Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 21, 2026
05:47
Generation of Human 3D Lung Tissue Cultures 3D-LTCs for Disease Modeling
Published on: February 12, 2019
22.0K
Granulomatous lung disease in two workers making light bulbs
Steven Ronsmans1,2, Eric K Verbeken3, Els Adams1,4
1Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Clinic of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
American Journal of Industrial Medicine
|July 27, 2019
Summary
Silica exposure may trigger sarcoid-like lung disease. Identifying workplace triggers is crucial for diagnosis and treatment of granulomatous lung conditions.
Area of Science:
- Occupational medicine
- Pulmonary toxicology
- Immunology
Background:
- Studies suggest links between sarcoidosis and inorganic agent exposure.
- Occupational lung diseases often present with granulomatous inflammation.
Observation:
- Two metal-halide lamp production workers initially diagnosed with sarcoidosis showed birefringent silica particles in biopsies.
- Exposure involved dust from fused silica and cristobalite during glass tube clipping.
Findings:
- Birefringent silica particles were identified in lung and lymph node biopsies.
- Clinical, radiological, and functional improvements were observed after workers ceased silica exposure.
Implications:
- Silica is a potential trigger for sarcoid-like granulomatous lung disease.
- Occupational history is vital for diagnosing granulomatous lung conditions, considering sarcoidosis as a diagnosis of exclusion.
Related Concept Videos
01:47Lung Capacity
56.1K
The air in the lungs is measured in volumes and capacities. Lung volume measures reflect the amount of air taken in, released, or left over after a lung function, like a single inhalation. Lung capacity measures are sums of two or more lung volume measures.
56.1K
02:16Light Acquisition
9.4K
In order to produce glucose, plants need to capture sufficient light energy. Many modern plants have evolved leaves specialized for light acquisition. Leaves can be only millimeters in width or tens of meters wide, depending on the environment. Due to competition for sunlight, evolution has driven the evolution of increasingly larger leaves and taller plants, to avoid shading by their neighbors with contaminant elaboration of root architecture and mechanisms to transport water and nutrients.
9.4K
01:35Light as Energy
95.5K
The energy required to carry out photosynthesis is light— typically electromagnetic radiation from the sun. The range of all possible wavelengths is known as the electromagnetic spectrum.
Photons
A photon is a discrete electromagnetic particle or bundle of energy. Photons are characterized by their frequency, wavelength, and amplitude, similar to the properties of a wave. Waves with higher frequencies transmit more energy and have shorter wavelengths than longer wavelengths that transmit...
Photons
A photon is a discrete electromagnetic particle or bundle of energy. Photons are characterized by their frequency, wavelength, and amplitude, similar to the properties of a wave. Waves with higher frequencies transmit more energy and have shorter wavelengths than longer wavelengths that transmit...
95.5K
02:12The Wave Nature of Light
60.9K
The nature of light has been a subject of inquiry since antiquity. In the seventeenth century, Isaac Newton performed experiments with lenses and prisms and was able to demonstrate that white light consists of the individual colors of the rainbow combined together. Newton explained his optics findings in terms of a "corpuscular" view of light, in which light was composed of streams of extremely tiny particles traveling at high speeds according to Newton's laws of motion.
60.9K
02:00Photoreceptors and Plant Responses to Light
28.3K
Light plays a significant role in regulating the growth and development of plants. In addition to providing energy for photosynthesis, light provides other important cues to regulate a range of developmental and physiological responses in plants.
28.3K
01:13Pleura of the Lungs
6.6K
The lungs are nestled in a cavity, shielded by the pleura. The pleura, a form of serous membrane, wraps around each lung. This membrane arrangement consists of two layers: the visceral and parietal pleurae. The visceral pleura lines the surface of the lungIn contrast, the parietal pleura is the outer layer and contacts to the thoracic wall, the mediastinum, and the diaphragm. The hilum is the point of connection between the visceral and parietal layers. The space between the parietal and...
6.6K