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The International Journal of... Jul 2017Diseases associated with coal mine dust continue to affect coal miners. Elucidation of initial pathological changes as a precursor of coal dust-related diffuse fibrosis...
BACKGROUND
Diseases associated with coal mine dust continue to affect coal miners. Elucidation of initial pathological changes as a precursor of coal dust-related diffuse fibrosis and emphysema, may have a role in treatment and prevention.
OBJECTIVE
To identify the precursor of dust-related diffuse fibrosis and emphysema.
METHODS
Birefringent silica/silicate particles were counted by standard microscope under polarized light in the alveolar macrophages and fibrous tissue in 25 consecutive autopsy cases of complicated coal worker's pneumoconiosis and in 21 patients with tobacco-related respiratory bronchiolitis.
RESULTS
Coal miners had 331 birefringent particles/high power field while smokers had 4 (p<0.001). Every coal miner had intra-alveolar macrophages with silica/silicate particles and interstitial fibrosis ranging from minimal to extreme. All coal miners, including those who never smoked, had emphysema. Fibrotic septa of centrilobular emphysema contained numerous silica/silicate particles while only a few were present in adjacent normal lung tissue. In coal miners who smoked, tobacco-associated interstitial fibrosis was replaced by fibrosis caused by silica/silicate particles.
CONCLUSION
The presence of silica/silicate particles and anthracotic pigment-laden macrophages inside the alveoli with various degrees of interstitial fibrosis indicated a new disease: coal mine dust desquamative chronic interstitial pneumonia, a precursor of both dust-related diffuse fibrosis and emphysema. In studied coal miners, fibrosis caused by smoking is insignificant in comparison with fibrosis caused by silica/silicate particles. Counting birefringent particles in the macrophages from bronchioalveolar lavage may help detect coal mine dust desquamative chronic interstitial pneumonia, and may initiate early therapy and preventive measures.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Coal; Coal Mining; Dust; Emphysema; Humans; Lung; Lung Diseases, Interstitial; Macrophages, Alveolar; Middle Aged; Silicates; Silicon Dioxide; Smoking
PubMed: 28689212
DOI: 10.15171/ijoem.2017.1066 -
Diagnostic Cytopathology Sep 2014Different noncellular elements, such as round concentric calcified laminated structures, may be found in sputum smears. If these structures appear isolated on the...
Different noncellular elements, such as round concentric calcified laminated structures, may be found in sputum smears. If these structures appear isolated on the background of the smear, the term usually used to describe them is "calcareous concretions" (CC). On the contrary, when the structures are part of epithelial cell groups or small tissue fragments, the term used to describe them is "Psammoma bodies" (PB). The aim of this work is to establish the relationship between these structures and pulmonary disease, especially lung carcinoma, by searching for the presence of CC and/or PB in sputum smears. Our study has taken as a basis 16.716 sputum smears from 696 patients obtained during a 7-year period (2003-2009). After reviewing them, it was found that from the total, 66 cases (0.39%) contained round calcified structures, 57 of them (0.34%) corresponding to CC, and the remaining 9 ones (0.05%) corresponding to PB. From these 57 CC cases, 56 corresponded to benign entities, and only one was found with lung carcinoma. On the other hand, from the 9 PB cases all of them (100%) were related to lung adenocarcinoma. We conclude that, even having a similar morphological structure, these aforementioned calcified structures we have observed in sputum smears have different and relevant clinical significance.
Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Adenocarcinoma of Lung; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anthracosilicosis; Calcinosis; Epithelial Cells; Female; Humans; Inclusion Bodies; Lung Diseases, Obstructive; Lung Neoplasms; Male; Middle Aged; Papanicolaou Test; Sputum
PubMed: 24550186
DOI: 10.1002/dc.23120 -
Canadian Respiratory Journal 2016Background. Silicoanthracosis is a pneumoconiosis due to occupational inhalation of silica and carbon dusts. Clinically, it can be associated with vasculitis or...
Background. Silicoanthracosis is a pneumoconiosis due to occupational inhalation of silica and carbon dusts. Clinically, it can be associated with vasculitis or rheumatoid arthritis. In association with these diseases, silicoanthracosis can present within the lung with multiple pulmonary nodules which, as a differential diagnosis, can mimic metastatic disease or multiple abscesses. Case Presentation. We present the case of a 62-year old former pit worker with pulmonary nodules, chondrocalcinosis due to calcium pyrophosphate deposition (CPPD), and a history of renal cancer. Within a short period of time, pulmonary nodules grew rapidly. Thoracoscopically, the resected lung specimen revealed silicoanthracosis associated with small-to-medium-size vasculitis in the presence of antineutrophil cytoplasmatic autoantibodies (c-ANCA). Conclusion. Pulmonary silicoanthracotic lesions on the base of ANCA-associated vasculitis and CPPD arthritis can rapidly grow. A mutual correlation between silicoanthracosis, ANCA-associated vasculitis, and CPPD seems possible. Apart from this, consideration of metastatic disease should be obligatory in patients with a history of cancer at the same time being immunosuppressed.
Topics: Anthracosilicosis; Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Vasculitis; Antirheumatic Agents; Arthritis; Chondrocalcinosis; Humans; Immunologic Factors; Lung; Male; Methotrexate; Middle Aged; Multiple Pulmonary Nodules; Rituximab; Thoracoscopy; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
PubMed: 27478398
DOI: 10.1155/2016/9254374 -
Meditsina Truda I Promyshlennaia... Aug 2016The studies revealed specificity of morphologic changes in target organs, depending on acting occupational hazard. Evidences are that inhalation of coal rock dust causes...
The studies revealed specificity of morphologic changes in target organs, depending on acting occupational hazard. Evidences are that inhalation of coal rock dust causes irreversible sclerotic and degenerative changes mostly in lungs and bronchi even on 6th week of the experiment. In liver, changes in parenchyma and stroma are controlled by reparative processes by 9th week. Accumulation of sodium fluoride in the body causes irreversible necrotic changes mostly in liver, on 6th week of the intoxication. With that, morphologic changes in lungs and bronchi are minor, characterized by immune inflammation with degenerative changes only after the 9th week. Irrespective of the acting hazard, vascular changes are characterized by media and intima hypertrophy with endothelial dystrophy and hyalinosis since the 6th week of the experiment.
Topics: Animals; Anthracosilicosis; Coal; Dust; Fluorides; Inhalation Exposure; Liver; Lung; Male; Necrosis; Occupational Diseases; Rats
PubMed: 30351697
DOI: No ID Found