Lungs

Lung cancer or also known as carcinoma of the lung or pulmonary carcinoma, is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung.

If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung by process of metastasis into nearby tissue or other parts of the body.

Most cancers that start in the lung, known as primary lung cancers, are carcinomas that derive from epithelial cells. The main primary types are small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) and non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). The most common symptoms are coughing (including coughing up blood), weight loss, shortness of breath, and chest pains.

Współczesna medycyna pozwala poprawiać wydolność niesprawnych organów i w znacznym stopniu uśmierzać ból fizyczny, niestety w procesie leczenia pacjentów wciąż zbyt mało miejsca poświęca się psychicznemu wymiarowi cierpienia. Tymczasem w populacji chorujących na przewlekłe choroby układu oddechowego znaczny odsetek osób doświadcza zaburzeń zdrowia psychicznego w postaci depresji i zaburzeń lękowych. Artykuł  dotyczy  czynników  ryzyka  wystąpienia  problemów ze  zdrowiem  psychicznym,  które  są  następstwem  choroby somatycznej. Zwrócono uwagę na znaczenie poszerzania wśród lekarzy wiedzy na temat psychicznych konsekwencji przewlekłych  chorób  układu  oddechowego,  aby  mogli  dostrzegać  symptomy  pogarszania  się  stanu  zdrowia  psychicznego u pacjentów i w porę im przeciwdziałać. Wskazano także na konieczność współdziałania lekarzy ze specjalistami zajmującymi się  zdrowiem  psychicznym.  Współpraca  taka  jest  w  wielu  przypadkach  warunkiem  skuteczności  leczenia  i  wpływa  na poprawę jakości życia pacjentów.
Contemporary medicine allows to improve efficiency of sick organs and relief the pain to a large extent, but there is still too little awareness of psychological aspect of suffering among physicians. Although, considerable percentage of people with chronic  lungs  diseases  experience  mental  disorders such as depression  and  anxiety,  there  is  no  common  practice of including psychological care into the treatment protocol. Article highlights the importance of development of knowledge about psychological consequences of chronic lungs diseases among physicians as an early diagnosis of mental health disturbances is crucial for general health status and functioning in this group of patients. Necessity of cooperation with mental health specialists was also shown. It is important to create interdisciplinary teams for improvement of treatment outcomes and and patients’ quality of life.

Background: There is an urgent need to develop new outcome measures for respiratory therapy to evaluate its effectiveness. Added sounds generated from the lungs (crackles and wheezes), can now be quantified and characterized objectively with computer technology. This is the first reported study designed to assess any change in lung crackles before and after a single session of airway clearance therapy.
Methods: Twenty-three stable bronchiectasis patients were recruited from UK out-patient clinics and treated with a single session of airway clearance therapy using the active cycle of breathing technique. Sound recordings were made before and after the session at seven anatomical chest locations. Computerized lung sound analysis was used to measure crackle parameters (two cycle deflection width (2CD), and crackle number per breath cycle (nBC)). Perceived breathlessness, lung function and oxygen saturation data were also recorded.
Results: Crackle mean 2CD and mean nBC increased post intervention. Sixteen participants (70%) showed a statistically significant difference in mean crackle 2CD before and after the session at ≥1 chest location. Thirteen (57%) participants had a difference between mean crackle 2CD before and after the intervention greater than one Smallest Real Difference (mean SRD = 2.23ms) at ≥1 chest location. Differences in mean crackle nBC before and after the intervention did not exceed the SRD (mean SRD =32 crackles per breath cycle) in any participant. Perceived breathlessness was significantly reduced post intervention; no significant changes were observed in either lung function or oxygen saturation.
Conclusions: Crackle duration (2CD) was found to change after a single session of airway clearance therapy and shows promise as a new outcome measure for respiratory therapy interventions.

The oboe is regarded as one of the most difficult instruments to play. There may be many reasons, such as the challenges of controlling and handcrafting the double reed. Breathing and breath control, however, are among the most critical components of oboe playing.

This paper discusses the  issue of respiration on the bases of anatomical,  physiological and mechanical facts and scientific work done with musicians, offering objective recommendations about how to play and how to teach the oboe.

L’échographie est un outil non invasif, non irradiant, réalisable en temps réel et précis. Ses capacités diagnostiques lui permettent une application dans les champs musculo-squeletique, uro-gynécologique et cardio-respiratoire en kinésithérapie. L’échographe peut être utilisé dans le cadre du bilan diagnostic kinésithérapique, dans le suivi du traitement, comme moyen de feedback et dans la réévaluation de la prise en charge rééducative. La qualité de la formation de base sera ainsi l’un des enjeux du développement de l’échographie en France pour que celle-ci s’intègre pleinement dans une démarche raisonnée et basée sur les preuves.

