced airway hyperreactivity to methacholine and pulmonary inflammation, but did not affect constrictor responses of the aortic rings to phenylephrine and K+ depolarization. In contrast, maximal relaxation of aortic rings to acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside decreased from 87.6±3.9% and 97.7±1.2% to 32±4% and 51±6%, respectively (p<0.05). The sensitivity to acetylcholine was likewise reduced (EC₅₀=0.26±0.05 μM vs. 1.09±0.16 μM, p<0.001). The results demonstrate that induction of allergic pulmonary inflammation in mice depresses endothelium-dependent and -independent vascular relaxation, which can contribute to cardiovascular complications associated with allergic inflammation. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Angiotensin II prevents hypoxic pulmonary hypertension and vascular changes in rat

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rabinovitch, M.; Mullen, M.; Rosenberg, H.C.; Maruyama, K.; O'Brodovich, H.; Olley, P.M.

    1988-01-01

    Angiotensin II, a vasoconstrictor, has been previously demonstrated to produce a secondary vasodilatation due to release of prostaglandins. Because of this effect, the authors investigated whether infusion of exogenous angiotensin II via miniosmopumps in rats during a 1-wk exposure to chronic hypobaric hypoxia might prevent pulmonary hypertension, right ventricular hypertrophy, and vascular changes. They instrumented the rats with indwelling cardiovascular catheters and compared the hemodynamic and structural response in animals given angiotensin II, indomethacin in addition to angiotensin II (to block prostaglandin production), or saline with or without indomethacin. They then determine whether angiotensin II infusion also prevents acute hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction. They observed that exogenous angiotensin II infusion abolished the rise in pulmonary artery pressure, the right ventricular hypertrophy, and the vascular changes induced during chronic hypoxia in control saline-infused rats with or without indomethacin. The protective effects of angiotensin II was lost when indomethacin was given to block prostaglandin synthesis. During acute hypoxia, both antiotensin II and prostacyclin infusion similarly prevented the rise in pulmonary artery pressure observed in saline-infused rats and in rats given indomethacin or saralasin in addition to angiotensin II. Thus exogenous angiotensin II infusion prevents chronic hypoxic pulmonary hypertension, associated right ventricular hypertrophy, and vascular changes and blocks acute hypoxic pulmonary hypertension, and this is likely related to its ability to release vasodilator prostaglandins

  4. Submillisievert standard-pitch CT pulmonary angiography with ultra-low dose contrast media administration: A comparison to standard CT imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suntharalingam, Saravanabavaan; Mikat, Christian; Stenzel, Elena; Erfanian, Youssef; Wetter, Axel; Schlosser, Thomas; Forsting, Michael; Nassenstein, Kai

    2017-01-01

    To evaluate the image quality and radiation dose of submillisievert standard-pitch CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) with ultra-low dose contrast media administration in comparison to standard CTPA. Hundred patients (56 females, 44 males, mean age 69.6±15.4 years; median BMI: 26.6, IQR: 5.9) with suspected pulmonary embolism were examined with two different protocols (n = 50 each, group A: 80 kVp, ref. mAs 115, 25 ml of contrast medium; group B: 100 kVp, ref. mAs 150, 60 ml of contrast medium) using a dual-source CT equipped with automated exposure control. Objective and subjective image qualities, radiation exposure as well as the frequency of pulmonary embolism were evaluated. There was no significant difference in subjective image quality scores between two groups regarding pulmonary arteries (p = 0.776), whereby the interobserver agreement was excellent (group A: k = 0.9; group B k = 1.0). Objective image analysis revealed that signal intensities (SI), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of the pulmonary arteries were equal or significantly higher in group B. There was no significant difference in the frequency of pulmonary embolism (p = 0.65). Using the low dose and low contrast media protocol resulted in a radiation dose reduction by 71.8% (2.4 vs. 0.7 mSv; pcontrast agent volume can obtain sufficient image quality to exclude or diagnose pulmonary emboli while reducing radiation dose by approximately 71%.

  5. Pulmonary Artery Dissection: A Fatal Complication of Pulmonary Hypertension

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chuanchen Zhang

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Pulmonary artery dissection is extremely rare but it is a really life-threatening condition when it happens. Most patients die suddenly from major bleeding or tamponade caused by direct rupture into mediastinum or retrograde into the pericardial sac. What we are reporting is a rare case of a 46-year-old female patient whose pulmonary artery dissection involves both the pulmonary valve and right pulmonary artery. The patient had acute chest pain and severe dyspnea, and the diagnosis of pulmonary artery dissection was confirmed by ultrasonography and CT angiography. Moreover, its etiology, clinical manifestations, and management are also discussed in this article.

  6. Pulmonary and Systemic Immune Response to Chronic Lunar Dust Inhalation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crucian, Brian; Quiriarte, Heather; Nelman, Mayra; Lam, Chiu-wing; James, John T.; Sams, Clarence

    2014-01-01

    Background: Due to millennia of meteorite impact with virtually no erosive effects, the surface of the Moon is covered by a layer of ultra-fine, reactive Lunar dust. Very little is known regarding the toxicity of Lunar dust on human physiology. Given the size and electrostatic characteristics of Lunar dust, countermeasures to ensure non-exposure of astronauts will be difficult. To ensure astronaut safety during any future prolonged Lunar missions, it is necessary to establish the effect of chronic pulmonary Lunar dust exposure on all physiological systems. Methods: This study assessed the toxicity of airborne lunar dust exposure in rats on pulmonary and system immune system parameters. Rats were exposed to 0, 20.8, or 60.8 mg/m3 of lunar dust (6h/d; 5d/wk) for up to 13 weeks. Sacrifices occurred after exposure durations of 1day, 7 days, 4 weeks and 13 weeks post-exposure, when both blood and lung lavage fluid were collected for analysis. Lavage and blood assays included leukocyte distribution by flow cytometry, electron/fluorescent microscopy, and cytokine concentration. Cytokine production profiles following mitogenic stimulation were performed on whole blood only. Results: Untreated lavage fluid was comprised primarily of pulmonary macrophages. Lunar dust inhalation resulted in an influx of neutrophils and lymphocytes. Although the percentage of lymphocytes increased, the T cell CD4:CD8 ratio was unchanged. Cytokine analysis of the lavage fluid showed increased levels of IL-1b and TNFa. These alterations generally persisted through the 13 week sampling. Blood analysis showed few systemic effects from the lunar dust inhalation. By week 4, the peripheral granulocyte percentage was elevated in the treated rats. Plasma cytokine levels were unchanged in all treated rats compared to controls. Peripheral blood analysis showed an increased granulocyte percentage and altered cytokine production profiles consisting of increased in IL-1b and IL-6, and decreased IL-2

  7. Effects of surface irregularities on intensity data from laser scanning: an experimental approach.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Teza

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available The results of an experiment carried out with the aim to investigate the role of surface irregularities on the intensity data provided by a terrestrial laser scanner (TLS survey are reported here. Depending on surface roughness, the interaction between an electromagnetic wave and microscopic irregularities leads to a Lambertian-like diffusive light reflection, allowing the TLS to receive the backscattered component of the signal. The described experiment consists in a series of TLS-based acquisitions of a rotating artificial target specifically conceived in order to highlight the effects on the intensity data due to surface irregularity. This target is articulated in a flat plate and in an irregular surface, whose macro-roughness has a characteristic length with the same order of the spot size. Results point out the different behavior of the plates. The intensity of the signal backscattered by the planar element decreases if the incidence angle increases, whereas the intensity of the signal backscattered by the irregular surface is almost constant if the incidence angle varies. Since the typical surfaces acquired in a geological/geophysical survey are generally irregular, these results imply that the intensity data can be easily used in order to evaluate the reflectance of the material at the considered wavelength, e.g. for pattern recognition purposes.

  8. Radar Observations of 8.3-m scale equatorial spread F irregularities over Trivandrum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. Tiwari

    2004-03-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we present observations of equatorial spread F (ESF irregularities made using a newly installed 18MHz radar located at Trivandrum. We characterize the morphology and the spectral parameters of the 8.3-m ESF irregularities which are found to be remarkably different from that observed so extensively at the 3-m scale size. We also present statistical results of the irregularities in the form of percentage occurrence of the echoes and spectral parameters (SNR, Doppler velocity, Spectral width. The Doppler spectra are narrower, less structured and less variable in time as compared to those observed for 3-m scale size. We have never observed the ESF irregularity velocities to be supersonic here unlike those at Jicamarca, and the velocities are found to be within ±200ms–1. The spectral widths are found to be less than 150ms–1. Hence, the velocities and spectral width both are smaller than those reported for 3-m scale size. The velocities and spectral widths are further found to be much smaller than those of the American sector. These observations are compared with those reported elsewhere and discussed in the light of present understanding on the ESF irregularities at different wavelengths. Key words. Ionoshphere (equatorial ionosphere, plasma waves and instabilities; ionospheric irregularities

  9. Modification of transmission dose algorithm for irregularly shaped radiation field and tissue deficit

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yun, Hyong Geon; Shin, Kyo Chul [Dankook Univ., College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Huh, Soon Nyung; Woo, Hong Gyun; Ha, Sung Whan [Seoul National Univ., College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Hyoung Koo [The Catholic Univ., College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2002-07-01

    Algorithm for estimation of transmission dose was modified for use in partially blocked radiation fields and in cases with tissue deficit. The beam data was measured with flat solid phantom in various conditions of beam block. And an algorithm for correction of transmission dose in cases of partially blocked radiation field was developed from the measured data. The algorithm was tested in some clinical settings with irregular shaped field. Also, another algorithm for correction of transmission dose for tissue deficit was developed by physical reasoning. This algorithm was tested in experimental settings with irregular contours mimicking breast cancer patients by using multiple sheets of solid phantoms. The algorithm for correction of beam block could accurately reflect the effect of beam block, with error within {+-}1.0%, both with square fields and irregularly shaped fields. The correction algorithm for tissue deficit could accurately reflect the effect of tissue deficit with errors within {+-}1.0% in most situations and within {+-}3.0% in experimental settings with irregular contours mimicking breast cancer treatment set-up. Developed algorithms could accurately estimate the transmission dose in most radiation treatment settings including irregularly shaped field and irregularly shaped body contour with tissue deficit in transmission dosimetry.

  10. Modification of transmission dose algorithm for irregularly shaped radiation field and tissue deficit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yun, Hyong Geon; Shin, Kyo Chul; Huh, Soon Nyung; Woo, Hong Gyun; Ha, Sung Whan; Lee, Hyoung Koo

    2002-01-01

    Algorithm for estimation of transmission dose was modified for use in partially blocked radiation fields and in cases with tissue deficit. The beam data was measured with flat solid phantom in various conditions of beam block. And an algorithm for correction of transmission dose in cases of partially blocked radiation field was developed from the measured data. The algorithm was tested in some clinical settings with irregular shaped field. Also, another algorithm for correction of transmission dose for tissue deficit was developed by physical reasoning. This algorithm was tested in experimental settings with irregular contours mimicking breast cancer patients by using multiple sheets of solid phantoms. The algorithm for correction of beam block could accurately reflect the effect of beam block, with error within ±1.0%, both with square fields and irregularly shaped fields. The correction algorithm for tissue deficit could accurately reflect the effect of tissue deficit with errors within ±1.0% in most situations and within ±3.0% in experimental settings with irregular contours mimicking breast cancer treatment set-up. Developed algorithms could accurately estimate the transmission dose in most radiation treatment settings including irregularly shaped field and irregularly shaped body contour with tissue deficit in transmission dosimetry

  11. Medical countermeasure against respiratory toxicity and acute lung injury following inhalation exposure to chemical warfare nerve agent VX

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nambiar, Madhusoodana P.; Gordon, Richard K.; Rezk, Peter E.; Katos, Alexander M.; Wajda, Nikolai A.; Moran, Theodore S.; Steele, Keith E.; Doctor, Bhupendra P.; Sciuto, Alfred M.

    2007-01-01

    To develop therapeutics against lung injury and respiratory toxicity following nerve agent VX exposure, we evaluated the protective efficacy of a number of potential pulmonary therapeutics. Guinea pigs were exposed to 27.03 mg/m 3 of VX or saline using a microinstillation inhalation exposure technique for 4 min and then the toxicity was assessed. Exposure to this dose of VX resulted in a 24-h survival rate of 52%. There was a significant increase in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) protein, total cell number, and cell death. Surprisingly, direct pulmonary treatment with surfactant, liquivent, N-acetylcysteine, dexamethasone, or anti-sense syk oligonucleotides 2 min post-exposure did not significantly increase the survival rate of VX-exposed guinea pigs. Further blocking the nostrils, airway, and bronchioles, VX-induced viscous mucous secretions were exacerbated by these aerosolized treatments. To overcome these events, we developed a strategy to protect the animals by treatment with atropine. Atropine inhibits muscarinic stimulation and markedly reduces the copious airway secretion following nerve agent exposure. Indeed, post-exposure treatment with atropine methyl bromide, which does not cross the blood-brain barrier, resulted in 100% survival of VX-exposed animals. Bronchoalveolar lavage from VX-exposed and atropine-treated animals exhibited lower protein levels, cell number, and cell death compared to VX-exposed controls, indicating less lung injury. When pulmonary therapeutics were combined with atropine, significant protection to VX-exposure was observed. These results indicate that combinations of pulmonary therapeutics with atropine or drugs that inhibit mucous secretion are important for the treatment of respiratory toxicity and lung injury following VX exposure

  12. PERIODIC ORBIT FAMILIES IN THE GRAVITATIONAL FIELD OF IRREGULAR-SHAPED BODIES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jiang, Yu [State Key Laboratory of Astronautic Dynamics, Xi’an Satellite Control Center, Xi’an 710043 (China); Baoyin, Hexi, E-mail: jiangyu_xian_china@163.com [School of Aerospace Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

    2016-11-01

    The discovery of binary and triple asteroids in addition to the execution of space missions to minor celestial bodies in the past several years have focused increasing attention on periodic orbits around irregular-shaped celestial bodies. In the present work, we adopt a polyhedron shape model for providing an accurate representation of irregular-shaped bodies and employ the model to calculate their corresponding gravitational and effective potentials. We also investigate the characteristics of periodic orbit families and the continuation of periodic orbits. We prove a fact, which provides a conserved quantity that permits restricting the number of periodic orbits in a fixed energy curved surface about an irregular-shaped body. The collisions of Floquet multipliers are maintained during the continuation of periodic orbits around the comet 1P/Halley. Multiple bifurcations in the periodic orbit families about irregular-shaped bodies are also discussed. Three bifurcations in the periodic orbit family have been found around the asteroid 216 Kleopatra, which include two real saddle bifurcations and one period-doubling bifurcation.

  13. PERIODIC ORBIT FAMILIES IN THE GRAVITATIONAL FIELD OF IRREGULAR-SHAPED BODIES

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiang, Yu; Baoyin, Hexi

    2016-01-01

    The discovery of binary and triple asteroids in addition to the execution of space missions to minor celestial bodies in the past several years have focused increasing attention on periodic orbits around irregular-shaped celestial bodies. In the present work, we adopt a polyhedron shape model for providing an accurate representation of irregular-shaped bodies and employ the model to calculate their corresponding gravitational and effective potentials. We also investigate the characteristics of periodic orbit families and the continuation of periodic orbits. We prove a fact, which provides a conserved quantity that permits restricting the number of periodic orbits in a fixed energy curved surface about an irregular-shaped body. The collisions of Floquet multipliers are maintained during the continuation of periodic orbits around the comet 1P/Halley. Multiple bifurcations in the periodic orbit families about irregular-shaped bodies are also discussed. Three bifurcations in the periodic orbit family have been found around the asteroid 216 Kleopatra, which include two real saddle bifurcations and one period-doubling bifurcation.

  14. Retrograde pulmonary arteriography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Calcaterra, G.; Lam, J.; Losekoot, T.G.

    1984-01-01

    The authors performed retrograde pulmonary arteriography by means of a pulmonary venous wedge injection in 10 patients with no demonstrable intrapericardial pulmonary arteries by 'conventional' angiographic techniques. In all cases but one, the procedure demonstrated the feasibility of a further operation. No complications were observed. Retrograde pulmonary arteriography is an important additional method for determining the existence of surgically accessible pulmonary arteries when other techniques have failed. (Auth.)

  15. Short-term magnetic field alignment variations of equatorial ionospheric irregularities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johnson, A.L.

    1988-01-01

    The ionospheric irregularities that cause equatorial scintillation are elongated along the north-south magnetic field lines. During a 1981 field campaign at Ascension Island, 250-MHz receivers were spaced from 300 m to 1.6 km along the field lines, and the signals received from the Marisat satellite were cross correlated. Data collected during eight nights of fading showed a linear relationship between fading rate and cross correlation. The alignment of the antennas was adjusted to give a zero time lag between the widely spaced receivers with a measurement accuracy of 0.03 s. Since the average irregularity velocity was 125 m/s, this time accuracy translated to an angular measurement accuracy of 0.1 deg. During a 4-hour period of nightly fading, occasional differences in time of arrival were noted that corresponded to a tilt in the north-south alignment of + or - 1 deg. Data from several nights of fading were analyzed, and each night exhibited the same variance in the north-south irregularity alignment. It is postulated that the shift in the measured peak correlation may have been caused by patches of irregularities at different altitudes where the magnetic field lines have a slightly different direction. 13 references

  16. On the Total Edge Irregularity Strength of Generalized Butterfly Graph

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dwi Wahyuna, Hafidhyah; Indriati, Diari

    2018-04-01

    Let G(V, E) be a connected, simple, and undirected graph with vertex set V and edge set E. A total k-labeling is a map that carries vertices and edges of a graph G into a set of positive integer labels {1, 2, …, k}. An edge irregular total k-labeling λ: V(G) ∪ E(G) → {1, 2, …, k} of a graph G is a total k-labeling such that the weights calculated for all edges are distinct. The weight of an edge uv in G, denoted by wt(uv), is defined as the sum of the label of u, the label of v, and the label of uv. The total edge irregularity strength of G, denoted by tes(G), is the minimum value of the largest label k over all such edge irregular total k-labelings. A generalized butterfly graph, BFn , obtained by inserting vertices to every wing with assumption that sum of inserting vertices to every wing are same then it has 2n + 1 vertices and 4n ‑ 2 edges. In this paper, we investigate the total edge irregularity strength of generalized butterfly graph, BFn , for n > 2. The result is tes(B{F}n)=\\lceil \\frac{4n}{3}\\rceil .

