A chemical foreign to the biological system of an individual.

Muscles that are generally not used in regular breathing, but that can be recruited to assist in breathing during an acute attack of dyspnea (shortness of breath).

A cluster of alveoli at the end of a tiny respiratory airway in the lung.

An adjective that is generally used to refer to an event of sudden or severe onset and short duration.

The layer of cells that line the airways. These are called epithelial cells and consist of five major types and a number of minor cell types. The major cell types are ciliated, basal, goblet, serous a [..]

Tubular structures within the neck (trachea) and lungs (bronchi, bronchioles, bronchioli) that allow passage of air into and out of the lungs.

A defect of melanin production that results in little or no color (pigment) in the skin, hair, and eyes.

A medium sized protein that blocks the destructive action of a group of proteins called proteases. AAT is the primary blocker of neutrophil elastase, a powerfully destructive protease released from ne [..]

A inherited disease characterized by reduced levels or the absence of AAT in the blood and tissues that results in lung and liver disease.

Mobile cells that normally reside within alveoli and perform a number of critical functions in health and disease. Alveolar macrophages serve a critical function in surfactant homeostasis by removing [..]