Pleural calcification is a commonly encountered diagnostic finding in daily practice. A 55 year old male patient presented to us with chest pain for last 3 months. There was a past history of pleural effusion, for which he took ATT for six months. Physical examination was unremarkable. On investigation, ECG showed ST depression in inferior leads. Patient was treated as ischemic heart disease an...

This study investigated the influence of gene-gene and gene-environment interactions on the risk of developing asbestosis. The study comprised 262 cases with asbestosis and 265 controls with no asbestos-related disease previously studied for MnSOD, ECSOD, CAT, GSTT1, GSTM1, GSTP1, and iNOS polymorphisms. Data on cumulative asbestos and smoking were available for all subjects. To assess gene-gen...

A group of 379 men who had worked at an asbestos textile factory for at least 10 years has been followed up. The prevalence of crepitations, 'possible asbestosis', certified asbestosis, small opacities in the chest radiograph and values of lung function have been related to dust levels. The type of asbestos processed was predominantly chrysotile although a substantial amount of crocidolite had ...

The mode of action of asbestos in producing asbestosis and neoplasia is at present little understood. Pulmonary fibrosis, the main feature of asbestosis, has been ascribed to mechanical or chemical factors, or to a combination of both ; the mechanism of carcinogenic action is almost completely unknown. Two forms of neoplasia in man are associated with exposure to asbestos : bronchogenic carcino...

Background: Asbestos dust is one of the most dangerous pneumoconiotic and carcinogenic agents. The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence of asbestosis and pleural mesothelioma, depending on asbestos consumption and the type of manufactured products, among former asbestos workers in Poland. Material and Methods: The study subjects included employees of 18 large state-owned asbestos proc...

Background: The carcinogenic effect of asbestos is accepted for lung cancer and mesothelioma, while conflicting opinions exist for other cancer sites. The aim of the present investigation is to study cause-specific mortality of women compensated for asbestosis who had certainly been exposed to high levels of asbestos fibers. Methods: The cause-specific mortality of all Italian women compensated...

Background: Inhaled asbestos fibres can cause inflammation and fibrosis in the lungs called asbestosis. However, there are no non-invasive means to assess and follow the severity of the inflammation. Exhaled nitric oxide (NO) measured at multiple exhalation flow rates can be used to assess the alveolar NO concentration and bronchial NO flux, which reflect inflammation in the lung parenchyma and...

Anomalies in the ratio of transfer factor to effective alveolar volume as an indicator of pulmonary gas exchange in cases of asbestosis may be related to diffuse pleural thickening. To examine the effect of pleural disease on gas transfer the plain chest radiographs of patients with asbestosis were assessed by two observers for profusion of parenchymal opacities and extent of pleural disease an...

In 1979 all former workers from the Wittenoom asbestos industry who could be traced to an address were sent a questionnaire to determine smoking history. Occupational exposure to crocidolite was known from employment records. Of 2928 questionnaires sent, satisfactory replies were received from 2400 men and 149 women. Eighty per cent of these had smoked at some time and 50% were still smoking. S...

The first two cases of asbestosis in Malaysia are reported. Both had considerable occupational exposure to asbestos dust in the past, with a long latency period exceeding 30 years. One case presented with distinctive clinical and radiological features, while the other case was only confirmed by histological diagnosis. The usefulness of modern investigation techniques such as CT scan in the diag...