  17. Elevated plasma endothelin-1 and pulmonary arterial pressure in children exposed to air pollution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calderón-Garcidueñas, Lilian; Vincent, Renaud; Mora-Tiscareño, Antonieta; Franco-Lira, Maricela; Henríquez-Roldán, Carlos; Barragán-Mejía, Gerardo; Garrido-García, Luis; Camacho-Reyes, Laura; Valencia-Salazar, Gildardo; Paredes, Rogelio; Romero, Lina; Osnaya, Hector; Villarreal-Calderón, Rafael; Torres-Jardón, Ricardo; Hazucha, Milan J; Reed, William

    2007-08-01

    Controlled exposures of animals and humans to particulate matter (PM) or ozone air pollution cause an increase in plasma levels of endothelin-1, a potent vasoconstrictor that regulates pulmonary arterial pressure. The primary objective of this field study was to determine whether Mexico City children, who are chronically exposed to levels of PM and O(3) that exceed the United States air quality standards, have elevated plasma endothelin-1 levels and pulmonary arterial pressures. We conducted a study of 81 children, 7.9 +/- 1.3 years of age, lifelong residents of either northeast (n = 19) or southwest (n = 40) Mexico City or Polotitlán (n = 22), a control city with PM and O(3) levels below the U.S. air quality standards. Clinical histories, physical examinations, and complete blood counts were done. Plasma endothelin-1 concentrations were determined by immunoassay, and pulmonary arterial pressures were measured by Doppler echocardiography. Mexico City children had higher plasma endothelin-1 concentrations compared with controls (p < 0.001). Mean pulmonary arterial pressure was elevated in children from both northeast (p < 0.001) and southwest (p < 0.05) Mexico City compared with controls. Endothelin-1 levels in Mexico City children were positively correlated with daily outdoor hours (p = 0.012), and 7-day cumulative levels of PM air pollution < 2.5 mum in aerodynamic diameter (PM(2.5)) before endothelin-1 measurement (p = 0.03). Chronic exposure of children to PM(2.5) is associated with increased levels of circulating endothelin-1 and elevated mean pulmonary arterial pressure.

  18. Elevated Plasma Endothelin-1 and Pulmonary Arterial Pressure in Children Exposed to Air Pollution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calderón-Garcidueñas, Lilian; Vincent, Renaud; Mora-Tiscareño, Antonieta; Franco-Lira, Maricela; Henríquez-Roldán, Carlos; Barragán-Mejía, Gerardo; Garrido-García, Luis; Camacho-Reyes, Laura; Valencia-Salazar, Gildardo; Paredes, Rogelio; Romero, Lina; Osnaya, Hector; Villarreal-Calderón, Rafael; Torres-Jardón, Ricardo; Hazucha, Milan J.; Reed, William

    2007-01-01

    Background Controlled exposures of animals and humans to particulate matter (PM) or ozone air pollution cause an increase in plasma levels of endothelin-1, a potent vasoconstrictor that regulates pulmonary arterial pressure. Objectives The primary objective of this field study was to determine whether Mexico City children, who are chronically exposed to levels of PM and O3 that exceed the United States air quality standards, have elevated plasma endothelin-1 levels and pulmonary arterial pressures. Methods We conducted a study of 81 children, 7.9 ± 1.3 years of age, lifelong residents of either northeast (n = 19) or southwest (n = 40) Mexico City or Polotitlán (n = 22), a control city with PM and O3 levels below the U.S. air quality standards. Clinical histories, physical examinations, and complete blood counts were done. Plasma endothelin-1 concentrations were determined by immunoassay, and pulmonary arterial pressures were measured by Doppler echocardiography. Results Mexico City children had higher plasma endothelin-1 concentrations compared with controls (p < 0.001). Mean pulmonary arterial pressure was elevated in children from both northeast (p < 0.001) and southwest (p < 0.05) Mexico City compared with controls. Endothelin-1 levels in Mexico City children were positively correlated with daily outdoor hours (p = 0.012), and 7-day cumulative levels of PM air pollution < 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) before endothelin-1 measurement (p = 0.03). Conclusions Chronic exposure of children to PM2.5 is associated with increased levels of circulating endothelin-1 and elevated mean pulmonary arterial pressure. PMID:17687455

  19. Crystalline silica is a negative modifier of pulmonary cytochrome P-4501A1 induction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Battelli, L.A.; Ghanem, M.M.; Kashon, M.L.; Barger, M.; Ma, J.Y.C.; Simoskevitz, R.L.; Miles, P.R.; Hubbs, A.F. [NIOSH, Morgantown, WV (United States). Health Effects Laboratory Division

    2008-07-01

    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are products of incomplete combustion that are commonly inhaled by workers in the dusty trades. Many PAHs are metabolized by cytochrome P-4501A1 (CYP1A1), which may facilitate excretion but may activate pulmonary carcinogens. PAHs also stimulate their own metabolism by inducing CYP1A1. Recent studies suggest that respirable coal dust exposure inhibits induction of pulmonary CYP1A1 using the model PAH {beta}-naphthoflavone. The effect of the occupational particulate respirable crystalline silica was investigated on PAH-dependent pulmonary CYP1A1 induction. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to intratracheal silica or vehicle and then intraperitoneal {beta}-naphthoflavone, a CYP1A1 inducer, and/or phenobarbital, an inducer of hepatic CYP2B1, or vehicle. {beta}-Naphthoflavone induced pulmonary CYP1A1, but silica attenuated this {beta}-naphthoflavone-induced CYP1A1 activity and also suppressed the activity of CYP2B1, the major constituitive CYP in rat lung. The magnitude of CYP activity suppression was similar regardless of silica exposure dose within a range of 5 to 20 mg/rat. Phenobarbital and beta-naphthoflavone had no effect on pulmonary CYP2B1 activity. Both enzymatic immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescent staining for CYP1A1 indicated that sites of CYP1A1 induction were nonciliated airway epithelial cells, endothelial cells, and the alveolar septum. Our findings suggest that in PAH-exposed rat lung, silica is a negative modifier of CYP1A1 induction and CYP2B1 activity.

  20. Diesel exhaust induced pulmonary and cardiovascular impairment: The role of hypertension intervention

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kodavanti, Urmila P., E-mail: kodavanti.urmila@epa.gov [Environmental Public Health Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL), Office of Research and Development (ORD), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711 (United States); Thomas, Ronald F.; Ledbetter, Allen D.; Schladweiler, Mette C.; Bass, Virginia; Krantz, Q. Todd; King, Charly [Environmental Public Health Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL), Office of Research and Development (ORD), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711 (United States); Nyska, Abraham [Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv (Israel); Richards, Judy E. [Environmental Public Health Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL), Office of Research and Development (ORD), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711 (United States); Andrews, Debora [Research Core Unit, NHEERL, ORD, U.S. EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711 (United States); Gilmour, M. Ian [Environmental Public Health Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL), Office of Research and Development (ORD), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711 (United States)

    2013-04-15

    Exposure to diesel exhaust (DE) and associated gases is linked to cardiovascular impairments; however, the susceptibility of hypertensive individuals is poorly understood. The objectives of this study were (1) to determine cardiopulmonary effects of gas-phase versus whole-DE and (2) to examine the contribution of systemic hypertension in pulmonary and cardiovascular effects. Male Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats were treated with hydralazine to reduce blood pressure (BP) or L-NAME to increase BP. Spontaneously hypertensive (SH) rats were treated with hydralazine to reduce BP. Control and drug-pretreated rats were exposed to air, particle-filtered exhaust (gas), or whole DE (1500 μg/m{sup 3}), 4 h/day for 2 days or 5 days/week for 4 weeks. Acute and 4-week gas and DE exposures increased neutrophils and γ-glutamyl transferase (γ-GT) activity in lavage fluid of WKY and SH rats. DE (4 weeks) caused pulmonary albumin leakage and inflammation in SH rats. Two-day DE increased serum fatty acid binding protein-3 (FABP-3) in WKY. Marked increases occurred in aortic mRNA after 4-week DE in SH (eNOS, TF, tPA, TNF-α, MMP-2, RAGE, and HMGB-1). Hydralazine decreased BP in SH while L-NAME tended to increase BP in WKY; however, neither changed inflammation nor BALF γ-GT. DE-induced and baseline BALF albumin leakage was reduced by hydralazine in SH rats and increased by L-NAME in WKY rats. Hydralazine pretreatment reversed DE-induced TF, tPA, TNF-α, and MMP-2 expression but not eNOS, RAGE, and HMGB-1. ET-1 was decreased by HYD. In conclusion, antihypertensive drug treatment reduces gas and DE-induced pulmonary protein leakage and expression of vascular atherogenic markers. - Highlights: ► Acute diesel exhaust exposure induces pulmonary inflammation in healthy rats. ► In hypertensive rats diesel exhaust effects are seen only after long term exposure. ► Normalizing blood pressure reverses lung protein leakage caused by diesel exhaust. ► Normalizing blood pressure reverses

  1. Exploring Manycore Multinode Systems for Irregular Applications with FPGA Prototyping

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ceriani, Marco; Palermo, Gianluca; Secchi, Simone; Tumeo, Antonino; Villa, Oreste

    2013-04-29

    We present a prototype of a multi-core architecture implemented on FPGA, designed to enable efficient execution of irregular applications on distributed shared memory machines, while maintaining high performance on regular workloads. The architecture is composed of off-the-shelf soft-core cores, local interconnection and memory interface, integrated with custom components that optimize it for irregular applications. It relies on three key elements: a global address space, multithreading, and fine-grained synchronization. Global addresses are scrambled to reduce the formation of network hot-spots, while the latency of the transactions is covered by integrating an hardware scheduler within the custom load/store buffers to take advantage from the availability of multiple executions threads, increasing the efficiency in a transparent way to the application. We evaluated a dual node system irregular kernels showing scalability in the number of cores and threads.

  2. Evaluation of pulmonary artery flow in acute massive pulmonary thromboembolism with MRI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Yongzhong; Li Kuncheng; Zhao Xigang; Zhao Hong

    2004-01-01

    Objective: To probe into the value of MR imaging in evaluating the pulmonary artery hemodynamics and pulmonary artery pressure in acute massive pulmonary embolism. Methods: MR studies were performed in 21 patients with acute massive pulmonary embolism (diagnosed by contrast enhanced MR pulmonary angiography) and 20 healthy volunteers. The pulmonary artery hemodynamic parameters, such as the diameters of main and right pulmonary artery, peak velocity, average velocity, flow volume, flow patterns, and ejection acceleration time in main pulmonary artery were measured. The findings in patients and volunteers were compared. The hemodynamic parameters in patients were correlated with mean pulmonary artery pressure acquired with right heart catheterization. Results: The diameters of main pulmonary artery (2.93 vs 2.52 cm) and right pulmonary artery (2.49 vs 1.92 cm) in patients and volunteers showed significant differences (t=3.55, P<0.01 and t=4.19, P<0.01, respectively); Peak velocity (85.29 vs 100.63 cm/s), average velocity (11.00 vs 17.12 cm/s), flow volume (89.15 vs 98.96 ml/s), and ejection acceleration time (105.09 vs 163.85 ms) in main pulmonary artery were significantly different between patients and volunteers (t values were 2.89, 6.37, 2.21, and 9.46, respectively; P values were 0.01, <0.01, 0.03, and <0.01, respectively). The peak velocity-time curve of main pulmonary artery acquired with velocity encoded cine of MR in patients demonstrated earlier and lower peak velocity as well as abnormal retrograde flow. In addition, linear correlations were seen between the mean pulmonary pressure and the diameter of main pulmonary artery (r=0.62, P=0.001), diameter of right pulmonary artery (r=0.63, P=0.001), and ejection acceleration time (r=-0.55, P=0.005). Conclusion: MR imaging is a promising technique not only for the detection of pulmonary thromboemboli but also for the evaluation of hemodynamic parameters in pulmonary hypertension. (author)

  3. Surface area-dependence of gas-particle interactions influences pulmonary and neuroinflammatory outcomes

    OpenAIRE

    Tyler, Christina R.; Zychowski, Katherine E.; Sanchez, Bethany N.; Rivero, Valeria; Lucas, Selita; Herbert, Guy; Liu, June; Irshad, Hammad; McDonald, Jacob D.; Bleske, Barry E.; Campen, Matthew J.

    2016-01-01

    Background Deleterious consequences of exposure to traffic emissions may derive from interactions between carbonaceous particulate matter (PM) and gaseous components in a manner that is dependent on the surface area or complexity of the particles. To determine the validity of this hypothesis, we examined pulmonary and neurological inflammatory outcomes in C57BL/6 and apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE?/?) male mice after acute and chronic exposure to vehicle engine-derived particulate matter, ge...

  4. Pulmonary artery pulse pressure and wave reflection in chronic pulmonary thromboembolism and primary pulmonary hypertension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castelain, V; Hervé, P; Lecarpentier, Y; Duroux, P; Simonneau, G; Chemla, D

    2001-03-15

    The purpose of this time-domain study was to compare pulmonary artery (PA) pulse pressure and wave reflection in chronic pulmonary thromboembolism (CPTE) and primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH). Pulmonary artery pressure waveform analysis provides a simple and accurate estimation of right ventricular afterload in the time-domain. Chronic pulmonary thromboembolism and PPH are both responsible for severe pulmonary hypertension. Chronic pulmonary thromboembolism and PPH predominantly involve proximal and distal arteries, respectively, and may lead to differences in PA pressure waveform. High-fidelity PA pressure was recorded in 14 patients (7 men/7 women, 46 +/- 14 years) with CPTE (n = 7) and PPH (n = 7). We measured thermodilution cardiac output, mean PA pressure (MPAP), PA pulse pressure (PAPP = systolic - diastolic PAP) and normalized PAPP (nPAPP = PPAP/MPAP). Wave reflection was quantified by measuring Ti, that is, the time between pressure upstroke and the systolic inflection point (Pi), deltaP, that is, the systolic PAP minus Pi difference, and the augmentation index (deltaP/PPAP). At baseline, CPTE and PPH had similar cardiac index (2.4 +/- 0.4 vs. 2.5 +/- 0.5 l/min/m2), mean PAP (59 +/- 9 vs. 59 +/- 10 mm Hg), PPAP (57 +/- 13 vs. 53 +/- 13 mm Hg) and nPPAP (0.97 +/- 0.16 vs. 0.89 +/- 0.13). Chronic pulmonary thromboembolism had shorter Ti (90 +/- 17 vs. 126 +/- 16 ms, p PPAP (0.26 +/- 0.01 vs. 0.09 +/- 0.07, p < 0.01). Our study indicated that: 1) CPTE and PPH with severe pulmonary hypertension had similar PA pulse pressure, and 2) wave reflection is elevated in both groups, and CPTE had increased and anticipated wave reflection as compared with PPH, thus suggesting differences in the pulsatile component of right ventricular afterload.

  5. Pulmonary function in infants with swallowing dysfunction.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    James D Tutor

    Full Text Available Swallowing dysfunction can lead to recurring aspiration and is frequently associated with chronic symptoms such as cough and wheezing in infants. Our objective was to describe the characteristics of infants with swallowing dysfunction, determine if pulmonary function abnormalities are detectable, and if they improve after therapy.We studied 38 infants with a history of coughing and wheezing who had pulmonary function tests performed within two weeks of their diagnosis of swallowing dysfunction. The raised lung volume rapid thoracoabdominal compression technique was used. After 6 months of therapy, 17 of the infants repeated the tests.Initially, 25 had abnormal spirometry, 18 had abnormal plethysmography, and 15 demonstrated bronchodilator responsiveness. Six months later test were repeated for seventeen patients. Ten patients had continued abnormal spirometry, two patients remained normal, three patients' abnormal spirometry had normalized, and two patients' previously normal studies became abnormal. Eight of the 17 patients had continued abnormal plethysmography, six had continued normal plethysmography, and three patients' normal plethysmography became abnormal. After 6 months of treatment, eight patients demonstrated bronchodilator responsiveness, of which five continued to demonstrate bronchodilator responsiveness and three developed responsiveness. The remainder either continued to be non- bronchodilator responsive (two or lost responsiveness (three. The findings of the abnormal tests in most infants tested is complicated by frequent occurrence of other co-morbidities in this population, including gastroesophageal reflux in 23 and passive smoke exposure in 13 of the infants.The interpretation of lung function changes is complicated by the frequent association of swallowing dysfunction with gastroesophageal reflux and passive smoke exposure in this population. Six months of medical therapy for swallowing dysfunction/gastroesophageal reflux

  6. In Vitro Exposure Systems and Dosimetry Assessment Tools ...

    Science.gov (United States)

    In 2009, the passing of The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act facilitated the establishment of the FDA Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) and gave it regulatory authority over the marketing, manufacture and distribution of tobacco products, including those termed “modified risk”. On 4-6 April 2016, the Institute for In Vitro Sciences, Inc. (IIVS) convened a workshop conference titled “In Vitro Exposure Systems and Dosimetry Assessment Tools for Inhaled Tobacco Products” to bring together stakeholders representing regulatory agencies, academia, and industry to address the research priorities articulated by the FDA CTP. Specific topics were covered to assess the status of current in vitro smoke and aerosol/vapor exposure systems, as well as the various approaches and challenges to quantifying the complex exposures, in in vitro pulmonary models developed for evaluating adverse pulmonary events resulting from tobacco product exposures. The four core topics covered were, 1) Tobacco Smoke And E-Cigarette Aerosols, 2) Air-Liquid Interface-In Vitro Exposure Systems, 3) Dosimetry Approaches For Particles And Vapors; In Vitro Dosimetry Determinations and 4) Exposure Microenvironment/Physiology Of Cells. The two and a half day workshop included presentations from 20 expert speakers, poster sessions, networking discussions, and breakout sessions which identified key findings and provided recommendations to advance these technologies. Here, we will re

  7. Factors influencing the reading of small irregular opacities in a radiological survey of asbestos miners in South Africa

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sluis-Cremer, G.K.; Hessel, P.A.; Hinizdo, E.

    1989-01-01

    A cross-sectional radiological survey of 2 245 men who were employed in South African asbestos mines was conducted in 1976. Since 1976, the lungs of 172 of these men who died have been examined to establish the presence of asbestosis or other pneumoconiosis. The x-ray readings (ILO/UC 1971) were compared with the pathological findings. A high prevalence of false positive readings, particularly for two of the three readers, was found. False negative readings were also very prevalent. Detailed information about asbestos and other mining exposure, smoking habit, age, height, and weight were examined to determine what influence they may have had in inducing false positive findings. Other dust exposure and smoking appeared to be possible factors, whereas age and obesity were probably not. It is suggested that the term small irregular opacities requires more precise definition

  8. Seismic performance for vertical geometric irregularity frame structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ismail, R.; Mahmud, N. A.; Ishak, I. S.

    2018-04-01

    This research highlights the result of vertical geometric irregularity frame structures. The aid of finite element analysis software, LUSAS was used to analyse seismic performance by focusing particularly on type of irregular frame on the differences in height floors and continued in the middle of the building. Malaysia’s building structures were affected once the earthquake took place in the neighbouring country such as Indonesia (Sumatera Island). In Malaysia, concrete is widely used in building construction and limited tension resistance to prevent it. Analysing structural behavior with horizontal and vertical static load is commonly analyses by using the Plane Frame Analysis. The case study of this research is to determine the stress and displacement in the seismic response under this type of irregular frame structures. This study is based on seven-storey building of Clinical Training Centre located in Sungai Buloh, Selayang, Selangor. Since the largest earthquake occurs in Acheh, Indonesia on December 26, 2004, the data was recorded and used in conducting this research. The result of stress and displacement using IMPlus seismic analysis in LUSAS Modeller Software under the seismic response of a formwork frame system states that the building is safe to withstand the ground and in good condition under the variation of seismic performance.

