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Results for “Silicosis”

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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1976

[Participation of gonads in pulmonary silicosis].

A survey is given on the participation of endocrine glands in the pulmonary silicosis. At the same time a new clinical and experimental contribution to the question of the appearance of a hypogonadotropic hypogonadism is given. The frequency of this hypogonadism increases with the severity of the pulmonary silicosis. The immunological opinions as well as the neuroergonal ones concerning the pathogenesis of pulmonary silicosis gave the possibility of a better explanation of the mechanisms, by means of which also other organs may be attacked in pulmonary silicosis. The neuroendocrine system gives a defensive answer to the aggressive silicotic pulmonary process, which in general slowly progresses, but which may also be certain hormones from the group of the glucocorticosteroids in the adrenal cortex. The intervention into the axis hypothalamus-hypophysis-adrenal cortex has been provided in all defence processes of the organism against every aggression. By the functional or organic damage of the neuroendocrine system, by the immediate toxic effect of silicium dioxide or the monosilicium acid as well as by the effect of the secondary hypoxia in pulmonary silicosis an insufficiency in the stimulation and excretion of certain hormones develops. The origin of this insufficiency is found in the hypothalamo-hypophyseal centres, and the effects extend to all endocrine glands which depend on the system hypothalamus-hypophysis. This mechanism is made responsible for the appearance of a hypogonadotropic insufficiency of gonads in the course of a pulmonary silicosis and is proved clinically and experimentally in the cases investigated by the authors

17-Ketosteroids↗

PubMed1976

[The relation between the morphological stage of silicosis and the SiO2 content in hilar lymph nodes (author's transl)].

There is a positive relation with significant differences in mean values between the severity of silicosis of hilar lymph noeds and their SiO2 contents. The average SiO2 values in silicosis I amount to 2.03 g %; in silicosis II: 2.86 g%, and in silicosis III: 3.89 g%. The average values in exposed miners without silicosis (= 1.70 g%) show no significant differences in comparison with those of silicose I cases and those of nonexposed male persons (= 0.82 g%). The results justify the attempt of a morphological classification of the severity of silicosis in the hilar lymph nodes encouraging the use of chemical examinations of dust for the evaluation of pneumoconioses, for instance, in the material of mediastinoscopies.

Environmental Exposure↗

PubMed2026

Potential Involvement of the IL-6/STAT3/MMP12 Signaling Axis in DMSO-Mediated Anti-Fibrotic Effects in Experimental Silicosis.

This study aims to investigate the anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in a mouse model of silicosis, thereby exploring its potential therapeutic value. A mouse model of silicosis was established by intranasal instillation, and DMSO treatment was administered via intraperitoneal injection. The experiment was conducted over a period of 1 month. Lung tissues were collected from all mice; a subset was subjected to transcriptomic analysis, and differentially expressed genes were identified using the limma package. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were conducted using ClusterProfiler to investigate gene functions and associated pathways. The remaining samples were subjected to histopathological assessment by hematoxylin and eosin staining (HE) and Masson's trichrome staining, while Western blot analysis was performed to validate transcriptomic results. This study suggests that DMSO may alleviate the fibrotic process in silicosis by modulating the IL-6/STAT3-MMP12 signaling axis. In the silica-induced silicosis mouse model, DMSO attenuated disease-associated weight loss and reduced collagen deposition. Transcriptomic analysis indicated that DMSO suppressed the activity of multiple fibrosis-related pathways and identified 51 key genes, including MMP12, which was significantly downregulated. Western blot analysis further confirmed reduced MMP12 expression, accompanied by markedly decreased levels of IL-6 and p-STAT3, suggesting the IL-6/STAT3 pathway may play a crucial role in regulating MMP12 expression. DMSO may attenuate inflammatory responses and pulmonary fibrosis in silicosis by inhibiting activation of the IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway, thereby reducing MMP12 expression.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

[Pulmonary clearance of 99mTC-DTPA aerosol in patients with silicosis].

