Home
March, 2003 - Issue 15
Greetings Colleagues,
This is the Spring 2003 issue of the inhalation toxicology and respiratory biology newsletter. The full text and documentary material has been posted at http://www.inhalation.net We direct your attention to that site for full articles and additional details.
Technical Reviews follow the meeting announcements given below.
TECHNICAL NOTE: This newsletter continues to grow since its inception in October of 1999. With this issue, we will have reviewed 58 papers pertaining to inhalation toxicology. New information pages have been added as well.
http://www.inhalation.net/laboratory_name.htm
We would appreciate any contributions to these pages as well as any ideas for new areas or articles that you would like see presented. This 15th issue of the newsletter continues with different aspects of topics of some topics that were covered in previous newsletters. There are a large number of reviews since the newsletter began and we are beginning to refer to relevant past reviews when they relate to a current topic.
PUBLIC HEALTH, OCCUPATIONAL AND INDUSTRIAL HEALTH
The topic of public health is continued in this newsletter. There is a study of Aspergillis versicolor mold spores and their inflammatory effect in mouse lungs in “Spores of Aspergillus versicolor Isolated from Indoor Air of a Moisture-damaged Building Provoke Acute Inflammation in Mouse Lungs. Juha Jussila, H. Komulainen, V. Kosma, A. Nevalainen, J. Pelkonen, M Hirvonen. Inhalation Toxicology, 14:1261-1277, 2002”. The paper is reviewed by Susan Shami. The editorial comment notes two other reviews in past newsletter on molds. This is clearly becoming an important new area of research. Look for more issues pertaining to mold in the next newsletter.
http://www.inhalation.net/Aspergillis_versicolor_spores_in_lungs.htm
There is also recent comprehensive review of occupational lung diseases. It is found in “Occupational Respiratory Diseases Review, 2000: Occupational Respiratory Diseases, William S. Beckett, New England J Med., 342:406-413, 2000” and reviewed by Susan Shami. The most prevalent occupational lung disease is now asthma. The review of popcorn workers’ lung by Arlene Weiss in the last Newsletter issue follows this novel occupational lung disease.
http://www.inhalation.net/occupational_respiratory_disease.htm
OLFACTORY SYSTEM, ODOR PERCEPTION AND HEALTH:
The subject of Odor, Irritation and Perception of Health Risks as Dr. Patricia Dalton reports it is reviewed by Arlene L. Weiss. Her paper is entitled: Odor, Irritation and Perception of Health Risk. Int. Arch Occup. Environ Health 75:283-290, 2002. Dr. Dalton describes her research on hormonally based differences in odor perception.
http://www.inhalation.net/Odor_perception_health_risk.htm
EXPERIMENTAL DATA HEALTH EFFECTS OF ULTRAFINE PARTICLES
Susan Shami continues the study of fine and ultrafine particles with a review of inhalation of ammonium salts in healthy and monocrotaline-treated rats. This large multi-group study was performed by Cassee et. al. and published as “Pulmonary Effects of Ultrafine and Fine Ammonium Salts Aerosols in Healthy and Monocrotaline-Treated Rats Following Short-Term Exposure.” FR. Cassee, J. Arts, P. Fokkens, S. Spoor, A. Boere, L. van pee, J. Dormans Inhalation Toxicology, 14, 1215-1229, 2002. Dr. Shami adds some editorial comments.
http://www.inhalation.net/ammonium_salts_inhaled_by_rats.htm
RESPIRATORY BIOLOGY
As promised in the last issue, the role of the basement mempane in the large airway can be found in: “Fibroblast Growth Factor-2 in Remodeling of the Developing Basement Mempane Zone in the Trachea of Infant Rhesus Monkeys Sensitized and Challenged with Allergen”. M.J. Evans, LS Van Winkle, MV Fanucchi, GL Baker, AE Murphy, SJ Nishio, ES Schelegle, LJ Gershwin, PL Sannes, CG Plopper. Laboratory Investigation 82: 1747-1754. 2002. (Dec). It is reviewed by Susan Shami. Dr. Shami’s editorial comments explain the potential significance of this information to inhalation toxicology.
http://www.inhalation.net/fibroblast_growth_factor.htm
TOBACCO SMOKE EXPOSURE EFFECTS
The topic of cigarette smoke exposures is continued from the Summer, 2002 issue of the newsletter. The paper reviewed is entitled: “Inhibition of Tobacco Smoke Induced Lung Inflammation by a Catalytic Antioxidant. KR Smith, DL Uyeminami, UP Kodavanti, JD Crapo, LY Chang, KE Pinkerton. Free Radical Biology and Medicine, Vol 33, 1106-1114, 2002.” It describes an exciting new model in which the adverse effects of tobacco smoke inhalation by mice were reduced by pulmonary administration of an antioxidant.