  9. [Pulmonary function in patients with infiltrative pulmonary tuberculosis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nefedov, V B; Popova, L A; Shergina, E A

    2007-01-01

    Vital capacity (VC), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), FEV1/VC%, PEF, MEF25, MEF50, MEF75, TLC, TGV, pulmonary residual volume (PRV), R(aw), R(in),, R(ex), DLCO-SB, DLCO-SS, PaO2, and PaCO2 were determined in 103 patients with infiltrative pulmonary tuberculosis. Pulmonary dysfunction was detected in 83.5% of the patients. Changes were found in lung volumes and capacities in 63.1%, impaired bronchial patency and pulmonary gas exchange dysfunction were in 60.2 and 41.7%, respectively. The changes in pulmonary volumes and capacities appeared as increased PRV, decreased VC and FVC, and decreased and increased TGV and TLC; impaired bronchial patency presented as decreased PEF, MEF25, MEF50, MEF75, FEV1/VC% and increased R(aw) R(in), and R(ex); pulmonary gas exchange dysfunction manifested itself as reduced DLCO-SB, DLCO-SS, and PaO2 and decreased and increased PaCO2. The magnitude of the observed functional changes was generally slight. Significant disorders were observed rarely and very pronounced ones were exceptional.

  10. [Pulmonary function in patients with disseminated pulmonary tuberculosis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nefedov, V B; Shergina, E A; Popova, L A

    2007-01-01

    Vital capacity (VC), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), FEV1/VC%, PEF, MEF25%, MEF50%, MEF75%, TLS, TGV, pulmonary residual volume (PRV), Raw, Rin, Rex, DLCO-SB, DLCO-SS, PaO2, and PaCO2 were determined in 29 patients with disseminated pulmonary tuberculosis. Pulmonary dysfunction was detected in 93.1% of the patients. Changes were found in lung volumes and capacities in 65.5%, impaired bronchial patency and pulmonary gas exchange dysfunction were in 79.3 and 37.9%, respectively. The changes in pulmonary volumes and capacities appeared as increased PRV, decreased VC, FVC, and TLS, decreased and increased TGV; impaired bronchial patency presented as decreased PEF, MEF25%, MEF50%, MEF75%, and FEV1/VC% and increased Raw, Rin, and Rex; pulmonary gas exchange dysfunction manifested itself as reduced DLCO-SS and PaO2 and decreased and increased PaCO2. The observed functional changes varied from slight to significant and pronounced with a preponderance of small disorders, a lower detection rate of significant disorders, and rare detection of very pronounced ones.

  11. Simulating Seismic Wave Propagation in Viscoelastic Media with an Irregular Free Surface

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xiaobo; Chen, Jingyi; Zhao, Zhencong; Lan, Haiqiang; Liu, Fuping

    2018-05-01

    In seismic numerical simulations of wave propagation, it is very important for us to consider surface topography and attenuation, which both have large effects (e.g., wave diffractions, conversion, amplitude/phase change) on seismic imaging and inversion. An irregular free surface provides significant information for interpreting the characteristics of seismic wave propagation in areas with rugged or rapidly varying topography, and viscoelastic media are a better representation of the earth's properties than acoustic/elastic media. In this study, we develop an approach for seismic wavefield simulation in 2D viscoelastic isotropic media with an irregular free surface. Based on the boundary-conforming grid method, the 2D time-domain second-order viscoelastic isotropic equations and irregular free surface boundary conditions are transferred from a Cartesian coordinate system to a curvilinear coordinate system. Finite difference operators with second-order accuracy are applied to discretize the viscoelastic wave equations and the irregular free surface in the curvilinear coordinate system. In addition, we select the convolutional perfectly matched layer boundary condition in order to effectively suppress artificial reflections from the edges of the model. The snapshot and seismogram results from numerical tests show that our algorithm successfully simulates seismic wavefields (e.g., P-wave, Rayleigh wave and converted waves) in viscoelastic isotropic media with an irregular free surface.

  12. High risks of lung disease associated with early-life and moderate lifetime arsenic exposure in northern Chile

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Steinmaus, Craig, E-mail: craigs@berkeley.edu [Arsenic Health Effects Research Program, UC Berkeley School of Public Health, Berkeley, CA (United States); Ferreccio, Catterina; Acevedo, Johanna [School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago (Chile); Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases (ACCDiS), FONDAP, Santiago (Chile); Balmes, John R [Arsenic Health Effects Research Program, UC Berkeley School of Public Health, Berkeley, CA (United States); Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA (United States); Liaw, Jane [Arsenic Health Effects Research Program, UC Berkeley School of Public Health, Berkeley, CA (United States); Troncoso, Patricia [Laboratorio de Anatomía Patológica Dra. Patricia Troncoso, Iquique (Chile); Hospital Felix Bulnes, Departmento de Anatomía Patológica, Santiago (Chile); Dauphiné, David C [Arsenic Health Effects Research Program, UC Berkeley School of Public Health, Berkeley, CA (United States); Nardone, Anthony [Global Health Sciences Program, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA (United States); Smith, Allan H [Arsenic Health Effects Research Program, UC Berkeley School of Public Health, Berkeley, CA (United States)

    2016-12-15

    Background: Arsenic in drinking water has been associated with increases in lung disease, but information on the long-term impacts of early-life exposure or moderate exposure levels are limited. Methods: We investigated pulmonary disease and lung function in 795 subjects from three socio-demographically similar areas in northern Chile: Antofagasta, which had a well-described period of high arsenic water concentrations (860 μg/L) from 1958 to 1970; Iquique, which had long-term arsenic water concentrations near 60 μg/L; and Arica, with long-term water concentrations ≤ 10 μg/L. Results: Compared to adults never exposed > 10 μg/L, adults born in Antofagasta during the high exposure period had elevated odds ratios (OR) of respiratory symptoms (e.g., OR for shortness of breath = 5.56, 90% confidence interval (CI): 2.68–11.5), and decreases in pulmonary function (e.g., 224 mL decrease in forced vital capacity in nonsmokers, 90% CI: 97–351 mL). Subjects with long-term exposure to arsenic water concentrations near 60 μg/L also had increases in some pulmonary symptoms and reduced lung function. Conclusions: Overall, these findings provide new evidence that in utero or childhood arsenic exposure is associated with non-malignant pulmonary disease in adults. They also provide preliminary new evidence that long-term exposures to moderate levels of arsenic may be associated with lung toxicity, although the magnitude of these latter findings were greater than expected and should be confirmed. - Highlights: • Based on its unique geology, lifetime arsenic exposure can be assessed in north Chile. • Signs and symptoms of lung disease were associated with early-life arsenic exposure. • Evidence of lung disease was also associated with moderate arsenic exposure.

  13. Prothymosin α overexpression contributes to the development of pulmonary emphysema

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Bing-Hua; Tseng, Yau-Lin; Shieh, Gia-Shing; Chen, Yi-Cheng; Shiang, Ya-Chieh; Wu, Pensee; Li, Kuo-Jung; Yen, Te-Hsin; Shiau, Ai-Li; Wu, Chao-Liang

    2013-01-01

    Emphysema is one of the disease conditions that comprise chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Prothymosin α transgenic mice exhibit an emphysema phenotype, but the pathophysiological role of prothymosin α in emphysema remains unclear. Here we show that prothymosin α contributes to the pathogenesis of emphysema by increasing acetylation of histones and nuclear factor-kappaB, particularly upon cigarette smoke exposure. We find a positive correlation between prothymosin α levels and the severity of emphysema in prothymosin α transgenic mice and emphysema patients. Prothymosin α overexpression increases susceptibility to cigarette smoke-induced emphysema, and cigarette smoke exposure further enhances prothymosin α expression. We show that prothymosin α inhibits the association of histone deacetylases with histones and nuclear factor-kappaB, and that prothymosin α overexpression increases expression of nuclear factor-kappaB-dependent matrix metalloproteinase 2 and matrix metalloproteinase 9, which are found in the lungs of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. These results demonstrate the clinical relevance of prothymosin α in regulating acetylation events during the pathogenesis of emphysema. PMID:23695700

  14. Radar Observations of 8.3-m scale equatorial spread F irregularities over Trivandrum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. Tiwari

    2004-03-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we present observations of equatorial spread F (ESF irregularities made using a newly installed 18MHz radar located at Trivandrum. We characterize the morphology and the spectral parameters of the 8.3-m ESF irregularities which are found to be remarkably different from that observed so extensively at the 3-m scale size. We also present statistical results of the irregularities in the form of percentage occurrence of the echoes and spectral parameters (SNR, Doppler velocity, Spectral width. The Doppler spectra are narrower, less structured and less variable in time as compared to those observed for 3-m scale size. We have never observed the ESF irregularity velocities to be supersonic here unlike those at Jicamarca, and the velocities are found to be within ±200ms–1. The spectral widths are found to be less than 150ms–1. Hence, the velocities and spectral width both are smaller than those reported for 3-m scale size. The velocities and spectral widths are further found to be much smaller than those of the American sector. These observations are compared with those reported elsewhere and discussed in the light of present understanding on the ESF irregularities at different wavelengths.

    Key words. Ionoshphere (equatorial ionosphere, plasma waves and instabilities; ionospheric irregularities

  15. Acute chlorine gas exposure produces transient inflammation and a progressive alteration in surfactant composition with accompanying mechanical dysfunction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Massa, Christopher B.; Scott, Pamela; Abramova, Elena; Gardner, Carol; Laskin, Debra L.; Gow, Andrew J., E-mail: Gow@rci.rutgers.edu

    2014-07-01

    Acute Cl{sub 2} exposure following industrial accidents or military/terrorist activity causes pulmonary injury and severe acute respiratory distress. Prior studies suggest that antioxidant depletion is important in producing dysfunction, however a pathophysiologic mechanism has not been elucidated. We propose that acute Cl{sub 2} inhalation leads to oxidative modification of lung lining fluid, producing surfactant inactivation, inflammation and mechanical respiratory dysfunction at the organ level. C57BL/6J mice underwent whole-body exposure to an effective 60 ppm-hour Cl{sub 2} dose, and were euthanized 3, 24 and 48 h later. Whereas pulmonary architecture and endothelial barrier function were preserved, transient neutrophilia, peaking at 24 h, was noted. Increased expression of ARG1, CCL2, RETLNA, IL-1b, and PTGS2 genes was observed in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells with peak change in all genes at 24 h. Cl{sub 2} exposure had no effect on NOS2 mRNA or iNOS protein expression, nor on BAL NO{sub 3}{sup −} or NO{sub 2}{sup −}. Expression of the alternative macrophage activation markers, Relm-α and mannose receptor was increased in alveolar macrophages and pulmonary epithelium. Capillary surfactometry demonstrated impaired surfactant function, and altered BAL phospholipid and surfactant protein content following exposure. Organ level respiratory function was assessed by forced oscillation technique at 5 end expiratory pressures. Cl{sub 2} exposure had no significant effect on either airway or tissue resistance. Pulmonary elastance was elevated with time following exposure and demonstrated PEEP refractory derecruitment at 48 h, despite waning inflammation. These data support a role for surfactant inactivation as a physiologic mechanism underlying respiratory dysfunction following Cl{sub 2} inhalation. - Highlights: • Effect of 60 ppm*hr Cl{sub 2} gas on lung inflammation and mechanical function examined. • Pulmonary inflammation is transient and minor.

  16. Efficient irregular wavefront propagation algorithms on Intel® Xeon Phi™

    OpenAIRE

    Gomes, Jeremias M.; Teodoro, George; de Melo, Alba; Kong, Jun; Kurc, Tahsin; Saltz, Joel H.

    2015-01-01

    We investigate the execution of the Irregular Wavefront Propagation Pattern (IWPP), a fundamental computing structure used in several image analysis operations, on the Intel® Xeon Phi™ co-processor. An efficient implementation of IWPP on the Xeon Phi is a challenging problem because of IWPP’s irregularity and the use of atomic instructions in the original IWPP algorithm to resolve race conditions. On the Xeon Phi, the use of SIMD and vectorization instructions is critical to attain high perfo...

  17. Ozone exposure increases respiratory epithelial permeability in humans

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kehrl, H.R.; Vincent, L.M.; Kowalsky, R.J.; Horstman, D.H.; O'Neil, J.J.; McCartney, W.H.; Bromberg, P.A.

    1987-01-01

    Ozone is a respiratory irritant that has been shown to cause an increase in the permeability of the respiratory epithelium in animals. We used inhaled aerosolized /sup 99m/Tc-labeled diethylene triamine pentacetic acid (/sup 99m/Tc-DTPA) to investigate whether human respiratory epithelial permeability is similarly affected by exposure to ozone. In a randomized, crossover double-blinded study, 8 healthy, nonsmoking young men were exposed for 2 h to purified air and 0.4 ppm ozone while performing intermittent high intensity treadmill exercise (minute ventilation = 66.8 L/min). SRaw and FVC were measured before and at the end of exposures. Seventy-five minutes after the exposures, the pulmonary clearance of /sup 99m/Tc-DTPA was measured by sequential posterior lung imaging with a computer-assisted gamma camera. Ozone exposure caused respiratory symptoms in all 8 subjects and was associated with a 14 +/- 2.8% (mean +/- SEM) decrement in FVC (p less than 0.001) and a 71 +/- 22% increase in SRaw (p = 0.04). Compared with the air exposure day, 7 of the 8 subjects showed increased /sup 99m/Tc-DTPA clearance after the ozone exposure, with the mean value increasing from 0.59 +/- 0.08 to 1.75 +/- 0.43%/min (p = 0.03). These data show that ozone exposure sufficient to produce decrements in the pulmonary function of human subjects also causes an increase in /sup 99m/Tc-DTPA clearance

  18. Irregular menses predicts ovarian cancer: Prospective evidence from the Child Health and Development Studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cirillo, Piera M; Wang, Erica T; Cedars, Marcelle I; Chen, Lee-May; Cohn, Barbara A

    2016-09-01

    We tested the hypothesis that irregular menstruation predicts lower risk for ovarian cancer, possibly due to less frequent ovulation. We conducted a 50-year prospective study of 15,528 mothers in the Child Health and Development Studies cohort recruited from the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan from 1959 to 1966. Irregular menstruation was classified via medical record and self-report at age 26. We identified 116 cases and 84 deaths due to ovarian cancer through 2011 via linkage to the California Cancer Registry and Vital Statistics. Contrary to expectation, women with irregular menstrual cycles had a higher risk of ovarian cancer incidence and mortality over the 50-year follow-up. Associations increased with age (p irregular menstruation and ovarian cancer-we unexpectedly found higher risk for women with irregular cycles. These women are easy to identify and many may have polycystic ovarian syndrome. Classifying high-risk phenotypes such as irregular menstruation creates opportunities to find novel early biomarkers, refine clinical screening protocols and potentially develop new risk reduction strategies. These efforts can lead to earlier detection and better survival for ovarian cancer. © 2016 UICC.

  19. Comparison of correlation analysis techniques for irregularly sampled time series

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. Rehfeld

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Geoscientific measurements often provide time series with irregular time sampling, requiring either data reconstruction (interpolation or sophisticated methods to handle irregular sampling. We compare the linear interpolation technique and different approaches for analyzing the correlation functions and persistence of irregularly sampled time series, as Lomb-Scargle Fourier transformation and kernel-based methods. In a thorough benchmark test we investigate the performance of these techniques.

    All methods have comparable root mean square errors (RMSEs for low skewness of the inter-observation time distribution. For high skewness, very irregular data, interpolation bias and RMSE increase strongly. We find a 40 % lower RMSE for the lag-1 autocorrelation function (ACF for the Gaussian kernel method vs. the linear interpolation scheme,in the analysis of highly irregular time series. For the cross correlation function (CCF the RMSE is then lower by 60 %. The application of the Lomb-Scargle technique gave results comparable to the kernel methods for the univariate, but poorer results in the bivariate case. Especially the high-frequency components of the signal, where classical methods show a strong bias in ACF and CCF magnitude, are preserved when using the kernel methods.

    We illustrate the performances of interpolation vs. Gaussian kernel method by applying both to paleo-data from four locations, reflecting late Holocene Asian monsoon variability as derived from speleothem δ18O measurements. Cross correlation results are similar for both methods, which we attribute to the long time scales of the common variability. The persistence time (memory is strongly overestimated when using the standard, interpolation-based, approach. Hence, the Gaussian kernel is a reliable and more robust estimator with significant advantages compared to other techniques and suitable for large scale application to paleo-data.

  20. Optimized Irregular Low-Density Parity-Check Codes for Multicarrier Modulations over Frequency-Selective Channels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valérian Mannoni

    2004-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper deals with optimized channel coding for OFDM transmissions (COFDM over frequency-selective channels using irregular low-density parity-check (LDPC codes. Firstly, we introduce a new characterization of the LDPC code irregularity called “irregularity profile.” Then, using this parameterization, we derive a new criterion based on the minimization of the transmission bit error probability to design an irregular LDPC code suited to the frequency selectivity of the channel. The optimization of this criterion is done using the Gaussian approximation technique. Simulations illustrate the good performance of our approach for different transmission channels.

  1. CT pulmonary angiography of adult pulmonary vascular diseases: Technical considerations and interpretive pitfalls

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taslakian, Bedros; Latson, Larry A.; Truong, Mylene T.; Aaltonen, Eric; Shiau, Maria C.; Girvin, Francis; Alpert, Jeffrey B.; Wickstrom, Maj; Ko, Jane P.

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • CTPA plays a key role in the evaluation of pulmonary vascular diseases. • Improvements in CT technology have improved visualization of pulmonary arteries. • Knowledge of the technical pitfalls is essential for accurate diagnosis. • Dual energy CT imaging enables parenchymal iodine evaluation. • An awareness of the entities affecting the pulmonary arteries is important. - Abstract: Computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) has become the primary imaging modality for evaluating the pulmonary arteries. Although pulmonary embolism is the primary indication for CTPA, various pulmonary vascular abnormalities can be detected in adults. Knowledge of these disease entities and understanding technical pitfalls that can occur when performing CTPA are essential to enable accurate diagnosis and allow timely management. This review will cover a spectrum of acquired abnormalities including pulmonary embolism due to thrombus and foreign bodies, primary and metastatic tumor involving the pulmonary arteries, pulmonary hypertension, as well as pulmonary artery aneurysms and stenoses. Additionally, methods to overcome technical pitfalls and interventional treatment options will be addressed.

