(Don't) take my breath away: Rare epithelial cells in our airways initiate reflexes to guard against harmful stimuli
成果类型：
Editorial Material
署名作者：
Seeholzer, Laura
署名单位：
University of California System; University of California San Francisco
刊物名称：
SCIENCE
ISSN/ISSBN：
0036-8325
DOI：
10.1126/science.ads1317
发表日期：
2024-09-27
页码：
1428-1429
关键词：
摘要：
Everything that enters our mouth can flow to the lungs or the stomach. Most of the time, things go in the right direction: Air enters the lungs, and food and liquid are shunted to the gastrointestinal tract. However, within an instant, this process can fail. Each time we eat, drink, or sleep, every breath holds the risk of aspirating food, liquid, or stomach acid into our airway. At best, aspiration evokes temporary panic and mild discomfort as we forcefully clear our airways. At worst, it can lead to airway blockage, acidinduced lung damage, or aspiration pneumonia (1). These worst-case outcomes occur frequently in people with neurological or esophageal disorders or with critical illness and are a leading cause of aspiration pneumonia and mortality in older people (2).