Trace the pathway of blood through the heart - Article Example

BIOL 121: Reading Report 27 November of Article: Passage of Inhaled Particles into the Blood Circulation in Humans s): A. Nemmar, P.H.M. Hoet, B. Vanquickenborne, D. Dinsdale, M. Thomeer, M.F. Hoylaerts, H. Vanbilloen, L. Mortelmans and B. NemeryName of Journal: CirculationDate, Volume and Page Numbers: 2002; 105:411-414 Main ideaThe article tries to establish the speed at which inhaled pollutant particles reach of various parts of the body through the circulatory system. The researchers establish this by quantifying the distribution of radioactivity from inhaled “Technegas” in five volunteers who are in good physical shape.

Details Epidemiological analyses reveal that air pollutants containing particles less than one micrometer in diameter are associated with high morbidity and transience from cardiovascular and respiratory causes. Some studies suggest that tiny particles move from the lungs to the circulation thereby affecting cardiovascular endpoints precisely. Five subjects inhaled about 100MBq of Technegas after which body images were taken at time gaps to determine the distribution of the Technegas. The earliest detection of radioactivity in the blood was after one minute, reaching a maximum after about 20 minutes stabilizing at that point for one hour.

The radioactivity in the liver was stable, whereas that of the bladder increased over time. Strong radioactivity was discovered in the salivary glands, thyroid glands, and stomach because of accumulation of TcO4- in these organs (Nemmar et al. 413). Ingested particles also caused radioactivity in the stomach apart from the TcO4- from saliva and gastric secretions.Author’s OpinionThe authors believe that these findings give tangible proof of the movement of particles from the lungs to the blood, and their subsequent dissemination to the organs.

Key Sentence“We conclude that inhaled ultrafine 99mTc-carbon particles, which are very similar to (the ultrafine fraction of) actual pollutant particles, diffuse rapidly into the systemic circulation, and this should be considered relevant for the cardiovascular morbidity and mortality related to ambient particle pollution” (Nemmar et al. 413).VocabularyPneumoproteins: molecular biomarkers that are present in serum.ReflectionI selected this article because it is relevant to studying the pathway of blood through the body.

It even shows how the substances that get into blood distribute to various parts of the body, a phenomenon that is of utmost significance in physiology. I learnt that inhalation of ultrafine particles is extremely dangerous since they have a large surface area and, therefore, diffuse rapidly.Work CitedNemmar, A., P.H.M. Hoet, B. Vanquickenborne, D. Dinsdale, M. Thomeer, M.F. Hoylaerts, H. Vanbilloen, L. Mortelmans and B. Nemery. “Passage of Inhaled Particles into the Blood Circulation in Humans.

” Circulation. 2002.105 (2002):411-414. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.