  2. CT pulmonary angiography of adult pulmonary vascular diseases: Technical considerations and interpretive pitfalls

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Taslakian, Bedros, E-mail: bedros.taslakian@nyumc.org [Department of Radiology, NYU Langone Medical Center, NY (United States); Latson, Larry A., E-mail: larry.latson@nyumc.org [Department of Radiology, NYU Langone Medical Center, NY (United States); Truong, Mylene T., E-mail: mtruong@mdanderson.org [Department of Radiology, University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, TX (United States); Aaltonen, Eric, E-mail: Eric.Aaltonen@nyumc.org [Department of Radiology, NYU Langone Medical Center, NY (United States); Shiau, Maria C., E-mail: Maria.Shiau@nyumc.org [Department of Radiology, NYU Langone Medical Center, NY (United States); Girvin, Francis, E-mail: Francis.Girvin@nyumc.org [Department of Radiology, NYU Langone Medical Center, NY (United States); Alpert, Jeffrey B., E-mail: Jeffrey.Alpert@nyumc.org [Department of Radiology, NYU Langone Medical Center, NY (United States); Wickstrom, Maj, E-mail: Maj.Wickstrom@nyumc.org [Department of Radiology, NYU Langone Medical Center, NY (United States); Ko, Jane P., E-mail: Jane.Ko@nyumc.org [Department of Radiology, NYU Langone Medical Center, NY (United States)

    2016-11-15

    Highlights: • CTPA plays a key role in the evaluation of pulmonary vascular diseases. • Improvements in CT technology have improved visualization of pulmonary arteries. • Knowledge of the technical pitfalls is essential for accurate diagnosis. • Dual energy CT imaging enables parenchymal iodine evaluation. • An awareness of the entities affecting the pulmonary arteries is important. - Abstract: Computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) has become the primary imaging modality for evaluating the pulmonary arteries. Although pulmonary embolism is the primary indication for CTPA, various pulmonary vascular abnormalities can be detected in adults. Knowledge of these disease entities and understanding technical pitfalls that can occur when performing CTPA are essential to enable accurate diagnosis and allow timely management. This review will cover a spectrum of acquired abnormalities including pulmonary embolism due to thrombus and foreign bodies, primary and metastatic tumor involving the pulmonary arteries, pulmonary hypertension, as well as pulmonary artery aneurysms and stenoses. Additionally, methods to overcome technical pitfalls and interventional treatment options will be addressed.

  3. Acute effects on pulmonary function in young healthy adults exposed to traffic-related air pollution in semi-closed transport hub in Beijing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Jing; Deng, Furong; Wu, Shaowei; Zhao, Yan; Shima, Masayuki; Guo, Bin; Liu, Qichen; Guo, Xinbiao

    2016-09-01

    Transport hub is an important part of urban comprehensive transportation system. Traffic-related air pollution can reach high level because of difficulty of diffusion and increase of emission in transport hub. However, whether exposure in this semi-closed traffic micro-environment causes acute changes in pulmonary function of commuters still needs to be explored. Forty young healthy adults participated in this randomized, crossover study. Each participant underwent 2 h exposure in a designated transport hub and, on a separate occasion, in an appointed park. Personal exposures to fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ), black carbon (BC) and carbon monoxide (CO) were measured. Forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV 1 ) and peak expiratory flow (PEF) were assessed pre-, during and post-exposure. Mixed linear models were used to analyze the pulmonary effects of traffic-related air pollutants. Participants had significantly higher exposures to PM 2.5 , BC and CO in the transport hub than in the park. Exposure in transport hub induced significant reductions in FEV 1 and PEF compared with the park during exposure 1 and 2 h. The reductions were significant associated with traffic-related air pollutants. For instance, per 10 μg/m 3 increment in PM 2.5 was associated with -0.15 % (95 % CI -0.28, -0.02 %) reduction in FEV 1 during exposure 2 h. However, effects became attenuate after 2 h exposure. Short-term exposure in transport hub had acute reduction effects on pulmonary function. More attention should be paid to the health effects of exposure in the semi-closed traffic micro-environment.

  4. Drug Intoxicated Irregular Fighters: Complications, Dangers, and Responses

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Kan, Paul R

    2008-01-01

    .... Drug consumption in contemporary wars has coincided with the use of child soldiers, has led to increased unpredictability among irregular fighters, provided the conditions for the breakdown of social...

  5. Esophageal motor disease and reflux patterns in patients with advanced pulmonary disease undergoing lung transplant evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seccombe, J; Mirza, F; Hachem, R; Gyawali, C P

    2013-08-01

    Advanced pulmonary disorders are linked to esophageal hypomotility and reflux disease. However, characterization of esophageal function using high resolution manometry (HRM) and ambulatory pH monitoring, segregation by pulmonary pathology, and comparison to traditional reflux disease are all limited in the literature. Over a 4 year period, 73 patients (55.2 ± 1.3 years, 44F) were identified who underwent esophageal function testing as part of lung transplant evaluation for advanced pulmonary disease (interstitial lung disease, ILD = 47, obstructive lung disease, OLD = 24, other = 2). Proportions of patients with motor dysfunction (≥ 80% failed sequences = severe hypomotility) and/or abnormal reflux parameters (acid exposure time, AET ≥ 4%) were determined, and compared to a cohort of 1081 patients (48.4 ± 0.4 years, 613F) referred for esophageal function testing prior to antireflux surgery (ARS). The proportion of esophageal body hypomotility was significantly higher within advanced pulmonary disease categories (35.6%), particularly ILD (44.7%), compared to ARS patients (12.1%, P esophageal motor pattern or reflux evidence. Interstitial lung disease has a highly significant association with esophageal body hypomotility. Consequently, prevalence of abnormal esophageal acid exposure is high, but implications for post lung transplant chronic rejection remain unclear. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  6. Artificial periodic irregularities in the auroral ionosphere

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. T. Rietveld

    1996-12-01

    Full Text Available Artificial periodic irregularities (API are produced in the ionospheric plasma by a powerful standing electromagnetic wave reflected off the F region. The resulting electron-density irregularities can scatter other high-frequency waves if the Bragg scattering condition is met. Such measurements have been performed at mid-latitudes for two decades and have been developed into a useful ionospheric diagnostic technique. We report here the first measurements from a high-latitude station, using the EISCAT heating facility near Tromsø, Norway. Both F-region and lower-altitude ionospheric echoes have been obtained, but the bulk of the data has been in the E and D regions with echoes extending down to 52-km altitude. Examples of API are shown, mainly from the D region, together with simultaneous VHF incoherent-scatter-radar (ISR data. Vertical velocities derived from the rate of phase change during the irregularity decay are shown and compared with velocities derived from the ISR. Some of the API-derived velocities in the 75–115-km height range appear consistent with vertical neutral winds as shown by their magnitudes and by evidence of gravity waves, while other data in the 50–70-km range show an unrealistically large bias. For a comparison with ISR data it has proved difficult to get good quality data sets overlapping in height and time. The initial comparisons show some agreement, but discrepancies of several metres per second do not yet allow us to conclude that the two techniques are measuring the same quantity. The irregularity decay time-constants between about 53 and 70 km are compared with the results of an advanced ion-chemistry model, and height profiles of recorded signal power are compared with model estimates in the same altitude range. The calculated amplitude shows good agreement with the data in that the maximum occurs at about the same height as that of the measured amplitude. The calculated time-constant agrees very well with the

  7. TRP channels and traffic-related environmental pollution-induced pulmonary disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akopian, Armen N; Fanick, E Robert; Brooks, Edward G

    2016-05-01

    Environmental pollutant exposures are major risk factors for adverse health outcomes, with increased morbidity and mortality in humans. Diesel exhaust (DE) is one of the major harmful components of traffic-related air pollution. Exposure to DE affects several physiological systems, including the airways, and pulmonary diseases are increased in highly populated urban areas. Hence, there are urgent needs to (1) create newer and lesser polluting fuels, (2) improve exhaust aftertreatments and reduce emissions, and (3) understand mechanisms of actions for toxic effects of both conventional and cleaner diesel fuels on the lungs. These steps could aid the development of diagnostics and interventions to prevent the negative impact of traffic-related air pollution on the pulmonary system. Exhaust from conventional, and to a lesser extent, clean fuels, contains particulate matter (PM) and more than 400 additional chemical constituents. The major toxic constituents are nitrogen oxides (NOx) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PM and PAHs could potentially act via transient receptor potential (TRP) channels. In this review, we will first discuss the associations between DE from conventional as well as clean fuel technologies and acute and chronic airway inflammation. We will then review possible activation and/or potentiation of TRP vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) and ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) channels by PM and PAHs. Finally, we will discuss and summarize recent findings on the mechanisms whereby TRPs could control the link between DE and airway inflammation, which is a primary determinant leading to pulmonary disease.

  8. Kilometer-Spaced GNSS Array for Ionospheric Irregularity Monitoring

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Yang

    This dissertation presents automated, systematic data collection, processing, and analysis methods for studying the spatial-temporal properties of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) scintillations produced by ionospheric irregularities at high latitudes using a closely spaced multi-receiver array deployed in the northern auroral zone. The main contributions include 1) automated scintillation monitoring, 2) estimation of drift and anisotropy of the irregularities, 3) error analysis of the drift estimates, and 4) multi-instrument study of the ionosphere. A radio wave propagating through the ionosphere, consisting of ionized plasma, may suffer from rapid signal amplitude and/or phase fluctuations known as scintillation. Caused by non-uniform structures in the ionosphere, intense scintillation can lead to GNSS navigation and high-frequency (HF) communication failures. With specialized GNSS receivers, scintillation can be studied to better understand the structure and dynamics of the ionospheric irregularities, which can be parameterized by altitude, drift motion, anisotropy of the shape, horizontal spatial extent and their time evolution. To study the structuring and motion of ionospheric irregularities at the sub-kilometer scale sizes that produce L-band scintillations, a closely-spaced GNSS array has been established in the auroral zone at Poker Flat Research Range, Alaska to investigate high latitude scintillation and irregularities. Routinely collecting low-rate scintillation statistics, the array database also provides 100 Hz power and phase data for each channel at L1/L2C frequency. In this work, a survey of seasonal and hourly dependence of L1 scintillation events over the course of a year is discussed. To efficiently and systematically study scintillation events, an automated low-rate scintillation detection routine is established and performed for each day by screening the phase scintillation index. The spaced-receiver technique is applied to cross

  9. Irregular ionization and scintillation of the ionosphere in equator region

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shinno, Kenji

    1974-01-01

    The latest studies on the scintillation in satellite communication and its related irregularities of ionosphere are reviewed. They were made clear by means of spread-F, the direct measurement with scientific satellites, VHF radar observation, and radio wave propagation in equator region. The fundamental occurrence mechanism may be instability of plasma caused by the interaction of movement of neutral atmosphere and magnetic field. Comparison of the main characteristics of scintillation, namely the dependence on region, solar activity, season, local time, geomagnetic activity, movement in ionosphere, scattering source, frequency and transmission mode, was made and the correlation among spread-F, TEP and scintillation was summarized. The latest principal studies were the observations made by Intelsat and by ATS. Scintillation of Syncom-3 and Intelsat-II-F2 and spread-F by ionosphere observation were compared by Huang. It is reasonable to consider that the occurrence of scintillation is caused by the irregularities in ionosphere which are particular in equator region, because of the similar characteristics of spread-F and VHF propagation in the equator region. These three phenomena may occur in relation to the irregularities of ionosphere. Interpretation of spread-F and the abnormal propagation wave across the equator are given. The study using VHF radar and the movement of irregular ionization by the direct observation with artificial satellites are reviewd. (Iwakiri, K.)

  10. Pulmonary effects of active smoking and secondhand smoke exposure among adolescent students in Juárez, Mexico

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bird Y

    2016-06-01

    .61; FEV1/FVC =94.88±21.88; and FEF25%–75% =87.36±17.02 (P<0.001. Similarly, respiratory complaints were more prevalent among smokers and those exposed to SHS when compared to nonsmokers/nonexposed to SHS. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that initiation of cigarette smoking and, to a lesser extent, exposure to SHS in adolescence leads to increased respiratory symptoms and reduction of pulmonary function test values. Public health initiatives that aim to prevent smoking initiation, assist in cessation, and lessen SHS exposure of adolescents need to be school-based and employed as early as middle school. Keywords: adolescents, smoking, secondhand smoke exposure, respiratory symptoms, lung function

  11. Pulmonary tuberculosis with neuromyelitis optica: an uncommon association of a common disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Siddiqi, S.A.; Hashmi, M.; Azmat, Z.; Mustafa, S.; Siddiqui, K.A.

    2012-01-01

    Systemic tuberculosis has been reported with varying neurological manifestations like meningitis, tuberculomas, myositis and neuropathy. Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a well known neurological entity which has been described in association with several systemic disorders like systemic lupus erythematosis, diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, exposure to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. insecticides etc. However, only a few cases of NMO have been reported in association with Here, we report a case of pulmonary tuberculosis in association with NMO to highlight the under-reported association of NMO with pulmonary tuberculosis presenting in a peculiar anatomical fashion i.e. longitudinal myelitis with predominant posterior column involvement. (author)

  12. SPDEF is required for mouse pulmonary goblet cell differentiation and regulates a network of genes associated with mucus production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Gang; Korfhagen, Thomas R; Xu, Yan; Kitzmiller, Joseph; Wert, Susan E; Maeda, Yutaka; Gregorieff, Alexander; Clevers, Hans; Whitsett, Jeffrey A

    2009-10-01

    Various acute and chronic inflammatory stimuli increase the number and activity of pulmonary mucus-producing goblet cells, and goblet cell hyperplasia and excess mucus production are central to the pathogenesis of chronic pulmonary diseases. However, little is known about the transcriptional programs that regulate goblet cell differentiation. Here, we show that SAM-pointed domain-containing Ets-like factor (SPDEF) controls a transcriptional program critical for pulmonary goblet cell differentiation in mice. Initial cell-lineage-tracing analysis identified nonciliated secretory epithelial cells, known as Clara cells, as the progenitors of goblet cells induced by pulmonary allergen exposure in vivo. Furthermore, in vivo expression of SPDEF in Clara cells caused rapid and reversible goblet cell differentiation in the absence of cell proliferation. This was associated with enhanced expression of genes regulating goblet cell differentiation and protein glycosylation, including forkhead box A3 (Foxa3), anterior gradient 2 (Agr2), and glucosaminyl (N-acetyl) transferase 3, mucin type (Gcnt3). Consistent with these findings, levels of SPDEF and FOXA3 were increased in mouse goblet cells after sensitization with pulmonary allergen, and the proteins were colocalized in goblet cells lining the airways of patients with chronic lung diseases. Deletion of the mouse Spdef gene resulted in the absence of goblet cells in tracheal/laryngeal submucosal glands and in the conducting airway epithelium after pulmonary allergen exposure in vivo. These data show that SPDEF plays a critical role in regulating a transcriptional network mediating the goblet cell differentiation and mucus hyperproduction associated with chronic pulmonary disorders.

  13. Irregular Warfare: New Challenges for Civil-Military Relations

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Cronin, Patrick M

    2008-01-01

    .... Irregular warfare introduces new complications to what Eliot Cohen has called an unequal dialogue between civilian and military leaders in which civilian leaders hold the true power but must modulate...

  14. Improved diagnosis of pulmonary emphysema using in vivo dark-field radiography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meinel, Felix G; Yaroshenko, Andre; Hellbach, Katharina; Bech, Martin; Müller, Mark; Velroyen, Astrid; Bamberg, Fabian; Eickelberg, Oliver; Nikolaou, Konstantin; Reiser, Maximilian F; Pfeiffer, Franz; Yildirim, Ali Ö

    2014-10-01

    The purpose of this study was to assess whether the recently developed method of grating-based x-ray dark-field radiography can improve the diagnosis of pulmonary emphysema in vivo. Pulmonary emphysema was induced in female C57BL/6N mice using endotracheal instillation of porcine pancreatic elastase and confirmed by in vivo pulmonary function tests, histopathology, and quantitative morphometry. The mice were anesthetized but breathing freely during imaging. Experiments were performed using a prototype small-animal x-ray dark-field scanner that was operated at 35 kilovolt (peak) with an exposure time of 5 seconds for each of the 10 grating steps. Images were compared visually. For quantitative comparison of signal characteristics, regions of interest were placed in the upper, middle, and lower zones of each lung. Receiver-operating-characteristic statistics were performed to compare the effectiveness of transmission and dark-field signal intensities and the combined parameter "normalized scatter" to differentiate between healthy and emphysematous lungs. A clear visual difference between healthy and emphysematous mice was found for the dark-field images. Quantitative measurements of x-ray dark-field signal and normalized scatter were significantly different between the mice with pulmonary emphysema and the control mice and showed good agreement with pulmonary function tests and quantitative histology. The normalized scatter showed a significantly higher discriminatory power (area under the receiver-operating-characteristic curve [AUC], 0.99) than dark-field (AUC, 0.90; P = 0.01) or transmission signal (AUC, 0.69; P pulmonary emphysema.

  15. Estimation of pulmonary water distribution and pulmonary congestion by computed tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morooka, Nobuhiro; Watanabe, Shigeru; Masuda, Yoshiaki; Inagaki, Yoshiaki

    1982-01-01

    Computed tomography (CT) of the lung in normal subjects and patients with congestive heart failure was performed in the supine position with deep inspiration to obtain pulmonary CT values and images. The mean CT value in normal subjects was higher in the posterior than anterior lung field, presumably because blood vessels were more dilated in the former than the latter due to the effects of gravity. The mean pulmonary CT value in patients with congestive heart failure was significantly increased possibly due to an increase in blood flow per unit lung volume arising from either pulmonary congestion or pulmonary interstitial and alveolar edema. The mean pulmonary CT value increased parallel to the severity of pulmonary congestion, interstitial or alveolar edema and was well correlated with the pulmonary arterial wedge pressure, indicating that such a correlation was a valuable tool in assessing therapeutic effects. The results of the present study indicatethat pulmonary CT is useful for the noninvasive estimation of intrapulmonary water content and its distribution, thereby providing an effective diagnostic clue to various conditions in congestive heart failure. (author)

  16. Reduced baroreflex sensitivity and pulmonary dysfunction in alcoholic cirrhosis: effect of hyperoxia

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Møller, Søren; Iversen, J.S.; Krag, A.

    2010-01-01

    of hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS). BRS is reduced at exposure to chronic hypoxia such as during sojourn in high altitudes. In this study, we assessed the relation of BRS to pulmonary dysfunction and cardiovascular characteristics and the effects of hyperoxia. Forty-three patients with cirrhosis and 12 healthy...

  17. Method of determining effects of heat-induced irregular refractive index on an optical system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Xifa; Li, Lin; Huang, Yifan

    2015-09-01

    The effects of an irregular refractive index on optical performance are examined. A method was developed to express a lens's irregular refractive index distribution. An optical system and its mountings were modeled by a thermomechanical finite element (FE) program in the predicted operating temperature range, -45°C-50°C. FE outputs were elaborated using a MATLAB optimization routine; a nonlinear least squares algorithm was adopted to determine which gradient equation best fit each lens's refractive index distribution. The obtained gradient data were imported into Zemax for sequential ray-tracing analysis. The root mean square spot diameter, modulation transfer function, and diffraction ensquared energy were computed for an optical system under an irregular refractive index and under thermoelastic deformation. These properties are greatly reduced by the irregular refractive index effect, which is one-third to five-sevenths the size of the thermoelastic deformation effect. Thus, thermal analyses of optical systems should consider not only thermoelastic deformation but also refractive index irregularities caused by inhomogeneous temperature.