There are a number of good experimental studies showing that exposure by inhalation to prolonged tropospheric ozone damages the respiratory system and extrapulmonary organs. The skin, if extensively exposed, may also contribute to the damage. The undoubtful strong reactivity of ozone has contributed to establish the dogma that ozone is always toxic and its medical application must be proscribed. Although it is less known, judiciously practiced ozonetherapy is becoming very useful either on its own or applied in combination with orthodox medicine in a broad range of pathologies. The opponents of ozonetherapy base their judgment on the ozone chemistry, and physicians, without any knowledge of the problem, are often skeptical. During the last 15 years, a clear understanding of the action of ozone in biology and medicine has been gained, allowing today to argue if it is true that ozone is always toxic. The fundamental points that are discussed in this paper are: the topography, anatomical and biochemical characteristics of the organs daily exposed to ozone versus the potent antioxidant capacity of blood exposed to a small and precisely calculated dose of ozone only for a few minutes. It is becoming clear how the respiratory system undergoing a chronic oxidative stress can release slowly, but steadily, a huge amount of toxic compounds able to enter the circulation and cause serious damage. The aim of this paper is to objectively evaluate this controversial issue.

Pulmonary drug delivery has gained tremendous scientific interest in recent years and has progressed within the context of treatment for lung diseases. Lung is an attractive environment for bio molecules, which are highly susceptible to enzymatic degradation in the gastrointestinal tract as well as hepatic degradation. Pulmonary route is a non-invasive administration for systemic delivery of therapeutic agents (mainly peptides and proteins). Lungs provide a large absorptive surface area but extremely thin (0.1 µm -0.2 µm) absorptive mucosal membrane and good blood supply. Intra tracheal administration is a first approach in lung drug delivery in vivo. In inhalation therapy most common devices used were nebulizer, Metered dose inhaler (MDI), and Dry powder inhaler (DPI). Pulmonary drug delivery is used for management of COPD and Asthma. Last few years techniques and new drug delivery devices intended to deliver drugs into the lungs have been widely developed. Pulmonary drug delivery can also be used to treat Diabetes, angina pectoris, cancer, bone disorders, tuberculosis, migraine acute lung injury and others.

La respiración es importante porque permite realizar el intercambio gaseoso permitiendo la entrada de oxígeno y la expulsión de dióxido de carbono: esto ocurre en dos fases bien definidas, una de inspiración o entrada del aire y una de espiración o salida del aire. El oxígeno es importante para ayudar a obtener la energía necesaria para los diferentes procesos celulares. El intercambio gaseoso es de primera importancia para el organismo. En el aparato respiratorio hay dos componentes principales, uno de conducción y uno de intercambio. El enorme volumen de aire que pasa por los pulmones con todas las partículas extrañas que vienen en suspensión, hace necesario un sistema de limpieza que en el pulmón comprende el surfactante, el ascendente mucociliar, los macrófagos alveolares y la tos. El aparato respiratorio tiene abundante inervación autonómica, predominando la de la rama parasimpática, responsable de producir tos por medio de las fibras receptoras aferentes que son de tres tipos, de producir broncoconstricción y disminución de los volúmenes alveolares. El estímulo ventilatorio procede de acúmulos de neuronas en el tallo cerebral, denominados los centros respiratorios, que emiten los impulsos al nervio vago (uno de los nervios del parasimpático que inerva abundamente el pulmón) para que se produzca la contracción del músculo diafragma y consecuentemente, la fase de inspiración.

The results of the study were plotted comparatively for all patients in the two study groups. The rendering of the results was done using sectorial graphics. Thus, information regarding the vulnerable gender to respiratory diseases was shown, regarding patients who have been diagnosed with cardiopulmonary disease. At the same time, data regarding age groups with known chronic cardiopulmonary pathology vulnerable to lung disease were plotted. The data presented in this study and the obtained results render information on respiratory pathology associated with cardiopulmonary disease in chronic patients with various cardiopulmonary disease.

Avery and Mead in 1959, commented on the deficiency of a surface active material in the alveolar linings of the lungs of preterm babies with Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS). This surface active material was later termed as Surfactant, which is a type of in vivo produced, foamy, fatty liquid that prevents the alveolar sacs from completely collapsing at the end of expiration, thereby reducing the initial momentum required for next inspiratory breath and hence work of breathing. Surfactant usually starts making its appearance in the fetus lung at about 24 weeks of gestation and thereafter gradually increases to its full extent by term gestation i.e. 37 weeks.

The clinical manifestations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease symptoms variably affect the health of the patients, requiring them to visit specialized doctors in medical units. Diagnosis is by a specialized and complete medical examination accompanied by laboratory investigation. The interpretation of the results has the aim of establishing an appropriate therapeutic conduct according to the stage of the disease. The selected medical methods, aimed at improving the symptomatology of the disease, are undertake to ensure the life quality of patients diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Among the laboratory tests that are required in order to evaluate the respiratory function of patients is spirometry. To consider this a study was performed in the second quarter of 2014 on a population segment, selected from the medical specialized service. The study collected statistical data on the testing of the respiratory function. This provided a comprehensive picture of patients investigated by this functional exploration method.

