What is the point of the intrapleural space in lungs?????????
86820
The lungs are surrounded by two membranes, the pleurae. The outer pleura is attached to the chest wall and is known as the parietal pleura; the inner one is attached to the lung and other visceral tissues and is known as the visceral pleura. In between the two is a thin space known as the pleural cavity or pleural space. It is filled with pleural fluid, a serous fluid produced by the pleura.\n\nThe pleural fluid lubricates the pleural surfaces and allows the layers of pleura to slide against each other easily during respiration. It also provides the surface tension that keeps the lung surface in contact with the chest wall. During quiet breathing, the cavity normally experiences a negative pressure (compared to the atmosphere) which helps adhere the lungs to the chest wall, so that movements of the chest wall during breathing are coupled closely to movements of the lungs.\n\nThe parietal pleura is highly sensitive to pain; the visceral pleura is not. The visceral pleura has a dual blood supply, from the bronchial and pulmonary arteries. In humans, there is no anatomical connection between the left and right pleural cavities, so in cases of pneumothorax (see below), the other hemithorax will still be able to function normally.\n\nDiseases involving the pleura include:\n\n    * Pneumothorax (collapsed lung): air enters the pleural cavity, either from the outside or from the lungs. This can be the result of a penetrating chest wound, or of an internal injury. A tension pneumothorax is where the punctured chest wall forms a one way valve so that air may enter (through the puncture) on inspiration, but cannot exit on expiration. With each breath air builds up in the chest cavity, compressing the lung still further, thus reducing the surface area available for gas exchange. It is a medical emergency.\n    * Pleural effusion: fluid accumulates in the pleural space, compressing the lungs. This can result for example from lung cancer, infection or heart failure.\n    * Mesothelioma: this is a type of cancer caused by asbestos exposure.\n    * Pleurisy: an inflammation of the pleura, especially one causing painful respiration. Pleurisy can be provoked by a variety of infectious and non-infectious causes. The modern term for this is pleuritis, but the older term is still in common use.
274293
Yes. Pulmonary ventilation starts with the external nares (nasal cavity) -> then to pharynx -> larynx -> trachea -> bronchi -> bronchial tree > Lungs
1090299
Lung\nFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia\n\nThe lungs flank the heart and great vessels in the chest cavity. (Source: Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body, 20th ed. 1918.)\n\nThe lungs flank the heart and great vessels in the chest cavity. (Source: Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body, 20th ed. 1918.)\nAir enters and leaves the lungs via a conduit of cartilaginuous passageways — the bronchi and bronchioles. In this image, lung tissue has been dissected away to reveal the bronchioles. (Source: Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body, 20th ed. 1918.)\n\nAir enters and leaves the lungs via a conduit of cartilaginuous passageways — the bronchi and bronchioles. In this image, lung tissue has been dissected away to reveal the bronchioles. (Source: Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body, 20th ed. 1918.)\n\nThe lung is the essential organ of respiration in air-breathing vertebrates. Its principal function is to transport oxygen from the atmosphere into the bloodstream, and to excrete carbon dioxide from the bloodstream into the atmosphere. This it accomplishes with the mosaic of specialized cells that form millions of tiny, exceptionally thin-walled air sacs where gas exchange takes place. Lungs also have nonrespiratory functions.\n\nMedical terms related to the lung often begin with pulmo-, from the Latin pulmonarius ("of the lungs"), cognate with the Greek pleumon ("lung").