Thorax
David Heylings, Stephen Carmichael, Samuel Leinster, Janak Saada, Bari M. Logan, Ralph T. Hutchings in McMinn’s Concise Human Anatomy, 2017
The bony thoracic cage and its associated muscles form an airtight container that protects the heart and lungs, although the main purpose of the ribs is to assist with respiration. In normal quiet respiration, the principal muscle involved is the diaphragm, the muscular and tendinous partition separating the thorax and abdomen. The skeleton of the thorax is covered superficially by the muscles joining the upper limb to the chest wall, with the overlying breasts on the anterior chest wall. Needles or drainage tubes are inserted through the chest wall immediately above a rib, to keep away from the main intercostal vessels and nerves. If the negative pressure in the pleural cavity is destroyed, the lung collapses. If breathing is compromised, a tube may need to be inserted. Inflammation or cancer may cause fluid to collect in the pleural space, compressing the lung and causing difficulty in breathing.
Pleural disease
Paul F Jenkins in Making Sense of the Chest X-ray, 2005
The large number of disease processes that affect the lung parenchyma, and the diversity of the intrapulmonary shadowing that they cause have been the subjects of the previous two chapters. Many diseases involve and invade the pleura as well, but when they do so, the variety of radiographic shadowing that results is limited. Basically, this chapter is concerned with a description of the radiographic appearances that result from the presence of air (pneumothorax), fluid (pleural effusion), pus (empyema) and solid tumour (primary and secondary) within the pleural cavity. Just to make life interesting there are combinations of these ‘fillings’ (hydropneumothorax, pyopneumothorax and so on) and pleural fluid may be composed of transudate or exudate, blood or, rarely, chyle. There are characteristic patterns of pleural calcification also and it is with a discussion of these that the chapter ends.
Experimental Studies With Fibers
Francesco De Matteis, Lewis L. Smith in Molecular, 2019
Man’s awareness of the possible hazard of exposure to high levels of respirable mineral fibers began with asbestos. This group of materials began to be widely used at the end of the 19th century when the consideration of workplace hygiene was almost nonexistent. Consequently exposure was often to massive levels of airborne fibers. Several inhalation studies have been undertaken with naturally occurring mineral fibers other than the main commercial asbestos varieties. While asbestos and erionite were suspected of being harmful to humans before experimental studies commenced, the situation was different with man-made fibers. It is probable that part at least of the explanation for the discrepancies may be found in the “durability” of the fibers in the lung and pleural cavity. The problem of producing suitable dust clouds of man-made fibers for test purposes remains. Many are relatively thick, but bulk samples do contain a small proportion of respirable fibers.
Recovery of Particles from the Pleural Cavity Using Agarose Casts: A Novel Method for the Determination of Fiber Dose to the Rat Pleura
Published in Inhalation Toxicology, 1994
A method to quantitatively recover fibers from the rat pleural cavity was developed. Rats were treated with a known number of glass fibers by intrapleural instillation. Free and cell-associated fibers in the pleural cavity were trapped within an agarose gel cast when an agarosel/detergent solution was instilled into the pleural cavity and allowed to harden. This cast was removed and liquefied, and the fibers were collected by centrifugation and quantitated by phase microscopy. Histologic examination of the pleural surfaces revealed specific lysis of the overlying mesothelial cells, with sparing of the subadjacent alveoli. Approximately 90% of the fibers were recovered from the pleural cavity when 1 × 103 to 1 × 106 fibers were instilled. The number of fibers present at specific locations, on the order of 0.5-1 mm2 in area, of the pleura was also determined following the instillation of fibers. Fibers were found at all sites sampled and were found more frequently in association with the parietal surfaces. This method should prove useful in addressing various data gaps in fiber dosimetry.
Pedicle Thoracoplasty and Free Skin Transplantations in the Treatment of Open Postpneumonectomy Cavity After Empyema
Published in Scandinavian Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, 1976
The method of covering the open postpneumonectomy pleural cavity with skin is used when closure of the thoracostoma is not possible. The operation is performed with pedicles and free skin transplantations. The results in 16 patients treated this way are presented. This method makes it possible to cover the whole open pleural cavity with skin and to reach a satisfactory postpneumonectomy state.
Cyclosporin A inhibits CD11a/CD18 adhesion molecules due to inhibition of TNF-α and IL-1β levels in the mouse model of pleurisy induced by carrageenan
Published in Cell Adhesion & Migration, 2008
Eduardo Monguilhott Dalmarco, Yara Santos Medeiros, Tânia Silvia Fröde
The mouse model of pleurisy induced by carrageenan is characterized by a significant enhancement of cell migration due to neutrophils, 4 h after pleurisy induction. Forty-eight hours after pleurisy induction, a significant increase in cell migration due to mononuclear cells occurs. Recently, studies in our laboratory have demonstrated that cyclosporine A (CsA) inhibits leukocyte migration in the pleural cavity and lungs in the mouse model of pleurisy induced by carrageenan. In the present work we evaluated whether CsA was able to downregulate CD11a/CD18 adhesion molecule in the lungs, as well as TNF-α and IL-1β levels in the fluid leakage of the pleural cavity in this model. Our results showed that CsA significantly decreased CD11a/CD18 in the lungs, as well as TNF-α and IL-1β levels in the fluid leakage of the pleural cavity 4 h and 48 h after pleurisy induction. It is our hypothesis that the inhibitory effect elicited by CsA upon these adhesion molecules may be also be attributed to the downregulation of TNF-α and IL-1β cytokines.