A number of in vivo, in vitro and numerical studies have considered flow field characteristics and micro-particle deposition in the oral airway extending from the mouth through the larynx. These studies have highlighted the effects of flow rates, turbulence and particle characteristics on deposition values in realistic and simplified geometries. However, the effect of geometry simplifications on regional and local deposition patterns remains largely un-quantified for the oral airway and throughout the respiratory tract. The objective of this study is to assess the effects of geometry simplifications on regionally averaged and local micro-aerosol deposition characteristics in models of the extrathoracic oral airway. To achieve this objective, a realistic model of the oral airway has been constructed based on CT scans of a healthy adult in conjunction with measurements reported in the literature. Three other geometries with descending degrees of physical realism were constructed based on successive geometric simplifications of the realistic model. A validated low Reynolds number (LRN) k-omega turbulence model was employed to simulate laminar, transitional and fully turbulent flow regimes for 1-31 microm particles. Geometric simplifications were found to have a significant effect on aerosol dynamics, hot spot formations and cellular-level deposition values in the extrathoracic airway models considered. For all models, regional deposition efficiency results were found to be approximately within one standard deviation of available experimental data when plotted as a function of Stokes number. The realistic geometry provided the best predictions of regional deposition in comparison to experimental data as a function of particle diameter. Considering localized deposition, maximum deposition enhancement factors, which represent the ratio of local to total deposition, were one to two orders of magnitude higher for the realistic model. Geometric factors that significantly contributed to enhanced particle localization in the realistic model include a triangular-shaped glottis and a dorsal-sloped trachea. Therefore, highly realistic models of the oral airway geometry may be necessary to evaluate localized deposition patterns and hot spot formations, which are critical for accurately predicting cellular-level dose.

No abstract

The extent to which laryngeal-induced flow features penetrate into the upper tracheobronchial (TB) airways and their related impact on particle transport and deposition are not well understood. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of including the laryngeal jet on the behavior and fate of inhaled aerosols in an approximate model of the upper TB region. The upper TB model was based on a simplified numerical reproduction of a replica cast geometry used in previous in vitro deposition experiments that extended to the sixth respiratory generation along some paths. Simulations with and without an approximate larynx were performed. Particle sizes ranging from 2.5 nm to 12 mum were considered using a well-tested Lagrangian tracking model. The model larynx was observed to significantly affect flow dynamics, including a laryngeal jet skewed toward the right wall of the trachea and a significant reverse flow in the left region of the trachea. Inclusion of the laryngeal model increased the tracheal deposition of nano- and micrometer particles by factors ranging from 2 to 10 and significantly reduced deposition in the first three bronchi of the model. Considering localized conditions, inclusion of the laryngeal approximation decreased deposition at the main carina and produced a maximum in local surface deposition density in the lobar-to-segmental bifurcations (G2-G3) for both 40-nm and 4-microm aerosols. These findings corroborate previous experiments and highlight the need to include a laryngeal representation in future computational and in vitro models of the TB region.

No abstract

Previous experimental studies have shown that concentrated cigarette smoke particles (CSPs) deposit in the upper airways like much larger 6 to 7 µm aerosols. Based on the frequent assumption that relative humidity (RH) in the lungs does not exceed approximately 99.5%, the hygroscopic growth of initially submicrometer CSPs is expected to be a relatively minor factor. However, the inhalation of mainstream smoke may result in humidity values ranging from sub-saturated through supersaturated conditions. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of condensation particle growth on the transport and deposition of CSPs in the upper respiratory tract under various RH and temperature conditions. To achieve this objective, a computational model of transport in the continuous phase surrounding a CSP was developed for a multicomponent aerosol consisting of water soluble and insoluble species. To evaluate the transport and deposition of dilute hygroscopic CSPs in the upper airways, a model of the human mouththroat (MT) through approximately respiratory generation G6 was considered with four steady inhalation conditions. These inhalation conditions were representative of inhaled ambient cigarette smoke as well as warm and hot saturated smoke. Results indicate that RH conditions above 100% are possible in the upper respiratory tract during the inhalation of a warm or hot saturated airstream. For sub-saturated inhalation conditions, initial evaporation of the CSPs was observed followed by hygroscopic growth and diameter increases less than approximately 50%. In contrast, the inhalation of warm or hot saturated air resulted in significant particle growth in the MT and tracheobronchial regions. For the inhalation of warm saturated air 3• C above body temperature, initially 200 and 400 nm particles were observed to increase in size to above 3 µm near the trachea inlet. The upper boundary inhalation condition • C air resulted in 7 to 8 µm droplets entering the trachea. These results do not prove that the enhanced deposition of CSPs in the upper airways is only a result of condensational growth. However, this study does highlight condensational growth as a potentially significant mechanism in the deposition of smoke particles under saturated inhalation conditions. INTRODUCTIONRelationships between cigarette smoke constituents and lung disease, respiratory and systemic cancer, and cardiovascular disease have been well established (Doll and Hill 1950;Wynder and Graham 1950; WHO 2002; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2004;. Considering bronchogenic carcinoma, a number of studies have reported evidence linking local sites of deposited cigarette smoke particles (CSPs) with disease formation (Bryson and Spencer 1951;Ermala and Holsti 1955;Martonen 1986;Martonen et al. 1987;Yang et al. 1989). For example, Yang et al. (1989) reported significantly elevated incidents of bronchogenic carcinoma at sites that coincided with previously observed CSP deposition from other studies (Bryson and Spencer 1951;Ermala and Holsti 1...

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract