Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis (PAM) is a rare infiltrative lung disease characterized by deposition of spherical calcium phosphate microliths called calcospherites within the alveoli. PAM was first described by Friedrich in 1856 and then by Harbitz in 1918. The disease pathogenesis is based on mutations in the SLC34A2 gene that encodes for the Type IIb sodium-phosphate cotransporter. The ma...

the excess accumulation of water in lung interstitial or alveolar is called pulmonary edema which is caused by factors that upset the normal starling balance in micro-circulation. pulmonary edema disturbs the alveolar gas exchanges which are normally regulated by the respiratory system. mathematical modelling of pulmonary edema may help to predict the lung conditions and the mechanisms involved...

A mutation in the IIb sodium phosphate transporter SLC34A2 gene has recently been described in pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis (PAM) patients. Experiments in this study were aimed at confirming the role of the gene product in PAM by comparing phosphorylated products in extracellular fluid of alveolar epithelial cells overexpressing the SLC34A2 gene or its mutated version. Eukaryotic expressio...

The value of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in the exploration and management of interstitial lung diseases is now well-established, and has recently been updated in reports of the European Task group on BAL (1, 2). Its place in therapy is not so clearly demonstrated, although BAL had been used for therapeutic purposes prior to its use as a diagnostic procedure. As early as 1963, RAMIREZ et al. [...