Epidemiological evidence demonstrates an increase in acute lung injury associated with electronic cigarettes use (vaping) in North America (excluding Alaska) over the past several months. The cause (etiological agent) and mechanism of vaping-associated acute lung injury remains to be determined. Electronic cigarettes are predominately made using iron alloy-vaping coils (with varying iron content), which aerosolize electronic cigarette liquid via heating. Recent evidence demonstrated significantly elevated levels of iron in electronic cigarette/vape tanks and aerosols, suggesting lung exposure to iron in individuals that use electronic cigarettes/vapes. Pathological analysis of lung tissues from patients with acute lung disease following use of electronic cigarettes/vapes, demonstrated that the lung damage resembles "chemical burns", which was associated with the presence of brown and black pigmented particles in foamy-lung macrophages. In this publication, it is proposed that the brown pigmented particles in foamy-lung macrophages is ferric iron in ferritin (hemosiderin), which results in a brownish pigmentation in tissues. It is also proposed that the black particles in the foamy-lung macrophages are iron oxides, such as magnetite-a black rock mineral. A novel hypothesis is proposed in which iron in electronic cigarettes/vapes aerosols are deposited in the lungs via inhalation, and converted to iron oxides via highly exothermic oxidation, resulting in chemical burns. This publication proposes that oxidation of iron to iron oxides in the lungs of North Americans is mediated via very low frequency (radio)-electromagnetic waves emanating from the lithosphere in North America. Consistent with this hypothesis, the magnetic field of the lithosphere is predominantly induced by iron oxides (such as magnetite) in the Earth's crust, and recent evidence demonstrates that the lithosphere magnetic field of North America (excluding Alaska) is currently exhibiting increasing excitation compared to Western Europe, which has similarly high levels of electronic cigarette/vape users. Consequently, the current dynamics of the lithosphere magnetic field reconciles the spatiotemporal epidemiology of vaping-associated acute lung injury. Per the current dynamics of the lithosphere magnetic field, this publication predicts that the current wave of vaping-associated lung injury will continue to rapidly decay, and re-emerge in the coming years with similar oscillatory temporal dynamics and geographic restriction to North America (excluding Alaska). This publication predicts that Perls' Prussian blue dye staining of lung sections from patients with vaping-associated acute lung injury will detect the presence of iron (ferric ions) in the lung. Furthermore, scanning transmission electron microscopy examination of the injured lung tissues will detect various iron oxides species.

Network Biology
ISSN 2220-8879
CODEN NBEICS

Volume 11, Number 3, 1 September 2021
http://www.iaees.org/publications/journals/nb/articles/2021-11(3)/2021-11(3).asp

Cover Pages
[Front Pages (183K)] [Back Pages (129K)]

Articles

Analysis of amino acids network based on transition and transversion mutation of codons
Network Biology, 2021, 11(3): 125-136
Tazid Ali, Chandra Borah
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In silico search for regulatory genes associated with lung and liver disease in Cystic Fibrosis
Network Biology, 2021, 11(3): 137-153
Rafat Ali, Safia Tazyeen, Mohd Murshad Ahmed, Aftab Alam, Nikhat Imam, et al.
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Construction and analysis of the word network based on the Random Reading Frame (RRF) method
Network Biology, 2021, 11(3): 154-193
WenJun Zhang
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Identification of driver genes in renal stress condition using network clustering approach
Network Biology, 2021, 11(3): 194-206
Mohd Murshad Ahmed, Safia Tazyeen, Rafat Ali, Aftab Alam, et al.
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The potential role of non-coding RNAs RP11-573G6.6 and HCG11 in the regulation of mitochondrial gene expression in glioblastoma: A bioinformatics-based study
Network Biology, 2021, 11(3): 207-221
Mahya Payazdan, Mohammad Shafiei, Seyedeh Sahar Mortazavi Farsani
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Diagnosis of diabetes: A machine learning paradigm using optimized features
Network Biology, 2021, 11(3): 222-240
Rafid Mostafiz, Khandaker Mohammad Mohi Uddin, Mohammad Shorif Uddin, et al.
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In silico interactome and docking site study of DNA repair proteins (APE1 and APE2) and their role in base excision repair in Arabidopsis thaliana
Network Biology, 2021, 11(3): 241-246
Esma Kurtanovic, Mohamed Ragab Abdel Gawwad
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Five extracts were obtained from Ageratum conyzoides leaf extracted in methanol-water (4 :1). They were neutral extract (in ethyl acetate), moderately polar extract (in chloroform) ; basic extract (in chloroform-methanol), polar extract (in methanol), and filtrate. Three extracts were tested biologically and the moderately polar extract was found to be most toxic for female Wistar rats . While the toxicity of neutral extract was mild and other extracts were non-toxic. Therefore, the moderately polar extract was investigated for the hepatoxicity effects in the present study. Intragastric dosing of this extract in rats has caused mortality with clinical signs of weakness, low activity and death. Pathological examination showed mottling on the capsular surface of liver. Microscopically showed anisokaryosis, megalocytosis, bile duct cells proliferation and necrosis . Multiple dosing of this extract may lead to liver and lung injury showing anisokaryosis, megalocytosis, bile duct cells proliferation, centrolobular necrosis, vacuolisation, mitotic figures and mononuclear cells infiltration in the liver and epithelialisation of alveolar walls, thickening of alveolar walls and oedema in the lungs. Liver regeneration occurred 7 days after the last dosing showing mitotic figures and return to the normal structure of liver. The average body weight gain reduced during the first 3 weeks of intoxication from 127.6 g. on predosing to 120,4 g. on week-3 followed by an increased on body weight until the last experiment to 130.8 g. when dosing of extract was terminated . There was an increased of alanine amino transferase ( ALAT) during the first 2 days after dosing from 14.6 IU/1 to 23 .0 IU/1 and reduced at the following days to 7.5 IU/1 at day-5 after dosing . Dosing with retrorsin has caused an increased in ALAT consistently during the first 5 days to 8.7 IU/1 . The activity of aspartate amino transferase (ASAT) reduced during the first 3 days after dosing with the extract from 29 .2 IU/1 to 15 .1 IU/I and from 15 .9 IU/1 to 8.9 IU/1 with retrorsin, but both enzymes appeared higher than control rats . The analysis of toxic compound in A. conyzoides leaf showed that the Rf value was similar to retrrorsin showing the leaf containing pyrrolizidine alkaloid compounds.