  18. Significance of scatter radar studies of E and F region irregularities at high latitudes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Greenwald, R.A.

    1983-01-01

    This chapter considers the mechanisms by which electron density irregularities may be generated in the high latitude ionosphere and the techniques through which they are observed with ground base radars. The capabilities of radars used for studying these irregularities are compared with the capabilities of radars used for incoherent scatter measurements. The use of irregularity scatter techniques for dynamic studies of larger scale structured phenomena is discussed. Topics considered include E-region irregularities, observations with auroral radars, plasma drifts associated with a westward travelling surge, and ionospheric plasma motions associated with resonant waves. It is shown why high latitude F-region irregularity studies must be made in the HF frequency band (3-30 MHz). The joint use of the European Incoherent Scatter Association (EISCAT), STARE and SAFARI facilities is examined, and it is concluded that the various techniques will enhance each other and provide a better understanding of the various processes being studied

  19. Lung irradiation induces pulmonary vascular remodelling resembling pulmonary arterial hypertension

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ghobadi, G.; Bartelds, B.; van der Veen, S. J.; Dickinson, M. G.; Brandenburg, S.; Berger, R. M. F.; Langendijk, J. A.; Coppes, R. P.; van Luijk, P.

    Background Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a commonly fatal pulmonary vascular disease that is often diagnosed late and is characterised by a progressive rise in pulmonary vascular resistance resulting from typical vascular remodelling. Recent data suggest that vascular damage plays an

  20. Airway exposure to multi-walled carbon nanotubes disrupts the female reproductive cycle without affecting pregnancy outcomes in mice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Johansson, Hanna Katarina Lilith; Hansen, J. S.; Elfving, B.

    2017-01-01

    response and inflammation in experimental animals, which may affect female reproduction. This proof-of-principle study therefore aimed to investigate if lung exposure by intratracheal instillation of the MWCNT NM-400 would affect the estrous cycle and reproductive function in female mice.Results: Estrous...... of irregular cycling after exposure. Our data indicates that MWCNT exposure may interfere with events leading to ovulation....

  1. [Silicosis and industrial bronchitis by exposure to silica powders and cement].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Méndez-Vargas, María Martha; Báez-Revueltas, Fabiola Berenice; López-Rojas, Pablo; Tovalín-Ahumada, José Horacio; Zamudio-Lara, José Othón; Marín-Cotoñieto, Irma Araceli; Villeda, Francisco

    2013-01-01

    to identify the association between the exposure of workers to inorganic dust in a quarry and a cement factory and pulmonary diseases. a transverse study on data from 32 quarry workers (QWs) and 57 cement production line workers (CFWs) to inorganic-dust exposure was performed. Pulmonary function tests and chest X ray were done in both groups. there were differences between QWs and the CFWs; QWs were younger, shorter and thinner. The number of sick individuals might be considered significantly different, showing a smaller proportion on the cement production line. The quarry workers have been on the company for a shorter period of time and, in the end, they present more serious pulmonary problems with an average of 3 years working. the amount of free-silica that is managed on the quarry affects the workers in some way, even when literature states that the evolution of industrial bronchitis and silicosis have a period development of approximately 10 years.

  2. Persistent diffuse pulmonary interstitial emphysema mimicking pulmonary emphysema

    OpenAIRE

    Demura, Y; Ishizaki, T; Nakanishi, M; Ameshima, S; Itoh, H

    2009-01-01

    A 69-year-old male non-smoker with a history of atopic asthma presented with symptoms suggestive of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and this appeared to be corroborated by lung function testing and a chest radiograph. However, a chest CT showed no evidence of pulmonary emphysema and instead demonstrated free air along the bronchovascular sheaths indicative of pulmonary interstistial emphysema, possibly caused by repeated prior exacerbations of asthma. His lung function tests and symptom...

  3. [Comparision of Different Methods of Area Measurement in Irregular Scar].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ran, D; Li, W J; Sun, Q G; Li, J Q; Xia, Q

    2016-10-01

    To determine a measurement standard of irregular scar area by comparing the advantages and disadvantages of different measurement methods in measuring same irregular scar area. Irregular scar area was scanned by digital scanning and measured by coordinate reading method, AutoCAD pixel method, Photoshop lasso pixel method, Photoshop magic bar filled pixel method and Foxit PDF reading software, and some aspects of these methods such as measurement time, repeatability, whether could be recorded and whether could be traced were compared and analyzed. There was no significant difference in the scar areas by the measurement methods above. However, there was statistical difference in the measurement time and repeatability by one or multi performers and only Foxit PDF reading software could be traced back. The methods above can be used for measuring scar area, but each one has its advantages and disadvantages. It is necessary to develop new measurement software for forensic identification. Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Forensic Medicine

  4. Irregular flowering patterns in terrestrial orchids: theories vs. empirical data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. Kindlmann

    2001-11-01

    Full Text Available Empirical data on many species of terrestrial orchids suggest that their between-year flowering pattern is extremely irregular and unpredictable. A long search for the reason has hitherto proved inconclusive. Here we summarise and critically review the hypotheses that were put forward as explanations of this phenomenon: irregular flowering was attributed to costs associated with sexual reproduction, to herbivory, or to the chaotic behaviour of the system represented by difference equations describing growth of the vegetative and reproductive organs. None of these seems to explain fully the events of a transition from flowering one year to sterility or absence the next year. Data on the seasonal growth of leaves and inflorescence of two terrestrial orchid species, Epipactis albensis and Dactylorhiza fuchsii and our previous results are then used here to fill gaps in what has been published until now and to test alternative explanations of the irregular flowering patterns of orchids.

  5. Effects of single intratracheal exposure to chlorhexidine gluconate on the rat lung.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orito, Kensuke; Hashida, Masaru; Hirata, Kiyotaka; Kurokawa, Akira; Shirai, Mitsuyuki; Akahori, Fumiaki

    2006-01-01

    Chlorhexidine gluconate (CHX) is an antiseptic that has been widely used for disinfection of cutaneous wound and gingivae. Recently, a patient who inhaled CHX solution died from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Although it is highly possible that direct pulmonary damage might be the cause of ARDS, there is no preclinical information about the pulmonary toxicity of CHX. In the current study, the acute direct action of CHX to the lung was evaluated in rats. We successfully exposed the left but not the right lung either to CHX at concentrations of 1%, 0.1%, and 0.01% or to saline using a curved-tip administration tube. At the higher concentrations of CHX (0.1% and 1%), severe congestion to the alveoli and capillaries and perivascular and intra-alveolar hemorrhages were observed 1 day after exposure. Aniline blue-stained collagen fibers with an infiltration of inflammatory cells were present 7 days after exposure. The fibrotic changes and intra-alveolar inflammatory cells had decreased but were still observed sporadically 28 and 84 days after exposure. These detrimental effects were more severe at 1% than at 0.1% CHX. No remarkable effect was observed after exposures to 0.01% CHX and saline. We were able to evaluate the time-course changes in the pulmonary toxicity of CHX by exposures limited to the left lung. It is highly possible that CHX at a concentration of more than 0.1% might directly induce ARDS when aspirated and reaching to the alveoli.

  6. New prospective 4D-CT for mitigating the effects of irregular respiratory motion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, Tinsu; Martin, Rachael M.; Luo, Dershan

    2017-08-01

    Artifact caused by irregular respiration is a major source of error in 4D-CT imaging. We propose a new prospective 4D-CT to mitigate this source of error without new hardware, software or off-line data-processing on the GE CT scanner. We utilize the cine CT scan in the design of the new prospective 4D-CT. The cine CT scan at each position can be stopped by the operator when an irregular respiration occurs, and resumed when the respiration becomes regular. This process can be repeated at one or multiple scan positions. After the scan, a retrospective reconstruction is initiated on the CT console to reconstruct only the images corresponding to the regular respiratory cycles. The end result is a 4D-CT free of irregular respiration. To prove feasibility, we conducted a phantom and six patient studies. The artifacts associated with the irregular respiratory cycles could be removed from both the phantom and patient studies. A new prospective 4D-CT scanning and processing technique to mitigate the impact of irregular respiration in 4D-CT has been demonstrated. This technique can save radiation dose because the repeat scans are only at the scan positions where an irregular respiration occurs. Current practice is to repeat the scans at all positions. There is no cost to apply this technique because it is applicable on the GE CT scanner without new hardware, software or off-line data-processing.

  7. Observations of inner plasmasphere irregularities with a satellite-beacon radio-interferometer array

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jacobson, A.R.; Hoogeveen, G.; Carlos, R.C.; Wu, G.; Fejer, B.G.; Kelley, M.C.

    1996-01-01

    A radio-interferometer array illuminated by 136-MHz beacons of several geosynchronous satellites has been used to study small (≥10 13 m -2 ) transient disturbances in the total electron content along the lines of sight to the satellites. High-frequency (f>3 mHz) electron content oscillations are persistently observed, particularly during night and particularly during geomagnetically disturbed periods. The oscillations move across the array plane at speeds in the range 200 endash 2000 m/s, with propagation azimuths that are strongly peaked in lobes toward the western half-plane. Detailed analysis of this azimuth behavior, involving comparison between observations on various satellite positions, indicates compellingly that the phase oscillations originate in radio refraction due to geomagnetically aligned plasma density perturbations in the inner plasmasphere. The motion of the phase perturbations across the array plane is caused by EXB drift of the plasma medium in which the irregularities are embedded. We review the statistics of 2.5 years of around-the-clock data on the local time, magnetic disturbance, seasonal, and line-of-sight variations of these observed irregularities. We compare the irregularities close-quote inferred electrodynamic drifts to what is known about midlatitude plasma drift from incoherent scatter. Finally, we show in detail how the observation of these irregularities provides a unique and complementary monitor of inner plasmasphere irregularity incidence and zonal drift.copyright 1996 American Geophysical Union

  8. Reduced forced vital capacity in childhood associated with exposures to petroleum-related compounds at birth residence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rationale: Previous studies have reported associations of ambient air pollutant exposures with childhood decrements in lung volumes. While the current study was designed primarily to examine traffic exposures, we also examined the impact of other early life exposures on pulmonary...

  9. Value of high spatial and high temporal resolution magnetic resonance angiography for differentiation between idiopathic and thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: initial results

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ley, Sebastian; Eichinger, Monika [DKFZ, Department of Radiology (E010), Heidelberg (Germany); Johannes Gutenberg-University, Department of Radiology, University Hospital Mainz, Mainz (Germany); Fink, Christian; Zaporozhan, Julia; Puderbach, Michael; Plathow, Christian; Kauczor, Hans-Ulrich [DKFZ, Department of Radiology (E010), Heidelberg (Germany); Borst, Mathias M.; Meyer, F. Joachim; Gruenig, Ekkehard [University Heidelberg, Department of Internal Medicine, Heidelberg (Germany); Kreitner, Karl-Friedrich [Johannes Gutenberg-University, Department of Radiology, University Hospital Mainz, Mainz (Germany)

    2005-11-01

    Differentiation between different forms of pulmonary hypertension (PH) is essential for correct disease management. The goal of this study was to elucidate the clinical impact of high spatial resolution MR angiography (SR-MRA) and time-resolved MRA (TR-MRA) to differentiate between patients with chronic thromboembolic PH (CTEPH) and idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH). Ten PH patients and five volunteers were examined. Twenty TR-MRA data sets (TA 1.5 s) and SR-MRA (TA 23 s) were acquired. TR-MRA data sets were subtracted as angiography and perfusion images. Evaluation comprised analysis of vascular pathologies on a segmental basis, detection of perfusion defects, and bronchial arteries by two readers in consensus. Technical evaluation comprised evaluation of image quality, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) measurements, and contrast-media passage time. Visualization of the pulmonary arteries was possible down to a subsegmental (SR-MRA) and to a segmental (TR-MRA) level. SR-MRA outperformed TR-MRA in direct visualization of intravascular changes. Patients with IPAH predominantly showed tortuous pulmonary arteries while in CTEPH wall irregularities and abnormal proximal-to-distal tapering was found. Perfusion images showed a diffuse pattern in IPAH and focal defects in CTEPH. TR-MRA and SR-MRA resulted in the same final diagnosis. Both MRA techniques allowed for differentiation between IPAH and CTEPH. Therefore, TR-MRA can be used in the clinical setting, especially in dyspneic patients. (orig.)

  10. Effect of high altitude exposure on the hemodynamics of the bidirectional Glenn physiology: modeling incremented pulmonary vascular resistance and heart rate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vallecilla, Carolina; Khiabani, Reza H; Sandoval, Néstor; Fogel, Mark; Briceño, Juan Carlos; Yoganathan, Ajit P

    2014-06-03

    The considerable blood mixing in the bidirectional Glenn (BDG) physiology further limits the capacity of the single working ventricle to pump enough oxygenated blood to the circulatory system. This condition is exacerbated under severe conditions such as physical activity or high altitude. In this study, the effect of high altitude exposure on hemodynamics and ventricular function of the BDG physiology is investigated. For this purpose, a mathematical approach based on a lumped parameter model was developed to model the BDG circulation. Catheterization data from 39 BDG patients at stabilized oxygen conditions was used to determine baseline flows and pressures for the model. The effect of high altitude exposure was modeled by increasing the pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and heart rate (HR) in increments up to 80% and 40%, respectively. The resulting differences in vascular flows, pressures and ventricular function parameters were analyzed. By simultaneously increasing PVR and HR, significant changes (p fails to overcome the increased preload and implied low oxygenation in BDG patients at higher altitudes, especially for those with high baseline PVRs. The presented mathematical model provides a framework to estimate the hemodynamic performance of BDG patients at different PVR increments. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Lung clearance of inhaled particles after exposure to carbon black generated from a resuspension system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, P.S.; Gorski, R.A.; Hering, W.E.; Chan, T.L.

    1987-01-01

    A system to resuspend carbon black particles for providing submicron aerosols for inhalation exposure studies has been developed. The effect of continuous exposure to carbonaceous material (as a surrogate for the carbonaceous particles in diesel exhaust) on the pulmonary clearance of inhaled diesel tracer particles was studied in male Fischer 344 rats. Submicron carbon black particles with a mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) of 0.22 micron and a size distribution similar to that of exhaust particles from a GM 5.7-liter diesel engine were successfully generated and administered to test animals at a nominal concentration of 6 mg/m3 for 20 hr/day, 7 days/week, for periods lasting 1 to 11 weeks. Immediately after the carbon black exposure, test animals were administered 14 C-tagged diesel particles for 45 min in a nose-only chamber. The pulmonary retention of inhaled radioactive tracer particles was determined at preselected time intervals. Based upon the data collected up to 1 year postexposure, prolonged exposure to carbon black particles exhibits a similar inhibitory effect on pulmonary clearance as does prolonged exposure to diesel exhaust with a comparable particulate dose. This observation indicates that the excessive accumulation of carbonaceous material may be the predominant factor affecting lung clearance

  12. Pulmonary fibrosis in cable plant workers exposed to mist and vapor of petroleum distillates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skyberg, K; Rønneberg, A; Kamøy, J I; Dale, K; Borgersen, A

    1986-08-01

    Twenty-five cable plant workers exposed to mists and vapors of mineral oils and kerosene for 5-35 years have been investigated in a cross-sectional, matched pairs study. The exposed cohort and the referents were examined by radiology, pulmonary function measurements, and a questionnaire for symptoms of respiratory disease. Lung tissue from a deceased worker with 35 years of exposure was investigated by histopathologic methods and by scanning electron microscopy. Exposure measurements were performed by personal sampling. Previous employment and smoking habits were recorded for all subjects. An increased prevalence of slight basal lung fibrosis was found in chest films of the exposed workers. Pulmonary fibrosis was confirmed histopathologically. A moderately decreased vital capacity (VC) and forced expiratory volume (FEV1) was found. Oil mist was measured to time-weighted average levels of 0.15-0.30 mg/m3 with short-term vapor exposure of up to 4000 mg/m3. It is concluded that mists and vapors from petroleum distillates are the most probable causes of the findings.

  13. Influence of long-wavelength track irregularities on the motion of a high-speed train

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hung, C. F.; Hsu, W. L.

    2018-01-01

    Vertical track irregularities over viaducts in high-speed rail systems could be possibly caused by concrete creep if pre-stressed concrete bridges are used. For bridge spans that are almost uniformly distributed, track irregularity exhibits a near-regular wave profile that excites car bodies as a high-speed train moves over the bridge system. A long-wavelength irregularity induces low-frequency excitation that may be close to the natural frequencies of the train suspension system, thereby causing significant vibration of the car body. This paper investigates the relationship between the levels of car vibration, bridge vibration, track irregularity, and the train speed. First, this study investigates the vibration levels of a high-speed train and bridge system using 3D finite-element (FE) transient dynamic analysis, before and after adjustment of vertical track irregularities by means of installing shimming plates under rail pads. The analysis models are validated by in situ measurements and on-board measurement. Parametric studies of car body vibration and bridge vibration under three different levels of track irregularity at five train speeds and over two bridge span lengths are conducted using the FE model. Finally, a discontinuous shimming pattern is proposed to avoid vehicle suspension resonance.

  14. Effects of Asian dust event particles on inflammation markers in peripheral blood and bronchoalveolar lavage in pulmonary hypertensive rats

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lei, Y.-C.; Chan, C.-C.; Wang, P.-Y.; Lee, C.-T.; Cheng, T.-J.

    2004-01-01

    The health impact of dust events from China has become a concern within China and in its neighboring countries. Previous epidemiological studies have demonstrated an association between particulate matter exposure and cardiopulmonary mortality. Here, we use pulmonary hypertensive rat models to examine inflammation markers in the lung and in peripheral blood after exposure to Asian dust storm particles. Using a nose-only inhalation system, eight pulmonary hypertensive rats were exposed to concentrated ambient particles (CAPs) from an actual Asian dust storm that took place between March 18 and 19, 2002; four control rats were also exposed to room air. Four rats exposed to CAPs of 315.6 μg/m 3 for 6 h were classified as the low-exposure group, and another four rats exposed to CAPs of 684.5 μg/m 3 for 4.5 h were classified as the high-exposure group. The animals were sacrificed 36 h after exposure. Inflammation markers in the peripheral blood and in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) were analyzed, and IL-6 in BAL was also determined using ELISA. White blood cell counts in peripheral blood increased with increased CAP exposure levels (P<0.001, test for trend). In BAL analysis, total cell numbers and the proportion of neutrophil also increased with increased CAP levels (P<0.001, test for trend for both markers). Positive dose-response relationships between CAP exposure and total protein (P<0.05) and between CAPs and LDH activity (P<0.05) were also observed. Moreover, IL-6 protein in BAL increasing with CAP levels (P<0.05, test for trend) was demonstrated. Our results revealed that exposure to particulate matters during an Asian dust storm could increase lung inflammation and injury in pulmonary hypertensive rats. Further studies are needed to determine the components of dust storm particles that may contribute to the particle toxicity

  15. Synchronizing data from irregularly sampled sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uluyol, Onder

    2017-07-11

    A system and method include receiving a set of sampled measurements for each of multiple sensors, wherein the sampled measurements are at irregular intervals or different rates, re-sampling the sampled measurements of each of the multiple sensors at a higher rate than one of the sensor's set of sampled measurements, and synchronizing the sampled measurements of each of the multiple sensors.

