American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Dec 1994
Multicenter StudyVolume spirometers need automated internal temperature sensors.
Spirometer temperature was measured automatically during all years of the Lung Health Study. Short- and long-term changes in temperature were analyzed for the 23 dry-rolling-seal volume spirometers used at the 10 clinical centers involved in the study. Within-test-session spirometer temperature increased a mean of 0.3 degrees C, and as much as 3.0 degrees C during methacholine challenge testing. ⋯ Month-to-month changes of more than 15 degrees C were not uncommon. If ambient temperature had been assumed to apply to all maneuvers and used for BTPS corrections, FEV1, and FVC measurement errors of up to 6% would have occurred. When using volume spirometers, the temperature of air inside the spirometer should be measured accurately during each breathing maneuver.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Dec 1994
ReviewStructure of the azurocidin, proteinase 3, and neutrophil elastase genes. Implications for inflammation and vasculitis.
The granule-associated elastase homologues neutrophil elastase (NE), proteinase 3 (PR3), and azurocidin (AZU) are involved in immune defense reactions of neutrophils and monocytes. Proteinase 3 and NE contribute to the destruction and elimination of microorganisms, cleave elastin and other proteins of connective tissues, and generate chemotactic activities by forming alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor (alpha 1-PI) complexes. Azurocidin is cytotoxic to certain microorganisms and chemotactic to monocytes. ⋯ Autoantibodies against PR3 are an obligate feature in the pathogenesis of Wegener's granulomatosis, a systemic autoimmune vasculitis. In addition, PR3 appears to regulate growth and terminal differentiation of the myelomonocyte lineage. Future investigations will clarify whether allelic variations in the AZU-PR3-NE locus predispose patients to increased degradation of elastic fibers, as in pulmonary emphysema, and to the formation of autoantibodies against PR3 in patients with Wegener's granulomatosis.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Nov 1994
Patterns of cigarette consumption and cotinine levels among African American women smokers.
Cigarette smoking intensifies a number of serious health problems, including lung cancer, hypertension, low birth weight, and infant mortality, that disproportionately affect black Americans. Cotinine, a major nicotine metabolite, is one indicator of smoke exposure. It has been reported that black women have higher mean cotinine levels than white women. ⋯ Average cotinine/cigarette values were higher in black women compared with previous reports for Mexican American women smokers. No comparable values are available for white women. Additional study is needed to begin to explain variations in levels of cotinine, as well as perceived nicotine dependence among black women.