News tagged with respiratory tract

Evidence of host adaptation of avian-origin influenza A virus

The connection between human avian-origin influenza A (H7N9) virus infection and environmental sources of the virus were determined based on clinical data, epidemiology, and virological characteristics of the three early ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 15, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Asymptomatic carriage of M. pneumoniae common in children

The bacterium M. pneumoniae is carried at high rates in the upper respiratory tracts of healthy children and usual diagnostic tests cannot differentiate between such asymptomatic carriage and actual respiratory tract infect ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 14, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Earliest known evidence of 1918 influenza pandemic found

Examination of lung tissue and other autopsy material from 68 American soldiers who died of respiratory infections in 1918 has revealed that the influenza virus that eventually killed 50 million people worldwide was circulating ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Sep 19, 2011 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (9) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New bird flu strain seen adapting to mammals, humans

A genetic analysis of the avian flu virus responsible for at least nine human deaths in China portrays a virus evolving to adapt to human cells, raising concern about its potential to spark a new global flu pandemic.

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Apr 12, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Bitter taste receptors regulate the upper respiratory defense system, research shows

A new study from a team of researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the Monell Chemical Senses Center, and the Philadelphia VA Medical Center, reveals that a person's ability to taste ...

Medical research created Oct 08, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Study examines effects of genetic variants for infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome

Among infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS; caused by in utero opioid exposure), variants in certain genes were associated with a shorter length of hospital stay and less need for treatment, preliminary findings ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Apr 30, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Stealthy leprosy pathogen evades critical vitamin D-dependent immune response

A team of UCLA scientists has found that the pathogen that causes leprosy has a remarkable ability to avoid the human immune system by inhibiting the antimicrobial responses important to our defenses.

Immunology created Jan 29, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (6) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Flu and bacteria: Better prognosis for this potentially fatal combination

Scientists from the Max F. Perutz Laboratories (MFPL) of the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna have provided insights into how much harm bacteria can cause to the lung of people having ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Apr 26, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

Researchers spot molecular control switch for preterm lung disorders

(Medical Xpress)—Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have made major discoveries that could lead to new treatments for lung disorders in premature babies. In a mouse study, the team located key molecules ...

Medical research created Mar 20, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Scientists identify gene crucial to normal development of lungs and brain

Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have identified a gene that tells cells to develop multiple cilia, tiny hair-like structures that move fluids through the lungs and brain. The finding ...

Medical research created Jan 12, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Study reveals flu-fighting role for well-known immune component

University of Georgia scientists have discovered a new flu-fighting role for a well-known component of the immune system. Kimberly Klonowski, assistant professor of cellular biology in the UGA Franklin College of Arts and ...

Medical research created Jun 26, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Research suggests transmission of respiratory viruses in utero

The most common cause of lower respiratory tract infections in infants and young children, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), can be transferred during pregnancy to an unborn baby, according to Cleveland Clinic Children's ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Apr 18, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

FDA approves 3 new drugs for type 2 diabetes

(HealthDay)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration late Friday approved three new medications to help people battle type 2 diabetes.

Medications created Jan 26, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 1

Black children less likely to be prescribed antibiotics

(HealthDay)—Black children are less likely to be prescribed antibiotics and to be diagnosed with conditions that require antibiotics, even when treated by the same doctor, according to research published ...

Pediatrics created Mar 18, 2013 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Common antibiotic linked to heart problems in patients with lung conditions

The antibiotic clarithromycin – widely used for treating lower respiratory tract infections like pneumonia and acute exacerbations (sudden worsening) of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – may be associated ...

Medications created Mar 21, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Respiratory tract

In humans the respiratory tract is the part of the anatomy that has to do with the process of respiration.

The respiratory tract is divided into 3 segments:

The respiratory tract is a common site for infections. Upper respiratory tract infections are probably the most common infections in the world.

Most of the respiratory tract exists merely as a piping system for air to travel in the lungs; alveoli are the only part of the lung that exchanges oxygen and carbon dioxide with the blood.

Moving down the respiratory tract starting at the trachea, the tubes get smaller and divide more and more. There are estimated to be about 20 to 23 divisions, ending up at an alveolus.

Even though the cross-sectional area of each bronchus or bronchiole is smaller, because there are so many, the total surface area is larger. This means there is less resistance at the terminal bronchioles. (Most resistance is around the 3-4 division from the trachea due to turbulence.)

For more information about Respiratory tract, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.