Immunological reflections on asbestos.

Immunological reflections on asbestos.

As a pulmonary immunologist interest in all forms of immune injury to the lung, I have had some experience with related minerals, such as silica and coal mine dust. When compared to the immunologic aspects of silicosis or coal workers' pneumonitis (CWP), the bulk of the immunologic evidence concerning asbestosis is scanty and unimpressive. To begin with, most of the experimental work is irrelev...

Immunological effects of silica and asbestos.

Silicosis patients (SILs) and patients who have been exposed to asbestos develop not only respiratory diseases but also certain immunological disorders. In particular, SIL sometimes complicates autoimmune diseases such as systemic scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis (known as Caplan syndrome), and systemic lupus erythematoses. In addition, malignant complications such as lung cancer and malignant...

Search for biomarkers of asbestos exposure and asbestos-induced cancers in investigations of the immunological effects of asbestos

The immunological effects of asbestos exposure on various lymphocytes such as the regulatory T cell (Treg), responder CD4+ T helper cell (Tresp), CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), and natural killer (NK) cells were investigated. Results show that asbestos exposure impairs antitumor immunity through enhancement of regulatory T cell function and volume, reduction of CXCR3 chemokine receptor in ...

Asbestos Presence in a Factory that Produced Asbestos-Containing Products

In 2007, research was carried out to determine the type and amount of asbestos fibers in a Croatian factory with a long history of making asbestos-containing products.Since the 1970s, asbestos fibres have been considered carcinogenic in humans i.e as a known cancer-causing agent. In the environment, asbestos fibres are inactive and naturally resist biodegradation. In time, fibres can only be gr...

Effect of Asbestos on Anti-Tumor Immunity and Immunological Alteration in Patients with Malignant Mesothelioma