Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an obstructive lung disease often caused by cigarette smoke, and characterised by inflammation and abnormalities of the large and small airways (i.e. those with an internal diameter <2 mm), as well as by alveolar destruction (emphysema). Recent evidence suggests that small airway disease precedes emphysema [1] and, therefore, it may be useful to i...

The book's only general defect is the uneven quality, which is probably inevitable when editors must wring finished manuscripts from a large number of contributors who have a variety of other pressing professional concerns. Some authors have simply described the current state of their own research, without troubling to add the two or three literature review paragraphs which establish the histor...

Exaggerated levels of the leukotriene B₄ (LTB₄) frequently coexist at sites of inflammation and tissue remodeling. Therefore, we hypothesize that the LTB₄ pathway plays an important role in the pathogenesis of neutrophilic inflammation that contributes to pulmonary emphysema. In this study, significant levels of LTB₄ were detected in human lung tissues with emphysema compared with lungs without...

The incidence of pulmonary air leak in 230 infants with a birth weight of 500-999 g who were ventilated was 41%. Pulmonary interstitial emphysema occurred in 35%, pneumothorax in 20%, pneumomediastinum in 3%, and pneumopericardium in 2%. The survival rates in those with or without pulmonary air leak were not significantly different in the first four years of the study period (46% v 53%). As the...

PURPOSE To assess whether grating-based X-ray dark-field imaging can increase the sensitivity of X-ray projection images in the diagnosis of pulmonary emphysema and allow for a more accurate assessment of emphysema distribution. MATERIALS AND METHODS Lungs from three mice with pulmonary emphysema and three healthy mice were imaged ex vivo using a laser-driven compact synchrotron X-ray source....

BACKGROUND The progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) considerably varies among patients. Those with emphysema identified by quantitative computed tomography (CT) are associated with the rapid progression assessed by forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1). However, whether the rate of the decline in lung function is independently affected by the regional distribution...

Chronic lung diseases are increasingly recognised complications of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Of these, pulmonary emphysema, characterised by permanent destruction of the lung parenchyma distal to the terminal bronchioles accompanied by various degrees of inflammation, is emerging as a distinct source of morbidity for patient...

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) may provide crucial support in the regeneration of destructed alveolar tissue (emphysema) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We hypothesized that lung-derived MSCs (LMSCs) from patients with emphysema are hampered their repair capacity, either intrinsically or due to interaction damaged microenvironment. LMSCs were isolated lung controls and severe ch...

Pulmonary function studies were performed in 25 patients with pulmonary emphysema, diagnosed by clinical, roentgenographic and functional examinations. Lung function tests included spirometry, flow-volume curve, body plethysmography and single breathholding carbon monoxide transfer test. The spirometric ratio of forced expiratory to forced inspiratory volumes for the first 0.5 second (FEV0.5 /F...

Curcumin, a yellow pigment obtained from turmeric (Curcumina longa), is a dietary polyphenol that has been reported to possess anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The effect of curcumin against the development of pulmonary emphysema in animal models is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine whether curcumin is able to attenuate the development of pulmonary emphysema in mice. ...