scholarly journals Respiratory Defense Mechanisms. The Contribution of Nitric Oxide to the Airway Defense Mechanism.

1998 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-108
Author(s):  
Nobuo Kubo
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 695
Author(s):  
Alice Vassiliou ◽  
Alexandros Zacharis ◽  
Chrysi Keskinidou ◽  
Edison Jahaj ◽  
Maria Pratikaki ◽  
...  

A damaged endothelium is an underlying condition of the many complications of COVID-19 patients. The increased mortality risk associated with diseases that have underlying endothelial dysfunction, such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), suggests that endothelial (e) nitric oxide synthase (NOS)-derived nitric oxide could be an important defense mechanism. Additionally, intravenous recombinant angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) was recently reported as an effective therapy in severe COVID-19, by blocking viral entry, and thus reducing lung injury. Very few studies exist on the prognostic value of endothelium-related protective molecules in severe COVID-19 disease. To this end, serum levels of eNOS, inducible (i) NOS, adrenomedullin (ADM), soluble (s)ACE2 levels, and serum (s)ACE activity were measured on hospital admission in 89 COVID-19 patients, hospitalized either in a ward or ICU, of whom 68 had ARDS, while 21 did not. In our cohort, the COVID-19-ARDS patients had considerably lower eNOS levels compared to the COVID-19 non-ARDS patients. On the other hand, sACE2 was significantly higher in the ARDS patients. iNOS, ADM and sACE activity did not differ. Our results might support the notion of two distinct defense mechanisms in COVID-19-derived ARDS; eNOS-derived nitric oxide could be one of them, while the dramatic rise in sACE2 may also represent an endogenous mechanism involved in severe COVID-19 complications, such as ARDS. These results could provide insight to therapeutical applications in COVID-19.


Author(s):  
Olya Khaleelee

This paper describes the use of the Defense Mechanism Test as an aid in helping to assess senior executives in four areas: for selection, development, career strategy, and crisis intervention. The origins of this test, developed to measure the defense mechanisms used to protect the individual from stress, are described. The paper shows how it was used to predict the capacity of trainee fighter pilots to withstand stress and its later application to other stressful occupations. Finally, some ideal types of the test are shown followed by four real test profiles, two of them with their associated histories.


Author(s):  
Hossein Aliakbari Harehdasht ◽  
Zahra Ekbatäni

In The Sense of an Ending, Julian Barnes portrays the mysterious workings of the human mind as it distorts facts towards the end of a self-image that one can live with. The protagonist in the novel deploys certain psychological defense mechanisms in order to protect himself from feelings of anxiety, only to experience even more profound anxiety due to his excessive use of them. The significance of the present paper lies in its novel view of the book. So far, the critique on the novel has mainly been focused on the workings of time on memory; however, the present paper investigates how psychological defense mechanisms blur the protagonist’s perception of reality and distort his memories. This paper also attempts to attract scholarly interest in the study of psychological defense mechanisms in the study of The Sense of an Ending which has so far been to the best of our knowledge overlooked


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 1809 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Vlad ◽  
Silviu Albu

Nitric oxide (NO) has emerged as an important regulator of upper airway inflammation, mainly as part of the local naso-sinusal defense mechanisms. Increased arginase activity can reduce NO levels by decreasing the availability of its precursor, L-arginine. Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) has been associated with low levels of nasal nitric oxide (nNO). Thus, the present study investigates the activity of arginase I (ARG1) and II (ARG2) in CRS and its possible involvement in the pathogenesis of this disease. Under endoscopic view, tissue samples of pathologic (n = 36) and normal (n = 29) rhinosinusal mucosa were collected. Arginase I and II mRNA levels were measured using real-time PCR. Our results showed low arginase I activity in all samples. The levels of ARG2 were significantly higher in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis compared to the control group (fold regulation (FR) 2.22 ± 0.42 vs. 1.31 ± 0.21, p = 0.016). Increased ARG2 expression was found in patients with CRS without nasal polyposis (FR 3.14 ± 1.16 vs. 1.31 ± 0.21, p = 0.0175), in non-allergic CRS (FR 2.55 ± 0.52 vs. 1.31 ± 0.21, p = 0.005), and non-asthmatic CRS (FR 2.42 ± 0.57 vs. 1.31 ± 0.21, p = 0.028). These findings suggest that the upregulation of ARG2 may play a role in the pathology of a distinctive phenotype of CRS.


1984 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 228-230
Author(s):  
Sam Minskoff ◽  
John M. Curtis

The present study examined specific defense mechanisms involved in perceptions of congenitally blind and sighted respondents. The Defense Mechanism Inventory was given 30 blind and 30 sighted subjects, randomly selected. One-way analyses of variance on specific defenses indicated nonsignificant differences between the groups who tended to show comparable patterns of ego defenses. Findings suggest any discrepancies in perception between such groups are not likely based on differences in the use of various defense mechanisms as measured by the Defense Mechanism Inventory.


