Investigators conducting a decade-long study into how Florida's " red tide " algal blooms affect human health have discovered several compounds that counteract the toxins produced by the red tide dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis. In an intriguing twist, they are now developing one of these compounds, breve-nal, as a potential treatment for cystic fibrosis (CF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary di...

Spherical monodisperse ferromagnetic iron oxide particles of 1.9 μm geometric and 4.2 μm aerodynamic diameter were inhaled by 13 healthy non-smokers using the shallow bolus technique. The bolus width was 100 ml and the penetration front depth was 150+/-27 ml. The mean flow rate during inhalation and exhalation was 250 ml/s. The Fowler dead space and the phase1 dead space of the airways was 282+...

Spherical monodisperse ferromagnetic iron oxide particles of 1.9-microm geometric and 4.2-microm aerodynamic diameter were inhaled by 13 healthy nonsmoking subjects using the shallow bolus technique. The bolus width was 100 ml, and the penetration front depth was 150 +/- 27 ml. The mean flow rate during inhalation and exhalation was 250 ml/s. The Fowler dead space and the phase 1 dead space of ...

BACKGROUND There are still gaps in the knowledge regarding the damage to mucociliary and autonomous systems from passive exposure to cigarette smoke. Also, the influence of the frequency and duration of exposure on these systems is still unclear. The objective of this work was to verify the effects of passive smoking on mucociliary clearance and adult autonomic nervous systems and investigate t...

BACKGROUND Patients with chronic bronchitis show a large intersubject variation in sputum rheology, tracheobronchial clearance, and reversibility of airflow obstruction to beta 2 agonists. The bronchial mediators which are known to cause bronchoconstriction, mucosal oedema, mucus hypersecretion, and cough can also affect mucociliary transport. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether chan...

The pathogenesis of lung disease in cystic fibrosis is characterised by decreased airway surface liquid volume and subsequent failure of normal mucociliary clearance. Mucus within the cystic fibrosis airways is enriched in negatively charged matrices composed of DNA released from colonizing bacteria or inflammatory cells, as well as F-actin and elevated concentrations of anionic glycosaminoglyc...

Mucociliary clearance and fluid transport along epithelial surfaces are carried out by multiciliated cells (MCCs). Recently, human mutations in Cyclin O (CCNO) were linked to severe airway disease. Here, we show that Ccno expression is restricted to MCCs and the genetic deletion of Ccno in mouse leads to reduced numbers of multiple motile cilia and characteristic phenotypes of MCC dysfunction i...

OBJECTIVES: To point out primary ciliary dyskinesia as a cause of chronic respiratory disease in children.METHODS: A 10 year literature review on Medline and by direct research about the subject.RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Primary ciliary dyskinesia is a disorder characterized by an abnormal mucociliary clearance. It affects both the upper and lower respiratory tracts and usually the clinical mani...

The aim of this prospective randomized, double-blind study was to investigate the effects of pressure controlled and volume controlled ventilation on mucociliary clearance under general anaesthesia maintained with total intravenous anaesthesia. After approval by the Ethics Committee, 60 patients scheduled for tympanoplasty or tympanomasteidectomy under general anaesthesia were enrolled in the s...

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common lethal inherited disorder in Caucasians. It is caused by mutation of the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. A defect in the CFTR ion channel causes a dramatic change in the composition of the airway surface fluid, leading to a highly viscous mucus layer. In healthy individuals, the majority of bacteria trapped in the mucus layer are remov...