Adult ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; cytology ; Humans ; Macrophages ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pneumoconiosis ; pathology ; therapy

Animals ; Apoptosis ; Asthma ; pathology ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; cytology ; Eosinophils ; cytology ; Guinea Pigs

OBJECTIVETo describe the pathologic features and diagnostic algorithm of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP).

METHODSThirty-nine biopsy and postmortem cases of PAP were studied by light microscopy and histochemical staining using periodic acid-Schiff (with digestion) (PAS-D), mucicarmine (with digestion) (mucicarmine-D) and alcian blue.

RESULTSHistologically, the affected lung tissue displayed the following characteristic features: (1) alveoli and some of the small bronchioles were filled with eosinophilic and fine granular proteinaceous material with needle-like clefts; (2) proteinaceous material was seen admixed with various numbers of degenerated and sometimes exfoliated pneumocytes; (3) pneumocytes were hyperplastic; (4) alveolar capillaries and alveolar septa had become hyperemic, but pulmonary interstitial inflammation was not obvious; (5) no significant inflammation was identified in the bronchial wall; (6) compensating emphysema was noted in the surrounding lung parenchyma. Fragments of eosinophilic, finely granular proteinaceous material with needle-like clefts were also found in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid under light microscopy. The proteinaceous material was stained red by PAS-D. The staining for mucicarmine-D was negative, while alcian blue staining was either weakly positive (faint blue staining) or negative. Pathologic examination of lung biopsies and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid thus remaines the gold standard for diagnosis of PAP.

CONCLUSIONSIdentification of homogeneous, eosinophilic, finely granular and PAS-D-positive proteinaceous material with needle-like clefts in alveolar spaces or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid is of diagnostic importance in PAP. Bronchoalveolar lavage, being a relatively safe and non-invasive procedure, can be a useful adjunct in arriving at the final conclusion.

Adult ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; cytology ; Female ; Humans ; Lung ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Periodic Acid-Schiff Reaction ; Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis ; pathology ; therapy ; Pulmonary Alveoli ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of composite grinding dusts on rat respiratory system.

METHODSRats were administrated with grinding dusts by intratracheal injection. After 2 weeks, the total numbers of cells, the percentage of differential cell, the survival rate of cell, and the activity of lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) and alkaline phosphatase(ALP) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were analyzed.

RESULTSAlong with increasing concentration of grinding dusts, the total number of cells in lavage also increased, and was more than that in quartz group. Compared with control group, the percentage of neutrophil in lavage of rats treated with grinding dust and quartz significantly increased and meanwhile that of macrophage significantly decreased[PMN: quartz group (33.83 +/- 4.54)%; grinding dusts group (26.50 +/- 3.99)%, (36.00 +/- 3.58)%, (38.00 +/- 2.10)% at 10, 25, 50 mg/ml respectively. Macrophages: quartz group (62.17 +/- 4.54)%; grinding dusts group (70.83 +/- 3.66)%, (60.83 +/- 2.14)%, (58.17 +/- 2.48)%] while those in control group were (2.83 +/- 0.75)%, (95.67 +/- 1.21)% respectively. The cell survival rate in lavage in control group was 80%, but that in grinding dust and TiO2 group significantly decreased(P < 0.01). The activity of LDH and ALP in all rats treated with dusts obviously increased, and there was significant difference compared with control group(P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). Furthermore, there was significant difference between grinding dust group and quartz group, and between grinding dust group and TiO2 group respectively.

CONCLUSIONMetal grinding dust is very harmful to rat's lung cells and may cause fibrogenesis in the lungs.

