The overall goal of my laboratory is to study the mechanism of alveolar type II cell injury in emphysema. The mechanism of this disease pathophysiology is not well known. There is a very limited therapeutic strategy against emphysema. This disease is a primary indication for lung transplantation. However, this also leads to high mortality related to cardiovascular problems. Therefore, our projects are focused on identification of potential novel therapeutic targets and have translational and clinical implications. To our knowledge, my laboratory is the first to isolate primary alveolar type II cells from excess tissue obtained from patients with emphysema. We also obtain tissue from control organ donors whose lungs were not suitable for transplantation
Before performing this experiment we hypothesised that breathing exercises would cause the heart to relax, causing a decrease in heart rate and blood pressure. In addition, we predicted that the systolic pressure would decrease and the diastolic pressure would stay similar to the control test. Due to all of the three t-tests exceeding .05 (0.64659, 0.380067, 0.184003) the null hypothesis was accepted. The data didn’t show a significant change from the basal readings to the treatment readings so we failed to reject the null hypothesis.
As a result of emphysema there is a significant loss of alveolar attachments, which contributes to peripheral airway collapse. There are two major types of emphysema according to the distribution within the acinus and they are; (i) centrolobular emphysema which involves dilatation and destruction of the respiratory bronchioles; and (ii) panlobular emphysema which involves destruction of the whole of the acinus. According to theory, centrolobular is the most common type of emphysema in COPD and is more prominent in the upper zones, while panlobular predominates in patients with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency and is more prominent in the lower zones. In relation to patients D.Z. with emphysema, the walls between the tiny air sacs in the lungs are damaged due to long-term cigarette smoking effect on his lungs as evidenced by patient c/o difficulty breathing at rest and productive cough with thick yellow-green sputum r/t a
Emphysema is the most common cause of death from respiratory disease in the United States and is generally caused by several years of heavy cigarette smoking (Olendorf, 2000). When a person smokes, the body’s immune system tries to fight off the invading smoke by using certain substances. These substances can also attack the cells of the lungs, but normally the body is able to release other substances to prevent this. In the case of people who are smokers, this doesn’t happen and the original substances that were released to fight off the smoke also end up injuring the cells of the lungs as well. Eventually, the lungs will not be able to supply enough oxygen to the blood and a host of problems can occur with this. Risk factors that have been identified for emphysema include exposure to tobacco smoke either through active or passive smoking (2nd hand smoke), occupational exposure such as dust or chemicals, ambient air pollution, or genetic abnormalities, including a deficiency of alpha-antitrypsin, an enzyme inhibitor that normally counteracts the destruction of lung tissue by certain other enzymes (Smeltzer, 2010). The symptoms of emphysema develop gradually over many years. It is generally characterized by three primary symptoms: chronic cough, sputum production, and dyspnea on exertion. Other signs and symptoms include weight loss and the development of a
Emphysema is a condition of the lungs that involves the over-inflation of the air sacs, otherwise known as the alveoli. Normal functioning of the alveoli helps breathing in normal respiration. Unlike other lung diseases this one can be inherited. This is a disease that can affect people of all ages and genders. In 1994, the number of males with emphysema outnumbered the females by fifty four percent. However, in the two years that followed the difference between males and females decreased by ten percent.
This lab deals with the transpiration rates in plants, specifically a tomato plant that was used for this experiment. Transpiration is when water leaves a plant through the stomata as water vapor while the stomata is capturing CO2 for photosynthesis. This experiment used three different scenarios: a tomato plant with a light shining on it, a tomato plant with wind blowing on it from a fan, and lastly a tomato plant with nothing acting on it. The hypothesis is that the rate of transpiration will be fastest with light, faster with wind, and slow with the control. This hypothesis was rejected because the rate of transpiration is as follows with the wind having the fastest rate: with light the rate was 7.60 mm/min, with wind 10.20 mm/min, and control 4.33 mm/min. The cause of the wind having a faster transpiration rate than the light may have been due to the surface area of the leaves on the tomato plants. The surface area of the leaves for the wind experiment is 8,124mm2, and for the light is 7,740mm2.By doing this transpiration experiment it helps one to see what happens in plants daily and understand why it happens.
