American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Mar 2013
Mortality by level of emphysema and airway wall thickness.
There is limited knowledge of the prognostic value of quantitative computed tomography (CT) measures of emphysema and airway wall thickness (AWT) on mortality. ⋯ AWT affected mortality with increasing degree of emphysema, whereas CT measure of emphysema was a strong independent mortality predictor.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Mar 2013
β-catenin in the alveolar epithelium protects from lung fibrosis after intratracheal bleomycin.
Alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) play central roles in the response to lung injury and the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. ⋯ β-Catenin in the alveolar epithelium protects against bleomycin-induced fibrosis. Our studies suggest that AEC survival and wound healing are enhanced through β-catenin-dependent mechanisms. Activation of the developmentally important β-catenin pathway in AECs appears to contribute to epithelial repair after epithelial injury.