Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0032273 (pneumoconiosis)
 1,578 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A simple pneumoconiosis with lamellar birefringent crystals was observed in animals dying in the San Diego Zoo. We studied 100 autopsies from 11 mammalian and eight avian species. In mammals, mild pulmonary lesions comprised crystal-laden macrophages in alveoli and lymphatics. Interstitial fibrosis was present in 20% of cases. There were no nodules. In birds, dust retention produced large granulomas around tertiary bronchi without fibrosis. Mineralogic analysis using scanning and transmission electron microscopy showed most of the crystals to be silicates. Ninety percent were complex silicates, with aluminum-potassium silicates comprising 70% of the analyzed particles. Electron and x-ray diffraction showed the silicates to be muscovite mica and its hydrothermal degradation product, ie, illite clay. This mica was also present on filtration membranes of atmospheric air samples obtained from the San Diego Zoo. The amount of dust retention was related to the animal's age, anatomic or ecologic variances, and length of stay in the San Diego Zoo. Its semidesert atmosphere is rich in silicates, which are inhaled and deposited in the lungs. Similar mica-induced lesions are found in humans living in this region or the Southwest of the USA. This simple pneumoconiosis is likely to be widespread in human populations living in desert or semidesert climates.
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PMID:Comparative pathology of silicate pneumoconiosis. 22 47

The article deals with the effectiveness of alimentary enterosorbents (apple paste fibres) and iodine preparations (potassium iodide) in the complex treatment of pneumoconiosis-diseased miners. The use of the substances in combination with routine drug therapy increased the effectiveness of the treatment procedures. Simplicity of the proposed technique for detoxication and the functional systems' improvement, diet-based dosage regulation make the technique useful for both treatment and prevention purposes.
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PMID:[Clinical evaluation of intestinal absorption and use of potassium iodide in order to increase effectiveness of therapeutic measures in pneumoconiosis of coal miners]. 165 87

Six types of man-made fibers were administered intratracheally (2.0 mg/animal each a week, for 5 weeks; total 10 mg/animal) to female Syrian hamsters that were observed histologically for 2 years after administration. The fibers were rock wool [average diameter (D) = 6.1 microns, average length (L) = 296 microns], fiberglass (D = 0.65 microns, L = 16.8 microns), potassium titanate fiber (D = 0.36 microns, L = 7.17 microns), calcium sulfate fiber (D = 1.0 microns, L = 17.8 microns), basic magnesium sulfate fiber (D = 0.45 microns, L = 22.4 microns), and metaphosphate fiber (D = 2.38 microns, L = 64.1 microns). Tumors were observed in hamsters that had received basic magnesium sulfate fiber (9/20), metaphosphate fiber (6/20), calcium sulfate fiber (3/20), and fiberglass (2/20) but not in the control, rock wool, or potassium titanate fiber groups. The primary sites of the tumors were not only in the pleural cavity but also in the intracelial organs, kidney, adrenal gland, bladder, and uterus. Only a few of the tumors were identified as mesotheliomas by histological examination. In addition to neoplastic lesions, fibrosis, pleural thickening, and chronic inflammatory changes in the lungs were observed in the hamsters, but these changes appeared too mild to foster a pneumoconiosis such as asbestosis.
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PMID:Tumorigenicity of fine man-made fibers after intratracheal administrations to hamsters. 200 37

Quantitative determination of 10 minor and 8 trace elements in respirable coal dust by atomic absorption spectrophotometry is described herein. The coal dust samples were collected in the mine atmosphere during drilling in coal seams. A "Hexhlet" apparatus specially designed and fitted with a horizontal elutriator was used to collect the respirable coal dust fraction. After destruction of organic matter by wet oxidation and filtering off the clay and silica, iron, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, manganese, zinc, copper, cadmium, and nickel were determined directly in the resulting solution by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The studies relate to the respiratory disease-pneumoconiosis-affecting coal mine workers. X-Ray diffraction studies have shown the presence of kaolin, quartz, pirrsonite and beidellite clay minerals in the coal dust.
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PMID:Atomic absorption spectrophotometric and X-ray studies of respirable dusts in Indian coal mines. 705 29

Four cases of silicate pneumoconiosis are described in pigs raised near several chalk quarries and two cement works. The pulmonary changes were characterized by thickened alveolar septa, resulting in distorted airspaces, and small foci of initial fibrosis. In the bronchiolar and alveolar sites, as in the interstitium, free and intracytoplasmic dust was detected. An energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis coupled with a scanning electron microscope revealed that this dust was composed mainly of silicon, calcium, potassium, sulphur, aluminium and iron. In lung-associated lymph nodes, severe lymphoid cell depletion and dilatation of peritrabecular and subcapsular sinuses were constant findings. The inorganic material found in the lymph nodes contained the elements listed above. Air samples from the same geographical area revealed particulate pollutants, the qualitative features of which were similar to those found in lung and lymph nodal tissue. It is concluded that domestic animals raised in polluted environmental conditions represent an important biological source from which helpful data may be obtained for assessing risks to human health.
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PMID:Silicate pneumoconiosis in pigs: optical and scanning electron microscopical investigations with X-ray microanalysis. 804 Mar 88