Emphysema affects the parenchyma of the lung through destruction of the alveolar walls, leading to permanent enlargement of air spaces distal to the
Emphysema is a disease of the lungs that consist of the over-inflation of the air sacs, otherwise known as the alveoli. The normal functioning of the alveoli helps in ordinary breathing. Unlike other lung infections this one can be passed on genetically. This disease can affect people of all genders, race and age. Statically, the number of males with emphysema is more numerous than the females by fifty four percent. Nevertheless, in the two years that trailed the difference amongst males and females declined by ten percent. Emphysema is categorized as a C.O.P.D also known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Exchange of heat and moisture is one of the primary functions of the respiratory system. The nose has a network of thin walled veins which helps to heat the inspired air thereby increasing the water carrying capacity. Numerous goblet cells present in the pseudo stratified columnar ciliated epithelium and submucosal glands of the upper respiratory mucosa aid humidification of the air. After endotracheal intubation, exposure of respiratory tract to cold and dry air gases (anaesthetic agents / oxygen) damages the epithelium, causes thick and dry secretions, and potentiates bronchospasm (1). Furthermore relative immobility of sedated and ventilated patients lead to atelectasis, weakness and impaired cough which contribute to thickened secretions.
Cigarette smoke induces oxidative stress, which may lead to lung injury and emphysema development. We found high mitochondrial DNA damage in alveolar type II cells isolated from individuals with this disease. We have discovered that XLF is involved in repair of mitochondrial DNA in these cells. XLF oxidation causes its degradation leading to mitochondrial dysfunction and mitophagy in these cells. Targeting XLF may provide potential therapeutic strategy against emphysema
Emphysema is a condition in which there is damage to the air sacs, called alveoli, in the lungs where gas exchange takes place. The alveoli become trapped with air causing them to expand and rupture (NIH.gov, 2015).
Emphysema effects not only the respiratory system through the destruction of lung tissue, the condition also impacts the cardiovascular system. As seen in the diagram below [Appendix 2], the alveoli have a network of capillaries surrounding them. These capillaries are a vital component in the gas exchange which takes place within the lungs. Inhaled oxygen travels down to the alveoli and is diffused into the body via the capillaries, the newly oxygenated blood is then transported around the body within the cardiovascular system.
COPD is characterized by a spectrum of diseases namely: chronic bronchitis, obstructive bronchiolitis, emphysema, pulmonary vascular disease, cor pulmonale or the abnormal enlargement of the right side of the heart as a consequence of the malfunctioning of the lungs or pulmonary blood vessels, muscle weakness, and cachexia or the eventual wasting of the body due to chronic illness4. Our research mainly focusses on the emphysema phenotype of the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
The third personality assessment that I completed was the Enneagram Test. I found my results to be a little mixed. According to the final report, my most dominant personality types were the skeptic, the thinker, and the peacemaker. Traits of these personality types include being responsible, trustworthy, independent, perceptive, and accepting. While I generally agree with that these are my some of my more dominant personality types, I found that I also scored high in other categories. For example, I scored only one point lower in the helpful, motivating, and artistic categories. While it is possible to score strongly in multiple categories I noticed that many of the traits for these personality types contradicted a lot of
Innovation: Studies of alveolar type II (ATII) cell-derived exosomes obtained from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and blood obtained from patients with lung transplant (LT) are novel. Analysis of their harmful content and autocrine effects represents a new paradigm for understanding LT rejection. Our Preliminary Results indicate the presence of a membrane surfactant protein C (SP-C) in exosomes isolated from BALF and blood (data not shown), which indicates their ATII cell origin. Our proposal is innovative in several ways:
They become large and hard, and lose their ability to exchange air. With damaged air sacs, you cannot get enough air to breathe, and always feel that you cannot catch your breath. Emphysema is a very serious disease. It takes years to develop, but its damage cannot be undone. The disease can be caused by any substance in the lungs, which causes irritation and swelling. Cigarette smoke is the most common cause of this disease as cigarette smoke contains acidic and irritant substances.