OBJECTIVE:  Vaping has been marketed as a “safe” or “safer” alternative to smoking.  It has become a very lucrative market and has experienced a surge of interest, especially among the younger generations.  There are many who theorize that there is a health benefit in switching from smoking to vaping, and numerous studies seem to corroborated this.  However, few studies have gone into any depth on the possible harmful effects that vaping can have on individuals.  This paper reviews three studies that were designed to analyze the possible harmful effects of vaping.

DESIGN: Case based, multi-study review of three randomized control trials.

METHODS:  Keyword searches performed in Scopus, TRIP Database, and PubMed to find up-to-date information and clinical trials.

RESULTS: Review of three randomized control trials reveals that at present there is still not sufficient information to determine the unique harms and health risks posed by vaping.  Present evidence, at best, is inconclusive.

Introduction: Prevention of spinal anaesthesia induced hy-potension is very important. Both intravenous (IV) and intra muscular (IM) ephedrine are being used during caesarean section to prevent hypotension. The present study was done to compare the efficacy and safety of ephedrine administered via IV and IM route. Material and Methods: A prospective randomised double blind study was done on 60 parturients aged between 20-30 years, divided into Group A (intramuscular ephedrine 30 mg given 10 min prior to spinal anaesthesia, 30 patients) and Group B (intravenous ephedrine 12 mg given at the time of spinal anaesthesia, 30 patients). After intravenous preloading, spinal anaesthesia was given, baseline maternal heart rare and arterial blood pressure was recorded before induction and every 3 min for 15 min and thereafter every 5 min for 45 min. Next reading was taken at 1 hour and finally at 2 hours in recovery. Results: Mean age of patients in group A and Group B was 24.26±2.71 and 24.23±2.31 years respectively (p>0.05). Significant difference was found in maximum and minimum dias-tolic blood pressure (DBP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) between both the groups. Nausea and vomiting was less in group A in which ephedrine was given via IM route (p<0.05). Conclusion: Prophylactic use of IM ephedrine was associated with lower incidence of hypotension, nausea and vomiting as compared to intravenous ephedrine.

In order to stay alive, the body has to breathe the air. We breathe in oxygen and we breathe out carbon dioxide. This process is known as 'respiration'. Breathing happens automatically. Every day the body breathes about 20000 times. By the time we reach 70 years old, that's about 600 million breaths. All of this breathing occurs because of the respiratory system, which includes the nose, throat, voice box, windpipe, and lungs.

Numerous members of the cytochrome P450 (CYP) superfamily are induced after exposure to a variety of xenobiotics in human liver. We have gained considerable mechanistic insights into these processes in hepatocytes and multiple ligand-activated transcription factors have been identified over the past two decades. Families CYP1, CYP2 and CYP3 involved in xenobiotic metabolism are also expressed in a range of extrahepatic tissues (e.g. intestine, brain, kidney, placenta, lung, adrenal gland, pancreas, skin, mammary gland, uterus, ovary, testes and prostate). Since the expression of the majority of the isoforms appears to be very low in the extrahepatic tissues in comparison with predominant expression in adult liver, the role of the enzymes in overall biotransformation and total body clearance is minor. However, basal expression and up-regulation of extrahepatic CYP enzymes can significantly affect local disposition of xenobiotics or endogenous compounds in peripheral tissues and thus modify their pharmacological/toxicological effects or affect absorption of xenobiotics into systemic circulation. The goal of this review is to critically examine our current understanding of molecular mechanisms involved in induction of xenobiotic metabolizing CYP genes of human families CYP1, CYP2 and CYP3 by exogenous chemicals in extrahepatic tissues. We concentrate on organs such as the intestine, kidney, lung, placenta and skin, which are involved in drug distribution and clearance or are in direct contact with environmental xenobiotics. We also discuss single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of key CYPs, which at the level of transcription affect expression of the genes in the extrahepatic tissues or are associated with some pathophysiological stages or disorders in the organs.

The human body is vulnerable to different pathogens. From this point of view we can see a high incidence of diseases that are part of the respiratory pathology. At different periods of the year, the human’s body's resistance decreases. For any of the forms of respiratory diseases, is useful for patients a preliminary investigation in order to diagnose and to treat the respiratory disease.

It is useful to consider implementing methods of public information and practical application of screening programs, for prevention, knowing a complexity of pathogens for a possible respiratory disease. Also is known the children as a vulnerable age group. Different forms belonging to the respiratory pathology are as consequence, or may occur in accordance with sinusal infections.

