Physiology of Cough

1974 ◽  
Vol 83 (6) ◽  
pp. 761-768 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. T. MacKlem

The effectiveness of cough depends upon the linear velocity of the gas in the airways. Because velocity = flow/cross-sectional area, a high flow and a small cross-section are the ideal conditions for an effective cough. Pleural pressures become positive during cough and compress the large airways producing a marked reduction in cross-sectional area. At high lung volumes, expiratory flow rates are high so that the linear velocities in the trachea are approximately one-third of the speed of sound. The velocity falls in higher bronchial generations, both because the total cross-sectional area of each generation becomes progressively larger beyond the lobar bronchi, and because at high volumes the compressed segment of the airway only extends from the lobar bronchi to the thoracic outlet of the trachea. In normal lungs cough is effective in clearing secretions from these airways only. In chronic bronchitis and emphysema, expiratory flow rates are markedly reduced. Furthermore, in some cases the large airways are more easily compressed than normal. This results in a shorter segment of the airway being compressed. For both reasons, the efficiency of cough is markedly decreased leading to retention of secretions. In cystic and varicose bronchiectasis the problem is different. There is no flow through the bronchiectatic segments because they are blind sacs, and the efficiency of cough is independent of the velocity. To empty them of their secretions is analogous to squeezing toohpaste out of a tube. This is theoretically possible at low lung volumes when the compressed segment is longer.

1974 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 317-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. R. Benatar ◽  
P. König

1. Lung volumes and maximum expiratory flow volume (MEFV) curves were measured before and after exercise and after a bronchodilator in eight asthmatic children. 2. Exercise produced significant changes in all volumes and flow rates measured, but the most sensitive measurement was of flow rate at an absolute volume in the terminal portion of the forced vital capacity. Of the more simply obtained measurements maximal flow at 50% of the exhaled vital capacity was the most sensitive, but reductions in forced expiratory volume at 1 s and peak flow rate were almost as marked. 3. The marked reductions in flow rates at low lung volumes after exercise were accompanied by large increases in residual volume and a reduction in the slope of the MEFV curve. These changes suggest functional closure of some lung units and an increase in the time-constant of emptying of other units. 4. The response of flow to breathing helium—oxygen (79:21, v/v) was assessed in the dilated state (before exercise or after bronchodilator) and the constricted state (after exercise) in five of the subjects. 5. An increase in density-dependence of flow rates at all lung volumes during constriction is evidence that, despite the reduction in flow rates, convective acceleration and turbulent flow constitute a greater proportion of the total upstream resistance after exercise than before exercise. The implication is that the cross-sectional area at equal pressure points (EPP) is smaller after exercise than before exercise. This could result from either bronchoconstriction with no change in the location of EPP, or from progression of the EPP further upstream to a region where loss of airways or reduction in their diameter has rendered the total cross-sectional area considerably smaller than under normal circumstances.


1981 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 650-657 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. J. Douglas ◽  
G. B. Drummond ◽  
M. F. Sudlow

In six normal subjects forced expiratory flow rates increased progressively with increasing degrees of chest strapping. In nine normal subjects forced expiratory flow rates increased with the time spent breathing with expiratory reserve volume 0.5 liters above residual volume, the increase being significant by 30 s (P less than 0.01), and flow rates were still increasing at 2 min, the longest time the subjects could breathe at this lung volume. The increase in flow after low lung volume breathing (LLVB) was similar to that produced by strapping. The effect of LLVB was diminished by the inhalation of the atropinelike drug ipratropium. Quasistatic recoil pressures were higher following strapping and LLVB than on partial or maximal expiration, but the rise in recoil pressure was insufficient to account for all the observed increased in maximum flow. We suggest that the effects of chest strapping are due to LLVB and that both cause bronchodilatation.


2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dunja Perić ◽  
Paul A. Bartley ◽  
Lawrence Davis ◽  
Ali Ulvi Uzer ◽  
Cahit Gürer

AbstractLignin is a coproduct of biofuel and paper industries, which exhibits binding qualities when mixed with water. Lignin is an ideal candidate for a sustainable stabilization of unpaved roads. To this end, an experimental program was devised and carried out to quantify effects of lignin on compaction and early age shear strength behaviors of sand. Samples were prepared by mixing a particular type of coproduct called calcium lignosulfonate (CaL) with sand and water. Based on the extensive analyses of six series of strength tests, it was found that a normalized cohesion increased with an increasing normalized areas ratio. Normalizations were carried out by dividing the cohesion and area ratio by gravimetric CaL content whereby the area ratio was obtained by dividing the portion of the cross-sectional area occupied with lignosulfonate-water (CaL-W) paste by the total cross-sectional area. While the increase in the normalized cohesion eventually leveled out, the cohesion peaked at 6% of CaL. Thus, sand-CaL-water (S-CaL-W) mixes sustained larger shear stresses than dry sand for a range of normal stresses below the limiting normal stress. Consequently, the early age behavior indicates that adding CaL-W to sand is clearly beneficial in the near-surface applications in dry sand.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (24) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory T. Adamson ◽  
Doff B. McElhinney ◽  
Yulin Zhang ◽  
Jeffrey A. Feinstein ◽  
Lynn F. Peng ◽  
...  

