Tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica is a rare benign airway disorder which is characterised by submucosal nodules projecting into the tracheo-bronchial lumen usually involving the cartilaginous portions of the tracheo-bronchial tree or larynx. The condition is usually asymptomatic but can rarely present with difficulty during endotracheal intubation or rarely with obstructive airway compl...

To clarify the effect of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) on the pathogenesis of airway hyperresponsiveness, AChE activities in tracheal smooth muscle and lung tissue from congenitally bronchial-hypersensitive (BHS) and bronchial-hyposensitive (BHR) guinea pigs were compared. For this purpose, AChE activities were determined by measuring the rate of absorbance of tissue homogenate. Relative amounts ...

The specialized proresolution lipid mediator lipoxin A4 (LXA4) is abnormally produced in cystic fibrosis (CF) airways. LXA4 increases the CF airway surface liquid height and stimulates airway epithelial repair and tight junction formation. We report here a protective effect of LXA4 (1 nM) against tight junction disruption caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterial challenge together with a dela...

We previously reported that mast cells express renin, the rate-limiting enzyme in the renin-angiotensin cascade. We have now assessed whether mast cell renin release triggers angiotensin formation in the airway. In isolated rat bronchial rings, mast cell degranulation released enzyme with angiotensin I-forming activity blocked by the selective renin inhibitor BILA2157. Local generation of angio...

Background Bronchial asthma is traditionally viewed as an eosinophilic airway inflammatory disorder with the involvement of Th2 cytokines. In refractory asthma, where chronic inflammation and airway remodeling are key pathological features, it is suggested that the dysregulation of the Th1/Th2 cytokines production modifies airway inflammation and airway hyperrespnsiveness (AHR). Interleukin (IL...

Mucociliary clearance velocities in bronchial airway generations were calculated in asymmetric multiple-path models of the bronchial tree by solving mass transport equations based on the assumption of conservation of mucus volume and normalized to measured tracheal mucus velocities of 5.5 mm/min for humans and 1.9 mm/min for rats. Average mucus velocities decreased in a roughly exponential fash...

Bronchial epithelial cells play a pivotal role in airway inflammation, but little is known about posttranscriptional regulation of mediator gene expression during the inflammatory response in these cells. Here, we show that activation of human bronchial epithelial BEAS-2B cells by proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-4 (IL-4) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) leads to an increase in ...

BACKGROUND Inflammatory and structural changes of the airway mucosa are chronic features of asthma. The mechanisms underlying these changes and their modulation by steroid prophylaxis have not been clarified. OBJECTIVE We postulated that asymptomatic ongoing allergen exposure could drive airway inflammation as well as changes in the extracellular matrix (ECM), and that inhaled steroids could ...

BACKGROUND Airway mucus hypersecretion is an important problem in chronic respiratory diseases including bronchial asthma. Chlamydophila pneumoniae is recently confirmed to be a pathogen in bronchial asthma, but the relationship between C. pneumoniae and mucus hypersecretion is uncertain. In this study, we examined whether C. pneumoniae induces MUC5AC mucin in airway epithelial cells. We also e...

Bronchial asthma is a common disease and an important cause of morbidity among both children and adults. Tobacco smoking, both active and passive i.e., exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) has got important effects on asthma. Smoking by adults causes bronchial irritation and precipitates acute episodes. It also increases bronchial responsiveness and causes airway sensitization to sever...