Reliability of crackles in fibrotic interstitial lung disease: a prospective, longitudinal study.

Background: Although crackles on chest auscultation represent a fundamental component of the diagnostic suspect for fibrotic interstitial lung disease (ILD), their reliability has not been properly studied. We assessed the agreement among respiratory physicians on the presence and changes over time of audible crackles collected in a prospective longitudinal cohort of patients with fibrotic ILD.

Methods: Lung sounds were digitally recorded at baseline and after 12 months at eight anatomical sites.

Anti-IL17 Secukinumab in hidradenitis suppurativa: A long-term drug survival analysis.

Real-world data on the long-term effectiveness of the anti-IL17 agent secukinumab in treating moderate-to-severe Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) are lacking. In this study, 24 patients with moderate-severe HS received five weekly subcutaneous injections followed by maintenance doses every 4 weeks. Primary outcomes included HiSCR, IHS4 reduction, and DLQI measures assessed at 12-week intervals.

Promising advances in treatments for the management of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Introduction: Following the INPULSIS and ASCEND studies, leading to the first two approved antifibrotic therapies for patients with IPF, ongoing investigations are firmly exploring novel agents for a targeted effective and better tolerated therapy able to improve the natural history of the disease.

Areas Covered: This review aims to analyze recent advances in pharmacological research of IPF, discussing the currently available treatments and the novel drugs under investigation in phase 3 trials, with particular emphasis on BI 1015550 and inhaled treprostinil. The literature search utilized Medline and Clinicaltrials.

Imidazolium-Containing Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Materials for the Conversion of CO: Unveiling the Key Role of the Ionic Template.

A straightforward synthesis of a series of hybrid organic-inorganic materials (HOIMs) containing imidazolium moieties was achieved. The preparation of the imidazolium acetate precursor was performed in a single-step procedure using the Debus-Radziszewski reaction. The as-synthesized alkoxysilane was employed in combination with tetraethyl orthosilicate to generate an HOIM presenting a high specific surface area.

An update on emerging drugs for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a look towards 2023 and beyond.

Introduction: Currently approved drug treatments for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), pirfenidone and nintedanib, have been shown to slow lung function decline and improve clinical outcomes. Since significant advances in the understanding of pathogenetic mechanisms in IPF, novel potential agents are being tested to identify new targeted and better tolerated therapeutic strategies.

Areas Covered: This review describes the evidence from IPF phase II and III clinical trials that have been completed or are ongoing in recent years.

Safety and immunogenicity of the protein-based PHH-1V compared to BNT162b2 as a heterologous SARS-CoV-2 booster vaccine in adults vaccinated against COVID-19: a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, non-inferiority phase IIb trial.

Background: A SARS-CoV-2 protein-based heterodimer vaccine, PHH-1V, has been shown to be safe and well-tolerated in healthy young adults in a first-in-human, Phase I/IIa study dose-escalation trial. Here, we report the interim results of the Phase IIb HH-2, where the immunogenicity and safety of a heterologous booster with PHH-1V is assessed versus a homologous booster with BNT162b2 at 14, 28 and 98 days after vaccine administration.

Methods: The HH-2 study is an ongoing multicentre, randomised, active-controlled, double-blind, non-inferiority Phase IIb trial, where participants 18 years or older who had received two doses of BNT162b2 were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive a booster dose of vaccine-either heterologous (PHH-1V group) or homologous (BNT162b2 group)-in 10 centres in Spain.

Challenges in the diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: the importance of a multidisciplinary approach.

Introduction: The diagnosis of Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) requires the careful exclusion of secondary causes of interstitial lung disease (ILD), and the collaboration among different specialists is considered paramount to establish a diagnosis with high diagnostic confidence. The multidisciplinary discussion (MDD) has assumed an increasing importance over the years in the different phases of the IPF diagnostic work-up.

Areas Covered: The role of MDD in the diagnosis and management of IPF will be described.

Lipid Alteration Signature in the Blood Plasma of Individuals With Schizophrenia, Depression, and Bipolar Disorder.

