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File:IPLab12Mesothelioma11.jpg|Scanning electron micrograph of asbestos bodies. Note the rough surface and the beaded appearance caused by the material adhering to the surface of the asbestos fiber.
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== Study Questions ==
* <spoiler text="What is the significance of the patient's history of asbestos exposure in this case?">Asbestos has been identified as a risk factor for developing:
# localized fibrous plaques or, rarely, diffuse pleural fibrosis;
# pleural effusions;
# parenchymal interstitial fibrosis (asbestosis);
# bronchogenic carcinoma;
# mesotheliomas; and
# laryngeal and perhaps other extrapulmonary neoplasms, including colon carcinomas.</spoiler>
* <spoiler text="What is the most common tumor produced by asbestos and what is the significance of both asbestos expose and smoking?">Bronchiogenic carcinoma is the most common tumor associated with asbestos (five times increased risk after asbestos exposure). However, the risk for developing mesothelioma (which is normally an extremely rare tumor) increases by 1,000-fold after asbestos exposure.Concentration, size, shape, and solubility of the different forms of asbestos dictate whether disease will occur.</spoiler>
* <spoiler text="What type of asbestos fiber is most harmful?">There are two distinct geometric forms of asbestos:
* serpentine (curly and flexible fibers), and
* amphibole (straight, stiff, and brittle fibers).
The serpentine chrysotile chemical form accounts for most of the asbestos used in industry.
Amphiboles, though less prevalent, are more pathogenic than chrysotiles, particularly with respect to induction of malignant pleural tumors (mesotheliomas). Indeed, some studies of mesotheliomas have shown the link is almost always to amphibole exposure.</spoiler>
* <spoiler text="What are asbestos bodies?">Asbestos bodies appear as golden-brown, fusiform or beaded rods with a translucent center. They are composed of an asbestos fiber coated with an iron-containing proteinaceous material. They arise when macrophages attempt to phagocytose asbestos fibers; the iron (ferritin) binds to the fiber within the phagocyte. Other inorganic particles may also be incorporated onto the asbestos fiber along with the ferritin.</spoiler>
{{IPLab 12}}
[[Category: IPLab:Lab 12]]
