Biomaterial Database

Radioaerosol assessment of mucociliary clearance: towards definition of a normal range. 1986

J E Agnew, and P P Sutton, and D Pavia, and S W Clarke

Radioaerosol measurements of mucociliary clearance have been assessed in relationship to depth of particle penetration into the lung. The tests analysed were performed with 5 microns diameter 99Tcm particles inhaled under standardised conditions but at varying inhalation flow rates. Aerosol lung penetration was assessed by (i) penetration index (PI), a ratio of outer to inner zone radioactivity determined from a gamma camera image; and (ii) alveolar deposition (AD), a measure of activity retained at 24 hours and taken to represent deposition distal to the ciliated airways. Clearance rates in 30 tests on 19 normal non-smokers under the age of 50 varied significantly with aerosol inhalation flow rate, PI and AD. A normal range varying with PI is proposed although normal inter-subject variability remains high even after allowance for PI. Nevertheless 8 out of 12 patients with stable asthma and 21 out of 24 patients with chronic bronchitis demonstrated slow clearance lying outside the PI-based normal range.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008168	Lung	Either of the pair of organs occupying the cavity of the thorax that effect the aeration of the blood.	Lungs
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D009093	Mucus	The viscous secretion of mucous membranes. It contains mucin, white blood cells, water, inorganic salts, and exfoliated cells.
D012016	Reference Values	The range or frequency distribution of a measurement in a population (of organisms, organs or things) that has not been selected for the presence of disease or abnormality.	Normal Range,Normal Values,Reference Ranges,Normal Ranges,Normal Value,Range, Normal,Range, Reference,Ranges, Normal,Ranges, Reference,Reference Range,Reference Value,Value, Normal,Value, Reference,Values, Normal,Values, Reference
D001980	Bronchi	The larger air passages of the lungs arising from the terminal bifurcation of the TRACHEA. They include the largest two primary bronchi which branch out into secondary bronchi, and tertiary bronchi which extend into BRONCHIOLES and PULMONARY ALVEOLI.	Primary Bronchi,Primary Bronchus,Secondary Bronchi,Secondary Bronchus,Tertiary Bronchi,Tertiary Bronchus,Bronchi, Primary,Bronchi, Secondary,Bronchi, Tertiary,Bronchus,Bronchus, Primary,Bronchus, Secondary,Bronchus, Tertiary
D001991	Bronchitis	Inflammation of the large airways in the lung including any part of the BRONCHI, from the PRIMARY BRONCHI to the TERTIARY BRONCHI.	Bronchitides
D002908	Chronic Disease	Diseases which have one or more of the following characteristics: they are permanent, leave residual disability, are caused by nonreversible pathological alteration, require special training of the patient for rehabilitation, or may be expected to require a long period of supervision, observation, or care (Dictionary of Health Services Management, 2d ed). For epidemiological studies chronic disease often includes HEART DISEASES; STROKE; CANCER; and diabetes (DIABETES MELLITUS, TYPE 2).	Chronic Condition,Chronic Illness,Chronically Ill,Chronic Conditions,Chronic Diseases,Chronic Illnesses,Condition, Chronic,Disease, Chronic,Illness, Chronic
D002923	Cilia	Populations of thin, motile processes found covering the surface of ciliates (CILIOPHORA) or the free surface of the cells making up ciliated EPITHELIUM. Each cilium arises from a basic granule in the superficial layer of CYTOPLASM. The movement of cilia propels ciliates through the liquid in which they live. The movement of cilia on a ciliated epithelium serves to propel a surface layer of mucus or fluid. (King & Stansfield, A Dictionary of Genetics, 4th ed)	Motile Cilia,Motile Cilium,Nodal Cilia,Nodal Cilium,Primary Cilia,Primary Cilium,Cilium,Cilia, Motile,Cilia, Nodal,Cilia, Primary,Cilium, Motile,Cilium, Nodal,Cilium, Primary
D005260	Female		Females