Alkaline Phosphatase ; metabolism ; Animals ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; chemistry ; cytology ; Dust ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; metabolism ; Lung ; pathology ; Metals ; Rats

To study the difference of changes on apoptosis, necrosis and respiratory burst of the polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) in endotoxemia rat model. LPS (O(55)B(5), 5 mg/kg) was injected into abdominal cavity of 20 random normal Wistar rat. 2, 4, 8 and 12 hours after injection, the changes of apoptosis, necrosis and respiratory burst of the rats between PMN from the peripheral blood and from the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were observed using the flow cytometer. At the same time, 5 uninjected rats were taken as control. The results demonstrated that the quantity proportions of apoptosis of PMN between the peripheral blood PMN and the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid PMN in rat's endotoxemia were similar. However, comparison with the uninjected LPS rat, the necrosis of peripheral blood PMN obviously increased and the respiratory burst capacity was clearly inhibited. Contrarily, the necrosis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid PMN obviously decreased and the respiratory burst obviously increased in the injecting LPS rat. It was concluded that the necrosis and apoptosis displayed differently between the pulmonary and peripheral blood PMNs in endotoxemia. Under state of inflammation, the surviving PMN in tissue increased and kept the activated state due to tissue injury.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; cytology ; Endotoxemia ; blood ; Necrosis ; Neutrophils ; physiology ; Pulmonary Alveoli ; pathology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Respiratory Burst

Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; Humans ; Interleukin-1beta ; metabolism ; Macrophages, Alveolar ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Silicon Dioxide ; adverse effects ; Silicosis ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the changes of CD(4)(+) IL-17+T (Th17) and CD(4)(+)Foxp3+regulatory T (Treg) cells in peripheral blood and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) , and therefore to explore the role of Th17 and Treg in acrolein exposure airway inflammation in rats.

METHODSForty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: a 2 wk acrolein exposure group, a 4 wk acrolein exposure group, a 2 wk control group and a 4 wk control group (n=10 each). Cells in BALF were collected and analyzed by absolute and differential cell counts.IL-17 and IL-6 levels in serum and BALF were tested by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The proportion of CD(4)(+)IL-17+T and CD(4)(+) Foxp3+Treg in peripheral blood and BALF were determined by flow cytometry.The mRNA expressions of IL-17 and Foxp3 were measured by real-time PCR. Comparisons of the data between different groups were performed using one-way ANOVA, and SNK and Games-Howell test were used for comparison between 2 groups.

RESULTSLevels of IL-17 were remarkable increased in the 2 wk acrolein exposure group and the 4 wk acrolein exposure group in serum [(52.64 ± 1.89) ng/L, (76.73 ± 5.57) ng/L], and BALF [(79.07 ± 5.67) ng/L, (96.61 ± 6.44) ng/L] compared with the 2 wk control group [(40.05 ± 3.12) ng/L, (56.75 ± 4.37) ng/L] and the 4 wk control group [(38.75 ± 3.23) ng/L, (53.27 ± 4.48) ng/L], all P<0.01. IL-6 was increased in the 2 wk and the 4 wk acrolein exposure group [ (33.28 ± 2.27) ng/L, (46.24 ± 3.16) ng/L] compared with the 2 wk and the 4 wk control group [ (16.37 ± 1.49) ng/L, (17.02 ± 1.43) ng/L] in BALF.Ratio of Th17 was higher in the 2 wk and the 4 wk acrolein exposure groups in peripheral blood (1.82 ± 0.18) %, (3.75 ± 0.48) % and BALF [(7.23 ± 0.27) %, (8.12 ± 0.38) %] compared with the 2 wk [(0.96 ± 0.07) %, (5.64 ± 0.63) %] and the 4 wk control group [(1.01 ± 0.08) %, (5.86 ± 0.57) %]. Ratio of Treg in BALF was higher in the acrolein exposure groups [ (8.83 ± 0.52) %, (12.05 ± 0.74) %] compared with the control groups [(4.37 ± 0.27) %, (5.01 ± 0.37) %]. The level of IL-17 mRNA was increased in the 2 wk and the 4 wk acrolein exposure group in peripheral blood [(25.78 ± 2.31), (34.69 ± 2.01) ] and in BALF [(23.04 ± 1.78), (34.56 ± 3.12)] compared with the 2 wk [(11.04 ± 2.53), (11.08 ± 2.05)] and the 4 wk [(12.03 ± 2.34), (12.69 ± 2.69)] control groups. Foxp3 mRNA was increased in the acrolein exposure groups [ (26.37 ± 3.24), (33.19 ± 2.98)] (24.4 ± 2.7), (30.3 ± 2.7) compared with the control groups [(12.37 ± 2.56), (13.12 ± 3.08)]. Th17 in acrolein exposure groups was positively correlated with counts of total cells and macrophages (r=0.5126, 0.5437, all P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONSA changed expression of Th17 and Treg cells and an vary of inflammatory cytokines were evident in airway inflammation of acrolein exposed rats, suggesting that Treg was involved in the immunological regulation and Th17 was associated with the persistent inflammation in acrolein induced airway inflammation in rats.