99mTc-DTPA clearance was studied in 11 healthy nonsmokers, 20 patients with simple or complicated silicosis (5 of simple, 15 of complicated). The results indicated that both the patients with simple silicosis (T1/2 32.8 +/- 14.4min) and complicated silicosis (T1/2 26.6 +/- 8.5min) showed faster clearance of inhaled 99mTc-DTPA than observed in healthy nonsmokers (77.9 +/- 11.7min, p < 0.01). Regional clearance apico-basal difference was found in patients with silicosis. This study presents evidence of increased pulmonary epithelial permeability and regional distribution of pulmonary epithelial permeability in silicosis.

Adult↗

PubMed1976

[Silicosis, chronic bronchitis and smoking habits].

In 333 patients suffereing from silicosis the incidence of chronic bronchitis and/or obstruction of the respiratory tract has been correlated with cigarette smoking. The incidence of chronic bronchitis and/or airway obstruction in patients who had acquired either slight or severe silicosis in Switzerland was over 50%. A positive correlation between cigarette smoking and chronic bronchitis and/or airway obstruction could be found only in younger patients with slight silicosis. Chronic bronchitis and/or airway obstruction was not more frequent in foundry-workers suffering from silicosis where they had been exposed to fumes which irritated the respiratory tract. Deformation of the respiratory tract due to silicosis has a greater bearing on the development of chronic bronchitis and airway obstruction than immoderate cigarette smoking.

Adult↗

PubMed1978

TruCutR needle biopsy in asbestosis and silicosis: correlation of histological changes with radiographic changes and pulmonary function in 41 patients.

A percutaneous needle biopsy was performed with a TruCut needle on 41 patients with suspected pneumoconiosis. Patients selected for biopsy tended to have brief or unusual dust exposure, as well as questionable radiographic opacities. Sixteen had been exposed to asbestos, 13 to silica and 12 to mixed dust containing quartz, coal, iron, asbestos and talc. All patients in the asbestos group and most in the other two groups had a reduced transfer factor. Most patients in the asbestos group and about 25% of the other patients had restrictive ventilatory impairment. Chest radiographs were assessed according to standard films of the ILO U/C International Classification (International Labour Office, 1972). In 25 patients radiographic opacities were absent or acanty (categories 0--1/1). The dominant radiographic feature of many patients exposed to asbestos was a ground-glass appearance or a bilateral elevation of the diaphragm, or both, features difficult to assess according to the ILO U/C scheme. Most histological changes were those usually seen in pneumoconiosis. However, in only two patients with silicosis were silicotic nodules detected. The specimens of seven patients showed a granulomatous inflammation. The severity of alveolar wall involvement correlated well with the transfer factor value but poorly with radiographic changes. The profusion of radiographic opacities also correlated poorly with functional impairment. As a diagnostic tool the needle biopsy was valuable in asbestosis and slightly less so in mixed-dust fibrosis. The biopsy specimens showed changes compatible with asbestosis in 75% of the suspected cases and in 86% of those in which asbestosis was the final diagnosis. In the mixed-dust group pneumoconiosis was confirmed in 67% and 80%, respectively. In the diagnosis of silicosis an open biopsy is probably more reliable than a percutaneous one, particularly if radiographic changes are minimal. Histological changes in the needle biopsy specimen were compatible with silicosis in only 36% of the suspected cases and in 63% of those in which the final diagnosis was silicosis.

Adult↗

PubMed1975

Silicosis among grindstone cutters in the north of Nigeria.

Many of the grindstones used in Nigerian homes are quarried from sandstone in a small group of villages near Kano in the extreme north of the country. Of an unselected group of 126 stonecutters from two of these villages 49 were found to have radiographic evidence of silicosis, with progressive massive fibrosis in 17. Those with silicosis had worked longer in the quarries than 77 whose radiographs showed no evidence of silicosis. Sixty-three per cent of the silicotics had respiratory symptoms, the commonest being breathlessness on moderate exertion. Cough was the earliest symptom in 42%. Only 35% had abnormal physical signs in the cardiorespiratory system, 18% had clearly reduced ventilatory capacity, and airways obstruction was evident in 16%. The prevalence of silicosis in these open-cast sandstone quarriers is unexpectedly high. This is probably explained by the intensity of exposure and the particular kind of sandstone being worked. Reduction of dust exposure in these quarries raises severe practical problems, but the inhabitants of this drought-ridden area can scarcely be expected to abandon their traditional livelihood.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1978

The radiographic findings in acute silicosis.

The radiological features of 4 cases of acute silicosis in sandblasters are described and correlated with the pathological findings. Alveolar involvement was more extensive than in chronic silicosis; in 2 cases an alveolar exudate similar to that found in alveolar proteinosis was present. The radiological changes in acute silicosis differ substantially from those in classical silicosis, mainly on the basis of the differing alveolar response.

Acute Disease↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Pulmonary function in sandblasters' silicosis.

Lung function was examined in 55 patients with sandblasters' silicosis. In this type of silicosis, patients with simple nodular disease had normal function. Restrictive and obstructive impairment was present in patients with large opacities, and was more marked in patients with radiographic evidence of contraction or cavitation. In the last group, striking average annual declines in ventilatory function occurred. Compared to patients with classical silicosis, these patients were younger and had intense, short exposures to free crystalline silica. The pattern of functional abnormalities suggested that restriction of lung volumes is a fundamental abnormality in this form of silicosis.

Adult↗

PubMed1978

Electrocardiographic signs of chronic cor pulmonale in 40 376 patients with silicosis.

The records of all patients who were examined for silicosis at the Fund of Occupational Diseases between 1972 and 1976 are reviewed. In 3627 cases the mechanographical record was incomplete leaving 40 376 patients in the study. Electrocardiographic signs of chronic cor pulmonale (C.C.P.) were detected in 5.58 per cent. The severity of C.C.P. was evaluated and the prevalence of the different electrocardiographic signs was examined. The presence and severity of C.C.P. was compared to the radiological stage of silicosis, to the pulmonary function, to the duration of professional exposure to the risk of silicosis and to the use of tobacco. The value of the electrocardiographic signs of C.C.P. was evaluated. It is concluded that the mechanographical record obtained in insurance medicine is a valuable tool for statistical analysis of a disease and that C.C.P. is an infrequent and mostly late complication of silicosis.

Belgium↗

PubMed1978

Silicosis in diatomaceous earth factory workers in Sweden.

Kieselguhr is a greyish-white powder which is made by heating lake ooze containing diatom skeletons to a temperature of about 1000 degrees C. It contains quartz, cristobalite and tridymite. Working with kieselguhr can induce silicosis. In Sweden six cases of silicosis caused by exposure to kieselguhr have been reported to the Worker's Protection Board. The time of exposure was relatively short. New cases have not appeared in the last 20 years. It seems, nevertheless, important to document this unusual form of silicosis, as diatomaceous earth is readily available and the manufacturing process is simple. Demand for kieselguhr has increased and new factories are to be established which may result in new cases of silicosis.

Adult↗

PubMed1977

[Clincial aspects and treatment of exacerbated chronic respiratory insufficiency in silicosis patients].

The clinical picture and treatment of exacerbated chronic respiratory insufficiency is studied in 189 silicosis patients with different stage and degree of decompensation. It is found out that chronic respiratory insufficiency determination in these patients is conditioned by the exacerbation of a chronic inflammtory process in the bronchi and lungs (68.2 per cent), or by intercurrent acute inflammtory pulmonary process (15.9 per cent). The clinical manifestation of the disease is aggravated and modified by the appearance of new clinical elements, resulting in the typical clinical picture of inflammatory decompensation of silicosis. It is stressed that the effect of treatment is greater, the milder the stage of the disease, and the earlier and less marked the decompensation-induced derangements. Lethality in patients with III degree silicosis amounts to 8,2 per cent, and in patients with III degree respiratory insufficiency -- to 30.7 per cent. A complex active therapy program for silicosis patients with exacerbated chronic respiratory insufficiency is proposed.

Chronic Disease↗

PubMed1978

Cellular and humoral hypersensitivity reactions during silicosis and silicotuberculosis.