  16. Balloon pulmonary angioplasty: a treatment option for inoperable patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aiko eOgawa

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available In chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, stenoses or obstructions of the pulmonary arteries due to organized thrombi can cause an elevation in pulmonary artery resistance, which in turn can result in pulmonary hypertension. Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension can be cured surgically by pulmonary endarterectomy; however, patients deemed unsuitable for pulmonary endarterectomy due to lesion, advanced age, or comorbidities have a poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Recently, advances have been made in balloon pulmonary angioplasty for these patients, and this review highlights this recent progress.

  17. Morphological analysis and pathological basis of the fine pulmonary reticulation at high-resolution CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guan Chunshuang; Ma Daqing; Guan Yansheng; Chen Budong; Zhang Yansong

    2010-01-01

    Objective: To study the morphological appearance and pathological basis of the fine pulmonary reticulation at HRCT. Methods: One hundred and seven patients were analyzed about the morphology findings and dynamic changes on pulmonary HRCT. Twenty-four coal worker's pneumoconiosis (CWP) specimens were examined to make comparison between CT and pathology. The data was analyzed by using the Chi-square test. Results: The reticular gap was less than 3 mm in diameter. The morphology of reticulation was round or irregular. Pulmonary parenchyma was seen between the gaps. The reticular wall was smooth or coarse. The thickness was less than 1 mm. One hundred and seven patients had accompanying signs including ground-glass opacity (68.2%, 73 patients), crazy paving (23.4%, 25 patients), interlobular septal thickening (84.1%, 90 patients), emphysema (32.7%, 35 patients), interface sign (58.9%, 63 patients), traction bronchiolectasis (41.1%, 44 patients) and honeycombing (26.2%, 28 patients). The differences of the honeycomb, traction bronchiolectosis, interbobular septal thickening, interface sign and paving were statistically significant between the fibrotic group and pneunonia (P <0.01). Pneumonia showed extensive area of ground-glass opacity (GGO) with fine reticulation. Fine reticculation with both interlobular septal thickening and small nodules were observed more frequently in lmphangitic carcinomatosis. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) showed fine reticulation among the honeycombing. Connective tissue disease (CTD) showed fine reticulation with rarely honeycombing and it could be partly absorbed. Fine reticulation with emphysema was seen in chronic bronchitis. In the 58 follow-up patients, the fine reticulation increased in 26 patients, decreased or disappeared in 22 patients and showed no change in 10 patients. The major pathological basis of the fine reticulation was intralobular interstitial thickening, including fibrosis hyperplasia, inflammatory cells and tumor

  18. A Bandwidth-Optimized Multi-Core Architecture for Irregular Applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Secchi, Simone; Tumeo, Antonino; Villa, Oreste

    2012-05-31

    This paper presents an architecture template for next-generation high performance computing systems specifically targeted to irregular applications. We start our work by considering that future generation interconnection and memory bandwidth full-system numbers are expected to grow by a factor of 10. In order to keep up with such a communication capacity, while still resorting to fine-grained multithreading as the main way to tolerate unpredictable memory access latencies of irregular applications, we show how overall performance scaling can benefit from the multi-core paradigm. At the same time, we also show how such an architecture template must be coupled with specific techniques in order to optimize bandwidth utilization and achieve the maximum scalability. We propose a technique based on memory references aggregation, together with the related hardware implementation, as one of such optimization techniques. We explore the proposed architecture template by focusing on the Cray XMT architecture and, using a dedicated simulation infrastructure, validate the performance of our template with two typical irregular applications. Our experimental results prove the benefits provided by both the multi-core approach and the bandwidth optimization reference aggregation technique.

  19. Detection of simulated pulmonary nodules by single-exposure dual-energy computed radiography of the chest: effect of a computer-aided diagnosis system (Part 2)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kido, Shoji; Kuriyama, Keiko; Kuroda, Chikazumi; Nakamura, Hironobu; Ito, Wataru; Shimura, Kazuo; Kato, Hisatoyo

    2002-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the performance of the computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) scheme on the detection of pulmonary nodules (PNs) in single-exposure dual-energy subtraction computed radiography (CR) images of the chest, and to evaluate the effect of this CAD scheme on radiologists' detectabilities. Methods and material: We compared the detectability by the CAD scheme with the detectability by 12 observers by using conventional CR (C-CR) and bone-subtracted CR (BS-CR) images of 25 chest phantoms with a low-contrast nylon nodule. Results: Both in the CAD scheme and for the observers, the detectability of BS-CR images was superior to that of C-CR images (P<0.005). The detection performance of the CAD scheme was equal to that of the observers. The nodules detected by the CAD did not necessarily coincide with those by the observers. Thus, if observers can use the results of the CAD system as a 'second opinion', their detectabilities increase. Conclusion: The CAD system for detection of PNs in the single-exposure dual-energy subtraction method is promising for improving radiologists' detectabilities of PNs

  20. Uniform irradiation of irregularly shaped cavities for photodynamic therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rem, A I; van Gemert, M J; van der Meulen, F W; Gijsbers, G H; Beek, J F

    1997-03-01

    It is difficult to achieve a uniform light distribution in irregularly shaped cavities. We have conducted a study on the use of hollow 'integrating' moulds for more uniform light delivery of photodynamic therapy in irregularly shaped cavities such as the oral cavity. Simple geometries such as a cubical box, a sphere, a cylinder and a 'bottle-neck' geometry have been investigated experimentally and the results have been compared with computed light distributions obtained using the 'radiosity method'. A high reflection coefficient of the mould and the best uniform direct irradiance possible on the inside of the mould were found to be important determinants for achieving a uniform light distribution.

  1. Pulmonary arterial lesions in explanted lungs after transplantation correlate with severity of pulmonary hypertension in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Carlsen, Jørn; Andersen, Kasper Hasseriis; Boesgaard, Søren

    2013-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Pulmonary vascular findings are largely unreported in end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: Pulmonary vascular lesions in explanted lungs from 70 patients with COPD/emphysema or α-1-antitrypsin deficiency were analyzed retrospectively. Patients were stratified...... of pulmonary vascular lesions in COPD correlate with the severity of PH. Morphologic lesions similar to those characteristic of IPAH can be observed as PH in COPD progresses to levels characteristic of IPAH....... by the presence and severity of pulmonary hypertension (PH) assessed by right-heart catheterization in 3 hemodynamically distinct groups: (1) non-PH (mean pulmonary arterial pressure [mPAP]50 mm Hg; median HE Grade 4 (range 3-6), with generalized arterial dilatation and plexiform lesions. CONCLUSIONS: The extent...

  2. Computer-aided detection of artificial pulmonary nodules using an ex vivo lung phantom: influence of exposure parameters and iterative reconstruction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wielpütz, Mark O; Wroblewski, Jacek; Lederlin, Mathieu; Dinkel, Julien; Eichinger, Monika; Koenigkam-Santos, M; Biederer, Jürgen; Kauczor, Hans-Ulrich; Puderbach, Michael U; Jobst, Bertram J

    2015-05-01

    To evaluate the influence of exposure parameters and raw-data based iterative reconstruction (IR) on the performance of computer-aided detection (CAD) of pulmonary nodules on chest multidetector computed tomography (MDCT). Seven porcine lung explants were inflated in a dedicated ex vivo phantom shell and prepared with n=162 artificial nodules of a clinically relevant volume and maximum diameter (46-1063 μl, and 6.2-21.5 mm). n=118 nodules were solid and n=44 part-solid. MDCT was performed with different combinations of 120 and 80 kV with 120, 60, 30 and 12 mA*s, and reconstructed with both filtered back projection (FBP) and IR. Subsequently, 16 datasets per lung were subjected to dedicated CAD software. The rate of true positive, false negative and false positive CAD marks was measured for each reconstruction. The rate of true positive findings ranged between 88.9-91.4% for FBP and 88.3-90.1% for IR (n.s.) with most exposure settings, but was significantly lower with the combination of 80 kV and 12 mA*s (80.9% and 81.5%, respectively, pvolumes 300 μl (p<0.05). Similarly, it was significantly lower for diameters <12 mm compared to ≥12 mm (p<0.05). The rate of true positives for solid and part-solid nodules was similar. Nodule CAD on chest MDCT is robust over a wide range of exposure settings. Noise reduction by IR is not detrimental for CAD, and may be used to improve image quality in the setting of low-dose MDCT for lung cancer screening. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Pulmonary Hypertension Overview

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... well as sleep apnea, are common causes of secondary pulmonary hypertension. Other causes include the following: Congestive heart failure Birth defects in the heart Chronic pulmonary thromboembolism (blood clots in the pulmonary arteries) Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome ( ...

  4. Familial Pulmonary Fibrosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Education & Training Home Conditions Familial Pulmonary Fibrosis Familial Pulmonary Fibrosis Make an Appointment Find a Doctor Ask a ... more members within the same family have Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) or any other form of Idiopathic Interstitial ...

  5. Post-midnight equatorial irregularity distributions and vertical drift velocity variations during solstices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, S.-Y.; Liu, C. H.; Chao, C.-K.

    2018-04-01

    Longitudinal distributions of post-midnight equatorial ionospheric irregularity occurrences observed by ROCSAT-1 (1st satellite of the Republic of China) during moderate to high solar activity years in two solstices are studied with respect to the vertical drift velocity and density variations. The post-midnight irregularity distributions are found to be similar to the well-documented pre-midnight ones, but are different from some published distributions taken during solar minimum years. Even though the post-midnight ionosphere is sinking in general, longitudes of frequent positive vertical drift and high density seems to coincide with the longitudes of high irregularity occurrences. Large scatters found in the vertical drift velocity and density around the dip equator in different ROCSAT-1 orbits indicate the existence of large and frequent variations in the vertical drift velocity and density that seem to be able to provide sufficient perturbations for the Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instability to cause the irregularity occurrences. The need of seeding agents such as gravity waves from atmospheric convective clouds to initiate the Rayleigh-Taylor instability may not be necessary.

  6. Enhanced magnetic resonance pulmonary perfusion imaging in diagnosing pulmonary embolism: preliminary investigation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang Xiaoyong; Du Jing; Zhang Zhaoqi; Guo Xi; Yan Zixu; Jiang Hong; Wang Wei

    2005-01-01

    Objective: This study was designed to investigate the sensitivity and specificity of magnetic resonance pulmonary perfusion imaging (MRPP) in diagnosing pulmonary embolism (PE) compared with enhanced magnetic resonance pulmonary angiography (MRPA) and pulmonary radionuclide perfusion imaging. Methods: Fourteen patients were definitely diagnosed as PE, whose ages were from 19 to 71 years old and mean 45.5 ± 19.8 years old. All patients under went MRPA and MRPP and 3 patients were examined again after thrombolytic treatment. Five patients underwent pulmonary radionuclide perfusion imaging. Setting ROI in top, middle, bottom of lung area and abnormal area respectively, we detected signal intensity and time-signal curve to obtain the transformation rate of signal (TROS) during perfusion peak value. Results: In 14 pulmonary embolism patients, MRPA found 62 branches of pulmonary artery obstruction. Fifty-five abnormal pulmonary perfusion zones were found by MRPP, and the above results were very alike. The coincidence was 88.71%. In 14 cases, MRPP could show 25 subsegments lesion below segments. In 5 patients who had both results Of MRPP and ECT at the same time. MRPP shows 33 perfusion defect zones and 37 segments were found by ECT, the sensitivity was 89.19%. After thrombolytic treatment, both the status of the affected pulmonary artery improved markedly and perfusion defect zones reduced obviously in 3 cases by MRPP and MRPA. TROS in normal perfusion zones perfusion defect zones and low perfusion zones had significant difference (t=22.882, P<0.01). Conclusion: Contrast enhanced MR pulmonary perfusion can show both perfusion defect zones and low perfusion zones in pulmonary embolism. Time-signal curve can show the period of maximum no perfusion zones in pulmonary artery embolism zones. And the amplitude of fluctuation is small with miminum TROS. MRPP has significant values especially in showing pulmonary artery embolism in segments and subsegments. Using both MRPP and

  7. Pulmonary imaging in pregnancy. Maternal risk and fetal dosimetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marcus, C.S.; Mason, G.R.; Kuperus, J.H.; Mena, I.

    1985-01-01

    A Tc-99m macroaggregated albumin (MAA) perfusion lung scan and a Tc-99m DTPA aerosol ventilation scan were performed for suspicion of pulmonary embolism (PE) in a patient who was ten weeks pregnant. There was considerable reluctance on the part of the obstetricians to permit this study. Standard MIRD dose estimates to the fetus were performed, which showed a maximum fetal exposure of about 50 mrem. It was concluded that the risk to mother and fetus from undiagnosed and untreated PE is much greater than the negligible risk to the fetus from the radiation exposure; fear of fetal radiation damage should not be a deterrent to performing these scans

  8. Activation of the sweet taste receptor, T1R3, by the artificial sweetener sucralose regulates the pulmonary endothelium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harrington, Elizabeth O; Vang, Alexander; Braza, Julie; Shil, Aparna; Chichger, Havovi

    2018-01-01

    A hallmark of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is pulmonary vascular permeability. In these settings, loss of barrier integrity is mediated by cell-contact disassembly and actin remodeling. Studies into molecular mechanisms responsible for improving microvascular barrier function are therefore vital in the development of therapeutic targets for reducing vascular permeability in ARDS. The sweet taste receptor T1R3 is a G protein-coupled receptor, activated following exposure to sweet molecules, to trigger a gustducin-dependent signal cascade. In recent years, extraoral locations for T1R3 have been identified; however, no studies have focused on T1R3 within the vasculature. We hypothesize that activation of T1R3, in the pulmonary vasculature, plays a role in regulating endothelial barrier function in settings of ARDS. Our study demonstrated expression of T1R3 within the pulmonary vasculature, with a drop in expression levels following exposure to barrier-disruptive agents. Exposure of lung microvascular endothelial cells to the intensely sweet molecule sucralose attenuated LPS- and thrombin-induced endothelial barrier dysfunction. Likewise, sucralose exposure attenuated bacteria-induced lung edema formation in vivo. Inhibition of sweet taste signaling, through zinc sulfate, T1R3, or G-protein siRNA, blunted the protective effects of sucralose on the endothelium. Sucralose significantly reduced LPS-induced increased expression or phosphorylation of the key signaling molecules Src, p21-activated kinase (PAK), myosin light chain-2 (MLC2), heat shock protein 27 (HSP27), and p110α phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (p110αPI3K). Activation of T1R3 by sucralose protects the pulmonary endothelium from edemagenic agent-induced barrier disruption, potentially through abrogation of Src/PAK/p110αPI3K-mediated cell-contact disassembly and Src/MLC2/HSP27-mediated actin remodeling. Identification of sweet taste sensing in the pulmonary vasculature may represent a novel

  9. Breaking Down Anonymity: Digital surveillance on irregular migrants in Germany and the Netherlands

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    D.W.J. Broeders (Dennis)

    2009-01-01

    textabstractThe presence of irregular migrants causes a tough problem for policy makers. Political and popular aversion against the presence of irregular migrants has mounted in most West-European societies for years, yet their presence remains. Their exact numbers are obviously unknown - only

  10. Pulmonary toxicity and adjuvant effect of di-(2-exylhexyl phthalate in ovalbumin-immunized BALB/c mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jing Guo

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Asthma is a complex pulmonary inflammatory disease, which is characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness, variable airflow obstruction and inflammation in the airways. The majority of asthma is allergic asthma, which is a disease caused by type I hypersensitivity mediated by IgE. Exposures to a number of environmental chemicals are suspected to lead to asthma, one such pollutant is di-(2-ethylheyl phthalate (DEHP. DEHP is a manufactured chemical that is commonly added in plastic products to make them flexible. Epidemiological studies have revealed a positive association between DEHP exposure and asthma prevalence. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The present study was aimed to determine the underlying role of DEHP exposure in airway reactivity, especially when combined with allergen exposure. The biomarkers include pulmonary histopathology, airway hyperresponsiveness (lung function, IgE, IL-4, IFN-γ and eosinophils. Healthy balb/c mice were randomly divided into eight exposure groups (n = 8 each: (1 saline control, (2 30 µg/(kg•d DEHP, (3 300 µg/(kg•d DEHP, (4 3000 µg/(kg•d DEHP, and (5 ovalbumin (OVA-sensitized group, (6 OVA-combined with 30 µg/(kg•d DEHP, (7 OVA-combined with 300 µg/(kg•d DEHP, and (8 OVA-combined with 3000 µg/(kg•d DEHP. Experimental tests were conducted after 52-day DEHP exposure and subsequently one week of challenge with aerosolized OVA. The principal findings include: (1 Strong postive associations exist between OVA-combined DEHP exposure and serum total IgE (T-IgE, as well as histological findings. These positive associations show a dose-dependent low dose sensitive effect of DEHP. (2 IL-4, eosinophil recruitment and lung function are also indicators for adjuvant effect of DEHP. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results suggest that except the significant changes of immunological and inflammatory biomarkers (T-IgE, IL-4, IFN-γ and eosinophils, the pulmonary histological (histopathological

  11. Simultaneous radar and spaced receiver VHF scintillation observations of ESF irregularities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. Tiwari

    2006-07-01

    Full Text Available Simultaneous observations of equatorial spread F (ESF irregularities made on 10 nights during March-April 1998 and 1999, using an 18-MHz radar at Trivandrum (77° E, 8.5° N, dip 0.5° N and two spaced receivers recording scintillations on a 251-MHz signal at Tirunelveli (77.8° E, 8.7° N, dip 0.4° N, have been used to study the evolution of Equatorial Spread F (ESF irregularities. Case studies have been carried out on the day-to-day variability in ESF structure and dynamics, as observed by 18-MHz radar, and with spaced receiver measurements of average zonal drift Vo of the 251-MHz radio wave diffraction pattern on the ground, random velocity Vc, which is a measure of random changes in the characteristics of scintillation-producing irregularities, and maximum cross-correlation CI of the spaced receivers signals. Results show that in the initial phase of plasma bubble development, the greater the maximum height of ESF irregularities responsible for the radar backscatter, the greater the decorrelation is of the spaced receiver scintillation signals, indicating greater turbulence. The relationship of the maximum spectral width derived from the radar observations and CI also supports this result.

