Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P15088 (mast cell)
 14,925 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

To evaluate the specificity and significance of increased lavage mast cells in farmer's lung, we examined the lavage cell differentials of 89 farmers and 19 normal nonfarming control subjects. The farmers were divided into four groups: acute farmer's lung (n = 17), farmers with one or more prior episodes of farmer's lung who remained in daily contact with hay (n = 26) or quit farming (n = 14), and normal farmers (n = 36). A total of 14 of the subjects with prior episodes of farmer's lung and still farming and 15 normal farmers were evaluated twice at a 2-yr interval. The lavage mast cell numbers were significantly higher in acute farmer's lung (7.5 +/- 7.3 x 10(3)/ml, mean +/- SD) and ex-farmer's lung who were still farming (1.2 +/- 1.3 x 10(3)/ml) than in normal farmers (0.1 +/- 0.1 x 10(3)/ml) (p less than 0.01). A total of 8 of 14 exfarmer's lung patients who had quit farming and 18 of 36 normal farmers had an increased number of mast cells in lavage, but mast cell count never exceeded 0.5% of total recovered cells. In the acute farmer's lung and ex-farmer's lung-still farming groups, the mast cell count correlated with the lymphocyte count: r = 0.83 and r = 0.69 (p less than 0.001), respectively. In the two groups evaluated twice, mast cell numbers at the first study did not correlate with changes seen at the second study in chest roentgenogram and pulmonary functions. We conclude that an increase in lavage mast cells occurs commonly as a part of the immune response against thermophilic bacteria.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Bronchoalveolar mast cells in normal farmers and subjects with farmer's lung. Diagnostic, prognostic, and physiologic significance. 192 62

Recently, an increased number of mast cells have been reported in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) of patients with farmer's lung disease. Some authors pointed out the pathogenetic importance of mast cells in farmer's lung on the basis of their correlation with the activity of the disease, with the BAL lymphocyte counts, and with the markers of lung fibrosis. To determine whether BAL reflects the histologic aspects of the lung histologic features in patients with farmer's lung disease, mast cells recovered from lavage fluid were compared with tissue sections from transbronchial lung biopsies in 15 patients. Mast cell counts in BAL and lung biopsy specimens were significantly correlated (r = 0.88; p less than 0.01), while no other correlations between BAL inflammatory cells and tissue mast cells were found. In lung tissue, there were four times the increased number of mast cells in respect to the control group (84.4 +/- 28.8 vs 20.4 +/- 13.4 mast cells per square millimeter); 83.2 percent of mast cells were found in the alveolar septa, 14.9 percent within alveoli, 0.7 percent among alveolar lining cells, and 1 percent along blood vessels. No mast cells were located within alveoli in controls. In BAL, only lymphocyte and mast cell counts (56.4 +/- 18.6 percent, p less than 0.001; 3.9 +/- 1.5 5 percent, p less than 0.001, respectively) were significantly increased. Our data suggest that in farmer's lung disease, BAL correctly samples the alveolitis. Mast cells, such as lymphocytes, seem to be primary inflammatory cells involved at the site of the disease activity.
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PMID:Mast cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and in transbronchial biopsy specimens of patients with farmer's lung disease. 193 72

Patients (n = 10) at the acute phase of farmer's lung were investigated with chest roentgenography, lung function tests, and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid analysis (n = 9). They had diffuse interstitial lung infiltrates and a reduction of the diffusion capacity. The dominating recovered cell types during BAL were lymphocytes; and in two patients, granulocytes. A prominent increase in mast cell numbers was seen in all patients. After avoidance of contact with moldy plant material for four to ten weeks (n = 7), lung function started to improve; and the BAL cell counts, to decrease. At clinical remission six to 14 months later (n = 7), the chest roentgenogram was normal and the diffusion capacity was slightly subnormal. The BAL numbers of mast cells and lymphocytes had further decreased but still remained increased compared with those in the healthy controls. Parallel to the normalization of the lung function and the recovery of BAL fluid cells, the increased BAL fluid concentrations of hyaluronic acid and procollagen III peptide started to decrease. These potential markers of fibroblast activation were significantly related to the mast cell number, but not to the lymphocyte number. The study has demonstrated that pulmonary mastocytosis is a prominent finding in farmer's lung and is related to the disease activity. The observed relationship between pulmonary mastocytosis and biochemical signs of lung fibroblast activation is further evidence to support the hypothesis of a mast cell interaction with lung connective tissue.
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PMID:Bronchoalveolar mastocytosis in farmer's lung is related to the disease activity. 337 20

