Comments and Illustrations of the European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine Guidelines: Benign Pleura Lesions (Benign Pleura Thickening, Lesions and Masses)-What Can Be Seen on Transthoracic Ultrasound?

Pleural thickening can be the result of inflammation or infection but can also have a neoplastic origin. Depending on the clinical context, a pleural lesion or mass is often initially suspected of malignancy. Benign pleural tumors are rare, and their appearance on ultrasound (US) is also described less frequently than pleural metastases or malignancies.

Clinical improvements after endoscopic lung volume reduction with valves in patients with advanced emphysema and a 6-min walk test ≤140 m at baseline.

Background: Data regarding the effectiveness and safety of endoscopic lung volume reduction with valves (ELVR) in emphysema patients with a very low 6-min walk test (6MWT) are limited. Patients with severe emphysema and very low exercise capacity, as indicated by a 6MWT ≤140 m, are often excluded from clinical studies on ELVR, assuming limited therapeutic benefits and increased complication risk.

Study Designs And Methods: This study utilised data from the Lungenemphysemregister e.

High Content Image Analysis of Cellular Responses of the Murine J774A.1 Cell Line and Primary Human Cells Alveolar Macrophages to an Extended Panel of Pharmaceutical Agents.

Introduction: In vitro screening of macrophages for drug-induced effects, such as phospholipidosis, is useful for detecting potentially problematic compounds in the preclinical development of oral inhaled products. High-content image analysis (HCIA) is a multi-parameter approach for cytotoxicity screening. This study provides new insights into HCIA-derived response patterns of murine J774A.

Comments and Illustrations of the European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine (EFSUMB) Guidelines: Rare Malignant Pulmonal and Pleural Tumors: Primary Pulmonary Sarcoma and Mesothelioma, Imaging Features on Transthoracic Ultrasound.

Primary pulmonary sarcoma and mesothelioma are rare malignancies. The review article discusses the appearance of these tumors in B-mode ultrasound (US), color Doppler ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS). In particular, the article is intended to inspire the examination of thoracic wall tumors and pleural masses with the possibilities of ultrasonography and to obtain histologically evaluable material using US or CEUS-guided sampling.

Reconstructing dietary practices at Tell Kamid el-Loz (Lebanon) during the Bronze and Iron Age III / Persian to Hellenistic periods using plant micro-remains from dental calculus and stable isotope analysis of bone collagen.

Unlabelled: Tell Kamid el-Loz (Lebanon) was an important Bronze Age urban center that dominated one of the central crossroads of the Ancient Near East, connecting Egypt and the Levant with northern Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and Syria, as well as the interior with the Mediterranean coast. However, by the early Iron Age, the site had shrunk to a small rural settlement. Later, in the Iron Age III / Persian-Hellenistic, only enigmatic pits and a large cemetery remained.

Isotopic and proteomic evidence for communal stability at Pre-Pottery Neolithic Jericho in the Southern Levant.

As one of the key, long-term occupied sites in the Southern Levant, Jericho was one of the most important early Neolithic centres to witness social and economic changes associated with the domestication of plants and animals. This study applies strontium (Sr/Sr), oxygen (δO) and carbon (δC) isotope analyses to the enamel of 52 human teeth from Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN) layers of Jericho to directly study human diet and mobility and investigate the degree of consolidation and the flexibility of social organization of Jericho society in the PPN period. The results indicate only two non-local individuals out of the 44 sampled inhabitants identified by strontium isotope analysis and are consistent with the presence of a largely sedentary community at PPN Jericho with no evidence for large-scale migration.

Assessment of efficacy and safety of endoscopic lung volume reduction with one-way valves in patients with a very low FEV.

Introduction: Endoscopic lung volume reduction (ELVR) with one-way valves produces beneficial outcomes in patients with severe emphysema. Evidence on the efficacy remains unclear in patients with a very low forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV) (≤20% predicted). We aim to compare clinical outcomes of ELVR, in relation to the FEV restriction.

Cell-Free Methylated and Plasma DNA as a Biomarker for Therapy Monitoring and Prognosis in Advanced Stage NSCLC Patients.

Notwithstanding some improvement in the earlier detection of patients with lung cancer, most of them still present with a late-stage disease at the time of diagnosis. Next to the most frequently utilized factors affecting the prognosis of lung cancer patients (stage, performance, and age), the recent application of biomarkers obtained by liquid profiling has gained more acceptance. In our study, we aimed to answer these questions: (i) Is the quantification of free-circulating methylated and plasma DNA a useful method for therapy monitoring, and is this also possible for patients treated with different therapy regimens? (ii) Is this approach possible when blood-drawing tubes, which allow for a delayed processing of blood samples, are utilized? Baseline values for and do not allow for clear discrimination between different response groups.

Pneumothorax detection with thoracic ultrasound as the method of choice in interventional pulmonology - A retrospective single-center analysis and experience.

Background: Recent studies have shown that thoracic ultrasound (TUS) is not inferior to chest radiography (CR) in detecting pneumothorax (PTX). It is unclear if adopting TUS can reduce the number of CR in the daily clinical routine. This retrospective study investigates the utilization of post-interventional CR and TUS for PTX detection after the introduction of TUS as the method of choice in an interventional pulmonology unit.

Changes in tidal breathing biomarkers as indicators of treatment response in AECOPD patients in an acute care setting.

Purpose: Acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) is a complication of COPD that typically necessitates intensified treatment and hospitalization. It is linked to higher morbidity, mortality and healthcare spending. Assessment of therapy response for AECOPD is difficult due to the variability of symptoms and limitations in current measures.

Impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 on Hospital Admissions, Health Status, and Behavioral Changes of Patients with COPD.

Introduction: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have an increased risk of acquiring severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is why self-isolation was recommended. However, long periods of social isolation, accompanied by limited access to health care systems, might influence the outcome of patients with severe COPD negatively.

Methods: Data from COPD and pneumonia patients at Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the volume of endoscopic lung volume reduction (ELVR) surgeries from the German Lung Emphysema Registry (.

Transbronchial cryobiopsy in unexplained, severe ARDS: a single center retrospective case series.

Background: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) deptics an acute form of lung infjury with often severe respiratory impairment that requires invasive mechanical ventilation. Since ARDS can be caused by several distinct etiologies, correct characterization is desired and frequently challenging. Surgical lung biopsy was previously reported to be of additive value.

Endoscopic Lung Volume Reduction with One-Way Valves in Patients with Severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with Hypercapnia.

Background: Robust clinical evidence on the efficacy and safety of endoscopic lung volume reduction (ELVR) with one-way valves in patients with severe lung emphysema with chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure is lacking.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare patient characteristics, clinical outcome measures, and incidences of adverse events between patients with severe COPD undergoing ELVR with one-way valves and with either a partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) of ≤45 mm Hg or with pCO2 >45 mm Hg.

Methods: This was a multicentre prospective study of patients with severe lung disease who were evaluated based on lung function, exercise capacity (6-min walk test [6-MWT]), and quality-of-life tests.

Phenotyping of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension: a registry analysis.

Background: Among patients meeting diagnostic criteria for idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH), there is an emerging lung phenotype characterised by a low diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) and a smoking history. The present study aimed at a detailed characterisation of these patients.

Methods: We analysed data from two European pulmonary hypertension registries, COMPERA (launched in 2007) and ASPIRE (from 2001 onwards), to identify patients diagnosed with IPAH and a lung phenotype defined by a DLCO of less than 45% predicted and a smoking history.

Prognostic value of improvement endpoints in pulmonary arterial hypertension trials: A COMPERA analysis.

Background: The prognostic value of improvement endpoints that have been used in clinical trials of treatments for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) needs to be further investigated.

Methods: Using the COMPERA database, we evaluated the prognostic value of improvements in functional class (FC) and absolute or relative improvements in 6-min walking distance (6MWD) and N-terminal fragment of pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). In addition, we investigated multicomponent endpoints based on prespecified improvements in FC, 6MWD and NT-proBNP that have been used in recent PAH trials.

Efficacy and Safety of ELOM-080 as Add-On Therapy in COVID-19 Patients with Acute Respiratory Insufficiency: Exploratory Data from the Prospective Placebo-Controlled COVARI Trial.

Introduction: Enhancement of mucociliary clearance (MCC) might be a potential target in treating COVID-19. The phytomedicine ELOM-080 is an MCC enhancer that is used to treat inflammatory respiratory diseases.

Patients/methods: This randomised, double-blind exploratory study (EudraCT number 2020-003779-17) evaluated 14 days' add-on therapy with ELOM-080 versus placebo in patients with COVID-19 hospitalised with acute respiratory insufficiency.

Pleuropulmonary pathologies in the early phase of acute pancreatitis correlate with disease severity.

Background: Respiratory failure worsens the outcome of acute pancreatitis (AP) and underlying factors might be early detectable.

Aims: To evaluate the prevalence and prognostic relevance of early pleuropulmonary pathologies and pre-existing chronic lung diseases (CLD) in AP patients.

Methods: Multicentre retrospective cohort study.

Crown-Cut Endobronchial Ultrasound Guided Transbronchial Aspiration Needle: First Real-World Experiences.

Advancements in personalized medicine have increased the demand for quantity and preservation of tissue architecture of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) samples. These demands may be addressed by the SonoTip TopGain needle, which has a 3-point crown-cut design that contrasts with the standard single bevel design of the ViziShot 2. The objective was to compare the SonoTip TopGain and ViziShot 2 needles by considering biopsy sample characteristics, diagnostic accuracy, and patient safety.

Linear Endobronchial Ultrasound in the Era of Personalized Lung Cancer Diagnostics-A Technical Review.

Major advances in molecular profiling for available targeted treatments and immunotherapy for lung cancer have significantly increased the complexity of tissue-based diagnostics. Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspirations (EBUS-TBNA) are commonly performed for diagnostic biopsies and lymph node staging. EBUS-TBNA has increasingly become one of the main sources of tumor cells for molecular analyses.

Maturation trajectories and transcriptional landscape of plasmablasts and autoreactive B cells in COVID-19.

In parasite and viral infections, aberrant B cell responses can suppress germinal center reactions thereby blunting long-lived memory and may provoke immunopathology including autoimmunity. Using COVID-19 as model, we set out to identify serological, cellular, and transcriptomic imprints of pathological responses linked to autoreactive B cells at single-cell resolution. We show that excessive plasmablast expansions are prognostically adverse and correlate with autoantibody production but do not hinder the formation of neutralizing antibodies.

Ethics of DNA research on human remains: five globally applicable guidelines.

We are a group of archaeologists, anthropologists, curators and geneticists representing diverse global communities and 31 countries. All of us met in a virtual workshop dedicated to ethics in ancient DNA research held in November 2020. There was widespread agreement that globally applicable ethical guidelines are needed, but that recent recommendations grounded in discussion about research on human remains from North America are not always generalizable worldwide.