The diagnosis of chronic dust-induced bronchitis

In dust-induced bronchitis, alterations in the pulmonary parenchyma present themselves in the main cellular indices for bronchioalveolar lavage (BAL), thought to be of much importance to its diagnosis. A total of 53 patients with initial and manifest forms of dust bronchitis underwent BAL. There has been found the following: a decrease in the mononuclear phagocyte system cells (MPhS) reflecting the state of local cellular immunity; rise in the amounts of coniophages, suggesting phagocytic activity of alveolar macrophages (AM) and dust blockade of MPhS cells; emergence and augmentation of counts of gigantic Pirogov-Langhans' cells characteristic of tuberculous granulomas, and also decrease in the counts of lymphocytes. There is a striking decrement in the vitality of AM, with polycytosis being commonly seen. Detection of granular forms of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in BAL and Pirogov-Langhans' cells enables a major proportion of "dust-induced bronchitis" to be considered as belonging to the silicotuberculous process.     

The role of ciprofloxacin in the treatment of chronic bronchitis

A case of dental erosion caused by excessive consumption of alcoholic soft drinks is described. The low pH of the drinks and associated vomiting can cause substantial damage to the dentition. There are no reported cases in the literature of erosion caused by the use of these drinks, and with their increasing popularity it is important that the dental profession is made aware of the possible dental implications relating to their consumption.     

The characteristics of the clinical manifestations and treatment of chronic obstructive bronchitis in patients with hepatobiliary system diseases and pseudoallergy

Routine clinical, laboratory, instrumental and immunological examinations in 105 patients have established that hepatobiliary disorders occur 2.2 times more frequently in patients with chronic obstructive bronchitis (COB) and pseudoallergy than in those without pseudoallergy. To correct negative effects of pseudoallergy, conventional therapy was combined with enterosorbent polyphepan, spasmolytic nospa and cholagogic allochol used alone or in different combinations. The highest benefit for COB patients was achieved in using combination of polyphepan + nospa + allochol.     

Effect of flurenizide on adaptive reactions in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Studies on the wake-sleep cycle with participation of eight female volunteers were performed before, during, and after a 120-day bed rest with the head-end of bed tilted down at 6 degrees (HDT). Methods of polysomnography and actography were applied. The test-subjects were assigned into 2 groups. Group A was prescribed to use countermeasures throughout the experiment; no countermeasures was administered by group B. Evidence of significant alteration in sleep structure at different time points in HDT is given in comparison with data about females of the control group under the conditions of everyday activity. Sleep deviations in the subjects were reordered at each of the three points of investigation and differed from those in control. HDT was shown to modify the sleep structure in experimental groups A and B. A supposition is made that under these conditions the dynamics of physical activity during night sleep had an adaptive character.     

The sociomedical prevention of chronic bronchitis in workers in the mining industry]

High frequency of risk factors for origination of chronic bronchitis resulted in a striking growth of its prevalence among miners. Employment of the system of medical and social prophylaxis, especially during the stages of evolution of the malady, involving automatic diagnosis and prognostication, correction of immune disorders, recommendations toward adapting work to suit miners and assigning them to jobs for which they are suited--all this makes for reducing morbidity, permits saving the man-power resources making possible a rational distribution thereof among mining enterprises, which facts enable a substantial social and economic effect to be achieved.     

The functional organization of the adaptive and compensatory reactions of the endocrine glands

Current concepts of the systemic organization and interrelationship between adaptive and compensatory responses of the endocrine glands and hormone-producing cells are reviewed. Emphasis is made on the involvement of prolactin, insulin endorphins and other neuropeptides into stress responses. A problem of the multihormonal control of physiological functions and role of blood protein carriers and hormonal cytoreceptors in pathogenesis of various diseases are discussed. Special attention is paid to the importance of endocrine function reserves testing for diagnosis of premorbid states and for estimation of human psychophysiological and physical potentials.     

Bronchographic features of chronic bronchitis in normal men

As part of a study of mucous transport in the airways, tantalum bronchography was performed on 13 normal, asymptomatic men who had normal findings on pulmonary function studies. Most of the subjects demonstrated some of the bronchographic features which have been regarded as specific for chronic bronchitis. Eight men showed opacification of the ducts of mucous glands; 12 had visible secretions in the airways; three had moderate-to-marked irregularity of airways. The clearance of tantalum from the airways in all but two subjects was more rapid than anticipated and thus could not be correlated with the bronchographic features of chronic bronchitis. Two subjects who previously had symptoms of respiratory tract infection showed markedly delayed peripheral airway clearance of tantalum. The bronchographic features of chronic bronchitis can be seen in normal subjects or may indicate airway abnormalities that are not manifested functionally.     