Thirteen cases of silicate pneumoconiosis in 3- to 4-year-old hens are described. Ten of the birds were raised in the suburbs of a city near several chalk quarries and two cement-works; the remaining three hens (aged 3 years) had lived in an environment with high particulate pollution from a nearby brick-works in which large amounts of clay were used daily. Silicotic granulomas composed of dust-laden macrophages were scattered over the lungs. They were located mainly in the infundibula and atria of tertiary bronchi and around vessels; more rarely they occurred in the lamina propria mucosae of primary and secondary bronchi. Energy dispersive x-ray microanalysis coupled with both transmission and scanning electron microscopy revealed that the dust was composed mainly of silicon, aluminium, calcium, iron and potassium. Titanium, sulphur, magnesium, zinc, copper and chlorine were also found. It is concluded that animals raised in polluted environmental conditions may serve as an important indicator of risks to human health and pathogenetic mechanisms. Thirteen cases of silicate pneumoconiosis in 3- to 4-year-old hens are described. Ten of the birds were raised in the suburbs of a city near several chalk quarries and two cement-works; the remaining three hens (aged 3 years) had lived in an environment with high particulate pollution from a nearby brick-works in which large amounts of clay were used daily. Silicotic granulomas composed of dust-laden macrophages were scattered over the lungs. They were located mainly in the infundibula and atria of tertiary bronchi and around vessels; more rarely they occurred in the lamina propria mucosae of primary and secondary bronchi. Energy dispersive x-ray microanalysis coupled with both transmission and scanning electron microscopy revealed that the dust was composed mainly of silicon, aluminium, calcium, iron and potassium. Titanium, sulphur, magnesium, zinc, copper and chlorine were also found. It is concluded that animals raised in polluted environmental conditions may serve as an important indicator of risks to human health and pathogenetic mechanisms.
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PMID:Silicate pneumoconiosis in hens. 1080 78

Inhalation of crystalline silica and asbestos is known to cause the progressive pulmonary fibrotic disorders silicosis and asbestosis, respectively. Although alveolar macrophages are believed to initiate these inflammatory responses, the mechanism by which this occurs has been unclear. Here we show that the inflammatory response and subsequent development of pulmonary fibrosis after inhalation of silica is dependent on the Nalp3 inflammasome. Stimulation of macrophages with silica results in the activation of caspase-1 in a Nalp3-dependent manner. Macrophages deficient in components of the Nalp3 inflammasome were incapable of secreting the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1beta and IL-18 in response to silica. Similarly, asbestos was capable of activating caspase-1 in a Nalp3-dependent manner. Activation of the Nalp3 inflammasome by silica required both an efflux of intracellular potassium and the generation of reactive oxygen species. This study demonstrates a key role for the Nalp3 inflammasome in the pathogenesis of pneumoconiosis.
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PMID:The Nalp3 inflammasome is essential for the development of silicosis. 1857 86

Background: Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a representative pathological change in patients with pneumoconiosis; however, due to the absence of reliable and early biomarkers, microRNAs have recently emerged as potential candidates for identification. Objectives: The aim of our study was to discover the potential of PF-specific circulating microRNAs as early biomarkers among patients with pneumoconiosis. Methods: Four dust-exposed patients with PF and four matched healthy individuals (not exposed to dust) were recruited for the study. microRNA profiling was identified by micro-array and bioinformatics methods. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis was used to identify the potential biological or molecular processes modulated by these miRNAs. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway (KEGG) analysis was used to identify the potentially involved signaling pathways. miRNA-mRNA-binding network analysis was employed to identify genes potentially targeted by the miRNAs. Results: 1079 miRNAs were discovered, of which 406 were up-regulated and 117 were down-regulated in PF patients. 32 miRNAs were up-regulated by >4-fold and 17 miRNAs were down-regulated by >0.5 fold. GO analysis identified the biological processes affected by anatomical structure development, hemophilic cell adhesion and cell-cell adhesion via plasma membrane proteins. Target prediction software showed that serum has-miR-4516 targeted genes encoding basonuclin2, inhibitors of growth family member 4, the potassium voltage-gated channel, and "sha-1-related subfamily member 1" proteins. qRT-PCR revealed that has-miR-4516 was a potential biomarker of PF progression in patients with pneumoconiosis. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the level of serum miR-4516 may be a potential biomarker for early diagnosis of PF in patients with pneumoconiosis. This is a pilot work that paves the way for a further functional study of the underlying regulatory mechanisms.
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PMID:Upregulated has-miR-4516 as a potential biomarker for early diagnosis of dust-induced pulmonary fibrosis in patients with pneumoconiosis. 3009 May 91