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    Metal-induced diffuse lung disease

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    The number of metals that are associated with the development of diffuse parenchymal lung disease continues to expand. In addition to lung fibrosis, inhalation of metal particulates can induce a wide range of lung pathology, including reactive airways disease and cancer. This article focuses on diffuse parenchymal diseases resulting from the inhalation of beryllium and cobalt. More is known regarding the immunopathogenesis of beryllium-induced disease than is known for disease induced by any other metal. Chronic beryllium disease (CBD) is a granulomatous lung disorder caused by beryllium exposure in the workplace and is characterized by the accumulation of beryllium-specific CD4 (+) T cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage. Genetic susceptibility markers associated with increased risk have been identified for both CBD and hard metal lung disease. The mechanism for the genetic susceptibility of CBD lies in the ability of certain human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DP molecules to bind and present beryllium to pathogenic CD4 (+) T cells. Whether the same is true for hard metal lung disease is unknown. In contrast, no HLA allelic association has been identified in nickel allergic subjects. The study of metal-induced lung disease allows the investigation of the relationship between environmental exposure and genetic susceptibility. These studies will enhance our understanding of the immunopathogenesis of metal-induced disease and how exposure to these metals results in irreversible lung fibrosis

    Beryllium disease

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    Berylliosis is an environmental chronic inflammatory disorder of the lung caused by inhalation of insoluble beryllium (Be) dusts and characterized by the accumulation of CD4+ T cells and macrophages in the lower respiratory tract. In response to Be inhalation, noncaseating granuloma formation and, eventually, fibrosis. The immunopathogenic process is maintained by Be-specific lung CD4+ T-lymphocytes. Consistent with the disease immunopathology, these Be-specific T cells have a T-helper 1 phenotype producing interleukin-2 and interferon-gamma, the macrophage-activating cytokine driving the granulomatous reaction. Previous studies have demonstrated that the glutamic acid in position 69 of the human leukocyte antigen class II b chain is strongly associated with increased susceptibility to Be in exposed workers, suggesting that human leukocyte antigen gene markers may be used as epidemiological probes to identify population groups at higher risk

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

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    The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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