Lungs and bronchi

Lower respiratory tract infections include infectious processes of the lungs and bronchi, pneumonia, bronchitis, bronchiolitis, and lung abscess. 

SMR=667, p<0.01) nose and nasal cavity cancer (O/E=2/0.2, SMR=1,000, p<0.05) cancer of the lungs and bronchi (0/E=63/40.0, SMR=158, p<0.001), and all cancers (0/E= 142/96.9, SMR=147, p<0.001). No excesses were found for women alone. Most of the excesses in men were attributed to working in the chrome bath works, where exposures were mainly to chromium(VI) as chromic acid. The correlation with duration of chrome bath work was positive only for cancers of the lung and bronchus. Exact... 

Basic Facts about Asthma. Patient s knowledge is improved. The anatomy of the lungs and bronchi and the manner in which inflammation can lead to airway hyperreactivity and bronchoconstriction should be explained in easy-to-understand terms. The link between allergic inflammation and bronchoconstriction should be clarified. Patients may be instructed to use two basic types of medications bronchodilatory (relievers) and anti-inflammatory (controllers) medications. Charts and airway models can clarify the programme. 

The oral toxicity of levorin A, a recently reported heptaene macrolide, was studied in laboratory animals. A dose of 30 mg/kg per day appeared to be safe.A soluble sodium salt was employed with considerable success as an aerosol for inhalation therapy of patients with Candida infection of the lungs and bronchi. ... 

The oxides of nitrogen are somewhat sol in w, reacting with it in the presence of oxygen to form nitric and nitrous acids. This is the action that takes place deep in the respiratory system. The acids formed are irritants, causing congestion of the throat and bronchi, and edema of the lungs. The acids are neutralized by the alkalies present in the tissues, with the formation of nitrates and nitrites. The latter may cause some arterial dilation, fall in blood press, headache and dizziness, and there may be some formation of methemoglobin. However, the nitrite effect is of secondary importance... 

Infection of the trachea and bronchi causes hyperemic and edematous mucous membranes and an increase in bronchial secretions. Destruction of respiratory epithelium can range from mild to extensive and may affect bronchial mucociliary function. In addition, the increase in bronchial secretions, which can become thick and tenacious, further impairs mucociliary activity. Recurrent acute respiratory infections may be associated with increased airway hyperreactivity and possibly the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive lung disease. 

The respiratory system is divided into two areas the upper and the lower respiratory system. The upper respiratory system is composed of the nose, sinuses, mouth, pharynx (section between the mouth and esophagus), larynx (the voice box), and the trachea or windpipe. The lower respiratory system is composed of the lungs and its smaller structures, including the bronchi and the alveoli. The bronchial tubes carry fresh air from the trachea through a series of branching tubes to the alveoli. The alveoli are small blind air sacs where the gas exchange with the blood occurs. An estimated 300 million alveoli are found in a normal lung. These alveoli contribute a total surface area of approximately 70 m2. Small capillaries found in the walls of the alveoli transport the blood an estimated 100 ml of blood is in the capillaries at any moment. 

Exposure to hexachloroethane vapors can cause irritation to the respiratory system. Acute exposure to 260 ppm hexachloroethane had no apparent effect on the lungs and air passages in rats, but acute exposure to a concentration where particulate hexachloroethane was present in the atmosphere caused lung irritation (Weeks et al. 1979). On the other hand, intermediate-duration exposure to 260 ppm hexachloroethane appeared to cause some irritation of the respiratory epithelium, which may have increased susceptibility to respiratory infection. When exposure ceased, the animals recovered, so there were no histopathological indications of tissue damage after a 12-week recovery period. Lesions of the nasal passages, trachea, and bronchi increased mycoplasma infections mucus in the nasal cavities and decreased oxygen consumption were indicators of respiratory tract irritation from repeated episodes of hexachloroethane exposure. 

Classically, these receptors have also been divided into three groups. The first of these, the Hj receptors, were described by Schild in 1966. The Hj receptors were discovered in 1972 by Black et al. The Hj receptor subtype was described by Arrang in 1983. The Hj receptor is found in the smooth muscle of the intestines, bronchi, and blood vessels and is blocked by the classical antihistamines. The Hj receptor, present in gastric parietal cells, in guinea pig atria, and in the uterus, does not react to H, blockers but only to specific Hj antagonists. Hj receptors also appear to be involved in the immunoregulatory system and may be present in T lymphocytes, basophil cells, and mast cells. Hj receptors are found predominantly in brain but are also localized in stomach, lung, and cardiac tissue. 

Concentrations of 16, 20, 31, and 28 pg/g were recovered from the lungs of 4 rats exposed to 0.1 mg/m DNOC for 4 hours (King and Harvey 1953a). The concentrations of DNOC in the alimentary tract and contents were 2.5, 3.1, 2.8, and 2.2 pg/g. The recovery of DNOC from the alimentary tract probably resulted from enterohepatic circulation and/or impaction of the aerosol along the trachea and bronchi and subsequent mucocilliary action to bring it up to the epiglottis to be swallowed. 

However, it has at the same time been shown that dry powder carbon nanotubes can persist in the lungs and have the potential to induce inflammatory and fibrotic reactions, evident in the form of collagen-rich granulomas in the bronchi and inter-stitium [265], This emphasizes the need for caution and further work to establish the exact cause of these effects given the propensity of nanotubes to agglomerate. 

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