  12. A comparative analysis of pulmonary ventilation-perfusion imaging with pulmonary angiography in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Jincheng; Mi Hongzhi; Wang Qian; Zhang Weijun; Lu Biao; Yang Hao; Ding Jian; Lu Yao

    2001-01-01

    Objective: To assess the value of ventilation-perfusion imaging in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE). Methods: Thirty consecutive patients with clinically suspected pulmonary embolism were studied, male: female 15:15, mean age was (36.2 +- 13.9) years. The chest radiograms were obtained in all 30 patients. All patients underwent radionuclide ventilation-perfusion imaging and pulmonary angiography. Results: Of the 30 patients, 22 with lobe, multiple segment or multi-subsegment perfusion defects and normal or nearly normal ventilation images were reported as PE. 20 of them were confirmed to be with PE by pulmonary angiography, 2 patients were not confirmed. Eight of 30 patients with multiple perfusion defects, ventilative abnormalities were reported as non-PE and the diagnoses were confirmed by pulmonary angiography. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of diagnosis of PE by ventilation-perfusion imaging was 100%, 80.0% and 93.3% respectively. Conclusions: (1) Ventilation-perfusion imaging is one of the most valuable methods in the diagnosis of PE. (2) The results suggest that pulmonary embolism can be diagnosed non-invasively in most patients on the basis of clinical manifestation, chest radiograms and ventilation-perfusion imaging findings. (3) Pulmonary angiography is required while clinical manifestation and ventilation-perfusion imaging findings are discordant with each other

  13. Pulmonary embolism in pregnancy: comparison of pulmonary CT angiography and lung scintigraphy.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Ridge, Carole A

    2012-02-01

    OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to retrospectively compare the diagnostic adequacy of lung scintigraphy with that of pulmonary CT angiography (CTA) in the care of pregnant patients with suspected pulmonary embolism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patient characteristics, radiology report content, additional imaging performed, final diagnosis, and diagnostic adequacy were recorded for pregnant patients consecutively referred for lung scintigraphy or pulmonary CTA according to physician preference. Measurements of pulmonary arterial enhancement were performed on all pulmonary CTA images of pregnant patients. Lung scintigraphy and pulmonary CTA studies deemed inadequate for diagnosis at the time of image acquisition were further assessed, and the cause of diagnostic inadequacy was determined. The relative contribution of the inferior vena cava to the right side of the heart was measured on nondiagnostic CTA images and compared with that on CTA images of age-matched nonpregnant women, who were the controls. RESULTS: Twenty-eight pulmonary CTA examinations were performed on 25 pregnant patients, and 25 lung scintigraphic studies were performed on 25 pregnant patients. Lung scintigraphy was more frequently adequate for diagnosis than was pulmonary CTA (4% vs 35.7%) (p = 0.0058). Pulmonary CTA had a higher diagnostic inadequacy rate among pregnant than nonpregnant women (35.7% vs 2.1%) (p < 0.001). Transient interruption of contrast material by unopacified blood from the inferior vena cava was identified in eight of 10 nondiagnostic pulmonary CTA studies. CONCLUSION: We found that lung scintigraphy was more reliable than pulmonary CTA in pregnant patients. Transient interruption of contrast material by unopacified blood from the inferior vena cava is a common finding at pulmonary CTA of pregnant patients.

  14. [Artificial cycle therapy of acupuncture and moxibustion for irregular menstruation].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Jie; Yang, Lijie; Chen, Yajie; Li, Qing; Chen, Lin

    2015-03-01

    Through the discussion on TCM physiological characters of females in follicular, ovulatory, luteal and menstrual phases and treatment principles, the clinical application of artificial cycle therapy of acupuncture and moxibustion was introduced for irregular menstruation and the typical cases were attached. It is suggested that the menstrual cycle follows the growth-consumption rule of yin, yang, qi and blood. The corresponding treatment principles should be applied in accordance with the change rule of menstrual cycle. Hence, it is worth to adopt the artificial cycle therapy of acupuncture and moxibustion for irregular menstruation in clinical application.

  15. Properties of the Irregular Satellite System around Uranus Inferred from K2, Herschel, and Spitzer Observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farkas-Takács, A.; Kiss, Cs.; Pál, A.; Molnár, L.; Szabó, Gy. M.; Hanyecz, O.; Sárneczky, K.; Szabó, R.; Marton, G.; Mommert, M.; Szakáts, R.; Müller, T.; Kiss, L. L.

    2017-09-01

    In this paper, we present visible-range light curves of the irregular Uranian satellites Sycorax, Caliban, Prospero, Ferdinand, and Setebos taken with the Kepler Space Telescope over the course of the K2 mission. Thermal emission measurements obtained with the Herschel/PACS and Spitzer/MIPS instruments of Sycorax and Caliban were also analyzed and used to determine size, albedo, and surface characteristics of these bodies. We compare these properties with the rotational and surface characteristics of irregular satellites in other giant planet systems and also with those of main belt and Trojan asteroids and trans-Neptunian objects. Our results indicate that the Uranian irregular satellite system likely went through a more intense collisional evolution than the irregular satellites of Jupiter and Saturn. Surface characteristics of Uranian irregular satellites seem to resemble the Centaurs and trans-Neptunian objects more than irregular satellites around other giant planets, suggesting the existence of a compositional discontinuity in the young solar system inside the orbit of Uranus.

  16. Properties of the Irregular Satellite System around Uranus Inferred from K2 , Herschel , and Spitzer Observations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Farkas-Takács, A.; Kiss, Cs.; Pál, A.; Molnár, L.; Szabó, Gy. M.; Hanyecz, O.; Sárneczky, K.; Szabó, R.; Marton, G.; Szakáts, R.; Kiss, L. L. [Konkoly Observatory, Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Konkoly Thege Miklós út 15-17, H-1121 Budapest (Hungary); Mommert, M. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northern Arizona University, P.O. Box 6010, Flagstaff, AZ 86011 (United States); Müller, T., E-mail: farkas.aniko@csfk.mta.hu [Max-Plank-Institut für extraterrestrsiche Pyhsik, Garching (Germany)

    2017-09-01

    In this paper, we present visible-range light curves of the irregular Uranian satellites Sycorax, Caliban, Prospero, Ferdinand, and Setebos taken with the Kepler Space Telescope over the course of the K2 mission. Thermal emission measurements obtained with the Herschel /PACS and Spitzer /MIPS instruments of Sycorax and Caliban were also analyzed and used to determine size, albedo, and surface characteristics of these bodies. We compare these properties with the rotational and surface characteristics of irregular satellites in other giant planet systems and also with those of main belt and Trojan asteroids and trans-Neptunian objects. Our results indicate that the Uranian irregular satellite system likely went through a more intense collisional evolution than the irregular satellites of Jupiter and Saturn. Surface characteristics of Uranian irregular satellites seem to resemble the Centaurs and trans-Neptunian objects more than irregular satellites around other giant planets, suggesting the existence of a compositional discontinuity in the young solar system inside the orbit of Uranus.

  17. Airway Epithelial Barrier Dysfunction in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease : Role of Cigarette Smoke Exposure

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Aghapour, Mahyar; Raee, Pourya; Moghaddam, Seyed Javad; Hiemstra, Pieter S.; Heijink, Irene H.

    The epithelial lining of the airway forms the first barrier against environmental insults, such as inhaled cigarette smoke, which is the primary risk factor for the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The barrier is formed by airway epithelial junctions, which are

  18. On the total irregularity strength of caterpillar with each internal vertex has degree three

    Science.gov (United States)

    Indriati, Diari; Rosyida, Isnaini; Widodo

    2018-04-01

    Let G be a simple, connected and undirected graph with vertex set V and edge set E. A total k-labeling f:V \\cup E\\to \\{1,2,\\ldots,k\\} is defined as totally irregular total k-labeling if the weights of any two different both vertices and edges are distinct. The weight of vertex x is defined as wt(x)=f(x)+{\\sum }xy\\in Ef(xy), while the weight of edge xy is wt(xy)=f(x)+f(xy)+f(y). A minimum k for which G has totally irregular total k-labeling is mentioned as total irregularity strength of G and denoted by ts(G). This paper contains investigation of totally irregular total k-labeling and determination of their total irregularity strengths for caterpillar graphs with each internal vertex between two stars has degree three. The results are ts({S}n,3,n)=\\lceil \\frac{2n}{2}\\rceil, ts({S}n,3,3,n)=\\lceil \\frac{2n+1}{2}\\rceil and ts({S}n,3,3,3,n)=\\lceil \\frac{2n+2}{2}\\rceil for n > 4:

  19. Right pulmonary aplasia, aberrant left pulmonary artery, and bronchopulmonary sequestration with an esophageal bronchus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Peter; McCauley, Roy; Westra, Sjirk; Baba, Timothy

    2006-01-01

    Pulmonary aplasia and bronchopulmonary foregut malformations in which a patent communication between the foregut and the pulmonary system is present are rare congenital abnormalities. Pulmonary aplasia associated with a pulmonary sling is an even rarer abnormality. We report a unique case of right pulmonary aplasia, aberrant left pulmonary artery, and bronchopulmonary sequestration with an esophageal bronchus diagnosed by multidetector helical CT. (orig.)

  20. Gendered depression: Vulnerability or exposure to work and family stressors?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marchand, Alain; Bilodeau, Jaunathan; Demers, Andrée; Beauregard, Nancy; Durand, Pierre; Haines, Victor Y

    2016-10-01

    Research has shown that employed women are more prone to depression than men, but the pathways linking gender to depression remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to examine how work and family conditions operated as potentially gendered antecedents of depression. It evaluated more specifically how differences in depressive symptoms in women and men could be explained by their differential vulnerability and exposure to work and family conditions, as well as by the mediating role of work-to-family conflict (WFC) and family-to-work conflict (FWC). Data were collected in 2009-2012 from a sample of 1935 employees (48.9% women) nested in 63 workplaces in the province of Quebec (Canada). Data were analyzed with multilevel path analysis models to test for the differential exposure hypothesis, and stratified by gender to test for the differential vulnerability hypothesis. Results supported both hypothesizes, but only WFC played a mediating role between work-family stressors and depression. Regarding the vulnerability hypothesis, WFC was more strongly associated with women depressive symptoms, and the magnitude of the association between family income and WFC was stronger for women. Overall, the differential exposure hypothesis seemed to reach a greater empirical support. After accounting for work and family stressors as well as WFC, differences in depressive symptoms in women and men were no longer significantly, as WFC, working hours, irregular work schedule and skill utilization acted as mediators. WFC associated with higher depressive symptoms and skill utilization with lower depressive symptoms. WFC related to higher working hours and irregular work schedule. Compared to men, women reported higher WFC, but lower working hours, less irregular work schedule and lower skill utilization at work. Women's higher rate of depression is intrinsically linked to their different social experiences as shaped by a gendered social structure and gendered organizations

  1. Development of occlusive neointimal lesions in distal pulmonary arteries of endothelin B receptor-deficient rats: a new model of severe pulmonary arterial hypertension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ivy, D Dunbar; McMurtry, Ivan F; Colvin, Kelley; Imamura, Masatoshi; Oka, Masahiko; Lee, Dong-Seok; Gebb, Sarah; Jones, Peter Lloyd

    2005-06-07

    Human pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by proliferation of vascular smooth muscle and, in its more severe form, by the development of occlusive neointimal lesions. However, few animal models of pulmonary neointimal proliferation exist, thereby limiting a complete understanding of the pathobiology of PAH. Recent studies of the endothelin (ET) system demonstrate that deficiency of the ET(B) receptor predisposes adult rats to acute and chronic hypoxic PAH, yet these animals fail to develop neointimal lesions. Herein, we determined and thereafter showed that exposure of ET(B) receptor-deficient rats to the endothelial toxin monocrotaline (MCT) leads to the development of neointimal lesions that share hallmarks of human PAH. The pulmonary hemodynamic and morphometric effects of 60 mg/kg MCT in control (MCT(+/+)) and ET(B) receptor-deficient (MCT(sl/sl)) rats at 6 weeks of age were assessed. MCT(sl/sl) rats developed more severe PAH, characterized by elevated pulmonary artery pressure, diminished cardiac output, and right ventricular hypertrophy. In MCT(sl/sl) rats, morphometric evaluation revealed the presence of neointimal lesions within small distal pulmonary arteries, increased medial wall thickness, and decreased arterial-to-alveolar ratio. In keeping with this, barium angiography revealed diminished distal pulmonary vasculature of MCT(sl/sl) rat lungs. Cells within neointimal lesions expressed smooth muscle and endothelial cell markers. Moreover, cells within neointimal lesions exhibited increased levels of proliferation and were located in a tissue microenvironment enriched with vascular endothelial growth factor, tenascin-C, and activated matrix metalloproteinase-9, factors already implicated in human PAH. Finally, assessment of steady state mRNA showed that whereas expression of ET(B) receptors was decreased in MCT(sl/sl) rat lungs, ET(A) receptor expression increased. Deficiency of the ET(B) receptor markedly accelerates the progression of

  2. Development of Occlusive Neointimal Lesions in Distal Pulmonary Arteries of Endothelin B Receptor–Deficient Rats: A New Model of Severe Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ivy, D. Dunbar; McMurtry, Ivan F.; Colvin, Kelley; Imamura, Masatoshi; Oka, Masahiko; Lee, Dong-Seok; Gebb, Sarah; Jones, Peter Lloyd

    2007-01-01

    Background Human pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by proliferation of vascular smooth muscle and, in its more severe form, by the development of occlusive neointimal lesions. However, few animal models of pulmonary neointimal proliferation exist, thereby limiting a complete understanding of the pathobiology of PAH. Recent studies of the endothelin (ET) system demonstrate that deficiency of the ETB receptor predisposes adult rats to acute and chronic hypoxic PAH, yet these animals fail to develop neointimal lesions. Herein, we determined and thereafter showed that exposure of ETB receptor–deficient rats to the endothelial toxin monocrotaline (MCT) leads to the development of neointimal lesions that share hallmarks of human PAH. Methods and Results The pulmonary hemodynamic and morphometric effects of 60 mg/kg MCT in control (MCT+/+) and ETB receptor–deficient (MCTsl/sl) rats at 6 weeks of age were assessed. MCTsl/sl rats developed more severe PAH, characterized by elevated pulmonary artery pressure, diminished cardiac output, and right ventricular hypertrophy. In MCTsl/sl rats, morphometric evaluation revealed the presence of neointimal lesions within small distal pulmonary arteries, increased medial wall thickness, and decreased arterial-to-alveolar ratio. In keeping with this, barium angiography revealed diminished distal pulmonary vasculature of MCTsl/sl rat lungs. Cells within neointimal lesions expressed smooth muscle and endothelial cell markers. Moreover, cells within neointimal lesions exhibited increased levels of proliferation and were located in a tissue microenvironment enriched with vascular endothelial growth factor, tenascin-C, and activated matrix metalloproteinase-9, factors already implicated in human PAH. Finally, assessment of steady state mRNA showed that whereas expression of ETB receptors was decreased in MCTsl/sl rat lungs, ETA receptor expression increased. Conclusions Deficiency of the ETB receptor markedly

  3. A vapourized Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ(9)-THC) delivery system part I: development and validation of a pulmonary cannabinoid route of exposure for experimental pharmacology studies in rodents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manwell, Laurie A; Charchoglyan, Armen; Brewer, Dyanne; Matthews, Brittany A; Heipel, Heather; Mallet, Paul E

    2014-01-01

    Most studies evaluating the effects of Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ(9)-THC) in animal models administer it via a parenteral route (e.g., intraperitoneal (IP) or intravenous injection (IV)), however, the common route of administration for human users is pulmonary (e.g., smoking or vapourizing marijuana). A vapourized Δ(9)-THC delivery system for rodents was developed and used to compare the effects of pulmonary and parenteral Δ(9)-THC administration on blood cannabinoid levels and behaviour. Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to pulmonary Δ(9)-THC (1, 5, and 10mg of inhaled vapour) delivered via a Volcano® vapourizing device (Storz and Bickel, Germany) or to parenteral Δ(9)-THC (0.25, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5mg/kg injected IP). Quantification of Δ(9)-THC and its psychoactive metabolite, 11-hydroxy-Δ(9)-THC (11-OH-Δ(9)-THC), in blood was determined by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). In order to verify the potential for the vapourization procedure to produce a robust conditioned place preference (CPP) or conditioned place avoidance CPA, classical conditioning procedures were systematically varied by altering the exposure time (10 or 20min) and number of exposed rats (1 or 2) while maintaining the same vapourization dose (10mg). Blood collected at 20min intervals showed similar dose-dependent and time-dependent changes in Δ(9)-THC and 11-OH-Δ(9)-THC for both pulmonary and parenteral administration of Δ(9)-THC. However, vapourized Δ(9)-THC induced CPP under certain conditions whereas IP-administered Δ(9)-THC induced CPA. These results support and extend the limited evidence (e.g., in humans, Naef et al., 2004; in rodents, Niyuhire et al., 2007) that Δ(9)-THC produces qualitatively different effects on behaviour depending upon the route of administration. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. You’re the Flight Surgeon: Pulmonary Decompression Sickness

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-06-01

    follow-up of this patient Diagnosis: Decompression sickness (DeS) with pulmonary symptoms (Type Il DeS, older nomenclature). Treatment: Hyperbaric ...is quite clear thai any case of suspected decompression sickness in the USAF be discussed with the hyperbariC medicine specialists at Brooks City...physician in as respectful manner as you can that you suspect the patient’s condition is likely related to his hypobaric exposure. B. Agree with

  5. Pulmonary collagen metabolism in irradiated hamsters and those treated with corticosteroids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pickrell, J.A.; Straus, F.C.; Halliwell, W.H.; Jones, R.K.

    1976-01-01

    Syrian hamsters were exposed to 90 Y in fused aluminosilicate particles to produce pulmonary fibrosis. Irradiated hamsters and contols were treated with Depomedrol, arresting the developing fibrosis. All hamsters receiving steroid showed a reduced incorporation of 14 C-proline into noncollagen protein during the 3-19 wk period after exposure. Collagen synthesis relative to noncollagen protein synthesis was decreased five-fold in these animals at early times after exposure and during high steroid dosage, but had returned to control levels after considerable time at lower steroid dosage. Collagen synthesis in irradiated animals not receiving steroids was elevated during the same time period and collagen synthesis in irradiated hamsters treated with steroid was intermediate between that in radiation animals and in control or steroid animals. Collagen breakdown was elevated to the same level as in irradiated animals, and collagen content was normal and well below that of irradiated animals. These and previous data indicate that steroid treatment delays development of pulmonary fibrosis in animals irradiated with fibrogenic doses of 90 Y in fused aluminosilicate particles. Experiments incubating BAPN or Depomedrol with L-929 or WI-38 fibroblasts in vitro were performed to note any effect of these agents upon fibroblast proliferation, cellular collagen processing or collagen synthesis. Steroids frequently reduced fibroblast proliferation and altered cellular collagen processings to reflect an increased proportion of collagen breakdown products. These changes reflect the importance of fibroblast proliferation in developing pulmonary fibrosis

  6. Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... heart). This type of pulmonary hypertension was called “secondary pulmonary hypertension” but is now referred to as PH, because the cause is known to be from lung disease, heart disease, or chronic thromboemboli (blood clots). Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) used to be ...

