Computer-assisted analysis of radial symmetry in human airway epithelial cilia: assessment of congenital ciliary defects in primary ciliary dyskinesia.

The ultrastructural analysis of cilia and diagnosis of primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) in biopsies of airway epithelium is sometimes confounded by poor sampling, inconsistencies in tissue quality and processing, and other technical problems. Although clinical findings may lead to a presumptive diagnosis, ultrastructural analysis of ciliary axonemes is the standard for confirmation of PCD. The ultrastructural features of the cilium when viewed in cross section by transmission electron microscopy confer a radial symmetry to the axoneme.

Induction of prostaglandin H synthase 2 in human airway epithelial cells exposed to residual oil fly ash.

Exposure to ambient air containing respirable particulate matter at concentrations below the current National Ambient Air Quality Standard has been associated with increased rates of pulmonary-related morbidity and mortality. To identify mechanisms involved in pulmonary responses to such exposure, we studied the effects of the emission source particulate air pollutant residual oil fly ash (ROFA) on prostaglandin metabolism in cultured human airway epithelial cells. Epithelial cells exposed to ROFA for 24 hr secreted substantially increased amounts of the prostaglandin H synthase (PHS) products prostaglandins E2 and F2 alpha.

Daily events and somatic symptoms: evidence of a lagged relationship.

In order to examine the lagged relationship between daily events and somatic symptoms, 48 students completed the Students Assessment of Daily Experience Questionnaire and the Somatic Symptoms subscale of the General Health Questionnaire for five days. Undesirable events were correlated with somatic symptoms three to four days later.

Ozone-induced human respiratory dysfunction and disease.

Exercising volunteers exposed in chambers to as little as 80 ppb O3 for several hours exhibit impaired lung function and irritative lower airway symptoms. Comparable changes occur among children and young adults exposed to summer smog containing O3. Intensity of the response is reproducible but varies widely among individuals.

Dispersion of aerosol boluses in the human lung: dependence on lung volume, bolus volume, and gender.

The dispersion of aerosol boluses in the human lungs has been studied in health and disease, usually as a means of investigating convective mixing. However, there are limited data on the roles of critical factors, such as the volume of inhaled boluses, lung inflation, and gender on dispersion. To examine these factors, we measured the difference in volume variance between exhaled and inhaled boluses (sigma 2V) of a 0.