Pneumoconiosis and pulmonary tuberculosis have a highly close relationship each other and pneumoconiosis is liable to cause tuberculosis. Such case of pneumoconiosis with tuberculosis is mush malignant than the simple pulmonary tuberculosis and tuberculosis is said to give various influence to the prognosis of pneumoconiosis.
Recently, studies regarding pneumoconiosis have been developing rapidly, however, reports regarding calcium metabolism are quite few. Especially, reports on serum and organs at their certain time of period are obtainable but no reports are found regarding its state with lapse of time.
The experiment was carried out by using of rats of Wister lineage, which were administered by bovine type A. F. B. and minute dust, such as Quartz, Metallic Aluminium and Titanium Dioxide.
Minute dust and A. F. B. were injected solely or both at the same time into bronchus by bronchial tube. Following their progress after 11/2 months, 21/2 months, 31/2 months, animals were sacrified by means of heart puncture, and then the quantity of calcium in the serum, lung, spleen and muscles were estimated and also examined pathologically.
The results were as follows:
1) In the case of pneumoconiosis with tuberculosis, the amount of calcium decreased, while in the case of pneumoconiosis only the amount of calcium in serum or lung tissue is normal or slightly increased.
By naked-eye observation, there was a slight difference on the state of pneumoconiosis with tuberculosis, depending on the type of dust, and this was proved by microscopic examination.
2) The advance of tuberculosis in lung was ill-effected by minute dust, particularly by Metallic Aluminium and Titanium Dioxide. In the case of pneumoconiosis with tuberculosis, tuberculous foci were extended by the deposit of the dust. The time of formation of minute knot in the lung differs depending on the type of the dust. On the other hand, fine dust was influenced by the presence of tuberculosis.
3) The amount of calcium in serum and organ did not decrease in the case of pneumoconiosis only, while in pneumoconiosis with tuberculosis it decreased at the early stage of tuberculoss infection. However, att the time of recovery of tuberculosis there was tendency of gradual increase, which was depended on the type of the dust. Further, in the pneumoconiosis was tuberculosis, the amount of calcium in each organ decreased lower than that of the pneumoconiosis only, at the early stage of infection, but it would be subsequently increased gradually.
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