1.4 Chemical Determination. Proteins are complex, organic compounds composed of many amino acids linked together through peptide bonds and cross-linked between chains by sulfhydryl bonds, hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces.
Common causes of pleurisy include trauma, postcardiac injury, infection (i.e., viral, bacterial, or parasitic), respiratory illness, caustic exposure (i.e., drug-induced), autoimmune disease, and malignancy (TABLE 1).
Symptoms of a pleural effusion include breathing difficulty, chest pain, fever, weight loss, cough, and edema. Removal of air is often an emergency procedure to prevent suffocation from pressure on the lungs. Negative air pressure within the chest cavity allows normal respiration.