1992 ◽  
Vol 106 (6) ◽  
pp. 706-712 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey B. Palmer ◽  
Kenneth H. C. Silver

Swallowing is an essential function of the upper alimentary tract. It is highly complex, requiring precise coordination of numerous nerves and muscles of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, and esophagus. Swallowing is integrated with other physiologic functions, Including mastication and respiration. Impairments of swallowing may result from many different structural or physiologic disorders. Little is currently known about the direct effects of pollution on swallowing. Structures critical to swallowing, however, are vulnerable to damage by environmental hazards such as exposure to ionizing radiation or intake of toxins by ingestion or inhalation. The relationship of swallowing to environmental lung disease is an area of particular Interest because Impaired swallowing may result in aspiration of food particles into the lung, and because pollutants may hamper airway defense mechanisms. In this article, we discuss the possible impact of selected environmental agents on swallowing and suggest future directions for research.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ning Li ◽  
Suzana Stojanovski ◽  
Pierre Maechler

In pancreaticβcells, mitochondrial metabolism translates glucose sensing into signals regulating insulin secretion. Chronic exposure ofβcells to excessive nutrients, namely, glucolipotoxicity, impairsβ-cell function. This is associated with elevated ROS production from overstimulated mitochondria. Mitochondria are not only the major source of cellular ROS, they are also the primary target of ROS attacks. The mitochondrial uncoupling protein UCP2, even though its uncoupling properties are debated, has been associated with protective functions against ROS toxicity. Hormesis, an adaptive response to cellular stresses, might contribute to the protection againstβ-cell death, possibly limiting the development of type 2 diabetes. Mitochondrial hormesis, or mitohormesis, is a defense mechanism observed in ROS-induced stress-responses by mitochondria. Inβcells, mitochondrial damages induced by sublethal exogenous H2O2can induce secondary repair and defense mechanisms. In this context, UCP2 is a marker of mitohormesis, being upregulated following stress conditions. When overexpressed in nonstressed naïve cells, UCP2 confers resistance to oxidative stress. Whether treatment with mitohormetic inducers is sufficient to restore or ameliorate secretory function ofβcells remains to be determined.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 301-307
Author(s):  
Pham Anh Thu ◽  
Nguyen Hoang Son ◽  
Le Thanh Huong ◽  
Nguyen Hai Dang

Inflammation is the body's homeostatic defense mechanism in which the immune system reacts to remove foreign bodies. Chronic inflammation can increase the risk for additional damage like autoimmune diseases, arthritis, diabetes and can result in death. Amomum maximum Roxb and Amomum muricarpum Elmer distributed widely in Vietnam have been used in traditional medicine for treatment of some gastrointestinal diseases. This study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of the methanol extracts of A. maximum (AMM) and A. muricarpum Elmer (AMC) in murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cell line. The total extracts showed that the extracts exhibited low cytotoxicity and potent anti-inflammatory activities by suppressing excessive nitric oxide (NO). The IC50 values of AMC and AMM were found to be 12.67 ± 1.7 µg/mL and 42.7 ± 2.5 µg/mL, respectively. To elucidate the underlying mechanism, the expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) were evaluated using Western blot analysis. Our data demonstrated that AMC reduced the inflammatory response in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 cell model via inhibition of iNOS and COX-2 while AMM seemed to modulate the inflammatory effect through the iNOS pathway only. In conclusion, AMM and AMC root extracts might be potential candidates for a study of naturally alternative anti-inflammatory drugs.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 45
Author(s):  
M. Aprianto Budie Nugroho ◽  
Sely Viladinia

A story becomes interesting because of the existence of the characters’ conflicts. This research objectives were to investigate the conflicts and defense mechanisms in Audrey Turner, the main character of Finding Audrey novel written by Sophie Kinsella. This research was conducted in qualitative method by using narrative research design. The collected data were identified, categorized, and analyzed based on literature and psychology perspectives of Islam’s (2016) theory and defense mechanisms by Cramer (2006). The findings show that person vs him/herself as the internal conflict is found 52 times (67.5%). The first external conflict found is person vs person which appears 23 times (29.9%) It is followed by person vs society and person vs nature conflicts, each of which appears once only (1.3%). Three kinds of defense mechanisms are found as well. The denial defense mechanisms are found 72 times (54.1%) whereas projection and identification are each found as many as 48 times (36.1%) and 13 times (9.8%). It means that  Audrey, as the main character, mostly faces conflicts against her own self and feels of fears affected from her anxiety disorder and people around her. To deal with her conflicts, Audrey mostly uses denial as a defense mechanism to protect herself.


Author(s):  
N. Dakal ◽  
O. Cherevichko ◽  
K. Smirnov

The purpose of psychological protection is to maintain the integrity of the "self-concept" of the individual by protecting his consciousness from negative traumatic experiences, fear of failure, anxiety or uncertainty in their actions. The authors who studied this phenomenon in sports note that the psychological protection of the athlete - is a system of mechanisms and methods of mental self-regulation of consciousness and behavior of the individual in extreme mental conditions. Psychological defense mechanisms are manifested in students as a regulatory system that is activated in a situation of internal or external conflict. Based on it, students often show such a defense mechanism as substitution, regression, and compensation. Considering the manifestation of protective mechanisms in boys and girls, we obtained the following indicators: reactive formations (73% in girls and 51% in boys) and projection (73% in girls and 54% in boys) (p <0.05); in boys prevails: suppression (65% in boys and 45% in girls) and intellectualization (69% in boys and 56.1% in girls) (p <0.05). We found differences in the choice of the dominant mechanism of psychological protection by swimming students. The leading mechanism in the studied contingent is substitution, and the least preferred is suppression. The study identified the manifestation of the main mechanisms of psychological protection in students who swim and analyzed certain types of protection with a description of the specific features of the system of protective mechanisms and the level of their impact depending on gender differences.


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