MUCUS

ahh mucus...

such a wonderful thing

i looked it up on google and i found out from wikipedia (the most reliable source of them all) that

"In vertebrates, mucus is a slippery secretion produced by, and covering, mucous membranes. It is a viscous colloid containing antiseptic enzymes (such as lysozyme) and immunoglobulins that serves to protect epithelial cells in the respiratory, gastrointestinal, urogenital, visual, and auditory systems in mammals."

now because of my sickness, which is subsiding, i have the forementioned respiratory mucus. particularly the nasal variety, this is what wikipedia had to say about that

"Nasal mucus is produced by the nasal mucosa, and mucus lining the airways (trachea, bronchus, bronchioles) is produced by specialized airway epithelial cells (goblet cells) and submucosal glands. Small particles such as dust, particulate pollutants, and allergens as well as infectious agents such as bacteria become caught in the viscous nasal or airway mucus. This event along with the continual movement of the respiratory mucus layer toward the oropharynx, helps prevent foreign objects from entering the lungs during breathing. Additionally, mucus aids in moisturizing the inhaled air and prevents tissues such as the nasal and airway epithelia from drying out. [1] Nasal and airway mucus is produced constitutively, with most of it swallowed unconsciously.
Increased mucus production in the respiratory tract is a symptom of many common illnesses, such as the common cold and influenza. Similarly, hypersecretion of mucus can occur in inflammatory respiratory diseases such as respiratory allergies, asthma, and chronic bronchitis. [2] The presence of mucus in the nose and throat is normal, but increased quantities can impede comfortable breathing and must be cleared by blowing the nose or expectorating phlegm from the throat. Tears are also a component of nasal mucus."

i love the final note "Tears are also a component of nasal mucus.". i find it funny because at no other point could they find a way to incorporate this into the paragraph so why not just put it at the end. it is also wierd that it is not really explained what is in mucus, so why would this be mentioned?

is it that important that people must know that tears are a constituent part of mucus when we dont know from what else it is constituted???

there was one point though, "Nasal mucus is produced by the nasal mucosa", so from this my search continues to mucosa...

and what i found was that mucosa is the singular from mucous membrane and that "The mucous membranes (or mucosae; singular mucosa) are linings of mostly endodermal origin, covered in epithelium, which are involved in absorption and secretion."

so this beggs the question what is epithelium?

"In biology and medicine, epithelium is a tissue composed of cells that line the cavities and surfaces of structures throughout the body. Many glands are also formed from epithelial tissue. Epithelium lines both the outside (skin) and the inside cavities and lumen of bodies. The outermost layer of our skin is composed of dead stratified squamous, keratinized epithelial cells. Functions of epithelial cells include secretion, absorption, protection, transcellular transport, sensation detection, and selective permeability."

so obviously wikipedia is not the best source of information for this topic i think i may have to go in a little deeper. So my search continues

i find the "medical" definition of "Nasal mucus: A slippery fluid produced by the membranes lining the nose. Excessive nasal mucus is the basis of a runny nose. Mucus is the Latin word for "a semifluid, slimy discharge from the nose."......... Bahahahaha, how vague.

and then some small success "Of all the body cavities in contact with the outside world, the nose is probably one of the most hospitable: it is warm, very well aerated, moist and supplies unlimited quantities of bacterial food secreted continuously by the nasal mucosa (mucus contains quantities of glycoprotein and dissolved salts). In other words it is an ideal breeding ground for bacteria, which are always present."

Glycoprotein and dissolved salts!!!

the salts im guessing are from the tears but glycoprotein???

"Glycoproteins are proteins that contain oligosaccharide chains (glycans) covalently attached to their polypeptide side-chains. The carbohydrate is attached to the protein in a cotranslational or posttranslational modification. This process is known as glycosylation. In proteins that have segments extending extracellularly, the extracellular segments are often glycosylated. Glycoproteins are often important integral membrane proteins, where they play a role in cell-cell interactions."

"One example of glycoproteins found in the body is mucins, which are secreted in the mucus of the respiratory and digestive tracts. The sugars attached to mucins give them considerable water-holding capacity and also make them resistant to proteolysis by digestive enzymes."

so maybe with water holding abilities the glycoprotiens suck up the tears (the liquid that constitutes tears) and then produces a salty sweet mush, and because of the high concentrations of sugars and salts it becomes anticeptic.

Hmmmm interesting stuff

but i wonder if it is different for when you are sick or in different mucus types???
just a question - im done for now

never stop learning

**************************************************

references in order of qoutes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mucus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mucosa
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epithelium
http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=26189
http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=643906
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycoprotien