Visible mucus

A 25-year-old Caucasian woman presents to the university student clinic with complaints of intermittent crampy abdominal pain and four to five loose stools per day. She describes some visible mucus and blood in the stool and states that these symptoms have been present for 6 to 8 weeks. She also has intermittent lower back pain, fatigue, fever, and a 10-lb (4.5 kg) weight loss. The back pain started about the same time as her gastrointestinal symptoms. She denies any sick contacts and has not eaten any take-out or restaurant food over the last 2 months. She takes nonprescription naproxen as needed for aches and pains. She has been using more naproxen recently because of the back pain. She also takes an oral contraceptive pill once daily. She consumes alcohol socially and currently smokes 1/2 to 1 pack of cigarettes per day. 

Visible mucus forms the external layer of Hollander s so-called protective gastric mucous barrier (H28-H30). According to him, the internal layer of this barrier consists of the preformed mucosubstances contained within the juxtaluminal portion of the surface epithelial cells themselves. 

Fig. 12. Change of visible mucus in several gastric diseases. Changes of viscosities by pH correction. From Wada (Wl).

Heatley (H4-H5) demonstrated that mucus and pepsin can be separated by filtration through a sinter filter, which would raise doubts as to whether pepsin really becomes adsorbed to mucus. It appears more probable that the layer of visible mucus only makes a barrier between the surface epithehum and the acid-pepsin solution in the gastric lumen, which slows down the gross mixing of the intraluminal materials with the gastric mucosa. According to Heatley (H4-H5), it is unneces-... 

Fig. 13. Diagram of imaginary concentration and pH gradients within the visible mucus layer on the gastric mucosa when contents of stomach are (a) anacid (b) weakly acid and (c) strongly acid. The direction of movement of acid and alkali are also shown. From Heatley (H5).

As we know at present, the mucoproteose fraction includes the following materials (1) most of the gastric fucomucins, as well as some of the blood group substances, i.e., most of the neutral polysaccharides of the dissolved mucin fraction linked to their peptide moiety, (2) y-globulin and probably also P-globulin, which pass into the gastric juice from the serum (G16, G42, Hll, H20, H55) and probably account for the presence of mannose in this fraction (Gll), (3) some of the pep-tidic degradation products of serum albumin and visible mucus, which are partly dialyzable (G16, K2), (4) native intrinsic factor, the related primary vitamin Bi2 binder, and tertiary vitamin Bia binder related to the neutral mucosubstances (G14, Ul, U2). 

Holler et al. (H40) reported histamine-adsorbing capacity of the visible mucus and mucoproteose fraction of gastric juice. 

Thus, Beaumont described visible mucus, but he implied that gastric juice free of visible mucus contains soluble mucus as well. Pure gastric juice, he wrote, is clear, and almost transparent ... similar to the thin mucilage of gum arabic, slightly acidulated with muriatic acid. As for the functions of mucus, Beaumont s mentor in science, Robley Dunglison, wrote that mucus, in liquid state, serves as a protective covering to different parts. Beaumont agreed. 

Diarrhea, possibly severe with visible blood and mucus... 

The third condition, late respiratory systemic syndrome, is characterized by cough, mucus production, occasional wheezing, and systemic symptoms of malaise, chills, fever, and aching muscles and joints, occurring 4—12 hours alter exposure. This syndrome also has been termed TMA flu and clinically resembles hypersensitivity pneumonitis with visible chest X-ray infiltrates. High levels of IgG serum antibody and total serum antibody directed against trimellityl-human protein conjugates accompany the syndrome, and a latent period of exposure before the onset of symptoms is typical. 

Immediate tentacle retraction copious production of mucus progressive visible bleaching and loss of zooxanthellae... 

NATURE OF DAMAGE. Light-green, watery, angular spots initially on the underside of the leaf. Subsequently spots also become visible on the top of the leaf and turn black. Bacterial mucus is secreted on the underside of the leaf. 

Soluble mucus was considered to be the transient physical dissolution product of the visible surface mucin before it undergoes further enzymatic degradation in the stomach (Gll). It precipitates from filter ... 

G26. Glass, G. B. J., and Boyd, L. J., Studies on dissolved mucin of the gastric juice. IV. Relationship of the mucoid of the visible gastric mucus, its split products, and the salivary mucin to the dissolved gastric mucoproteose and mucoprotein of the gastric juice. Bull. N. Y. Med. Coll. Flower Fifth Ave. Hosp. 12, 1-33 (1949). 

In humans, the adult eyeball measures approximately one inch (2.5 centimeters) in diameter, and of its total surface area, only the anterior one-sixth is exposed to the external environment. This exposed area is protected by accessory structures of the eye, including the eyelids, eyelashes, eyebrows, lacrimal (tearing) apparatus, and extrinsic eye muscles. Each eyelid possesses a conjunctiva, which is a thin, transparent, and protective mucus membrane. The conjunctiva lines the inner aspect of the eyelids as the palpebral conjunctiva and folds back (reflects) over the eyelids onto the anterior exposed surface of the eyeball as the bulbar (ocular) conjunctiva. The bulbar conjunctiva covers only the white of tlae eye (not the cornea that covers over the iris and pupil). Because tlie bulbar conjunctiva is quite thin, blood vessels are clearly visible beneath it. When these blood vessels are dilated and congested from local irritation or infection (conjunctivitis, or inflammation of the conjunctiva), the result is the appearance of reddened and irritated bloodshot eyes. 

Small airways disease on CT can be categorized into visible and indirect patterns of the disease. The tree-in-bud sign reflects the presence of dilated centrilobular bronchioles with lumina that are impacted with mucus, fluid, or pus it is often associated with peribronchiolar inflammation (Webb 2006). Cicatricial scarring of many bronchioles results in the indirect sign of patchy density differences of the lung parenchyma, reflecting areas of hypoventilation and air trapping, as well as subsequent hypoperfusion (mosaic perfusion). 

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