Interstitial Lung Disease: Seasonality of Hospitalizations and In-Hospital Mortality 2005-2015.

Background: The overall incidence of interstitial lung disease and disease-associated mortality have been found on the rise. Hospitalizations for interstitial lung disease are typically caused by airway infection or the acute exacerbation of the underlying disease. Seasonal variance in ambient air pollution has recently been linked to exacerbation and mortality.

Clinical characteristics of patients with familial idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (f-IPF).

Background: The aim of this study was to analyze the relative frequency, clinical characteristics, disease onset and progression in f-IPF vs. sporadic IPF (s-IPF).

Methods: Familial IPF index patients and their family members were recruited into the European IPF registry/biobank (eurIPFreg) at the Universities of Giessen and Marburg (UGMLC).

Lung CT Densitometry in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis for the Prediction of Natural Course, Severity, and Mortality.

Background: In this study, we retrospectively assessed the relationships among physiologic measurements, survival, and quantitative high-resolution CT (HRCT) scanning indexes in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

Methods: Seventy patients (48 male; mean [SD] age, 66.4 [9.

Characteristics and outcomes of a cohort hospitalized for pandemic and seasonal influenza in Germany based on nationwide inpatient data.

Rationale: From June of 2009 to August of 2010 the influenza subtype H1N1pdm09 caused a worldwide pandemic. The impact on populations and health care systems around the globe evolved differently. Substantial data come from the German national surveillance network in an outpatient and private practice setting, while information on hospitalized patients in Germany is rather limited.

Aberrant expression and activity of histone deacetylases in sporadic idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Background: Activation and differentiation of fibroblasts into contractile protein-expressing myofibroblasts and their acquired apoptosis-resistant phenotype are critical factors towards the development of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a fatal disease characterised by distorted pulmonary structure and excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition. The molecular mechanisms underlying these processes in IPF remain incompletely understood. We investigated the possible implication of aberrant overexpression and activity of histone deacetylases (HDACs) in IPF.

Comparative proteome analysis of lung tissue from patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), non-specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) and organ donors.

Unlabelled: Among the idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIP), the two entities IPF and NSIP seem to be clinically related, but NSIP has a better outcome. The proteomic signatures which distinguish NSIP from IPF remain still elusive. We therefore performed comparative proteomic analysis of peripheral lung tissue from patients with sporadic IPF (n=14) and fibrotic NSIP (fNSIP, n=8) and organ donors (Controls, n=10), by using the 2-dimensional DIGE technique and MALDI-TOF-MS.

Unravelling the progressive pathophysiology of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a life-threatening condition, with a median survival of <3 yrs. The pathophysiology is not fully understood, but chronic injury of alveolar epithelial type II cells (AECII) is considered key. In IPF, disturbed folding and processing of surfactant proteins and impaired DNA repair may represent underlying reasons for maladaptive endoplasmic reticulum stress responses, increased reactive oxygen species production and/or DNA damage.