Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:6.2.1.7 (BAL)
 1,977 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Patients with farmer's lung were classified into five groups according to their chest X-ray pattern, and the background of each group was studied with respect to stage, severity, and prognosis. Type I group, which has fine nodular shadows on chest X-ray, showed a significantly high percentage of lymphocytes in BAL cells (p less than 0.01). Type V group, which has irregular patchy shadows on chest X-ray, showed increased peripheral WBC counts, increased CRP score, and decreased PaO2 compared to the other groups. Type II, III, and IV groups, which are characterized by combined X-ray patterns such as nodular shadows, ring-like shadows, and irregular pulmonary markings, had no specific background features according to our study. Our results suggest that type I and type V groups are likely to represent acute phase and severe phase, respectively. We could not identify any significant factors indicative of chronic disease in terms of restrictive and diffusion impairment of pulmonary function tests and pathologic findings obtained by TBLB. The chest X-ray classification we proposed is useful for the diagnosis of the acute and severe stages of farmer's lung.
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PMID:[A study of chest X-ray classification of farmer's lung--correlation between X-ray pattern and background factors]. 140 70

T lymphocytes and alveolar macrophages accumulating in the lower respiratory tract of patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis are known to be activated to produce several cytokines, presumably leading to granuloma formation within the lung. I hypothesized that these cells produce colony-stimulating factors (CSF), which have been shown to affect the proliferation and function of monocyte/macrophage-lineage cells. To test this hypothesis, I tried to detect mRNA encoding CSFs in cells obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage using a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Macrophage-CSF mRNA was detected in all subjects examined and interleukin 3 mRNA in none. Granulocyte-macrophage CSF (GM-CSF) mRNA was detected in 15 of 20 patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis, whereas it was detected in none of the farmer's lung disease patients and normal controls. The sarcoid patients whose BAL cells expressed GM-CSF mRNA had more active disease than those patients whose BAL cells did not, as judged from clinical and laboratory findings. These results indicate that GM-CSF produced by the inflammatory cells plays a substantial role in the formation or maintenance of the sarcoid lesion.
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PMID:[Expression of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor mRNA by inflammatory cells in the sarcoid lung and its clinical significance]. 151 59

We examined the importance of the cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in a mouse model of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP). Mice of the C57BL/6 strain were instilled intranasally 3 days/wk for 3 wk with 150 micrograms of the actinomycete Faenia rectivirgula (Micropolyspora faeni) to induce HP as a model of farmer's lung. This experimental model was associated with a progressive inflammation in the lungs of challenged mice, seen histologically as cellular infiltrates of large quantities of macrophages and lymphocytes and some neutrophils. The disease in challenged mice treated with a control rabbit serum was also associated with a substantial release of tumor TNF-alpha (up to 80 U/ml of TNF-alpha in the bronchoalveolar lavage [BAL] at 3 wk after beginning of treatment) and interleukin-1, which peaked at 1 wk (approximately 300 U/ml) and diminished thereafter. A very large increase in BAL cell number (11-fold increase versus saline controls) and an enhanced release potential for TNF-alpha by alveolar macrophages was also seen. Lung fibrosis was also evident in challenged animals, as demonstrated by a 2-fold increase in hydroxyproline levels. Infusion of challenged mice with a rabbit polyclonal antibody against TNF-alpha (2 mg/wk) completely abrogated the disease, as mice so treated had normal lung histology. Anti-TNF-alpha blocked cellular recruitment in the lungs (only a 2-fold increase at week 3); it also completely abolished TNF-alpha secretion in the BAL and drastically reduced interleukin-1 levels in this fluid. Anti-TNF-alpha also abolished lung index increases and lung fibrosis, with both parameters similar to that of saline-instilled mice.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Tumor necrosis factor plays an essential role in determining hypersensitivity pneumonitis in a mouse model. 193 Oct 76

We previously demonstrated that 14 of 23 asymptomatic dairy farmers with positive precipitins and 5 of 20 without precipitins had an alveolar lymphocytosis (greater than 22%). To verify the outcome of this lymphocytosis, we restudied, 2 or 3 yr later, 27 of these subjects. No subject had had symptoms suggestive of farmer's lung disease either prior to the initial study or between the 2 studies. All were still on their farm. Physical examination and chest roentgenograms were normal for all subjects at both studies. Pulmonary function tests showed a small but significant change in RV (101.8 +/- 20.4% to 118.7 +/- 27.6% of predicted, p less than 0.05) and FVC (98.0 +/- 12.6% to 94.3 +/-9.5%, p less than 0.05), whereas TLC, FEV1, and DLCO showed no changes. Lymphocytes from BAL were still increased in 9 of 12 subjects, whereas 3 had returned to normal; of the 15 subjects with previous normal values, 3 now had an abnormal lavage lymphocytosis. There was no correlation between lung function variations and the percentage of lymphocytes in the previous or the present BAL. We conclude that a bronchoalveolar lymphocytosis is a persistent phenomenon in a large number of asymptomatic dairy farmers, and that this finding is not related to significant disease, at least in the time span studied.
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PMID:Persistent bronchoalveolar lymphocytosis in asymptomatic farmers. 370 95

The effect of fiberoptic bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage on the functioning of the respiratory system was studied in 72 patients (42 males and 30 females). The bronchoscopy was performed in the sitting position. Supplemental oxygen was not given to all the evaluated patients. The group included 24 patients with lung cancer, 9 with sarcoidosis, 12 with tuberculosis, 1 with farmer's lung and 10 with other lung diseases (pneumonia, COPD). A control group consisted of 16 patients who were undergoing routine diagnostic endoscopy but who were seen to be without lung disease. Group BF (39 individuals) received only a bronchoscopic examination, group BF+BAL (33 persons) received a bronchoscopy followed by BAL using 140 ml. of normal saline solution as a lavage fluid. After the bronchoscopic examination there were significant differences in all spirometric measurements, except MEF25. The bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage caused a transient fall in FEV1, VC, MEF50, MEF75 (7.7-9.4%) which was similar in both groups. These measurements returned to normal after 24 hours. The testing of pulmonary functioning before the bronchoscopy was seen to be clinically important for safety of the patient undergoing this procedure.
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PMID:[The effect of fiberoptic bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) on results of spirometric measurements]. 919 Feb 46