Respiratory tract
hideIn humans the respiratory tract is the part of the anatomy that has to do with the process of respiration.
The respiratory tract is divided into 3 segments:
The respiratory tract is a common site for infections. Upper respiratory tract infections are probably the most common infections in the world.
Most of the respiratory tract exists merely as a piping system for air to travel in the lungs; alveoli are the only part of the lung that exchanges oxygen and carbon dioxide with the blood.
Moving down the respiratory tract starting at the trachea, the tubes get smaller and divide more and more. There are estimated to be about 20 to 23 divisions, ending up at an alveolus.
Even though the cross-sectional area of each bronchus or bronchiole is smaller, because there are so many, the total surface area is larger. This means there is less resistance at the terminal bronchioles. (Most resistance is around the 3-4 division from the trachea due to turbulence.)
For more information about Respiratory tract, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with respiratory tract
Scientists isolate genes that made 1918 flu lethal
Biology /
Dec 29, 2008 |
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By mixing and matching a contemporary flu virus with the "Spanish flu" — a virus that killed between 20 and 50 million people 90 years ago in history's most devastating outbreak of infectious disease — researchers have identified ...
Pandemic flu can infect cells deep in the lungs, says new research
Sep 10, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Pandemic swine flu can infect cells deeper in the lungs than seasonal flu can, according to a new study published today in Nature Biotechnology. The researchers, from Imperial College London ...
Swine flu goes person-to-pig; could it jump back?
May 04, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Now that the swine flu virus has passed from a farmworker to pigs, could it jump back to people? The question is important, because crossing species again could make it more deadly.
Scientists examine bird flu infections to monitor for 'pandemic' mutations
Aug 30, 2008 |
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Scientists funded by the Wellcome Trust are to examine what is preventing the H5N1 avian influenza virus from causing a human pandemic and what mutations are required to realise its deadly potential. The research could hold ...
Perceived parent-pressure causes excessive antibiotic prescription
Medicine & Health / Medications
Nov 06, 2009 |
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Antibiotic over-prescription is promoted by pediatricians' perception of parents' expectations. Research published in the open access journal BMC Pediatrics shows that pediatricians are more likely to inappropriately prescr ...
Blood tests and better communication skills could cut over-prescribing of antibiotics
May 21, 2009 |
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Improving communications skills and the use of a simple blood test could help cut the growing number of inappropriate prescriptions of antibiotics, a joint Cardiff University trial has discovered.
Overall antibiotic prescription rates for respiratory tract infections decreasing
Aug 18, 2009 |
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From 1995 to 2006 the rate of antibiotic prescriptions for acute respiratory tract infections decreased significantly, attributable in part to a decline in ambulatory visits for ear infections in young children, according ...
Stress signals link pre-existing sickness with susceptibility to bacterial infection
Jul 28, 2009 |
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Mitochondrial diseases disrupt the power generating machinery within cells and increase a person's susceptibility to bacterial infection, particularly in the lungs or respiratory tract. A new study published in Disease Mo ...
Fruit and vegetable intake in pregnant women reduces risk of upper respiratory tract infection
Jul 08, 2009 |
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Boston University School of Medicine researchers (BUSM) have observed in a study of pregnant women that consumption of at least seven servings per day of fruits and vegetables moderately reduced the risk of developing an ...
First of its kind study identifies risk factors for LRTIs in Inuit children
May 21, 2009 |
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May 21, 2009 — Inuit children have the highest rate of hospital admission for Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) globally, but new research shows that lowering risk factors though public health interventions and an ...
Even mildly premature infants have increased risk of a common respiratory tract infection
May 05, 2009 |
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Even mildly premature infants (gestational ages of 33 weeks through 36 weeks) have an increased risk of medically attended respiratory syncytial virus infection, which is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract infection ...