Importance: No clinically applicable diagnostic test exists for severe mental disorders. Lipids harbor potential as disease markers.

Objective: To define a reproducible profile of lipid alterations in the blood plasma of patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) independent of demographic and environmental variables and to investigate its specificity in association with other psychiatric disorders, ie, major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BPD).

Aluminosilicate-Supported Catalysts for the Synthesis of Cyclic Carbonates by Reaction of CO with the Corresponding Epoxides.

Functionalized aluminosilicate materials were studied as catalysts for the conversion of different cyclic carbonates to the corresponding epoxides by the addition of CO. Aluminum was incorporated in the mesostructured SBA-15 silica network. Thereafter, functionalization with imidazolium chloride or magnesium oxide was performed on the Al_SBA-15 supports.

Novel insights in fibrotic pulmonary sarcoidosis.

Purpose Of Review: In chronic pulmonary sarcoidosis, the transition from the inflammatory to the fibrotic stage of the lungs occurs in about 10-20% of cases, eventually causing end-stage fibrotic disease. To date, pathogenetic mechanisms and clinical management remain challenging; thus, we highlight the recent evidence in pulmonary fibrotic processes, clinical signs for an early detection and the potential role of the current investigated antifibrotic agents and promising targeted therapies.

Recent Findings: Recent findings of relevant key cellular pathways can be considered as a glimmer of light in the complexity of sarcoidosis.

A novel longitudinal clustering approach to psychopathology across diagnostic entities in the hospital-based PsyCourse study.

Biological research and clinical management in psychiatry face two major impediments: the high degree of overlap in psychopathology between diagnoses and the inherent heterogeneity with regard to severity. Here, we aim to stratify cases into homogeneous transdiagnostic subgroups using psychometric information with the ultimate aim of identifying individuals with higher risk for severe illness. 397 participants of the PsyCourse study with schizophrenia- or bipolar-spectrum diagnoses were prospectively phenotyped over 18 months.

Prevalence and characteristics of progressive fibrosing interstitial lung disease in a prospective registry.

Background: Progressive fibrosing interstitial lung disease (PF-ILD) is characterised by progressive physiological, symptomatic and/or radiographic worsening. The real-world prevalence and characteristics of PF-ILD remain uncertain.

Methods: Patients were enrolled from the Canadian Registry for Pulmonary Fibrosis between 2015 and 2020.

Drug-induced interstitial lung disease during cancer therapies: expert opinion on diagnosis and treatment.

Background: Drug-induced interstitial lung disease (DIILD) is a form of interstitial lung disease resulting from exposure to drugs causing inflammation and possibly interstitial fibrosis. Antineoplastic drugs are the primary cause of DIILD, accounting for 23%-51% of cases, with bleomycin, everolimus, erlotinib, trastuzumab-deruxtecan and immune checkpoint inhibitors being the most common causative agents. DIILD can be difficult to identify and manage, and there are currently no specific guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of DIILD caused by anticancer drugs.

Advances with pharmacotherapy for the treatment of interstitial lung disease.

Introduction: In recent decades, the primary focus of pharmaceutical research in interstitial lung diseases (ILD) has been on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Recently, pharmaceutical development has also focused on other forms of ILDs, including connective tissue diseases associated ILD, fibrotic hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and sarcoidosis.

Areas Covered: The authors summarize the advances in pharmacotherapy for the treatment of ILD.

COVID-related fibrosis: insights into potential drug targets.

Introduction: Lung injury in severe COVID-19 pneumonia can rapidly evolve to established pulmonary fibrosis, with prognostic implications in the acute phase of the disease and long-lasting impact on the quality of life of COVID-19 survivors. This is an emerging medical need, and it has been hypothesized that antifibrotic treatments could have a role in ameliorating the fibrotic process in the lungs of these patients.

Areas Covered: The safety and efficacy of available antifibrotic drugs (nintedanib and pirfenidone) and novel promising agents are being assessed in several ongoing clinical trials that were performed either in critically ill patients admitted to intensive care, or in discharged patients presenting fibrotic sequalae from COVID-19.