Figures
- FIGURE 1
Bucket shape pottery from Telemark, also found in several other areas in Norway, from the Bronze Age to the Roman period (400–575 AD). They were used for cooking and storage of food, with estimated asbestos content of 65–80%. Image courtesy of Asbjørn Engevik, University Museum of Bergen, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. © Svein Skaare, University Museum of Bergen.
- FIGURE 2
Cumulative amounts in 5-year periods from 1946 to 2010 of import of raw asbestos to Norway (data from Statistics Norway (www.ssb.no), 2002), incidence rates of malignant mesothelioma per 100 000 among males and females in Norway (International Classification of Diseases (10th Edition) diagnosis code C45; data from the Norwegian Cancer Registry (www.kreftregisteret.no)) and cumulative number of publications in PubMed with the key word “mesothelioma”.
- FIGURE 3
Representation of the normal parietal pleura, the visceral pleura and pleural mesothelioma with the most abundant cell types. Reproduced from [50] with permission from the publisher.
- FIGURE 4
Differential gene expression in human samples of the parietal pleura (PP), the visceral pleura (VP) and mesothelioma (meso). PP and PV from the same noncancer patients were analysed with a genome-wide mRNA array (unpublished observations). Tight junctions are much more abundant in the visceral pleura, and several claudins, including the claudin 18 gene (CLDN18), were highly expressed in VP. The type 2 neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor gene (NTRK2), which is abundantly expressed in nerve cells, is highly expressed in the PP. Both CLDN18 and NTRK2 had low expression in most of the mesotheliomas analysed. OD: optical density.
- FIGURE 5
Pleural hazard of exposure to carbon nanotubes (CNTs). a) Structures of single-walled CNTs (SWCNTs) and multi-walled CNTs (MWCNTs) derived from buckminsterfullerene (C60). The structure of a SWCNT (<0.4 nm in diameter) can be conceptualised by wrapping a one-atom-thick layer of graphite (or graphene) into a seamless cylinder. MWCNTs consist of multiple layers of graphite rolled on themselves to form a tube shape with an interlayer spacing of 3.4 Å and a diameter ranging from 1 to 50 nm. b) Schematic sequence of steps leading to pleural damage and/or malignant transformation as a consequence of exposure to biopersistent fibres. Long fibres and CNTs are retained at stomatal openings and induce an inflammatory oxidative stress response, which leads to aberrant reactions at the parietal pleura. Accordingly, the primary lesion caused by biopersistent fibres might form at the parietal pleural; this fact is reflected in pleural mesothelioma staging, where the early mesothelioma is confined to the parietal pleura while more advanced mesothelioma involves the visceral layer. LC: lymph channel; F: fibre; VP: visceral pleura; PP: parietal pleura; PS: pleural space; S: space c) Increasing literature on lung and pleura toxicity induced by CNTs in PubMed, searching for “CNT and pleural toxicity + CNT and mesothelioma”.
Tables
- TABLE 1
Structural and functional differences of the parietal and visceral pleura
Biological parameters Parietal pleura Visceral pleura Mesothelial microvilli Fewer (fewest on the costal surface) More abundant Mesothelial cell form Flat Cuboidal Elasticity Low High Permeability High Low Tight junctions Fewer More Intramembranous organisation Loose Complex and tight Innervation Somatic, intercostal nerves Vagus, sympathetic trunk Pain receptors Yes No Vascularisation Abundant Poor Drainage of pleural fluid and particles Most Little Pleural fluid origin Most Little Stomata Yes, basal part No Lymphatic drainage Abundant (mostly intercostal spaces) Less, closer to alveoli than the mesothelium Kampmeier's foci Yes No Information from [53].
