Respiration; international review of thoracic diseases
-
Endobronchial tuberculosis (EBTB) has been shown to frequently complicate bronchial stenosis, a condition which can induce dyspnea as a result of airway obstruction, and is also frequently misdiagnosed as either bronchial asthma or lung cancer. ⋯ Elevated IFN-gamma and TGF-beta levels in the BWF of the EBTB patients may be related to EBTB pathogenesis. Lowered initial serum TGF-beta levels as well as the observed changes in the levels of TGF-beta in the serum after treatment have been implicated in bronchial fibrostenosis during the course of the disease.
-
Comparative Study
Nitric oxide and exhaled breath nitrite/nitrates in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients.
Measurement of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrite/nitrates (NOx) levels in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) are non-invasive techniques, which can be used to monitor airway inflammatory diseases. Production of NO is often increased in inflammatory diseases of the airways, including exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD-associated airway inflammation may be affected by multiple factors, including cigarette smoking and glucocorticosteroid (GCS) treatment. ⋯ COPD patients have higher exhaled NO levels than control subjects when either combined or analysed as non-smoking, ex-smoking and smoking subgroups. GCS treatment did not appear to affect these non-invasive markers of airway inflammation in COPD.
-
Several studies have implicated the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of lung damage in idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIPs). Investigations of inflammatory cells in IIP have show that eosinophils, neutrophils and T cells may be associated with a poorer prognosis. ⋯ The total density of inflammatory cells and lymphocytes presents a different distribution within the pulmonary parenchyma in AIP/DAD, NSIP/NSIP and IPF/UIP evolutionary adapted responses to injury. There is a localized distribution of inflammation in the normal, intervening and dense fibrosis areas of UIP for CD3+, associated with a lethal deterioration of the pulmonary function and poor survival. Our findings provide further evidence of the importance of inflammation in the pathophysiology of IIPs.
-
Case Reports
Progressive overlap syndrome due to small cell lung cancer as a paraneoplastic syndrome.
The association between rheumatic diseases and malignancy has been documented in many studies. Polymyositis and especially dermatomyositis are associated with a higher risk of malignant disease. Furthermore, lung cancer usually develops in patients with a prolonged history of systemic sclerosis accompanied by pulmonary fibrosis. Though overlap syndrome is rarely reported in the associated cancer, this is the first report describing progressive overlap syndrome in small cell lung cancer as a paraneoplastic syndrome.
-
Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is an established diagnostic tool in interstitial lung diseases. BAL frequently yields findings of diagnostic value and at times even confirmatory diagnostic results. ⋯ The recovery rate hardly affected the cellular and non-cellular constituents of BAL at a lower limit of 30% of the instilled volume.