The heme oxygenases, which consist of constitutive and inducible isozymes (HO-1, HO-2),
catalyze the rate-limiting step in the metabolic conversion of heme to the bile pigments (ie …

Ambient particulate matter (PM) is an environmental factor that has been associated with
increased respiratory morbidity and mortality. The major effect of ambient PM on the …

The objectives of this study were to determine whether differences in the size and
composition of coarse (2.5-10 micro m), fine (< 2.5 microm), and ultrafine (< 0.1 microm) …

Carbon monoxide (CO) is continuously produced in mammalian cells during the
degradation of heme. It is a stable gaseous molecule that reacts selectively with transition …

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease, which involves a variety of different mediators,
including reactive oxygen species. There is growing awareness that particulate pollutants …

Although oxygen is a prerequisite to life, at concentrations beyond the physiological limits it
may be hazardous to the cells. Since the lungs are directly exposed to very high amounts of …

The discovery of the gaseous molecule nitric oxide in 1987 unraveled investigations on its
functional role in the pathogenesis of a wide spectrum of biological and pathological …

There has recently been an explosion of interest in the analysis of breath constituents as a
way of monitoring inflammation and oxidative stress in the lungs. Here we review the use of …

Background The production of peroxide and superoxide is an inevitable consequence of
aerobic metabolism, and while these particular'reactive oxygen species'(ROSs) can exhibit a …

Exposure to a variety of toxins and/or infectious agents leads to disease, degeneration and
death, often characterised by circumstances in which cells or tissues do not merely die and …