Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore have discovered functioning bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs) on bronchial smooth muscle. Although identical to receptors on the tongue, the receptors in the bronchi are not clustered in buds and…
Blog Archives
Role for NOX-4 in Pulmonary Fibrosis
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is characterised by gradual scarring of the lungs until they become so thickened and damaged that they can no longer exchange oxygen with the blood; patients experience extreme fatigue, weight loss, chronic cough and shortness of breath.…
More on Mice and Men
In a previous post we reported on a study that shows that mice may not be a good model for human diabetes. A new study now provides a mechanistic explanation for the well-documented toxicity invoked by Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9)…
New Indication for Aldose Reductase Inhibitors?
The physiological role of aldose reductase (AR) is still incompletely understood, although it has long been associated with the pathogenesis of diabetes-associated diseases such as cataract and neuropathy. In the last twenty years a number of AR inhibitors have entered…
TRPA1 Linked to Asthma
Asthma involves an immune response to inhaled allergens and chemical irritants, but the limited efficacy of existing treatments aimed at modifying this response suggest that additional physiological mechanisms may be at work in the disease process. In a report published…
β2-Inverse Agonists for Asthma?
β2-Adrenergic receptor agonists, which act directly on smooth muscle in the airways causing dilation and increased air flow, are standard therapy for treating bronchospasm in asthmatics. Both short- and long-acting agonists are used in the management of asthma, although there…
Childhood Asthma Linked to Common Cold
The prevalence of asthma is increasing, with up to one in four urban children now affected. Episodes may be triggered by environmental factors, exertion, emotional stress or infection. A recent study by research workers at the University of Texas Southwestern…
