Published in The American review of respiratory disease
The bronchial epithelium is the major barrier between the host and the provoking antigens in bronchial asthma. Recent studies have indicated that the epithelium is a truly stratified structure, with the superficial columnar cells depending on the underlying basal cells for anchorage. Only columnar cells are shed into bronchial lavage fluid. The epi...
Published in The American review of respiratory disease
Inflammation may play a central role in the pathogenesis of HIV-related Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP). Serum levels of the amino-terminal propeptide of Type III procollagen (PIIINP) reflect inflammatory activity in granulation tissue and in chronic rheumatic and liver disorders. To investigate changes in PIIINP serum levels during an episode...
Published in The American review of respiratory disease
The potential role of neutrophil elastase in exacerbating pulmonary infection and tissue damage in cystic fibrosis (CF) has led to proposals for treatment of lung disease in CF with the elastase inhibitor, alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor (alpha 1PI). Reports that alpha 1PI is inactivated in the CF lung suggest that the effectiveness of alpha 1PI thera...
Published in The American review of respiratory disease
Functional residual capacity (FRC), the only lung volume to be assessed routinely in infants, can be measured using plethysmography or gas dilution. Although it is well recognized that both methods yield similar FRC values in healthy adults, gas dilution techniques have consistently produced lower values in healthy infants when compared with plethy...
Published in The American review of respiratory disease
In nonintubated patients, beta 2-agonist bronchodilators are equally effective when delivered by metered-dose inhalers (MDI) or nebulizers (NEB). The delivery of these drugs by MDI to intubated, mechanically ventilated patients has become a widespread practice. To compare the efficacy of the two delivery systems and establish optimal dosing, we pro...
Published in The American review of respiratory disease
Several distinct cell adhesion molecule families have recently been identified and found to be important in the inflammatory response and for epithelial and endothelial homeostasis. The integrin family of adhesion molecules functions in both cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions, whereas the cadherins serve as important cell-cell receptors for mai...
Published in The American review of respiratory disease
Abnormal inspiratory load compensation may be one factor leading to development of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Alternatively, abnormalities in ventilatory load compensation may be a consequence of the manifestations of OSA. This investigation was designed to determine if impairment of awake inspiratory load compensation exists in OSA and to dete...
Published in The American review of respiratory disease
The integrin alpha 4 beta 1 and its counter receptor vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) mediate well-described cell-cell interactions that are critical for immune function. However, these receptors also mediate cell-cell interactions that are important for skeletal muscle differentiation. We have found that contrasting transcriptional mecha...
Published in The American review of respiratory disease
To identify alternative regimens for preventive therapy of tuberculosis, the pharmacokinetics and antimicrobial activities of rifampin (RMP), rifabutin (RBT), and rifapentine (RPT) were compared in BCG-vaccinated and M. tuberculosis-infected immunocompetent mice. RPT showed the highest serum peak level (Cmax) and the longest half-life (t1/2), where...
Published in The American review of respiratory disease
Using various animal models of toxic or antigenic-induced airway inflammation, we have demonstrated that adhesion molecules play an important role in the recruitment, retention, and site-specific activation of inflammatory cells within the airways. Furthermore, we have shown that cytokines may contribute to inflammatory responses in the airways by ...