\n\nRespiratory function\n\nEnergy production from aerobic respiration often requires oxygen and produces carbon dioxide as a by-product, creating a need for an efficient means of oxygen delivery to cells and carbon dioxide excretion from cells. In smaller organisms, such as single-celled bacteria, this process of gas exchange can take place entirely by simple diffusion. In larger organisms, this is not possible; only a small proportion of cells are close enough to the surface for oxygen from the atmosphere to enter them through diffusion. Two major adaptations made it possible for organisms to attain great multicellularity: an efficient circulatory system that conveyed gases to and from the deepest tissues in the body, and a large, internalised respiratory system that centralized the task of obtaining oxygen from the atmosphere and bringing it into the body, whence it could rapidly be distributed to all tissues via the circulatory system.\n\nIn air-breathing vertebrates, respiration occurs in a series of steps. Air is brought into the animal via the airways — in reptiles, birds and mammals this often consists of the nose; the pharynx; the larynx; the trachea; the bronchi and bronchioles; and the terminal branches of the respiratory tree. The lungs of mammals are a rich lattice of alveoli, which provide an enormous surface area for gas exchange. A network of fine capillaries allows transport of blood over the surface of alveoli. Oxygen from the air inside the alveoli diffuses into the bloodstream, and carbon dioxide diffuses from the blood to the alveoli, both across thin alveolar membranes. The drawing and expulsion of air is driven by muscular action; in early tetrapods, air was driven into the lungs by the pharyngeal muscles, whereas in reptiles, birds and mammals a more complicated musculoskeletal system is used. In the mammal, a large muscle, the diaphragm (in addition to the internal intercostal muscles), drive ventilation by periodically altering the intra-thoracic volume and pressure; by increasing volume and thus decreasing pressure, air flows into the airways down a pressure gradient, and by reducing volume and increasing pressure, the reverse occurs. During normal breathing, expiration is passive and no muscles are contracted.. [\n\nNonrespiratory functions\n\nIn addition to respiratory functions such as gas exchange and regulation of hydrogen ion concentration, the lungs also:\n\n    * influence the concentration of biologically active substances and drugs used in medicine in arterial blood\n    * filter out small blood clots fo
1064606
chainsawoman has a great insight and could well be describing you exactly.  however in addition to her explanation, there are a couple of other possibilities but you dont give much to go on, so i'll shotgun your question:\n1.  the lungs are made up of five individual lobes, two on the left and three on the right.  each lobe has segments, which total 18.  all lobes and segments are infused with arteries and veins, plus airway channels of different names.  at the end of the teeniest airways are alveoli.  alveoli are where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide take place with the blood.  now that you are familiar with the anatomy here are some other possibilities.\na.  lesions within the air channels.  the lesion/s can be infected causing accumulations of pus.  \nb.  pneumonia or pneumonits, which can be focused in a segment or lobe thus appearing as a pocket of pus.\nc. and to be less medical, she could have air pockets (from tissue errosion) in an area of lung, the pockets are filled with pus, water, or just air.\nnone of these are common, nor expected for a young to middle age (30ish) girl (daughter, you dont say how old daughter is).\nnone of the three descriptions are diagnosable unless you had an xray. and any of the three could be associated with a variety of respiratory disease/s or states of disease.\n\na final thought is cystic fibrosis but that is so less likely b/c CF is usually diagnosed well before a child is 5 or 6 years old, and 95% of the time is diagnosed before the first year.\n\nso there is a whole gammut of things for you to consider.  however i cant imagine any doctor just saying you have pus pockets in the lungs and provide no other explanation or further treatment.
510672
It's a condition in which air leaks into the space between the lungs and the chest wall.  It is serious because it leads to lung collapse and needs to be treated.  The treatment is to insert a thin tube into that space - called "the pleural space" that is in turn attached to a device that reinflates the lungs and keeps them that way as the leak heals.  Yes, it's a bit uncomfortable, but so is dying of asphyxia!
