120px|High resolution computed tomography (HRCT) images of the lower
chest in a 16 year-old boy with diffuse panbronchiolitis
Diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB) is an inflammatory lung disease of
unknown cause. It is a severe, progressive form of bronchiolitis, an
inflammatory condition of the bronchioles (small air passages in the
lungs). DPB causes severe inflammation and nodule-like lesions of
terminal bronchioles, chronic sinusitis, and intense coughing with
large amounts of sputum production. The disease is believed to occur
when there is susceptibility, or a lack of immune system resistance, to
DPB-causing bacteria or viruses, caused by several genes that are found
predominantly in individuals of East Asian descent. DPB occurs more
often in males, and usually begins around age 40. It was recognized as
a distinct new disease in the early 1960s, and was formally named
"diffuse panbronchiolitis" in 1969. If left untreated, DPB progresses
to bronchiectasis, an irreversible lung condition that involves
enlargement of the bronchioles, and pooling of mucus in the bronchiolar
passages. The eventual result of untreated DPB can lead to respiratory
failure and heart problems. Daily treatment of DPB with macrolide
antibiotics such as erythromycin eases symptoms and increases survival
time, but the disease has no known cure. (more...)
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Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffuse_panbronchiolitis>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1759:
The British Museum in London, today containing one of the largest and
most comprehensive collections in the world, opened to the public in
Montagu House, Bloomsbury.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Museum>
1919:
A large molasses tank in Boston, Massachusetts, burst and a wave of
molasses rushed through the streets , killing 21 people and injuring
150 others.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Molasses_Disaster>
1937:
Spanish Civil War: Nationalists and Republican both withdrew after
suffering heavy losses, ending the Second Battle of the Corunna Road.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_the_Corunna_Road>
1975:
Portugal signed the Alvor Agreement with UNITA, the MPLA, and the FNLA,
ending the Angolan War of Independence.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvor_Agreement>
1993:
Salvatore "The Beast" Riina, one of the most powerful members of the
Sicilian Mafia, was arrested after three decades as a fugitive.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvatore_Riina>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
penny farthing (v):
A type of bicycle popular in the 19th century, with the front wheel far
larger than the rear one
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/penny_farthing>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Those whose conduct gives room for talk
Are always the first to attack their neighbors.
--Molière
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Moli%C3%A8re>