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a rare disease with mostly due to autoimmune toward granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. In some conditions, PAP followed with secondary infection. A 34-year-old woman came with progressive shortness of breath, chronic dry cough, and mild fever. The chest High-Resolution Computed Tomography showed ground-glass opacity with septal reticulation or known as the crazy-paving pattern, and a cavity on the upper lobe of the left lung. The patient underwent bronchoscopy for diagnostic and therapeutic measures and found milky appearance bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). The serum galactomannan came out positive. Fungal infection detected from the BALF culture, Aspergillus fumigatus, hence fulfilling the diagnosis of PAP with probable invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. The patient showed clinical improvement after undergoing whole lung lavage and given anti-fungal medications.

Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is a rare disease that affects patients with asthma or cystic fibrosis. Its debilitating course has led to the search for new treatments, including antifungals and monoclonal antibodies. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of antifungal treatments in patients with ABPA and either asthma or cystic fibrosis, we performed a systematic review of the literature on the effects of antifungal agents in ABPA using three biomedical databases. Quality assessment was performed using the GRADE methodology and, where appropriate, studies with comparable outcomes were pooled for meta-analysis. Thirty-eight studies – four randomized controlled trials and 34 observational studies – met the eligibility criteria. The antifungal interventions described were itraconazole, voriconazole, posaconazole, ketoconazole, natamycin, nystatin and amphotericin B. An improvement in symptoms, frequency of exacerbations and lung function was reported in most of the studies and was more common with oral azoles. Antifungals also had a positive impact on biomarkers and radiological pulmonary infiltrates , but adverse effects were also common. The quality of the evidence supporting these results was low or very low due to a shortage of controlled studies, heterogeneity between studies and potential bias. Antifungal interventions in ABPA improved patient and disease outcomes in both asthma and cystic fibrosis. However, the recommendation for their use is weak and clinicians should therefore weigh up desirable and undesirable effects on a case-by-case basis. More studies with a better methodology are needed, especially in cys-tic fibrosis, to increase confidence in the effects of antifungal treatments in ABPA.

Commenting on or trying to represent environmental “air” is a different endeavor than implementing it as an element of architectural design. People might enjoy untreated air along the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer, where the temperatures and humidity levels sustain a flourishing natural environment and the aroma of warm seas or exuberant wild gardens fill the air. Far north or south, however, the air must be warmed and humidified; and nearer the equator, cooled and dehumidified. Around big cities or industrial sectors, the air is filled with toxic particles, whereas in desert or high agricultural regions, the air often must be filtered before
it is breathable. When we design with or for air, we do not design objects; instead we design permeabilities, relationships, symbioses.
John Evelyn described London’s air in just this way in his Fumifugium: or the Inconvenience of the Aer and Smoak of London Dissipated in 1661. “It seems absurd,” he wrote, “that men, who owe their lives to air, are not able to breathe it freely, but instead are allowed to live in misery.” 1 For as Jonathan Hill explains in Weather Architecture, the coals used for industry in London during that period were loaded with sulfur dioxide. 2 The combustion of this matter caused the dispersion of sulfuric acid throughout the London area. It covered every surface, from buildings to monuments, from plants to lungs, from eyes to clothes.
At a more theoretical level, Evelyn in his Fumifugium re-imagines the relationships between territory and subject, between air and body. Evelyn presents the body as a breathable skin rather than as an object equipped with a respiratory system. Air is to humans, he implies,
what water is to jellyfish. Air fills every square millimeter of our living space, yet at the same time remains in a state of flux throughout our bodies. Fumifugium is a prescient assessment of questions regarding air quality today. This paper aims to sew together the relationships between biological bodies and productive environments via the air that circulates through them both.  The project will involve questions of politics, economics, and ecology.
In fall 2018 I directed a research project based on Fumifugium with graduate students Taylor Hanttula and Josh Hafel at Texas Tech University titled The history of air: On territory, urban and architecture. The project developed three documents: one, a cartographic representation of historical events and systems of thought related to air and drawn from Fumifugium; two, a set of three maps designed to represent the relationships between the hydrosphere, lithosphere, and atmosphere surrounding London, in order to explore the concept of “constructed air” from 1661 to the present day; and three, the design of a jellyfish tank that represents both Evelyn’s paradigm of the body as a skin rather than an object, and the sense in which the body is a medium or setting. The jellyfish is a prehistoric animal, of course. Here it evokes the biological origin of our bodies. It represents an intimate relationship between form and environment, and  it helps us understand their essential continuity.  The relationship between these three maps intentionally evokes the limited and yet multi-disciplinary knowledge that John Evelyn used to discuss the air of London in 1661 in order to approach the problem of air as an element of architectural design

The molecules causing cytotoxicity to tumor cells having major research interest and their application to develop drug against tumor. The Coelomocytes constitute immune component of earthworm coelomic fluid have the potential to produce biomolecules which causes cytotoxicity to tumors. The present study comprises of culturing coleomocytes isolated from coelomic fluid of Eudrilus eugeniae in HBSS as a culture media and with suitable conditions and testing the activity of coelomic fluid ,culture supernatant sample by MTT assay on tumor cell lines lung cancer cells (A549)and colorectal tumor cell lines(HTC 116) which showed significant cell death compared to respective control cell. The percent cytotoxicity in coelomic fluid ,coelomocyte culture supernatant and dialyzed sample were in the order 85% ,95% and 62% respectively. The highest cyotoxicity showed by culture supernatant .Supernatant enhanced its utilization as the major source of cytotoxic agent against tumor. The results of MTT assay were validated by performing more sensitive assay against the selected cell line used in the present study. The coleomocyte culture supernatant was administered in the concentration range 1-2mg/ml to induce cytotoxicity.The results showed 90% cytotoxicity in A549 Cell lines with concentration of 2mg/ml.The colorectal tumor cell showed moderate compare to referred standard values of Indian pharmacopeia/FDA .The findings of the study provide scientific evidence to utilize coleomocyte culture supernatant as a source to develop anticancer drug for treatment of cancer.

