Mitochondria translate the RNAs for 13 core polypeptides of respiratory chain and ATP synthase complexes that are essential for the assembly and function of these complexes. This process occurs in close proximity to the mitochondrial inner membrane. However, the mechanisms and molecular machinery involved in mitochondrial translation are not fully understood, and defects in this process can res...

The aim of this study was to investigate pulmonary function and exercise capacity in a group of survivors of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). At 3 months after hospital discharge, 46 survivors of SARS underwent the following evaluation: spirometry, static lung volumes and carbon monoxide transfer factor (TL,CO). In total, 44 of these patients underwent cardiopulmonary exercise test...

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is characterised by profound respiratory compromise secondary to the level of loss of motor, sensory and autonomic control associated with the injury. This review aims to detail these anatomical and physiological changes after SCI, and outline their impact on respiratory function. Injury-related impairments in strength substantially alter pulmonary mechanics, which in t...

Iron deposition in the respiratory system has been proposed as a potential cause of the ventilatory restrictive impairment seen in patients with thalassaemia major (TM) and iron overload. In this study, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements of the liver (T2 relaxation time) were used as a surrogate index of total body iron burden and the extent to which these measurements correlated wit...

A case of sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy (Rosai-Dorfman syndrome) in a 42-year-old man is described. The disease involved the respiratory tract and skeletal apparatus, led to considerable general impairment and was unusually responsive to glucocorticoids. Molecular and immunophenotype analysis seem to confirm the reactive nature of a disorder that shows profound T-cell immunod...

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an inherited myogenic disorder due to mutations in the dystrophin gene on chromosome Xp21.1. The clinical picture included peripheral muscle weakness, cardiomyopathy and chronic respiratory insufficiency. In this paper, the authors review cardiac involvement in patients with DMD, propose a cardiac impairment classification and discuss therapeutic management ...

Eighty four cases with acute chlorine poisoning who reported between 1/2 hour to 2 hours after exposure were studied. A majority presented with features of upper respiratory tract involvement like irritative cough (70 cases) and oropharyngeal pruritus (60 cases). Bronchospasm was present in 15 cases. None of them had any residual impairment of pulmonary function 4 weeks after exposure.

Lesions of the costovertebral (CV) and costotransverse (CT) joints are distinctly unusual in rheumatoid arthritis. The patient presented had dramatic changes in these joints with destruction, ankylosis, and bony overgrowth. This led to a moderate respiratory impairment and a distinctive radiological presentation.

A 3-year-old male child presented with a gradually increasing tongue size since birth. The child had difficulty in chewing and swallowing solid food with impairment of speech. He had no obvious signs of surface bleeding, paroxysms of lesion expansion, or repeated respiratory infections or respiratory distress. On examination, an enlarged, dry, fissured tongue occupied the entire oral cavity imp...

The clinical features of the multiple pterygium syndrome are multiple congenital joint contractures, multiple skin webs, camptodactyly, vertebral anomalies, short stature, ptosis, and antimongoloid eye slant. We present 11 new cases to show the evolution of the full phenotype from birth and to confirm autosomal recessive inheritance. We emphasise morbidity secondary to respiratory impairment an...