The growing amount of information regarding mucosal immunology in animals resulted from a need to better understand the pathogenesis of diseases entering the body through mucosa surfaces, including the respiratory tract. The second reason for such studies is associated with a search for alternative ways of vaccine application, including delivery to the mucosa of the respiratory tract. This revi...

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a normal constituent of human sera synthesized by hepatocytes and induced by proinflammatory cytokines. The function of this acute-phase reactant includes activation of complement and enhancement of opsonophagocytosis. CRP binds to phosphorylcholine (ChoP), a constituent of eukaryotic membranes that is also found on the cell surface of major bacterial pathogens of th...

BACKGROUND Methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), a reactive chemical used for commercial polyurethane production, is a well-recognized cause of occupational asthma. The major focus of disease prevention efforts to date has been respiratory tract exposure; however, skin exposure may also be an important route for inducing immune sensitization, which may promote subsequent airway inflammatory re...

The elderly are frequently classified as being particularly susceptible to air pollution. The basis of this increased sensitivity is not known but it is likely that it is linked to age-related impaired function of the lung. However, given this uncertainty and increased impact of air pollution of this section of the community there is a need to explore the mechanisms involved. Gaseous air pollut...

Introduction Chlamydia pneumoniae was initially recognized as a cause of acute lower respiratory tract infections such as pneumonia and bronchitis in both adults and children (1-7), hence the species name “pneumoniae.” Moreover, C. pneumoniae was noted in some individuals to cause a persistent respiratory tract infection following an acute infection (8), which is entirely consistent with the kn...

Measurements of respiratory rate in 82 long-stay patients aged 67-101 years yielded a normal range of 16-25 breaths a minute. In a prospective study of 60 consecutive acute admissions to a geriatric unit, 19 out of 21 patients diagnosed as lower respiratory tract infections had respiratory rates above the upper limit of normal on the day of diagnosis; the rise in respiratory rate preceded the c...