Using mutual information to measure coupling in the cardiorespiratory system

Approximately 2,000 infants with sickle cell disease are born each year in the United States. Sickle cell disease is an inherited disorder of red blood cell hemoglobin. Sickle cells increase adhesion and cause blockage in the small blood vessels, resulting in tissue damage. The cells' production of hemoglobin S results in two major pathophysiologic features of sickle cell disorders: chronic hemolytic anemia and vaso-occlusion. These disorders cause ischemic tissue damage and acute and chronic organ failure. Potential complications for children with sickle cell disease include vaso-occlusive events, splenic sequestration, bacterial septicemia from splenic hypofunction, aplastic crisis, pulmonary compromise including acute chest syndrome, renal tubular dysfunction and renal failure, priapism, aseptic necrosis, gallstones, delayed growth and development, leg ulcers, stroke and premature death. Three major sickle cell complications during the first years of life are dactylitis, splenic hypofunction and splenic sequestration. The risk for pneumococcal meningitis is 36 times greater in children with sickle cell anemia than for black children without the disease, and 314 times greater than for white children.     

Inflammatory cells in the bronchial glands of smokers with chronic bronchitis

To characterize the inflammatory process in the bronchial glands of smokers with chronic sputum production, we examined lobar bronchi from 18 subjects undergoing lung resection for localized pulmonary lesions, all with a history of cigarette smoking. Nine of the subjects had symptoms of chronic bronchitis and chronic airflow obstruction, and nine were asymptomatic, with normal lung function. The number of neutrophils, eosinophils, mast cells, macrophages, CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocytes, and the ratio of CD4+ to CD8+ cells were assessed in the bronchial glands, epithelium, and submucosa. Cells were identified through immunohistochemistry. Smokers with symptoms of chronic bronchitis had an increased number of neutrophils (p = 0.01) and macrophages (p = 0.03) and a decreased CD4+/CD8+ ratio (p = 0.01) in the bronchial glands as compared with asymptomatic smokers. Chronic bronchitic smokers also had an increased number of epithelial neutrophils (p = 0.04), whereas the numbers of macrophages and CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocytes in the epithelium and submucosa were similar in the two groups of smokers. No differences in numbers of eosinophils or mast cells were observed between bronchitic and asymptomatic smokers in any of the compartments examined. In conclusion, smokers with chronic sputum production have an increased infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages and an increased proportion of CD8+ T-lymphocytes in their bronchial glands, supporting the important role of bronchial-gland inflammation in the pathogenesis of chronic bronchitis.     

The reactions between active and inactive forms of wheat ribulosebisphosphate carboxylase and effectors

The processes of activation and deactivation of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase purified from wheat have been investigated. Two forms of the enzyme are indistinguishable in terms of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylation and oxidation but exhibit different rates of activation. One form is slowly activated in saturating CO2 and Mg2+ at moderate temperatures (t0.5 approximately 120 min at 25 degrees C), the other form rapidly activated (t0.5 approximately 8 s). In the presence of the effectors 6-phosphogluconate or NADPH, significantly lower concentrations of the activating co-factors can achieve full activation of both enzyme species. However, with another effector, fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, for the slowly activating species the mode of action is the same as with 6-phosphogluconate or NADPH, whereas the activation of the rapidly activating species is significantly inhibited. The substrate, ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate, also inhibits this rapid activation process. A mechanism is proposed for the reactions involving activation that accounts for the differential rates of activation and the response to effectors.     

The use of a pulsed traveling magnetic field in patients with chronic obstructive bronchitis

A course treatment with pulse running magnetic field generated by ALIMP-1 unit of patients with chronic obstructive bronchitis provides a subjective response, higher exercise tolerance due to improved function of the external respiration. The inductors-solenoids are fixed tangentially on the chest by means of the jacket.     

The adaptive characteristics of the small intestine under chronic experimental conditions

The influence of local substrate loads, both monomeric (glucose) and dimeric (saccharose) ones, on the interrelations between the hydrolysis and transport processes was studied under conditions of a chronic experiment on rats with isolated portions of the small intestine. The use of different substrate loads (glucose, saccharose) made it possible to reveal a difference in the response of various portions of the small intestine. The distal portions are more sensitive to loading than the proximal ones.