BACKGROUND Smoking is a risk factor for various lung diseases in which BAL may be used as a part of a clinical investigation. Interpretation of BAL fluid cellularity is however difficult due to high variability, in particular among smokers. In this study we aimed to evaluate the effect of smoking on BAL cellular components in asymptomatic smokers. The effects of smoking cessation, age and gende...

INTRODUCTION Timely diagnosis of pneumonia in intubated critically ill patients is rather challenging. Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is an acute-phase mediator produced by various cell types in the lungs. Animal studies have shown that, during pneumonia, PTX3 participates in fine-tuning of inflammation (for example, microbial clearance and recruitment of neutrophils). We previously described an associatio...

We have previously demonstrated the 24-hour redistribution and reabsorption of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid delivered to the lung during a bronchoscopic procedure in normal volunteers. In this work we utilize image-matching procedures to correlate fluid redistribution and reabsorption to changes in regional lung function. Lung CT datasets from six human subjects were used in this study. E...

BACKGROUND Inhalation of swine dust causes airway inflammation with influx of inflammatory cells, predominantly neutrophils, into the lungs. A study was undertaken to determine whether or not exposure to swine dust induces release of interleukin 8 (IL-8) into upper and lower airways and how this possible release is related to cellular influx. A further aim was to study the relationship between ...

Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid was obtained from 24 sequentially studied patients with adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) for assessment of potential activating and mediating factors. Proteolytic activity of the fluids was observed by measuring cleavage of radiolabeled proteins of the contact (Hageman factor) and complement systems. Proteolytic activity was observed in 17 of 24 (71%...

Background: Serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) concentration is an indicator for tissue injury. It may be secreted locally in many conditions. For the first time, this study was performed to investigate the value of LDH level in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in differentiation of benign from malignant single pulmonary nodules (SPNs) and to assess its relationship with serum LDH levels. Met...

OBJECTIVE Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous inflammatory disease of unknown etiology that mainly affects the lungs and lymph nodes. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is known to be useful in diagnosis of the disease but its value as a prognostic marker is unclear. The aim of this study was to assess whether there is a characteristic pattern in BAL cell counts according to radiographic stage...

BACKGROUND In a retrospective study the value of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in the diagnosis of pneumonia was investigated in 95 immunocompromised patients suffering from haematological disorders and receiving a regimen of broad spectrum antibiotics and antifungal agents (BSAR). METHODS With the exception of four afebrile patients, all had fever, raised C reactive protein (CRP) levels, and ...

BACKGROUND Interstitial lung diseases are characterised by the recruitment of mononuclear cells to disease sites where maturation occurs and activation products, including lysozyme (LZM), are released. Analysis of in vitro cell culture supernatants for activation products masks the functional heterogeneity of cell populations. It is therefore necessary to examine the secretion of activation pro...

Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed in fourteen healthy non-smokers and eleven healthy smokers. In smokers BAL was performed before and after eight weeks' treatment with N-acetylcysteine (NAC; 200 mg t.i.d.). Cell number, composition and viability were determined in the BAL fluid. Alveolar macrophages (AMs) were cultured before examination of their phagocytic capacity and their ability t...