We have previously reported that obesity attenuates pulmonary inflammation in both patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and in mouse models of the disease. We hypothesized that obesity-associated hyperleptinemia, and not body mass per se, drives attenuation of the pulmonary inflammatory response and that this e_ect could also impair the host response to pneumonia. We examine...

This study aims to develop new monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against mouse and human podoplanin. Rats were immunized with synthetic peptides, corresponding to amino acids 38-51 of mouse podoplanin or human podoplanin which is 100% homologous to the same site of monkey podoplanin; anti-mouse podoplanin mAb PMab-1 (IgG(2) (a)) and anti-human mAb NZ-1.2 (IgG(2) (a)) were established. In immunocytoc...

BACKGROUND Gas-filled phospholipid-based ultrasonic microbubbles (PUMs) are widely used in diagnostic imaging. The micro- or nanoparticle size and the physiochemical nature of shell provide the potential for a new way to improve pulmonary absorption for peptides and proteins. METHODS Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fasted for 12 h. Then insulin solution and insulin-PUM mixture solution were adm...

Awake, spontaneously breathing humans sigh on average 9 to 10 times per hour. The sigh is a normal homeostatic reflex proposed to maintain pulmonary compliance and decrease the formation of atelectasis by recruiting collapsed alveoli. The induction and maintenance of anesthesia with muscle paralysis and a fixed tidal volume abolish the sigh. Without periodic sighs, patients are left susceptible...

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (copd) has been defined by the global initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease (gold), as a disease state characterized by airflow limitation which is not fully reversible. copd consists of emphysema which is the destruction and inflammation of the lung alveoli. adenosine deaminase (ada, e.c.3.5.4.4) converts adenosine to inosine. there are two isoen...

BACKGROUND Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis is an extremely rare lung disease in animals and humans. It is characterized by the deposition of a large amount of phospholipoproteinaceous material in the alveoli. There are several possible etiologies, both congenital and acquired. Alveolar macrophages play an important role in the clearance of surfactant. This is the first report of pulmonary alveol...

PURPOSE Pulmonary emphysema is the pathological prototype of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and is also associated with other lung diseases. We considered that observation with different approaches may provide new insights for the pathogenesis of emphysema. PATIENTS AND METHODS We reviewed tissue blocks of the lungs of 25 cases with/without emphysema and applied a three-dimensional obs...

Amiodarone is used in treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. Therapeutic use of amiodarone is limited by its side effects, including pulmonary toxicity. Human Placenta Extract (HPE) contains a variety of bio-active substances. Thus, the present study aimed to quantitatively evaluate the protective effects of HPE on the structural lung changes induced by amiodarone using stereological methods. Spragu...

Pulmonary edema is a significant complication of a number of disease and conditions. Its main manifestation is the leakage of fluid from the pulmonary capillaries into the cavity of the alveoli through the alveolar-capillary membrane. This leads to a number of severe clinical manifestations and requires immediate treatment. The underlying mechanisms causing this complication include cardiogenic...