Acrolein ; toxicity ; Animals ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; cytology ; Cytokines ; metabolism ; Forkhead Transcription Factors ; metabolism ; Inflammation ; metabolism ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; cytology ; Th17 Cells ; cytology

Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; chemistry ; cytology ; Female ; Lipopolysaccharides ; toxicity ; Lung ; drug effects ; enzymology ; pathology ; Male ; Neutrophils ; cytology ; Peroxidase ; analysis ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

OBJECTIVETo measure levels of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interferon-gamma (INF-γ) in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of children with refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (RMPP), and to investigate changes in local Th1-Th2-type cytokine levels in children with RMPP and their significance.

METHODSA total of 42 children with RMPP were divided into atopic (n=11) and non-atopic groups (n=31) according to whether they had eczema, allergic rhinitis, urticaria, and family history of allergic disease. The study also included a control group of 12 children with bronchial foreign bodies who underwent foreign body removal and were re-examined by fiberoptic bronchoscopy four weeks later. The different cells in BALF from all children were analyzed, and the levels of IL-4 and INF-γ in BALF were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTSCompared with the control group, the total number of cells in BALF from children with RMPP increased significantly (P<0.05), the increase mainly accounted for by neutrophils (P<0.01), and levels of IL-4 and INF-γ in BALF from children with RMPP increased significantly (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, levels of IL-4 and INF-γ in BALF in the atopic group increased significantly (P<0.05). The level of INF-γ in BALF in the non-atopic group also increased significantly (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in INF-γ/IL-4 ratio among all groups (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONSSignificant increase in cell numbers, especially neutrophils, as well as IL-4 and INF-γ levels, can be seen in BALF from children with RMPP, but there is no change to the INF-γ/IL-4 ratio. This indicates a significant local inflammatory response in children with RMPP, but there is no evidence of Th2-dominated inflammatory response.

Adolescent ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; cytology ; immunology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Interferon-gamma ; analysis ; Interleukin-4 ; analysis ; Male ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma ; immunology

OBJECTIVETo study the role of cell adhesion molecule CD44 in the lung on airway inflammatory response in rats with asthma.

METHODSThirty-two Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal control and asthma groups. Asthma was induced by repeated inhalation of ovalbulium. CD44 expression in the lung was detected by semi-quantitatively reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immuno-histochemical staining 1 week and 2 weeks after ovalbulium challenge. Differential leukocytes (mononuclear phagocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, and lymphocytes) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were counted.

RESULTSCD44 expression in the lung increased 1 week after ovalbulium challenge (<0.05) and increased more significantly 2 weeks after ovalbulium challenge (<0.01) compared with that in the control group. The percentages of lymphocytes and eosinophils in BALF increased, while the percentage of BALF mononuclear phagocytes decreased significantly 1 week and 2 weeks after ovalbulium challenge in the asthma group compared with those in the control group (<0.05). An increased percentage of neutrophils was found 1 week after ovalbulium challenge in the asthma group compared with the control group (<0.05). CD44 expression in the lung was positively correlated with the percentages of lymphocytes and eosinophils in BALF in the asthma group 1 week and 2 weeks after ovalbulium challenge, in contrast, lung CD44 expression was negatively correlated with the percentage of mononuclear phagocytes in the asthma group 1 week after ovalbulium challenge.

CONCLUSIONSCD44 was over-expressed in the lung and closely related to inflammatory infiltration in rats with asthma. CD44 may play an important role in the development of airway inflammatory in asthma.

Animals ; Asthma ; immunology ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; cytology ; Eosinophils ; physiology ; Hyaluronan Receptors ; analysis ; genetics ; physiology ; Inflammation ; etiology ; Male ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley