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Biomedical subjects

F Girard

Publications and source records attributed to F Girard.

At least 253 records · Page 14Linked to original sources
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[Pathophysiology of chronic, bronchial hypersecretion (author's transl)].

The biochemical and rheological analysis of sputum allows one to detect abnormalities of the bronchial secretion and to describe the development of the bronchial disease. The main biochemical components of sputum and their biological activities are first described. The fibrillar structure of the mucus is related to heavy weight glycoproteins and these macromolecules contribute to the viscoelastic properties of the bronchial secretion, by their capacity to combine with other proteins such as secretory immunoglobulin A (S-IgA). As the chronic bronchial hypersecretory state progresses, the glandular synthesis of mucins and/or secretory proteins decreases while the passive filtration of blood-derived proteins, such as serumalbumin, increases. Such biochemical changes are frequently associated with a rise in viscosity and a loss in elasticity of sputum. These rheological modifications result in an impairment of the mucociliary clearance and therefore contribute to airway obstruction. The assessment of different indices such as the equilibrium in mucin secretion, S-IgA/serum-albumin ratio, viscosity and elasticity of sputum and its mucociliary transport rate, should lead to a better knowledge of the defense properties of the bronchial mucosa.

Bronchi↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Lung transfer for carbon monoxide during the first three years of life.

Lung transfer for CO (TLCO) was measured in 35 healthy infants. A steady state, non-invasive method using a technique of alveolar sampling was employed [3]. During the first three years of life, TLCO expressed as mmol.min-1.kPa-1 increased linearly with height (cm): y = 0.036x - 1.15 (r = 0.91); with body weight (kg): y = 0.18x - 0.005 (r = 0.85); with body surface area (m2): y = 3.48x - 0.375 (r = 0.88); and with logn of age (months): y = 0.406x + 0.184 (r = 0.88). FRC was also measured in 29 of these infants by the helium dilution technique. FRC expressed in ml increased linearly with logn of age: y = 62.24x + 62.4 (r = 0.86) and was correlated with TLCO: y = 0.05x + 0.084 (r = 0.8). TLCO and FRC were correlated with the number of alveoli [7, 9]. Thus, in the first three years of life, lung volume and lung gas transfer seem to progressively adapt in order to satisfy energetic needs during growth.

Aging↗