Anti-ceramide antibody and sphingosine-1-phosphate as potential biomarkers of unresectable non-small cell lung cancer.

Objectives: Spingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and ceramides are bioactive sphingolipids that influence cancer cell fate. Anti-ceramide antibodies might inhibit the effects of ceramide. The aim of this study was to assess the potential role of circulating S1P and anti-ceramide antibody as biomarkers in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Lung imaging methods: indications, strengths and limitations.

Imaging methods are fundamental tools to detect and diagnose lung diseases, monitor their treatment and detect possible complications. Each modality, starting from classical chest radiographs and computed tomography, as well as the ever more popular and easily available thoracic ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging and nuclear medicine methods, and new techniques such as photon counting computed tomography, radiomics and application of artificial intelligence, has its strong and weak points, which we should be familiar with to properly choose between the methods and interpret their results. In this review, we present the indications, strengths and main limitations of methods for chest imaging.

Genetic and environmental determinants of bone quality: a cross-sectional analysis of the Hungarian Twin Registry.

There is abundant evidence that bone mineral content is highly heritable, while the heritability of bone quality (i.e. trabecular bone score [TBS] and quantitative ultrasound index [QUI]) is rarely investigated.

The Population-Based Hungarian Twin Registry: An Update.

Between 2006 and 2021, the Hungarian Twin Registry (HTR) operated a volunteer twin registry of all age groups (50% monozygotic [MZ], 50% dizygotic [DZ], 70% female, average age 34 ± 22 years), including 1044 twin pairs, 24 triplets and one quadruplet set. In 2021, the HTR transformed from a volunteer registry into a population-based one, and it was established in the Medical Imaging Centre of Semmelweis University in Budapest. Semmelweis University's innovation fund supported the development of information technology, a phone bank and voicemail infrastructure, administrative materials, and a new website was established where twins and their relatives (parent, foster parent or caregiver) can register.

New developments in the imaging of lung cancer.

Radiological and nuclear medicine methods play a fundamental role in the diagnosis and staging of patients with lung cancer. Imaging is essential in the detection, characterisation, staging and follow-up of lung cancer. Due to the increasing evidence, low-dose chest computed tomography (CT) screening for the early detection of lung cancer is being introduced to the clinical routine in several countries.

ERS International Congress 2023: highlights from the Clinical Techniques, Imaging and Endoscopy Assembly.

The Clinical Techniques, Imaging and Endoscopy Assembly is involved in the diagnosis and treatment of several pulmonary diseases, as demonstrated at the 2023 European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress in Milan, Italy. From interventional pulmonology, the congress included several exciting results for the use of bronchoscopy in lung cancer, including augmented fluoroscopy, robotic-assisted bronchoscopy and cryobiopsies. In obstructive lung disease, the latest results on bronchoscopic treatment of emphysema with hyperinflation and chronic bronchitis were presented.

Analysis of Genetic and MRI Changes, Blood Markers, and Risk Factors in a Twin Pair Discordant of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy.

: Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a neurodegenerative disease, a tauopathy, which results in a wide clinical spectrum of neurological symptoms. The diagnosis is mostly based on clinical signs and neuroimaging; however, possible biomarkers for screening have been under investigation, and the role of the gut microbiome is unknown. The aim of our study was to identify potential blood biomarkers and observe variations in the gut microbiome within a PSP discordant monozygotic twin pair.

Oral Health Knowledge and Habits of Hungarian Monozygotic and Dizygotic Twins: A Pilot Study.

Objective: The aim of this research was to collate and analyse the data on the oral health knowledge and the related habits of a Hungarian cohort of monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins using the newly developed World Health Organisation Oral Health Questionnaire for Adults (Annex 7).

Method: A total of 15 sets of MZ twins and 14 sets of DZ twins (58 individuals) aged between 18 and 71 years were enrolled in the study. Each participant had to fill out a web-based questionnaire which comprised 23 questions (Google Forms).

The link between the sphingolipid rheostat and obstructive sleep apnea.

Chronic inflammation induced by hypoxia during sleep is an important mechanism of microvascular damage in OSA patients. In this study, we investigated the role of the sphingosine rheostat, which has diverse inflammatory effects. Thirty-seven healthy subjects and 31 patients with OSA were recruited.

Photon-counting computed tomography in the assessment of rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease: an initial experience.

Purpose: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) accounts for a significant proportion of mortality and morbidity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of this cross-sectional study is to evaluate the performance of novel photon-counting detector computed tomography (PCD-CT) in the detection of pulmonary parenchymal involvement.

Methods: Sixty-one patients with RA without a previous definitive diagnosis of ILD underwent high-resolution (HR) (0.

Utilizing Graphical Analysis of Chest Radiographs for Primary Screening of Osteoporosis.

Background and Objectives: Osteoporosis is a major risk of fractures, harming patients’ quality of life. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), which can detect osteoporosis early, is too expensive to be conducted on a regular basis. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate a screening method using chest radiographs developed in Japan applied to another population.

