Mucociliary clearance (MCC) is the primary innate defense mechanism of the lung. The
functional components are the protective mucous layer, the airway surface liquid layer, and …

Respiratory cilia are the driving force of the mucociliary escalator, working in conjunction
with secreted airway mucus to clear inhaled debris and pathogens from the conducting …

The lung is an organ that is directly exposed to the external environment. Given the large
surface area and extensive ventilation of the lung, it is prone to exposure to airborne …

The natural history of COPD is complex, and the disease is best understood as a syndrome
resulting from numerous interacting factors throughout the life cycle with smoking being the …

The differentiated human airway epithelium consists of different cell types forming a
polarized and pseudostratified epithelium. This is dramatically altered in chronic obstructive …

Airway epithelium is the first line of defense against exposure of the airway and lung to
various inflammatory stimuli. Ciliary beating of airway epithelial cells constitutes an …

The respiratory epithelium is intimately associated with the pathophysiologies of highly
infectious viral contagions and chronic illnesses such as chronic obstructive pulmonary …

The earliest abnormality in the lung associated with smoking is hyperplasia of airway basal
cells, the stem/progenitor cells of the ciliated and secretory cells that are central to …

Cigarette smoke (CS) is the leading risk factor to develop COPD. Therefore, the pathologic
effects of whole CS on the differentiation of primary small airway epithelial cells (SAEC) …

In COPD, epithelial changes are prominent features in the airways, such as goblet cell
hyperplasia and squamous metaplasia. In contrast, it remains unclear whether ciliated cells …