INTRODUCTION Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients with mucus hypersecretion tend to demonstrate increased frequency of infective exacerbations and a steeper slope of decline in lung function. Enhanced mucociliary clearance with high-frequency chest wall oscillation (HFCWO) devices previously used in cystic fibrosis and bronchiectasis patients may offer the opportunity for commu...

Chronic bronchitis is in part characterized by mucus hypersecretion and the inability to clear airways of mucus. Despite years of research in this area, to date there are no pharmacologic therapies available to enhance or promote mucociliary clearance. P2Y(2) receptor agonists are a new class of mucoactive compounds that are currently under development for this purpose. This article will review...

Nanoparticle (NP) exposure has been closely associated with the exacerbation and pathophysiology of many respiratory diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and asthma. Mucus hypersecretion and accumulation in the airway are major clinical manifestations commonly found in these diseases. Among a broad spectrum of NPs, titanium dioxide (TiO(2)), one of the PM10 components, ...

Mucus hypersecretion from hyperplastic airway goblet cells is a hallmark of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Although cigarette smoking is thought to be involved in mucus hypersecretion in COPD, the mechanism by which cigarette smoke induces mucus overproduction is unknown. Here we show that activation of epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) is responsible for mucin production ...

Airway mucus hypersecretion is a significant clinical and pathological feature of chronic inflammatory airway diseases. Its clinical presentations include recurrent coughing and phlegm. Airway mucus is closely associated with the occurrence, development and prognosis of chronic inflammatory airway diseases and critically affects the lung function, quality of life, hospitalization rate and morta...

BACKGROUND Asthma is characterized by chronic airway inflammation, airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), and airway remodeling. While exposure of house dust mites (HDM) is a common cause of asthma, the pathogenesis of the HDM-induced asthma is not fully understood. Bronchopulmonary C-fibers (PCFs) contribute to the neurogenic inflammation, viral infection induced-persistent AHR, and ovalbumin induc...