Purified myosin light chain kinase from smooth muscle is phosphorylated by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase, protein kinase C, and the multifunctional calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II. Because phosphorylation in a specific site (site A) by any one of these kinases desensitizes myosin light chain kinase to activation by Ca2+/calmodulin, kinase phosphorylation could play an important rol...

introduction: tracheal stenosis is normally caused by trauma, infection, benign and malignant tumors, prolonged intubation or tracheostomy. the best treatment for tracheal stenosis is resection and anastomosis of trachea. yet the major surgical complication of tracheal surgery is postoperative stenosis. the goal of this paper is to study the result of tracheal stenting as a replacement therapy ...

Chronic Respiratory Disease (CRD) is caused by Mycoplasmas gallisepticum (MG) and is prevailing in layer, broiler and breeder poultry flocks. The infected birds showed sneezing, rales, coughing and exudates from nostrils and eyes. Mycoplasma species were recovered 27.3% overall, 39.3 per cent of the tracheal swabs, 15.9 per cent of tracheal tissues, 27.4 per cent of lung tissues and 25 per cent...

Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale (ORT) is a respiratory pathogen which has been isolated throughout the world from numerous bird species. The present study was designed to isolate and characterize the ORT from domestic turkeys, quails and pigeons. For this purpose, 250 samples from each bird species (turkey, quail and pigeon) with or without respiratory signs were tested by taking of tracheal...

Endothelins (ETs) can modulate the airway smooth muscle tone. Using simultaneous measurements of cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and tension as well as the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), we examined ET systems in the porcine trachea. In the functional study, the application of ET-1, ET-3 or sarafotoxin S6c (S6c) caused increases in [Ca2+]i and tension, in a con...

Dolichos biflorus Linn. (FamilyFabaceae) is commonly known as ‘Horse gram’. The seeds are used in the treatment of piles, pain, constipation, wounds, urinary calculi, cough, edema, and asthma. The present study was therefore designed for evaluation of antihistaminic activity of seeds of Dolichos biflorus in the management of asthma. Antihistaminic activity of ethanolic extract of Dolichos biflo...

Cystic fibrosis patients and patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, trauma, burn wound, or patients requiring ventilation are susceptible to severe pulmonary infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Physiological innate defense mechanisms against this pathogen, and their alterations in lung diseases, are for the most part unknown. We now demonstrate a role for the sphingoid long chain...

Isolation and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were performed for detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae from respiratory tract specimens obtained from 200 adult and 200 pediatric patients. M. pneumoniae was isolated from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of 1(0.5%) adult patient and 4(2.0%) tracheal aspirates of pediatric patients. PCR was positive for only one (0.5%) broncoalveolar lavage fluid of an a...

A total of 1,320 tracheal samples from 66 broiler flocks sent to slaughterhouses and 42 tracheal samples from 42 flocks of local chickens in the field were collected for infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) gene detection by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction using nucleocapsid-specific primers and spike-specific primers. Prevalence in broiler flocks was 39.4% (26/66) and in local chi...