Lecture 15

Question 1

What is the airway microbiome?

Answer 1

• The microbes living in the airways
• Lower airways not completely sterile:
  
  • Healthy microbiome protects against disease
• Microbiome is altered in disease

Question 2

What are the defense mechanisms of the upper airways?

Answer 2

• (effective co-ordination with swallowing)
• Protection of lower airway by glottis and epiglottis
• Cough
• Sneeze

Question 3

how are particles desposited in the lungs?

What are the therapeutic examples of particles being deposited?

Answer 3

• Impaction and sedimentation (mucocillary escallator)
• Size has imact on where and how this happens
• Therapeutic examples:
  
  • Dry powder
  • nebulizers
  • droplets
  • Suspension
  • nanoparticles

Question 4

Roles of airway mucus?

Answer 4

• protects epithelium:
  
  • Physical barrier
  • Dilutes chemicals
  • Absorbs gases
• Traps particles and facilitates removal
• Provides environment for luminal cells
• Contains anti-microbrial substances

Question 5

Functions of Peri-ciliary Fluid and how is it produced?

Answer 5

• Volume critical for ciliary function
• May modify mucus layer
• Sources include Clara cells, epithelial cells
• Regulated by active ion transport
• Amenable to pharmacologic modulation

Question 6

How can ion and water transport be corrected for pharmological ammenation of peri cellular fluid?

Answer 6

• Gene transer
• Stabilizers
• protentiators
• correctors
• ENaC inhibitors

Question 7

What does a cough do?

Answer 7

• Removal of material from LRT
• Only effective to 16th generation of airway (linear velocity of airflow too low in small airways)

Question 8

What are the lung defense mechanisms in the periphery?

Answer 8

• Alveolar macrophage
  
  • Resident phagocyte
  • Antigen-processing cell
  • Immuno-regulation
• PMN leucocytes
  
  • Recruited phagocytes
• Immunoglobulins