  7. The translational repressor T-cell intracellular antigen-1 (TIA-1) is a key modulator of Th2 and Th17 responses driving pulmonary inflammation induced by exposure to house dust mite.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simarro, Maria; Giannattasio, Giorgio; Xing, Wei; Lundequist, Emma-Maria; Stewart, Samantha; Stevens, Richard L; Orduña, Antonio; Boyce, Joshua A; Anderson, Paul J

    2012-08-30

    T-cell intracellular antigen-1 (TIA-1) is a translational repressor that dampens the production of proinflammatory cytokines and enzymes. In this study we investigated the role of TIA-1 in a mouse model of pulmonary inflammation induced by exposure to the allergenic extract (Df) of the house dust mite Dermatophagoides farinae. When intranasally challenged with a low dose of Df, mice lacking TIA-1 protein (Tia-1(-/-)) showed more severe airway and tissue eosinophilia, infiltration of lung bronchovascular bundles, and goblet cell metaplasia than wild-type littermates. Tia-1(-/-) mice also had higher levels of Df-specific IgE and IgG(1) in serum and ex vivo restimulated Tia-1(-/-) lymph node cells and splenocytes transcribed and released more Th2/Th17 cytokines. To evaluate the site of action of TIA-1, we studied the response to Df in bone marrow chimeras. These experiments revealed that TIA-1 acts on both hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic cells to dampen pulmonary inflammation. Our results identify TIA-1 as a negative regulator of allergen-mediated pulmonary inflammation in vivo. Thus, TIA-1 might be an important player in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Pulmonary vascular limitation to exercise and survival in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Plas, Mart N.; van Kan, Coen; Blumenthal, Judith; Jansen, Henk M.; Wells, Athol U.; Bresser, Paul

    2014-01-01

    Pulmonary hypertension is frequently observed in advanced idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and is associated with poor prognosis. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) can be used to detect less advanced pulmonary vascular impairment, and therefore may be of prognostic use. We studied the

  9. Pulmonary endarterectomy in the management of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Jenkins

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH is a type of pulmonary hypertension, resulting from fibrotic transformation of pulmonary artery clots causing chronic obstruction in macroscopic pulmonary arteries and associated vascular remodelling in the microvasculature. Pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA offers the best chance of symptomatic and prognostic improvement in eligible patients; in expert centres, it has excellent results. Current in-hospital mortality rates are 90% at 1 year and >70% at 10 years. However, PEA, is a complex procedure and relies on a multidisciplinary CTEPH team led by an experienced surgeon to decide on an individual's operability, which is determined primarily by lesion location and the haemodynamic parameters. Therefore, treatment of patients with CTEPH depends largely on subjective judgements of eligibility for surgery by the CTEPH team. Other controversies discussed in this article include eligibility for PEA versus balloon pulmonary angioplasty, the new treatment algorithm in the European Society of Cardiology/European Respiratory Society guidelines and the definition of an “expert centre” for the management of this condition.

  10. Does exercise pulmonary hypertension exist?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lau, Edmund M; Chemla, Denis; Whyte, Kenneth; Kovacs, Gabor; Olschewski, Horst; Herve, Philippe

    2016-09-01

    The exercise definition of pulmonary hypertension using a mean pulmonary artery pressure threshold of greater than 30 mmHg was abandoned following the 4th World Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium in 2008, as this definition was not supported by evidence and healthy individuals frequently exceed this threshold. Meanwhile, the clinical value of exercise pulmonary hemodynamic testing has also been questioned. Recent data support the notion that an abnormal pulmonary hemodynamic response during exercise (or exercise pulmonary hypertension) is associated with symptoms and exercise limitation. Pathophysiologic mechanisms accounting for the development of exercise pulmonary hypertension include increased vascular resistance, excessive elevation in left atrial pressure and/or increased volume of trapped air during exercise, resulting in a steep rise in pulmonary artery pressure relative to cardiac output. Recent evidence suggests that exercise pulmonary hypertension may be defined by a mean pulmonary artery pressure surpassing 30 mmHg together with a simultaneous total pulmonary resistance exceeding 3 WU. Exercise pulmonary hypertension is a clinically relevant entity and an improved definition has been suggested based on new evidence. Exercise pulmonary hemodynamics may help unmask early or latent disease, particularly in populations that are at high risk for the development of pulmonary hypertension.

  11. Definition and classification of pulmonary hypertension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Humbert, Marc; Montani, David; Evgenov, Oleg V; Simonneau, Gérald

    2013-01-01

    Pulmonary hypertension is defined as an increase of mean pulmonary arterial pressure ≥25 mmHg at rest as assessed by right heart catheterization. According to different combinations of values of pulmonary wedge pressure, pulmonary vascular resistance and cardiac output, a hemodynamic classification of pulmonary hypertension has been proposed. Of major importance is the pulmonary wedge pressure which allows to distinguish pre-capillary (pulmonary wedge pressure ≤15 mmHg) and post-capillary (pulmonary wedge pressure >15 mmHg) pulmonary hypertension. Pre-capillary pulmonary hypertension includes the clinical groups 1 (pulmonary arterial hypertension), 3 (pulmonary hypertension due to lung diseases and/or hypoxia), 4 (chronic thrombo-embolic pulmonary hypertension) and 5 (pulmonary hypertension with unclear and/or multifactorial mechanisms). Post-capillary pulmonary hypertension corresponds to the clinical group 2 (pulmonary hypertension due to left heart diseases).

  12. The effect of earthquake on architecture geometry with non-parallel system irregularity configuration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teddy, Livian; Hardiman, Gagoek; Nuroji; Tudjono, Sri

    2017-12-01

    Indonesia is an area prone to earthquake that may cause casualties and damage to buildings. The fatalities or the injured are not largely caused by the earthquake, but by building collapse. The collapse of the building is resulted from the building behaviour against the earthquake, and it depends on many factors, such as architectural design, geometry configuration of structural elements in horizontal and vertical plans, earthquake zone, geographical location (distance to earthquake center), soil type, material quality, and construction quality. One of the geometry configurations that may lead to the collapse of the building is irregular configuration of non-parallel system. In accordance with FEMA-451B, irregular configuration in non-parallel system is defined to have existed if the vertical lateral force-retaining elements are neither parallel nor symmetric with main orthogonal axes of the earthquake-retaining axis system. Such configuration may lead to torque, diagonal translation and local damage to buildings. It does not mean that non-parallel irregular configuration should not be formed on architectural design; however the designer must know the consequence of earthquake behaviour against buildings with irregular configuration of non-parallel system. The present research has the objective to identify earthquake behaviour in architectural geometry with irregular configuration of non-parallel system. The present research was quantitative with simulation experimental method. It consisted of 5 models, where architectural data and model structure data were inputted and analyzed using the software SAP2000 in order to find out its performance, and ETAB2015 to determine the eccentricity occurred. The output of the software analysis was tabulated, graphed, compared and analyzed with relevant theories. For areas of strong earthquake zones, avoid designing buildings which wholly form irregular configuration of non-parallel system. If it is inevitable to design a

  13. Oral Tolerance to Environmental Mycobacteria Interferes with Intradermal, but Not Pulmonary, Immunization against Tuberculosis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dominique N Price

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG is currently the only approved vaccine against tuberculosis (TB and is administered in over 150 countries worldwide. Despite its widespread use, the vaccine has a variable protective efficacy of 0-80%, with the lowest efficacy rates in tropical regions where TB is most prevalent. This variability is partially due to ubiquitous environmental mycobacteria (EM found in soil and water sources, with high EM prevalence coinciding with areas of poor vaccine efficacy. In an effort to elucidate the mechanisms underlying EM interference with BCG vaccine efficacy, we exposed mice chronically to Mycobacterium avium (M. avium, a specific EM, by two different routes, the oral and intradermal route, to mimic human exposure. After intradermal BCG immunization in mice exposed to oral M. avium, we saw a significant decrease in the pro-inflammatory cytokine IFN-γ, and an increase in T regulatory cells and the immunosuppressive cytokine IL-10 compared to naïve BCG-vaccinated animals. To circumvent the immunosuppressive effect of oral M. avium exposure, we vaccinated mice by the pulmonary route with BCG. Inhaled BCG immunization rescued IFN-γ levels and increased CD4 and CD8 T cell recruitment into airways in M. avium-presensitized mice. In contrast, intradermal BCG vaccination was ineffective at T cell recruitment into the airway. Pulmonary BCG vaccination proved protective against Mtb infection regardless of previous oral M. avium exposure, compared to intradermal BCG immunization. In conclusion, our data indicate that vaccination against TB by the pulmonary route increases BCG vaccine efficacy by avoiding the immunosuppressive interference generated by chronic oral exposure to EM. This has implications in TB-burdened countries where drug resistance is on the rise and health care options are limited due to economic considerations. A successful vaccine against TB is necessary in these areas as it is both effective and economical.

  14. Pulmonary vascular imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fedullo, P.F.; Shure, D.

    1987-01-01

    A wide range of pulmonary vascular imaging techniques are available for the diagnostic evaluation of patients with suspected pulmonary vascular disease. The characteristics of any ideal technique would include high sensitivity and specificity, safety, simplicity, and sequential applicability. To date, no single technique meets these ideal characteristics. Conventional pulmonary angiography remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of acute thromboembolic disease despite the introduction of newer techniques such as digital subtraction angiography and magnetic resonance imaging. Improved noninvasive lower extremity venous testing methods, particularly impedance plethysmography, and ventilation-perfusion scanning can play significant roles in the noninvasive diagnosis of acute pulmonary emboli when properly applied. Ventilation-perfusion scanning may also be useful as a screening test to differentiate possible primary pulmonary hypertension from chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. And, finally, angioscopy may be a useful adjunctive technique to detect chronic thromboembolic disease and determine operability. Optimal clinical decision-making, however, will continue to require the proper interpretation of adjunctive information obtained from the less-invasive techniques, applied with an understanding of the natural history of the various forms of pulmonary vascular disease and with a knowledge of the capabilities and shortcomings of the individual techniques

  15. Contribution of reactive oxygen species to the pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naik, Jay S.; Weise-Cross, Laura; Detweiler, Neil D.; Herbert, Lindsay M.; Yellowhair, Tracylyn R.; Resta, Thomas C.

    2017-01-01

    Pulmonary arterial hypertension is associated with a decreased antioxidant capacity. However, neither the contribution of reactive oxygen species to pulmonary vasoconstrictor sensitivity, nor the therapeutic efficacy of antioxidant strategies in this setting are known. We hypothesized that reactive oxygen species play a central role in mediating both vasoconstrictor and arterial remodeling components of severe pulmonary arterial hypertension. We examined the effect of the chemical antioxidant, TEMPOL, on right ventricular systolic pressure, vascular remodeling, and enhanced vasoconstrictor reactivity in both chronic hypoxia and hypoxia/SU5416 rat models of pulmonary hypertension. SU5416 is a vascular endothelial growth factor receptor antagonist and the combination of chronic hypoxia/SU5416 produces a model of severe pulmonary arterial hypertension with vascular plexiform lesions/fibrosis that is not present with chronic hypoxia alone. The major findings from this study are: 1) compared to hypoxia alone, hypoxia/SU5416 exposure caused more severe pulmonary hypertension, right ventricular hypertrophy, adventitial lesion formation, and greater vasoconstrictor sensitivity through a superoxide and Rho kinase-dependent Ca2+ sensitization mechanism. 2) Chronic hypoxia increased medial muscularization and superoxide levels, however there was no effect of SU5416 to augment these responses. 3) Treatment with TEMPOL decreased right ventricular systolic pressure in both hypoxia and hypoxia/SU5416 groups. 4) This effect of TEMPOL was associated with normalization of vasoconstrictor responses, but not arterial remodeling. Rather, medial hypertrophy and adventitial fibrotic lesion formation were more pronounced following chronic TEMPOL treatment in hypoxia/SU5416 rats. Our findings support a major role for reactive oxygen species in mediating enhanced vasoconstrictor reactivity and pulmonary hypertension in both chronic hypoxia and hypoxia/SU5416 rat models, despite a

  16. Imaging manifestations of the cavitation in pulmonary parenchyma of SARS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yuan Chunwang; Zhao Dawei; Wang Wei; Jia Cuiyu; Bai Chunsheng

    2004-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the imaging appearances of cavitation in pulmonary parenchyma and the clinical features of the cases of SARS. Methods: Chest imaging films and clinical data of 180 patients with clinically confirmed SARS were analyzed retrospectively. The imaging manifestations of cavitation and the clinical features of the patients were observed and evaluated. Results: Of 180 patients, cavitations were showed in 5 (2.8%), which were all found through X-ray or CT scanning. Most of them were round or irregular, and had thick wall. The 5 patients all had been in hospital and treated with more dosage antibiotics, antivirus medicines and glucocorticoid for long time, the glucocorticoid was used for 25-65 d, and in the first 10-15 days the dosage was 160-240 mg per day. In hospitalization, one of them had been diagnosed diabetes mellitus, four had increased fasting blood sugar, the counts of white blood cells [(14.1-20.4) x 10 9 /L] increased significantly, the percent of neutrophils might increased also. Meanwhile, there was a continue increase of lactate dehydrogenase (228.00-475.00 U/L), glutamic dehydrogenase (10.08-60.00 U/L) and hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (190.00-444.00 U/L) in lab examination. Conclusion: SARS can cause cavitation in pulmonary parenchyma in posterior process of the disease. CT scanning can find the cavitation earlier and accurately, catching the imaging features of them is helpful in differential diagnosis, guiding therapy and estimating prognosis

  17. Emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in coal miners

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tomas, L.H.S. [Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI (United States)

    2011-03-15

    Coal mining remains a major industry that has workers at risk for developing chronic lung disease. Aside from simple coal workers' pneumoconiosis and progressive massive fibrosis, the development of emphysema and obstructive lung disease independent of smoking may be underappreciated. This article reviews more recent studies that may help rectify this faulty view. Cumulative exposure to coal dust is a significant risk factor for the development of emphysema and has an additive effect to smoking. Increased coal dust exposure is associated with increased risk of death from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In newly employed coal miners, bronchitic symptoms are associated with a rapid decline in lung function within 2 years after starting work. In evaluating impairment, the chest radiograph may be helpful as a marker of exposure but the diffusing capacity is most correlated with dyspnea, whereas the emphysema computed tomography score has good association with expiratory flow limitation. Latest studies further support the association of emphysema and COPD with coal dust exposure. Increased cumulative exposure may also increase risk of death from these diseases.

  18. Evaluation of irregular menses in perimenarcheal girls: a pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Browner-Elhanan, Karen J; Epstein, Jonathan; Alderman, Elizabeth M

    2003-12-01

    Acyclic vaginal bleeding in girls within three years of menarche is most commonly attributed to an immature hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis. Assuming this diagnosis may preclude the practitioner from performing more definitive studies and thereby diagnosing other, treatable causes of menstrual irregularities. A retrospective chart review of 178 girls presenting to an inner-city hospital-based adolescent clinic within three years of menarche was performed. Personal and family medical and menarcheal history was assessed, and findings on physical and laboratory examination performed were evaluated. Of the 178 girls still perimenarcheal at presentation, 47 were the focus of this study. Of these, 39 had no significant findings on physical examination, while 3 had signs of functional ovarian hyperandrogenism (FOH) including obesity, hirsutism, and moderate acne with corresponding LH/FSH ratios>3, although pelvic ultrasound examination revealed normal ovaries. Four of the 39 patients with normal physical exams had LH/FSH testing done, and 1 of the 4 had an abnormal LH/FSH ratio, indicating possible FOH. Two of the 47 patients were pregnant. Other laboratory abnormalities included microcytic, hypochromic anemia in patients, and an elevated Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate in a patient later diagnosed with a rheumatologic disorder. Those perimenarcheal girls presenting with irregular menses and findings including obesity, acne, or pallor, were likely to have treatable causes of menstrual irregularities. In one of the four girls with a normal physical examination, hormonal testing indicated possible FOH, thus suggesting that hormonal evaluation of perimenarcheal girls with menstrual irregularities may be justified, as it may reveal previously unsuspected pathology.

  19. Beneficial Effects of Renal Denervation on Pulmonary Vascular Remodeling in Experimental Pulmonary Artery Hypertension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qingyan, Zhao; Xuejun, Jiang; Yanhong, Tang; Zixuan, Dai; Xiaozhan, Wang; Xule, Wang; Zongwen, Guo; Wei, Hu; Shengbo, Yu; Congxin, Huang

    2015-07-01

    Activation of both the sympathetic nervous system and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system is closely associated with pulmonary arterial hypertension. We hypothesized that renal denervation decreases renin-angiotensin-aldosterone activity and inhibits the progression of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Twenty-two beagles were randomized into 3 groups. The dogs' pulmonary dynamics were measured before and 8 weeks after injection of 0.1mL/kg dimethylformamide (control dogs) or 2mg/kg dehydromonocrotaline (pulmonary arterial hypertension and pulmonary arterial hypertension + renal denervation dogs). Eight weeks after injection, neurohormone levels and pulmonary tissue morphology were measured. Levels of plasma angiotensin II and endothelin-1 were significantly increased after 8 weeks in the pulmonary arterial hypertension dogs and were higher in the lung tissues of these dogs than in those of the control and renal denervation dogs (mean [standard deviation] angiotensin II: 65 [9.8] vs 38 [6.7], 46 [8.1]; endothelin-1: 96 [10.3] vs 54 [6.2], 67 [9.4]; P < .01). Dehydromonocrotaline increased the mean pulmonary arterial pressure (16 [3.4] mmHg vs 33 [7.3] mmHg; P < .01), and renal denervation prevented this increase. Pulmonary smooth muscle cell proliferation was higher in the pulmonary arterial hypertension dogs than in the control and pulmonary arterial hypertension + renal denervation dogs. Renal denervation attenuates pulmonary vascular remodeling and decreases pulmonary arterial pressure in experimental pulmonary arterial hypertension. The effect of renal denervation may contribute to decreased neurohormone levels. Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  20. A study on the pulmonary mean transit time and the pulmonary blood volume by RI-cardiogram

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ushio, Norio

    1987-01-01

    The pulmonary mean transit time and the pulmonary blood volume in cases of cardio-pulmonary disease were measured using Giuntini's method which is considered the most appropriate among radiocardiographic methods. The errors in this method were confirmed to be almost negligible. The results obtained were as follows: 1) The pulmonary mean transit time was related to the systemic mean transit time and markedly prolonged in left heart failure. On the other hand, it was markedly shortened in some cases of chronic pulmonary disease, particularly pulmonary emphysema. 2) The pulmonary blood volume tended to increase in left heart disorders and mitral valve disease and tended to decrease in the chronic pulmonary disease. The decrease was conspicuous particularly in some cases of pulmonary emphysema. 3) A structural change of the pulmonary vascular system in the chronic pulmonary disease appeared to bring about shortening of the pulmonary mean transit time and a decrease in the pulmonary blood volume. The pathophysiology of cardio-pulmonary disease can be more clarified by the RI-cardiogram used in this study, in which the pulmonary mean transit time and the pulmonary blood volume are used as the indicator. (author)