Together with the synthesis of specific antibodies and autoantibodies, effects of cellular allergy, such as damage to neutrophils, agglomeration of leukocytes and inhibition of migration of leukocytes with tuberculin and isologous pulmonary antigen were established in patients with silicosis and silicotuberculosis. Autoallergy becomes manifest already in the "pre-roentgenological" stage of development of silicosis; in silicotuberculosis it correlates with the stage of the specific process. In both silicosis and silicotuberculosis, it includes elements of immediate and delayed hypersensitivity. In clinical practice, allergic reactions of leukocytes with tuberculin can be of assistance in determining the stage of the specific process and in differential diagnosis of silicosis and silicotuberculosis.

Antibody Formation↗

PubMed1979

Silicosis due to intentional inhalation of abrasive scouring powder. Case report with long-term survival and vasculitic sequelae.

Silicosis due to inhalation of abrasive scouring powder is now an unusual event. We report a nonindustrial case of acute silicosis due to intentional inhalation of commercial, silica-containing scouring powder. This case is unique in that the patient had a 20 year survival (after onset of symptoms) with typical roentgenographic and histopathologic changes of silicosis, and evidence of immune complex disease in extrapulmonary tissues.

Adult↗

PubMed1979

Function of lymphocytes and monocytes in silicosis.

The function of lymphocytes and monocytes was compared in a group of 18 ex-sandblasters with silicosis and 19 control subjects. Previously noted depressed lymphocytic proliferation in response to low concentrations of concanavalin A (ConA) in subjects with silicosis was not due to factors in the serum nor correctable by supplementation with allogeneic lymphocytes. Monocytes from the peripheral blood of the subjects with silicosis responded less to a chemotactic stimulus (zymosan-activated serum) than did monocytes from normal laboratory personnel; however, there was no difference in monocytic chemotaxis when groups of similar age were compared. There was a significant correlation between age and the monocytic response to chemotactic stimuli in the studied population (laboratory personnel, silicotic subjects, and age-matched control subjects). Overall, our data suggest subtle effects of silica on selected T-lymphocytic populations involved with responsiveness to the mitogen, concanavalin A, but no effects on monocytic function. Monocytic chemotaxis is unaffected by exposure to silica but is inversely related to age.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1976

[Analysis of pulmonary mechanics in patients with silicosis (author's transl)].

Parameters of pulmonary mechanics were measured at rest and during physical effort in patients with silicosis and normal subjects. Between normal subjects and patients with silicosis of stage I a significant difference could not be found. However, a decrease of dynamic compliance and an increase of elastic work of breathing were found in patients with silicosis III during exercise. The PT/VT-quotient is already high at rest. These results are not in agreement with the subjective symptom "dyspnea". The feeling of dyspnea appears when the PT/VT-quotient is enhanced signifcantly during exercise in comparison with the value at rest. Therefore, only the PT/VT-quotient is a suitable parameter indicating dyspnea.

Dyspnea↗

PubMed1976

[X-ray morphological changes and the degree of lost work capacity in silicosis patients].

In a series of 200 patients with silicosis an analogy is drawn between form, size, widespreading and evolution of the pneumoconiotic changes, on the one had, and working ability loss, on the other. It is established that the heavier the form of the pneumoconiotic process, the higher the degree of severity and widespreading of the roentgenmorphological changes in the lungs and the quicker the evolution, the heavier the retriction of the ability for work among the affected. The conclusion is reached that that the working ability of patients with silicosis represents a complex phenomenon resulting from numerous factors with varying in intensity effect. A new, more complex and updated method for the assessment of working ability in patients with silicosis is proposed.

Bulgaria↗

PubMed1975

[Maximal mid-exiratory flow (MMEF) in the evolution of the respiratory functional patter of silicosis. (author's transl)].

A follow up study of VC, FEV and MMEF was performed by the authors in forty silicotic patients, mainly in order to find out if MMEF were more sensitive than VC and FEV 1 IN detecting respiratory function impairment in the follow up of silicosis. In patients with moderate bronchial obstruction, a statistically significant difference was found between themean values of MMEF measured in two different instances: such a finding suggests a greater MMEF reduction in the early stages of silicosis. In 22 subjects with moderate respiratory function impairment (VC and FEV1 less than or equal 40% predicted values), MMEF was found to be, percentually, more decreased than FEV1: the difference was statistically significant. It is therefore concluded that MMEF changes in the follow up examination of silicosis are more sensitive than other functional indexes.

Forced Expiratory Flow Rates↗