This study characterised the effect of beta-adrenoceptor stimulation on endotoxin-induced accumulation of neutrophilic granulocytes in mouse airways, where the cytokines interleukin (IL)-6 and macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-2 are involed as mediators. The beta2-adrenoceptor agonist salbutamol (0.025-250 fMol) was administered intranasally in mice 24 h prior to administration of endotoxin...

There is no single cell type present in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid that appears to be predictive for sarcoidosis. However, BAL fluid analysis can be very helpful in the differential diagnosis. A grouping of features, an elevated total cell count, predominantly lymphocytes, together with a nearly normal percentage of eosinophils and polymorphonuclear neutrophils and the absence of plasma...

PURPOSE In the clinical setting, there is no reliable tool for diagnosing gastric aspiration. A potential way of diagnosing gastric fluid aspiration entails bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) with subsequent examination of the BAL fluid for gastric fluid components that are exogenous to the lungs. The objective of this study was to determine the longevity of the gastric fluid components bile and tryp...

the use of flow cytometry in the clinical laboratory has grown substantially in the past decade. flow cytometric analysis provides a rapid qualitative and quantitative description of multiple characteristics of individual cells. for example, it is possible to detect the cell size and granularity, aspects of dna and rna content and the presence of cell surface and nuclear markers which are used ...

Background: The persistent airway neutrophilia observed in chronic lung disease of prematurity (CLD) may reflect inappropriate suppression of neutrophil apoptosis. Methods: 134 bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples were obtained from 32 infants requiring mechanical ventilation for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS): 13 infants (median gestation 26 weeks, range 23 to 28) subsequently developed C...

Published reports indicate that HIV is recovered from BAL fluid of patients with AIDS who have LIP but not with other AIDS-related pulmonary disease. Our experience has been different. Ten BAL specimens from nine patients with AIDS were cultured directly in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and all ten cultures were positive for HIV as indicated by examination of the culture supernatant by re...

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients are at increased risk of contracting bacterial infections, mainly pneumonia. Despite this, little is known about immunopathogenic mechanisms in HIV-related bacterial pneumonia. This paper investigates the presence of the neutrophil chemotactic mediators, interleukin-8 (IL_8) and leukotriene B4 (LTB4), in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid fro...

BACKGROUND Atopic asthma is characterized by intermittent exacerbations triggered by exposure to allergen. Exacerbations are characterized by an acute inflammatory reaction in the airways, with recruitment of both innate and adaptive immune cells. These cell populations as well as soluble factors are critical for initiating and controlling the inflammatory processes in allergic asthma. Detailed...

Pulmonary fibrosis results from excessive fibroblast proliferation and increased collagen deposition and occurs in chronic lung disease of prematurity (CLD). Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB is mitogenic for fibroblasts and levels are increased in fibrotic lung disorders. Systemic dexamethasone (DEX) treatment improves pulmonary function and reduces inflammation in infants with or at ri...