Fibrotic lung disorders are chronic inflammatory diseases in which inflammatory processes in the lower respiratory tract injure the lung and modulate the proliferation of mesenchymal cells that form the basis of the fibrotic scar. The pathogenesis of fibrosis in fibrotic lung disorders remains unclear; however, recent attention has focused on the potential role of the mast cell in the genesis of fibrosis. To determine whether mast cells are implicated in the pathogenesis of lung fibrosis, mast cells were compared with the degree of fibrosis in transbronchial lung biopsy specimens from 49 patients with fibrotic lung disorders (16 sarcoidosis, 15 farmer's lung disease, 9 cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis, 6 bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia, 3 histiocytosis X). In lung tissue of patients with fibrotic lung disorders, there was an increased number of mast cells in respect to the control group (98.6 +/- 7.7 vs 27.8 +/- 5.1 mast cells per square millimeter, p < 0.01). Mast cell counts in lung biopsy specimens were significantly correlated with the degree of fibrosis (r = 0.87, p < 0.001); 80.8 percent of mast cells were found in the alveolar septa, 9.6 percent within alveoli, 1.9 percent among alveolar lining cells, and 5 percent along blood vessels. No mast cells were located within alveoli in controls. Our data suggest that mast cells participate in chronic inflammation and that their presence is related to interstitial fibrosis in a much broader spectrum of fibrotic lung disorders.
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PMID:Mast cells in fibrotic lung disorders. 813 13

The aim of this study was to evaluate the cellular and biochemical characteristics of the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid in patients with farmer's lung disease (FLD). Total cell numbers in BAL fluids from patients with FLD (n = 30) were significantly higher than in normal subjects (n = 7; p < 0.01), and differential cell counts were significantly different. Lymphocytes were the most numerous cell type in BAL fluids from patients with FLD (65.4 +/- 2.5 percent vs 6.8 +/- 0.5 percent), and analysis of lymphocyte subsets revealed increased percentages of CD3+ and CD8+ cells (91.8 +/- 0.9 percent vs 68.8 +/- 3 percent, p < 0.01, and 54.3 +/- 3.1 percent vs 30.1 +/- 3.2 percent, p < 0.01, respectively). A marked increase in mast cell numbers, as revealed by the specific alcian blue/safranin staining, was observed in patients with FLD (4.2 +/- 0.57 percent, n = 12, vs 0.18 +/- 0.04 percent, n = 7, p < 0.001). Histamine levels in BAL supernatants were increased in patients with FLD (mean = SEM, 4.4 +/- 0.8 ng/ml vs 0.9 +/- 0.1 ng/ml; median, 2.4 ng/ml vs 0.9 ng/ml, p < 0.01), and correlated positively with mast cell numbers and percentages (r = +0.63, p < 0.03, and r = +0.69, p < 0.02, respectively); conversely, a negative correlation was found between histamine levels and CD8+ lymphocyte percentages (r = -0.48, p < 0.01). Raised neutrophil percentages (5.1 +/- 0.8 vs 0.5 +/- 0.18, p < 0.05) and albumin concentrations (29.2 +/- 3.9 mg/dl vs 3.4 +/- 1.3 mg/dl, p < 0.01) were also found in patients with FLD. These findings show that increased numbers of mast cells, lymphocytes, and neutrophils can be found in BAL fluids of patients with FLD. The increased histamine levels in the supernatants of BAL fluids indicate that mast cells are activated. These data allow us to postulate a role for mast cell accumulation and histamine release in the inflammatory process of FLD.
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PMID:Mast cell and histamine involvement in farmer's lung disease. 816 47