Background Due in part to the heterogeneity of the pulmonary circulation in patients with tetralogy of Fallot and major aortopulmonary collateral arteries (MAPCAs), research on this condition has focused on relatively basic anatomic characteristics. We aimed to detail pulmonary artery (PA) and MAPCA anatomy in a large group of infants, assess relationships between anatomy and early surgical outcomes, and consider systems for classifying MAPCAs. Methods and Results All infants ( <1 year of age) undergoing first cardiac surgery for tetralogy of Fallot/MAPCAs from 2001 to 2019 at Stanford University were identified. Preoperative angiograms delineating supply to all 18 pulmonary segments were reviewed for details of each MAPCA and the arborization and size of central PAs. We studied 276 patients with 1068 MAPCAs and the following PA patterns: 152 (55%) incompletely arborizing PAs, 48 (17%) normally arborizing PAs, 45 (16%) absent PAs, and 31 (11%) unilateral MAPCAs. There was extensive anatomic variability, but no difference in early outcomes according to PA arborization or the predominance of PAs or MAPCAs. Patients with low total MAPCA and/or PA cross‐sectional area were less likely to undergo complete repair. Conclusions MAPCA anatomy is highly variable and essentially unique for each patient. Though each pulmonary segment can be supplied by a MAPCA, central PA, or both, all anatomic combinations are similarly conducive to a good repair. Total cross‐sectional area of central PA and MAPCA material is an important driver of outcome. We elucidate a number of novel associations between anatomic features, but the extreme variability of the pulmonary circulation makes a granular tetralogy of Fallot/MAPCA classification system unrealistic.


Author(s):  
Charles H. Turner ◽  
Alexander G. Robling

The accumulation of bone mass during growth can be enhanced by environmental factors such as mechanical loading (exercise) or calcium intake, but 60–70% of the variance in adult bone mineral density (BMD) is explained by heredity. Consequently, understanding the signaling pathways targeted by the genes governing bone accumulation holds perhaps the greatest potential in reducing fracture incidence later in life. Rodent models are particularly useful for studying the genetics of skeletal traits. Of the available inbred mouse strains, three in particular have been studied extensively in skeletal genetics: C57BL/6, DBA/2, and C3H/He. The C57BL/6 strain is characterized by low BMD and large total cross-sectional area (CSA) in the midshaft femur; the C3H/He strain exhibits very high femoral BMD and a smaller femoral CSA than the C57BL/6 mice; and DBA/2 mice have moderately high femoral BMD and a very small midshaft femur CSA. Mechanical loading of the skeleton during growth can substantially enhance periosteal bone apposition, and ultimately produce a diaphyseal cross section with enlarged area. Therefore we hypothesized that the mouse strain with greater femoral cross-sectional area (C57BL/6) might have a genetic predisposition for greater mechanosensitivity than mice with smaller cross sections (C3H/He and DBA/2).


1997 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 954-958 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. W. Mitchell ◽  
E. Rühlmann ◽  
H. Magnussen ◽  
N. M. Muñoz ◽  
A. R. Leff ◽  
...  

Mitchell, R. W., E. Rühlmann, H. Magnussen, N. M. Muñoz, A. R. Leff, and K. F. Rabe. Conservation of bronchiolar wall area during constriction and dilation of human airways. J. Appl. Physiol. 82(3): 954–958, 1997.—We assessed the effect of smooth muscle contraction and relaxation on airway lumen subtended by the internal perimeter ( A i) and total cross-sectional area ( A o) of human bronchial explants in the absence of the potential lung tethering forces of alveolar tissue to test the hypothesis that bronchoconstriction results in a comparable change of A iand A o. Luminal area (i.e., A i) and A owere measured by using computerized videomicrometry, and bronchial wall area was calculated accordingly. Images on videotape were captured; areas were outlined, and data were expressed as internal pixel number by using imaging software. Bronchial rings were dissected in 1.0- to 1.5-mm sections from macroscopically unaffected areas of lungs from patients undergoing resection for carcinoma, placed in microplate wells containing buffered saline, and allowed to equilibrate for 1 h. Baseline, A o[5.21 ± 0.354 (SE) mm2], and A i(0.604 ± 0.057 mm2) were measured before contraction of the airway smooth muscle (ASM) with carbachol. Mean A inarrowed by 0.257 ± 0.052 mm2in response to 10 μM carbachol ( P = 0.001 vs. baseline). Similarly, A onarrowed by 0.272 ± 0.110 mm2in response to carbachol ( P = 0.038 vs. baseline; P = 0.849 vs. change in A i). Similar parallel changes in cross-sectional area for A iand A owere observed for relaxation of ASM from inherent tone of other bronchial rings in response to 10 μM isoproterenol. We demonstrate a unique characteristic of human ASM; i.e., both luminal and total cross-sectional area of human airways change similarly on contraction and relaxation in vitro, resulting in a conservation of bronchiolar wall area with bronchoconstriction and dilation.