263081
this allows the oxygen to more fully saturate the alveoli because the oxygen stays inside your lungs longer, leading to better perfusion and better SaO2 (oxygen saturation)\n\nin other words, it helps the oxygen to get to your body and tissues more efficiently
204472
The tiniest part of our lung is called alveolus (plural is alveoli). It is like an inflated balloon . The air in side this balloon is the fresh air we have inhaled.\n Now imagine your ten fingers covering an inflated balloon from all the sides. That is how the blood capillaries cover the alveoli . these blood capillaries have extremely thin wall through the oxygen, which is at a higher concentration in the fresh air of the alveoli, diffuses in the blood capillary. It is immediately picked up by the hemoglobin in the Red blood cells forming oxyhemoglobin  . It is the source of oxygen to our body. This is then taken to different parts of the body and given to them.\nAt the same time , CO2 collected from the body parts and brought to the alveoli by those vary capillaries diffuses in to the air of the alveoli because its concentration in the capillaries is greater. \nThe air in the alveoli is now stale air rich in CO2 and poor in O2. It is exhaled out.\nThus , the gaseous exchange can occur only on the surface of the alveoli . Their walls are as thin as the walls of a soap bubble, only that they are not fragile like soap bubble.\nIn the body muscles the gaseous exchange occurs in the same fashion but between the capillaries.
207756
To transport Oxygen from the lungs to other tissues, to transport carbon dioxide from tissues to the lungs. White blood cells are used to fight infections. Platelets are used to seal holes in the blood vessels.
212161
"across these surfaces"  you obviously copied this from your homework or something because "these surfaces" must require some sort of figure to tell you what is happening.  Why don't you ask us a question that includes what surface and we will be able to help you.\n\nAre you talking about aveoli in the lungs?
686517
our lungs are covered by a double layerd sac..called the pleura. the two layers are called visecral and parietal.\nnormally there is very little fluid in the pleura...to overcome friction..etc..\nif there is accumulation of fluid, above normal...then it is called pleural effusion.\nit can be due to many causes...eg...inflammation, tuberculosis, malignancy...etc...
290188
respiratory , but why did you post this question in physics?
250284
See a doctor.  Don't take chances with your lungs.  It could be as simple as needing an antibiotic but you may do permanent damage if untreated.  Take care.
417764
It's a question of the relative amounts of muscle and fat, together with the density of your bones. Basically, if your overall body density (mass/volume) is >1 you will sink, if it's <1 you will float.\n\nThe air in your lungs *does* make a difference, since taking a deep breath both expands your volume, and increases the amount of low-density stuff in that volume. If I have a lungful of air, I can just about float; breathe out, and I sink.
544768
The Lungs are made up of millions of tiny air sacs called alveoli. These alveoli are like the millions of little holes in a sponge.\n\nJust out of curiosity, did you feel them in a dissection or something?
226834
It's the valve in the throat that controls the airway to the lungs.  When you swallow it closes so the food doesn't go into the lungs.  I'm not 100% sure so double check me.
614278
Survey says:  *ding*\n\nOUT!\n\nBecause:  The diaphragm acts to inhale.  So when functions cease, the diaphragm relaxes and air is exhaled.\n\nNot *all* the way out, though, since the rib cage will still support the lungs, some air remaining.
634184
Alveoli - Each bronchiole ends in a tiny air chamber that looks like a bunch of grapes.  Each chamber contains many cup-shaped cavities known as alveoli.  The walls of the alveoli, which are only about one cell thick, are the respiratory surface.  They are thin, moist, and are surrounded by several numbers of capillaries.  The exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between blood and air occurs through these walls.  The estimation is that lungs contain about 300 million alveoli. Their total surface area would be about 70 square meters.  That is 40 times the surface area of the skin.  \n\nFUNCTIONThe alveoli allow this gas exchange to occur. Each alveoli has a network of capillaries that carry oxygen-poor red blood cells. The capillaries bring the red blood cells very close to the air space in the alveoli. The air in the alveoli is oxygen rich. Oxygen moves from the alveolar space into the red blood cell by diffusion. This can happen very quickly because the surface are of the alveoli is large and the membranes separating the lungs from the red blood cells are very thin. The rate of oxygen diffusion is dependent on surface area, so gas exchange occurs more quickly with larger surface areas.