Biomaterial Database

Mean air space diameter, lung surface area and alveolar surface tension. 1977

J Boyle, and E S Englestein, and L I Sinoway

Results from pressure-volume studies indicate that lung surface area is directly proportional to volume rather than to volume raised to the two thirds power as has been assumed previously. Mean air space diameter was found to decline with an increase in lung volume which is indicative of a significant degree of alveolar recruitment. Calculation of alveolar surface tension during 20-min inflation-deflation cycles reveals a minimum surface tension of 15.9 +/- 2.3 and a maximum surface tension of 42.7 +/- 4.2 dyn/cm (mean +/- SE). Comparison of surface tensions obtained from the surface balance and calculated alveolar surface tension reveals no significant difference between the means and a significant correlation between the two values.

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
D008176	Lung Volume Measurements	Measurement of the amount of air that the lungs may contain at various points in the respiratory cycle.	Lung Capacities,Lung Volumes,Capacity, Lung,Lung Capacity,Lung Volume,Lung Volume Measurement,Measurement, Lung Volume,Volume, Lung
D008297	Male		Males
D011650	Pulmonary Alveoli	Small polyhedral outpouchings along the walls of the alveolar sacs, alveolar ducts and terminal bronchioles through the walls of which gas exchange between alveolar air and pulmonary capillary blood takes place.	Alveoli, Pulmonary,Alveolus, Pulmonary,Pulmonary Alveolus
D005260	Female		Females
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D013500	Surface Tension	The force acting on the surface of a liquid, tending to minimize the area of the surface. (From McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 6th ed)	Interfacial Force,Interfacial Tension,Surface Tensions,Tension, Surface,Tensions, Surface