Children with a lung abscess usually do well with antibiotics alone and surgical intervention is rarely needed. Standard practice is to use parenteral antibiotics until clinical symptoms abate and to follow with oral antibiotics for up to six weeks. The objective of this study was to observe and compare outcome, duration of antimicrobial treatment for lung abscess.

The Macroscopic, histological and immunohistochemical aspects of lung acinar adenocarcinoma and the presence of nodules in the abdominal cavity of an adult female bovine are reported. In the necropsy analysis samples were collected from the: lung, heart, spleen, liver, pancreas, kidney, uterus, intestine, brain, and from nodules found in the lung and abdominal cavity, which were routinely processed to be stained by hematoxylin-eosin and for an immunohistochemistry exam with the antibodies: cytokeratin (dilution 1:200 μL) and vimentin (dilution 1:1000 μL). The histopathological examination revealed neoplastic epithelial cells with acini formation. The immunohistochemical examination of the tumor cells showed positive marking for cytokeratin and the absence of marking for vimentin. According to anatomical, morphological, and histopathological findings, as well as the result of the immunohistochemical examination, the tumor was characterized as lung acinar adenocarcinoma.

Chest X-ray (CXR) is a low-cost medical imaging technique. It is a common procedure for the identification of many respiratory diseases compared to MRI, CT, and PET scans. This paper presents the use of generative adversarial networks (GAN) to perform the task of lung segmentation on a given CXR. GANs are popular to generate realistic data by learning the mapping from one domain to another. In our work, the generator of the GAN is trained to generate a segmented mask of a given input CXR. The discriminator distinguishes between a ground truth and the generated mask, and updates the generator through the adversarial loss measure. The objective is to generate masks for the input CXR, which are as realistic as possible compared to the ground truth masks. The model is trained and evaluated using four different discriminators referred to as D1, D2, D3 and D4 respectively. Experimental results on three different CXR datasets reveal that the proposed model is able to achieve a dice-score o...

Despite effective pharmacotherapy, asthma continues to impair quality of life for most patients. Non-pharmacological approaches, including breathing retraining, are therefore of great interest to patients. However, clinicians rarely advocate breathing retraining and access to this intervention is restricted for most patients due to the limited availability of suitable physiotherapists and poor integration of breathing retraining into standard care. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of a digital self-guided breathing retraining intervention. In this randomised controlled trial, we recruited patients from 34 general practices in the UK. Eligibility criteria for patients with asthma were broad, comprising a physician diagnosis of asthma, age of 16-70 years, receipt of at least one anti-asthma medication in the previous year, and impaired asthma-related quality of life (Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire [AQLQ] score of &lt;5·5). We developed a self-guided intervention, which was d...

Severe lung strongylosis was detected in a wild red fox (Vulpes vulpes) (1/12) from Apulia (Italy). We performed routine diagnostics on 12 foxes found dead in Apulia. Eleven of them showed lesions consistent with a vehicle collision. However, the remaining fox appeared to have died from other causes. At necropsy we observed, catarrhal enteritis, fatty liver, lung congestion with some areas firm in consistence and brain haemorrhages and malacia. Histopathology revealed lung fibrosis with mononucleate cells infiltration, thrombosis a several larval nematodes spread in the parenchyma, interstitial nephritis, interstitial myocarditis, encephalitis, encephalomalacia, and a brain granuloma. The larvae recovered from the lung parenchyma were identified as the first stage larvae of Angiostrongylus vasorum. This is the first documented report of angiostrongylosis in a fox in Southern Italy.

