Functional Improvement at One Year in Fibrotic Interstitial Lung Diseases-Prognostic Value of Baseline Biomarkers and Anti-Inflammatory Therapies.

Background: The clinical spectrum of fibrotic interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) is highly heterogeneous. We aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of widely available baseline biomarkers for the improvement of lung function in patients with fibrotic ILDs.

Methods: This registry-based study included 142 patients with fibrotic ILDs as defined by the presence of reticulation, traction bronchiectasis or honeycombing on initial high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT).

Smoking-Associated Endotracheal Hair Growth: A Case Report on Tracheal Complications.

BACKGROUND A 52-year-old male patient presented with symptoms of chronic cough and persistent tracheal irritation 26 years after surgical closure of a tracheostoma, supported by an autologous auricular cartilage graft and cutaneous transplant. At the initial clinical presentation, the patient was an active smoker, with a cumulative dose of 31 pack years. CASE REPORT Bronchoscopy revealed endotracheal hair growth and local inflammation at the graft site.

Updated reference values for static lung volumes from a healthy population in Austria.

Background: Reference values for lung volumes are necessary to identify and diagnose restrictive lung diseases and hyperinflation, but the values have to be validated in the relevant population. Our aim was to investigate the Global Lung Function Initiative (GLI) reference equations in a representative healthy Austrian population and create population-derived reference equations if poor fit was observed.

Methods: We analysed spirometry and body plethysmography data from 5371 respiratory healthy subjects (6-80 years) from the Austrian LEAD Study.

[Interaction of somatic findings and psychiatric symptoms in COVID-19. A scoping review].

An infection with SARS-CoV‑2 can affect the central nervous system, leading to neurological as well as psychiatric symptoms. In this respect, mechanisms of inflammation seem to be of much greater importance than the virus itself. This paper deals with the possible contributions of organic changes to psychiatric symptomatology and deals especially with delirium, cognitive symptoms, depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder and psychosis.

Physical Activity, Depression and Quality of Life in COPD - Results from the CLARA II Study.

Background: Symptoms of depression, pain and limitations in physical activity may affect quality of life in COPD patients independent from their respiratory burden. We aimed to analyze the associations of these factors in outpatients with COPD in Austria in a stable phase of disease.

Methods: We conducted a national, cross-sectional study among patients with COPD.

Minimally invasive autopsies for the investigation of pulmonary pathology of COVID-19-experiences of a longitudinal series of 92 patients.

Minimally invasive autopsies (MIAs) allow the collection of tissue samples for diagnostic and research purposes in special situations, e.g., when there is a high risk of infection which is the case in the context of COVID-19 or restrictions due to legal or personal reasons.

[S1 guidelines for the management of postviral conditions using the example of post-COVID-19].

These S1 guidelines are an updated and expanded version of the S1 guidelines on long COVID differential diagnostic and management strategies. They summarize the state of knowledge on postviral conditions like long/post COVID at the time of writing. Due to the dynamic nature of knowledge development, they are intended to be "living guidelines".

The Impact of Exercise Training and Supplemental Oxygen on Peripheral Muscles in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: Exercise training is a cornerstone of the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, whereas the related interindividual heterogeneity in skeletal muscle dysfunction and adaptations are not yet fully understood. We set out to investigate the effects of exercise training and supplemental oxygen on functional and structural peripheral muscle adaptation.

Methods: In this prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blind study, 28 patients with nonhypoxemic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (forced expiratory volume in 1 second, 45.

Prevalence of restrictive lung function in children and adults in the general population.

Background: Restrictive lung function (RLF) is characterized by a reduced lung expansion and size. In the absence of lung volume measurements, restriction can be indirectly assessed with restrictive spirometric patterns (RSP) by spirometry. Prevalence data on RLF by the golden standard body plethysmography in the general population are scarce.

Clinical, imaging, and blood biomarkers to assess 1-year progression risk in fibrotic interstitial lung diseases-Development and validation of the honeycombing, traction bronchiectasis, and monocyte (HTM)-score.

Introduction: Progression of fibrotic interstitial lung disease (ILD) leads to irreversible loss of lung function and increased mortality. Based on an institutional ILD registry, we aimed to evaluate biomarkers derived from baseline patient characteristics, computed tomography (CT), and peripheral blood for prognosis of disease progression in fibrotic ILD patients.

Methods: Of 209 subsequent ILD-board patients enregistered, 142 had complete follow-up information and were classified fibrotic ILD as defined by presence of reticulation or honeycombing using a standardized semi-quantitative CT evaluation, adding up typical ILD findings in 0-6 defined lung fields.

Crossover Patient Outcomes for Targeted Lung Denervation in Moderate to Severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: AIRFLOW-2.

Background: Targeted Lung Denervation (TLD) is a potential new therapy for COPD. Radiofrequency energy is bronchoscopically delivered to the airways to disrupt pulmonary parasympathetic nerves, to reduce bronchoconstriction, mucus hypersecretion, and bronchial hyperreactivity.

Objectives: This work assesses the effect of TLD on COPD exacerbations (AECOPD) in crossover subjects in the AIRFLOW-2 trial.

