Purpose: Automobile mechanics have been exposed to asbestos in the past, mainly due to the presence of chrysotile asbestos in brakes and clutches. Despite the large number of automobile mechanics, little is known about the non-malignant respiratory diseases observed in this population. The aim of this retrospective multicenter study was to analyse the frequency of pleural and parenchymal abnormalities on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) in a population of automobile mechanics.
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May 1996
Clinical reports suggest that peptide (EP) concentration may be used as a subclinical marker of pulmonary emphysema. This hypothesis was tested in a clinical study by comparing EP concentration in male emphysematous patients with the level in two control groups, and by exploring the relation of elastin peptide level to high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scan emphysema score among emphysematous patients. Serum EP level was determined among male emphysematous patients with at least 20% of emphysema (n = 27) and in two populations of male workers, drawn from epidemiologic studies (227 coal miners and 310 policemen).
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