1976 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-139
Author(s):  
J. J. Wellman ◽  
E. R. McFadden ◽  
R. H. Ingram

1. Gas-density-dependence of maximal expiratory flow rates (V̇max), defined as the ratio of V̇max while breathing helium/oxygen (80:20) to V̇max. while breathing air at the same lung volume, was examined in relation to other measurements of airways obstruction in patients with obstructive airways disease before and after administration of bronchodilators. 2. Seventeen patients showed a 45% or greater increase in specific conductance(sGaw) after bronchodilator therapy (group A) and thirteen patients demonstrated a lesser response (group B). 3. Before the administration of bronchodilators, the degree of obstruction in the two groups was not different as measured by lung volumes, sGaw, forced expiratory volume in 1 s, and flow rates high in the vital capacity; yet the maximal mid-expiratory flow rate and the degree of density-dependence were significantly lower in group B. 4. After bronchodilators, both groups of patients showed significant improvements in sGaw flow rates and lung volumes. However, group A patients showed a significant increase in density-dependence whereas group B patients did not. 5. Increased density-dependence after bronchodilators in the group A patients was associated with an increase in the computed resistance of the upstream segment with air and a decrease in resistance with helium/oxygen. These changes could be explained by a more mouthward movement of equal pressure points, and therefore a further increase in the relative contribution of the larger density-dependent airways to limitation of flow. 6. The fact that density-dependence was not altered after bronchodilators in the group B patients suggests that the site of limitation of flow did not change appreciably. The shift in the pressure—flow curve for the upstream airways was such that the computed resistance of these airways fell. Thus it appears that the airways comprising the upstream segment were dilated.


1965 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 773-781 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hideaki Takahashi ◽  
Harold M. Frost

A correlation study was performed of the relationship between the total cross-sectional area of the fifth, sixth, or seventh rib in its middle third, and the height, weight, and sex of its owner. The study involved 115 metabolically normal people and yielded high correlation coefficients between the calculated and observed total rib cross-sectional areas of 60 males and 55 females. It is suggested that the total cross-sectional area at a standard bone sampling site be used as a basis for normalizing measures of the severity of osteoporosis. This would allow one to make improved comparisons of the severity of osteoporosis between persons of different body habitus and sex.


1994 ◽  
Vol 40 (134) ◽  
pp. 140-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Leb. Hooke ◽  
Veijo A. Pohjola

AbstractTracer experiments, and water-level observations made while drilling 47 boreholes in an overdeepened section of Storglaciären, have demonstrated that nearly all of the water passing through this part of the glacier moves in englacial conduits. Much of the viscous energy dissipated by subglacial water flowing up an adverse bed slope out of such an overdeepening may be needed to warm the water to keep it at the pressure-melting point. If the adverse slope is sufficiently steep, freezing may occur within the conduits. The possibility for enlargement of conduits by melting is thus limited and water pressures become high. We infer that this, combined with possible blocking of conduits by freezing, forces the water to seek englacial pathways.The frequency with which englacial conduits are encountered during drilling suggests that there are several hundred of them in any given cross-section of the glacier. Consequently, each must carry a small fraction of the total discharge, say ∼ 10−3 m3 s−1. Tracer experiments suggest that flow rates in these conduits are < 10− m s−1, so conduit cross-sectional areas must be ∼10−2 m2, a size that is consistent with video observations in boreholes. The observed mean hydraulic gradient through the overdeepening is ∼0.04. If the conduits were of uniform cross-sectional area, the roughness implied by these figures would be unreasonably high and water pressures in them would be lower than observed. Thus, we hypothesize that conduits are locally constricted to only a small fraction of their average cross-sectional area.


1994 ◽  
Vol 40 (134) ◽  
pp. 140-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Leb. Hooke ◽  
Veijo A. Pohjola

AbstractTracer experiments, and water-level observations made while drilling 47 boreholes in an overdeepened section of Storglaciären, have demonstrated that nearly all of the water passing through this part of the glacier moves in englacial conduits. Much of the viscous energy dissipated by subglacial water flowing up an adverse bed slope out of such an overdeepening may be needed to warm the water to keep it at the pressure-melting point. If the adverse slope is sufficiently steep, freezing may occur within the conduits. The possibility for enlargement of conduits by melting is thus limited and water pressures become high. We infer that this, combined with possible blocking of conduits by freezing, forces the water to seek englacial pathways.The frequency with which englacial conduits are encountered during drilling suggests that there are several hundred of them in any given cross-section of the glacier. Consequently, each must carry a small fraction of the total discharge, say ∼ 10−3m3s−1. Tracer experiments suggest that flow rates in these conduits are &lt; 10−m s−1, so conduit cross-sectional areas must be ∼10−2m2, a size that is consistent with video observations in boreholes. The observed mean hydraulic gradient through the overdeepening is ∼0.04. If the conduits were of uniform cross-sectional area, the roughness implied by these figures would be unreasonably high and water pressures in them would be lower than observed. Thus, we hypothesize that conduits are locally constricted to only a small fraction of their average cross-sectional area.


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