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Related Concept Videos

Upper Respiratory Drugs: Antitussives, Expectorants, and Mucolytics01:23

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Respiratory symptoms, such as congestion and cough, commonly accompany respiratory tract conditions. Various medications, such as antitussives, expectorants, and mucolytics, play crucial roles in providing relief.
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COPD is defined as a heterogeneous lung condition marked by persistent respiratory symptoms such as dyspnea, cough, and sputum production, caused by abnormalities in the airways that cause airflow obstruction.
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In terms of human respiration, the act of expelling air, known as exhalation (or expiration), operates on the principle of pressure gradients. During expiration, the pressure within the lungs exceeds that of the surrounding atmosphere. Under normal conditions, quiet breathing involves passive exhalation and is free of muscular contractions. This is because the exhalation process is driven by the natural elastic recoil of the lungs and chest wall, both of which have an inherent tendency to...
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Common Respiratory Disorders01:31

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Respiratory disorders, a prevalent health concern globally, are generally divided into two primary categories: upper and lower respiratory tract disorders. The categorization is based on the area of the respiratory system they affect.
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Upper Respiratory Drugs: Decongestants01:27

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Decongestants are a class of medications used primarily to alleviate nasal congestion, a common symptom resulting from allergies, colds, sinusitis, and other upper respiratory tract infections. These drugs work by activating α-adrenergic receptors, constricting small blood vessels in the nasal membranes. This action results in the opening of clogged nasal passages, thereby facilitating sinus drainage and relieving congestion.
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Drugs Used in Upper Respiratory Disorders: Overview01:16

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Upper respiratory tract disorders, including viral infections and allergic rhinitis, cause significant discomfort and disrupt daily life. Managing these conditions involves a variety of drugs, such as antihistamines, intranasal steroids, decongestants, antitussives, expectorants, and mucolytics. Specific examples of drugs in each category are provided.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 9, 2026

Machine Learning-Based Cough Tone Classification: Diagnostic Exploration of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Respiratory Tract Infections
06:22

Machine Learning-Based Cough Tone Classification: Diagnostic Exploration of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Respiratory Tract Infections

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What is in a cough?

Kevin P Fennelly1

  • 1Pulmonary Clinical Medicine Section, Cardiovascular Pulmonary Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA.

International Journal of Mycobacteriology
|January 4, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

High levels of infectious Mycobacterium tuberculosis in cough aerosols are the best predictor of new tuberculosis (TB) infections in household contacts. Sputum smear is less reliable than cough aerosol cultures for assessing TB infectiousness.

Keywords:
AerosolsCoughInfectiousnessTransmissionTuberculosis

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Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Microbiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant global health challenge, necessitating accurate methods to assess infectiousness.
  • Identifying individuals with active TB who pose the highest risk of transmission is crucial for effective control strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To present a method for collecting, quantifying, and sizing infectious aerosols of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis).
  • To evaluate the predictive value of M. tuberculosis cough aerosol cultures for TB infection and disease incidence in household contacts.

Main Methods:

  • A novel cough aerosol sampling system using Andersen cascade impactors was developed.
  • Sputum smear-positive TB patients in Uganda were recruited, and aerosol samples were collected during forced coughing sessions.
  • Household contacts were monitored for new TB infection (tuberculin skin test conversion) and incident TB disease.

Main Results:

  • 45% of sputum culture-positive TB patients produced culture-positive cough aerosols.
  • Household contacts exposed to high aerosol M. tuberculosis (≥10 CFU) had significantly higher rates of new infection (69%) compared to low aerosol (25%) or aerosol-negative cases (30%).
  • High cough aerosols were the sole predictor of new TB infection (OR 4.81), and incident TB disease was associated with high aerosol exposure (OR 6.0).

Conclusions:

  • Cough aerosol cultures of M. tuberculosis are superior predictors of infectiousness and incident TB disease compared to sputum smear.
  • This method offers a better surrogate for inhaled dose, improving the assessment of TB transmission risk.