Epidemiological evidence demonstrates an increase in acute lung injury associated with electronic cigarettes use (vaping) in North America (excluding Alaska) over the past several months. The cause (etiological agent) and mechanism of vaping-associated acute lung injury remains to be determined. Electronic cigarettes are predominately made using iron alloy-vaping coils (with varying iron content), which aerosolize electronic cigarette liquid via heating. Recent evidence demonstrated significantly elevated levels of iron in electronic cigarette/vape tanks and aerosols, suggesting lung exposure to iron in individuals that use electronic cigarettes/vapes. Pathological analysis of lung tissues from patients with acute lung disease following use of electronic cigarettes/vapes, demonstrated that the lung damage resembles &amp;quot;chemical burns&amp;quot;, which was associated with the presence of brown and black pigmented particles in foamy-lung macrophages. In this publication, it is proposed that the brown pigmented particles in foamy-lung macrophages is ferric iron in ferritin (hemosiderin), which results in a brownish pigmentation in tissues. It is also proposed that the black particles in the foamy-lung macrophages are iron oxides, such as magnetite-a black rock mineral. A novel hypothesis is proposed in which iron in electronic cigarettes/vapes aerosols are deposited in the lungs via inhalation, and converted to iron oxides via highly exothermic oxidation, resulting in chemical burns. This publication proposes that oxidation of iron to iron oxides in the lungs of North Americans is mediated via very low frequency (radio)-electromagnetic waves emanating from the lithosphere in North America. Consistent with this hypothesis, the magnetic field of the lithosphere is predominantly induced by iron oxides (such as magnetite) in the Earth&amp;#39;s crust, and recent evidence demonstrates that the lithosphere magnetic field of North America (excluding Alaska) is currently exhibiting increasing excitation compared to Western Europe, which has similarly high levels of electronic cigarette/vape users. Consequently, the current dynamics of the lithosphere magnetic field reconciles the spatiotemporal epidemiology of vaping-associated acute lung injury. Per the current dynamics of the lithosphere magnetic field, this publication predicts that the current wave of vaping-associated lung injury will continue to rapidly decay, and re-emerge in the coming years with similar oscillatory temporal dynamics and geographic restriction to North America (excluding Alaska). This publication predicts that Perls&amp;#39; Prussian blue dye staining of lung sections from patients with vaping-associated acute lung injury will detect the presence of iron (ferric ions) in the lung. Furthermore, scanning transmission electron microscopy examination of the injured lung tissues will detect various iron oxides species.

Despite effective pharmacotherapy, asthma continues to impair quality of life for most patients. Non-pharmacological approaches, including breathing retraining, are therefore of great interest to patients. However, clinicians rarely advocate breathing retraining and access to this intervention is restricted for most patients due to the limited availability of suitable physiotherapists and poor integration of breathing retraining into standard care. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of a digital self-guided breathing retraining intervention. In this randomised controlled trial, we recruited patients from 34 general practices in the UK. Eligibility criteria for patients with asthma were broad, comprising a physician diagnosis of asthma, age of 16-70 years, receipt of at least one anti-asthma medication in the previous year, and impaired asthma-related quality of life (Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire [AQLQ] score of &lt;5·5). We developed a self-guided intervention, which was d...

EDUCATIONAL:

Upper respiratory tract: Composed of the nose, the pharynx, and the larynx, the organs of the upper respiratory tract are located outside the chest cavity.

Nasal cavity: Inside the nose, the sticky mucous membrane lining the nasal cavity traps dust particles, and tiny hairs called cilia help move them to the nose to be sneezed or blown out.
Sinuses: These air-filled spaces along side the nose help make the skull lighter.
Pharynx: Both food and air pass through the pharynx before reaching their appropriate destinations. The pharynx also plays a role in speech.
Larynx: The larynx is essential to human speech.
Lower respiratory tract: Composed of the trachea, the lungs, and all segments of the bronchial tree (including the alveoli), the organs of the lower respiratory tract are located inside the chest cavity.

Trachea: Located just below the larynx, the trachea is the main airway to the lungs.
Lungs: Together the lungs form one of the body’s largest organs. They’re responsible for providing oxygen to capillaries and exhaling carbon dioxide.
Bronchi: The bronchi branch from the trachea into each lung and create the network of intricate passages that supply the lungs with air.
Diaphragm: The diaphragm is the main respiratory muscle that contracts and relaxes to allow air into the lungs.

A research of gradient calculation for pleural effusion and normal lungs images had been conducted. The gradient calculation was done by using gradient formula on the equation of line. The steps taken in this research were image enhancement, segmentation, and gradient calculation. Gradient calculations were conducted on 8 images of pleural effusion and 8 images of normal lungs. The result of this research showed that the lungs image gradient of the pleural effusion was less than 0.3 whereas the normal lungs gradient was more than 0.3.

Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is a genetic disorder that is a major contributor in the pathogenesis of lung and liver disease. Pulmonary emphysema occurs concomitantly in severe COPD and is characterised by lung tissue destruction. This reduces patient quality of life and increases mortality. The most widely accepted causal mechanism of action is the “protease-antiprotease imbalance hypothesis”. In this model, excessive proteolysis of lung tissue is attributable to an imbalance between proteases and alpha-1-antitrypsin (A1AT), often caused by cigarette smoking. However, only approximately 15% of smokers actually develop COPD, indicating major genetic influences in the disease aetiology. Inhibition by A1AT, protects the lungs from harmful effects of neutrophil elastase. Genetic disorders which result in structural deficiency of A1AT cause AATD, contributing to pulmonary emphysema, COPD, and cirrhosis. Current therapy is largely limited to symptomatic treatment. However, identification of the A1AT deficiency, a major underlying factor in the disease aetiology, allows the commencement of A1AT replacement therapy. Identifying and treating AATD affected patients accordingly can improve functional capacity and slow disease progression.

Building on the recommendations of Janssen and colleagues it is herewith proposed that copper-heparin therapy is a potential treatment in the emphysema affected patient (2019). The novelty of the Cu-heparin inhalation approach is that it targets an underlying casual factor of emphysema. A solid basis for successful treatment of lung parenchyma damage, is the combination of external facilitation of elastic tissue repair, along with cessation of exposure to toxic irritants. Administration of the copper-heparin complex via inhalation therapy, would provide a cost-effective and practical non-invasive treatment for emphysema. In contrast to current practice (i.e. lung resection or transplant), this is a highly desirable therapeutic approach.