Heritability of Subcortical Grey Matter Structures.

: Subcortical grey matter structures play essential roles in cognitive, affective, social, and motoric functions in humans. Their volume changes with age, and decreased volumes have been linked with many neuropsychiatric disorders. The aim of our study was to examine the heritability of six subcortical brain volumes (the amygdala, caudate nucleus, pallidum, putamen, thalamus, and nucleus accumbens) and four general brain volumes (the total intra-cranial volume and the grey matter, white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) volume) in twins.

The Predictive Role of the Upper-Airway Adipose Tissue in the Pathogenesis of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea.

This study aimed to analyse the thickness of the adipose tissue (AT) around the upper airways with anthropometric parameters in the prediction and pathogenesis of OSA and obstruction of the upper airways using artificial intelligence. One hundred patients were enrolled in this prospective investigation, who were divided into control (non-OSA) and mild, moderately severe, and severe OSA according to polysomnography. All participants underwent drug-induced sleep endoscopy, anthropometric measurements, and neck MRI.

The Predictive Role of Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue in the Pathogenesis of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea.

Introduction: Our aim was to investigate the applicability of artificial intelligence in predicting obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and upper airway obstruction using ultrasound (US) measurements of subcutaneous adipose tissues (SAT) in the regions of the neck, chest and abdomen.

Methods: One hundred patients were divided into mild (32), moderately severe-severe (32) OSA and non-OSA (36), according to the results of the polysomnography. These patients were examined using anthropometric measurements and US of SAT and drug-induced sleep endoscopy.

Lobular Difference in Heritability of Brain Atrophy among Elderly Japanese: A Twin Study.

: Brain atrophy is related to cognitive decline. However, the heritability of brain atrophy has not been fully investigated in the Eastern Asian population. : Brain imaging of 74 Japanese twins registered in the Osaka University Twin Registry was conducted with voxel-based morphometry SPM12 and was processed by individual voxel-based morphometry adjusting covariates (iVAC) toolbox.

Clinical Predictors of Lung-Function Decline in Systemic-Sclerosis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease Patients with Normal Spirometry.

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is the leading cause of mortality in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) is defined as progression in 2 domains including clinical, radiological or lung-function parameters. Our aim was to assess predictors of functional decline in SSc-ILD patients and compare disease behavior to that in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients.

Smoking remains associated with education after controlling for social background and genetic factors in a study of 18 twin cohorts.

We tested the causality between education and smoking using the natural experiment of discordant twin pairs allowing to optimally control for background genetic and childhood social factors. Data from 18 cohorts including 10,527 monozygotic (MZ) and same-sex dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs discordant for education and smoking were analyzed by linear fixed effects regression models. Within twin pairs, education levels were lower among the currently smoking than among the never smoking co-twins and this education difference was larger within DZ than MZ pairs.

Twin Research and Imaging.

Twins have been the focus of scientific research for more than a century [...

The prognostic role of ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging in obstructive sleep apnoea based on lateral oropharyngeal wall obstruction.

Purpose: This study examined the prognostic value of the lateral pharyngeal wall (LPW)-based obstruction and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) prediction using ultrasound (US) and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).

Methods: One hundred patients with and without OSA were enrolled, according to overnight polysomnography. The LPW thickness (LPWT) was measured using a Philips Ingenia 1.

Heritability of Coronary Artery Disease: Insights From a Classical Twin Study.

Background: Genetics have a strong influence on calcified atherosclerotic plaques; however, data regarding the heritability of noncalcified plaque volume are scarce. We aimed to evaluate genetic versus environmental influences on calcium (coronary artery calcification) score, noncalcified and calcified plaque volumes by coronary computed tomography angiography in adult twin pairs without known coronary artery disease.

Methods: In the prospective BUDAPEST-GLOBAL (Burden of Atherosclerotic Plaques Study in Twins-Genetic Loci and the Burden of Atherosclerotic Lesions) classical twin study, we analyzed twin pairs without known coronary artery disease.

Treatment and Systemic Sclerosis Interstitial Lung Disease Outcome: The Overweight Paradox.

(1) Background: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is frequently associated with interstitial lung diseases (ILDs). The progressive form of SSc-ILD often limits patient survival. The aim of our study is to evaluate the clinical characteristics and predictors of lung function changes in SSc-ILD patients treated in a real-world setting.

Autoimmune Progressive Fibrosing Interstitial Lung Disease: Predictors of Fast Decline.

A subset of interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) with autoimmune traits-including connective tissue disease-associated ILD (CTD-ILD) and interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features (IPAF)-develops progressive fibrosing (PF)-ILD. The aim of our study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics and predictors of longitudinal lung function (LF) changes in autoimmune PF-ILD patients in a real-world setting. All ILD cases with confirmed or suspected autoimmunity discussed by a multidisciplinary team (MDT) between January 2017 and June 2019 ( = 511) were reviewed, including 63 CTD-ILD and 44 IPAF patients.