Pulmonary defense against environmental injury depends on airway mucus, which traps
inhaled toxins that are then cleared from the lungs by ciliary beating and cough. This review …

Airway epithelium contributes significantly to the barrier function of airway tract. Mucociliary
escalator, intercellular apical junctional complexes which regulate paracellular permeability …

Rationale: MUC5AC and MUC5B are the predominant gel-forming mucins in the mucus
layer of human airways. Each mucin has distinct functions and site-specific expression …

Background The mutations that have been implicated in pulmonary fibrosis account for only
a small proportion of the population risk. Methods Using a genomewide linkage scan, we …

The primary function of the bronchial epithelium is to act as a defensive barrier aiding the
maintenance of normal airway function. Bronchial epithelial cells (BEC) form the interface …

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the most common chronic illnesses
in the world. The disease encompasses emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and small airway …

The stem cell niche provides a regulatory microenvironment for cells as diverse as totipotent
embryonic stem cells to cancer stem cells (CSCs) which exhibit stem cell-like characteristics …

The rapid expansion of the elderly population has led to the recent epidemic of age-related
diseases, including increased incidence and mortality of chronic and acute lung diseases …

The incidence of cancer is higher in the elderly; however, many of the underlying
mechanisms for this association remain unexplored. Here, we have shown that B cell …

Vascular integrity or the maintenance of blood vessel continuity is a fundamental process
regulated, in part, by the endothelial glycocalyx and cell-cell junctions. Defects in endothelial …