Background
Despite effective pharmacotherapy, asthma continues to impair quality of life for most patients. Non-pharmacological approaches, including breathing retraining, are therefore of great interest to patients. However, clinicians rarely advocate breathing retraining and access to this intervention is restricted for most patients due to the limited availability of suitable physiotherapists and poor integration of breathing retraining into standard care. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of a digital self-guided breathing retraining intervention.

Methods
In this randomised controlled trial, we recruited patients from 34 general practices in the UK. Eligibility criteria for patients with asthma were broad, comprising a physician diagnosis of asthma, age of 16–70 years, receipt of at least one anti-asthma medication in the previous year, and impaired asthma-related quality of life (Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire [AQLQ] score of <5·5). We developed a self-guided intervention, which was delivered as a DVD plus a printed booklet (DVDB). Participants were randomly assigned to receive either the DVDB intervention, three face-to-face breathing retraining sessions, or standard care, in a 2:1:2 ratio, for 12 months. Randomisation was achieved using the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit telephone randomisation service by use of random number generators. The primary outcome was the AQLQ score in the intention-to-treat population at 12 months. The trial was powered to show equivalence between the two active intervention groups, and superiority of both intervention groups over usual care. Secondary outcomes included patient-reported and physiological measures of asthma control, patient acceptability, and health-care costs. This trial was registered with International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number registry, number ISRCTN88318003.

Findings
Between Nov 5, 2012 and Jan 28, 2014, invitations to participate in the study were sent to 15 203 patients with general practitioner-diagnosed asthma, of whom 655 were recruited into the study. AQLQ scores at 12 months were significantly higher in the DVDB group (mean 5·40, SD 1·14) than in the usual care group (5·12, SD 1·17; adjusted mean difference 0·28, 95% CI 0·11 to 0·44), and in the face-to-face group (5·33, SD 1·06) than in the usual care group (adjusted mean difference 0·24, 95% CI 0·04 to 0·44); AQLQ scores were similar between the DVDB group and the face-to-face group (0·04, 95% CI −0·16 to 0·24). There were no significant differences between the randomisation groups in FEV1 or fraction of exhaled nitric oxide. 744 adverse events occurred in 272 patients: 101 (39%) of 261 patients in the DVDB group, 55 (42%) of 132 patients in the face-to-face group, and 132 (50%) of 262 in the usual care group, with patients reporting one or more event. 11 (4%) patients in the DVDB group, four (3%) patients in the face-to-face group, and 20 (8%) patients in the usual care group had a serious adverse event.

Interpretation
Breathing retraining programmes improve quality of life in patients with incompletely controlled asthma despite having little effect on lung function or airway inflammation. Such programmes can be delivered conveniently and cost-effectively as a self-guided digital audiovisual programme, so might also reduce health-care costs.

Keywords: Transfer factor of the lung for CO Transfer factor of the lung for NO Lung diffusing capacity Pulmonary function tests Nitrogen monoxide a b s t r a c t Pulmonary diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) has been an important pulmonary function test used since the 1950's. It measures the uptake of CO from the alveolar space into pulmonary capillary blood, following the same path as oxygen. It's used to evaluate/follow the progress of various lung diseases. In the eighties, a new test was developed similar to the DLCO test: pulmonary diffusing capacity for nitric oxide (DLNO). About 81–90% of the variance in DLNO is shared by DLCO in patients with cardiopulmonary disease and in healthy subjects. When DLNO is abnormally low, so is DLCO, and when DLNO is normal, so is DLCO (Kappa Statistic = 0.69, n = 251). The probability that DLNO and DLCO will be abnormally low when a cardiopulmonary disease is present (sensitivity) is 79% and 68%, respectively. The DLNO test avoids many technical issues associated with the measurement of DLCO: (1) DLNO is relatively unaffected by inspired oxygen concentration or ambient pressure, (2) DLNO is unaffected by carboxyhemoglobin, (3) DLNO is minimally affected by hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, thus correcting for Hb is not needed. (4) DLNO is more affected by lung volume compared to DLCO, thus DLNO divided by alveolar volume (KNO) is a better measure than KCO in those with restrictive lung disease, and (5) DLNO is a more stable measure over time compared to DLCO. Therefore, DLNO has several advantages over DLCO in the management of patients and could replace the DLCO test in most cases moving forward.

Since the first description of Cystic fibrosis (CF) more than 75 y ago, significant advances have been made in understanding its pathogenesis and in developing specific therapies. The pace of these developments was further accelerated after the discovery of CF gene in 1989 and since then, CF has been transformed from being a pediatric illness into a chronic life-limiting genetic disorder with survival up to the fourth decade. The development of mutation-specific therapies in the first decade of the 21st century has the potential to change the natural history of CF and has now ushered in the era of 'Precision Medicine'. The ability to revert the basic defect in CF by using Personalized Medicine approach based on each individual's genetic profile will serve as a model for other chronic disorders as well. This review highlights the recent advances in the field of CF research that have led to a paradigm shift in its management and outcomes.