About this Research Topic

Background

Pulmonary diseases pose a major health problem worldwide with millions of affected individuals and dire economic impact. Prominent pulmonary diseases include COPD, asthma, pneumonia, tuberculosis and lung cancer. Among these, COPD is the third leading cause of fatalities worldwide resulting in over 3 million deaths annually. SARS-CoV-2 induced pneumonia and associated health complications have also resulted in millions of deaths globally in recent years.
Early diagnosis, treatment and appropriate clinical management of such diseases can significantly alter the outcome and help improve the life-span of the affected individuals. Diagnosis and treatment often involve a combination of clinical evaluation, imaging tests (X-rays, CT scans etc.), pulmonary function tests (tidal volume, functional residual capacity, expiratory flow rate etc.), and sometimes invasive procedures (bronchoscopy, biopsy etc.). Management strategies may include medications, oxygen therapy, pulmonary rehabilitation, and in severe cases, surgical interventions. Detailed knowledge about lung physiology, lung function as well as disease pathophysiology is crucial in this regard.

While significant progress has been made in developing knowledge of lung physiology and pathophysiology of pulmonary diseases, several important questions still remain unanswered. For example, why is the acinar region affected more in SARS-CoV-2 infection when compared to Influenza although the infection route is similar? Why does only 30% of individuals exposed to tuberculosis virus develop complications whereas the other 70% remains unaffected?
Airway biomechanics – encompassing airway anatomy and physiology, complex fluid dynamics, gas exchange, particle deposition, associated biochemical processes - can potentially be utilised to answer such critical questions on pathophysiology of pulmonary diseases. Investigation of airway biomechanics is, thus, a multidisciplinary approach spanning multiple spatio-temporal scales varying over several orders of magnitude.
This research topic aims to consolidate the recent scientific advancements in human airway biomechanics. The specific focus is to utilise these advancements in improving our understanding of pathophysiology of pulmonary diseases with a view to ensure early classification of such diseases. Such early classification would enable proper diagnosis, treatment and management of pulmonary diseases. With unabated rise in air pollution and climate change, and emergence of novel airborne diseases, this research topic becomes more crucial than ever before.

This Research Topic welcomes submissions related to the following themes with specific focus on classification, diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary diseases:

• Airway biomechanics
• Experimental, theoretical and computational investigations of airway fluid dynamics
• Biomechanics of mucociliary clearance in airways
• Biomechanics of gas exchange in the airways
• Particle (or droplet, aerosol etc.) transport and deposition in the airways
• Aerosol formation and transport within airways
• Mechanics of infection onset and progression within airways
• Fluid-structure interaction in airways
• Pulmonary drug delivery systems

This Research Topic welcomes submission of original research, mini-reviews, reviews, data reports, opinions, protocols, and perspectives on the themes mentioned above.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Respiratory system, Lungs, Pulmonary diseases, Mucociliary clearance, Fluid transport, Particle deposition, Aerosolization, Pulmonary drug delivery, Lung infections

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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