Durvalumab after Sequential High Dose Chemoradiotherapy versus Standard of Care (SoC) for Stage III NSCLC: A Bi-Centric Trospective Comparison Focusing on Pulmonary Toxicity.

Introduction: The standard of care (SoC) for unresectable stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is durvalumab maintenance therapy after concurrent chemoradiation in patients with PD-L1 > 1%. However, the concurrent approach is only amenable for about one-third of patients due to co-morbidities. Although sequential regimens are usually not regarded as curative, these schedules applied in a dose-escalated manner may be similarly radical as SoC.

Antibody Response and Maternofetal Antibody Transfer in SARS-CoV-2-Positive Pregnant Women: A Multicenter Observational Study.

Awareness of SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant women and the potential risk for infection of their neonates is increasing. The aim of this study was to examine the immune status of affected women and evaluate the dynamics of placental antibody transfer. The study included 176 women with SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy who delivered between April 2020 and December 2021 at eight obstetric maternity sites.

Management of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infections with focus on patients with chronic lung diseases (as of 10 January 2022) : Updated statement of the Austrian Society of Pneumology (ASP).

The Austrian Society of Pneumology (ASP) launched a first statement on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in May 2020, at a time when in Austria 285 people had died from this disease and vaccinations were not available. Lockdown and social distancing were the only available measures to prevent more infections and the breakdown of the health system. Meanwhile, in Austria over 13,000 patients have died in association with a SARS-CoV‑2 infection and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was among the most common causes of death; however, SARS-CoV‑2 has been mutating all the time and currently, most patients have been affected by the delta variant where the vaccination is very effective but the omicron variant is rapidly rising and becoming predominant.

Ciprofloxacin-Resistant Lung Abscess Complicating COVID-19 Treated with the Novel Oral Fluoroquinolone Delafloxacin.

Purpose: We report the development of a lung abscess caused by a ciprofloxacin-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a patient with COVID-19 on long-term corticosteroid therapy. Successful antimicrobial treatment included the novel oral fluoroquinolone delafloxacin suggesting an oral administration option for ciprofloxacin-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung abscess. An 86-year-old male was admitted to the hospital with fever, dry cough, and fatigue.

Restricted spirometry and cardiometabolic comorbidities: results from the international population based BOLD study.

Background: Whether restricted spirometry, i.e. low Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), predicts chronic cardiometabolic disease is not definitely known.

Sex-Based Clinical Outcome in Advanced NSCLC Patients Undergoing PD-1/PD-L1 Inhibitor Therapy-A Retrospective Bi-Centric Cohort Study.

Men with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have a more favorable response to immune-checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) monotherapy, while women especially benefit from ICI-chemotherapy (CHT) combinations. To elucidate such sex differences in clinical practice, we retrospectively analyzed two cohorts treated with either ICI monotherapy ( = 228) or ICI-CHT combination treatment ( = 80) for advanced NSCLC. Kaplan-Meier analyses were used to calculate progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS), influencing variables were evaluated using Cox-regression analyses.

NAVIGATE 24-Month Results: Electromagnetic Navigation Bronchoscopy for Pulmonary Lesions at 37 Centers in Europe and the United States.

Introduction: Electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy (ENB) is a minimally invasive, image-guided approach to access lung lesions for biopsy or localization for treatment. However, no studies have reported prospective 24-month follow-up from a large, multinational, generalizable cohort. This study evaluated ENB safety, diagnostic yield, and usage patterns in an unrestricted, real-world observational design.

First-Line Pembrolizumab Mono- or Combination Therapy of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Baseline Metabolic Biomarkers Predict Outcomes.

Quantitative biomarkers derived from positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) have been suggested as prognostic variables in immune-checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). As such, data for first-line ICI therapy and especially for chemotherapy-ICI combinations are still scarce, we retrospectively evaluated baseline F-FDG-PET/CT of 85 consecutive patients receiving first-line pembrolizumab with chemotherapy ( = 70) or as monotherapy ( = 15). Maximum and mean standardized uptake value, total metabolic tumor volume (MTV), total lesion glycolysis, bone marrow-/and spleen to liver ratio (BLR/SLR) were calculated.

[Guideline S1: Long COVID: Diagnostics and treatment strategies].

This guideline comprises the state of science at the time of the editorial deadline. In view of the high turnover of knowledge the guideline is designed as a living guideline. The main objective was to provide a tool for the use in primary care, being considered well suited as a first point of entry and for the provision of care.

A simple and cheap aerosol penetrometer for filter testing using an electronic cigarette.

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic face masks grew in importance as their use by the general population was recommended by health officials in order to minimize the risk of infection and prevent further spread of the virus. To ensure health protection of medical personnel and other system relevant staff, it is of considerable interest to quickly test if a certain lot of filtering facepiece masks meets the requirements or if the penetration changes under different conditions. As certified penetrometers are rather expensive and were difficult to obtain during the COVID-19 pandemic, we describe two quite simple and cheap methods to quickly test the filter penetration based on an electronic cigarette.