Pseudomesotheliomatous carcinoma of the lung.

Introduction: Pseudomesotheliomatous lung carcinoma is a special, rare entity characterized by large pleural growth and minor invasion of lung tissue. Clinically, radiologically, macroscopically and even histologically this tumor can be misdiagnosed as malignant pleural carcinoma.

Case Report: We represent a 64-year-old male patient, former smoker.

Primary pulmonary alveolar proteinosis.

Introduction: Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis is an uncommon disease characterized by the accumulation of surfactant proteins and phospholipids within the alveolar spaces. Acquired disease can be idiopathic (primary) and secondary. The prevalence of acquired pulmonary alveolar proteinosis is about 0.

Nitrofurantoin-induced immune-mediated lung and liver disease.

Introduction: Nitrofurantoin, a furan derivative, introduced in the fifties has widely been used as an effective agent for the treatment and prevention of urinary tract infections (UTI). Spectrum of adverse reactions to nitrofurantoin is wide, ranging from eosinophilic interstitial lung disease, acute hepatitis and granulomatous reaction, to the chronic active hepatitis, a very rare adverse effect, that can lead to cirrhosis and death.

Case Report: We presented a 55-year- old female patient with eosinophilic interstitial lung disease, severe chronic active hepatitis and several other immune- mediated multisystemic manifestations of prolonged exposure to nitrofurantoin because of the recurrent UTI caused by Escherichia coli.

[The Mounier-Kuhn syndrome].

Background: The Mounier-Kuhn syndrome (MKS) or tracheobronchomegaly (TBM) is a rare condition of unknown frequency, up to now about 100 cases have been reported. It presents by marked dilatation of the trachea and major bronchi, recurrent respiratory infections and consecutive bronchiectasis and scars in lung parenchyme. Sometimes enlargement of transversal colon may be present.

[K-ras mutation predictive significance in platinum based chemotherapeutic protocols in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer].

Background/aim: K-ras oncogene is mutated in about 20% of lung cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the predictive significance for therapeutic response of K-ras mutations in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

Methods: Bronchial aspirate samples were assessed prior to platinum-based chemotherapy start in 39 patients with stage IIIb or IV NSCLC.

[Symptoms, physical findings and bronchial hypersensitivity in patients with bronchial asthma and normal spirometry].

Background/aim: The diagnosis of bronchial asthma, a chronic inflammatory disease of the respiratory tract, is made on the basis of anamnesis, pathologic auscultatory findings of the lungs, lung function disturbances, skin tests, as well as the basic indices of immunologic condition in bronchial trunk. The aim of the study was to find out correlation of objective indices of the disease and than relation with the symptoms in the patients with bronchial asthma.

Methods: The study included 60 young male non smokers with long lasting symptoms of bronchial asthma including shortness of breath, wheezing, hard breathing, nonproductive or productive cough, weakness and night hard breathing.

[Lung involvement in systemic connective tissue diseases].

Background/aim: Systemic connective tissue diseases (SCTD) are chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorders of unknown cause that can involve different organs and systems. Their course and prognosis are different. All of them can, more or less, involve the respiratory sistem.

[Influence of chemiotherapeutic protocol and neuroendocrine differentiation on metastatic non-small cell lung cancer treatment results].

Background/aim: In 40-50% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) at the time of making a diagnosis, the disease is yet at IIIb and IV stage. Standard in the treatment of these patient is the application of systemic chemiotherapy based on CIS/Carboplatin preparations. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of two different chemiotherapeutic protocols and neuroendocrine differentiation on treatment response and survival in patients with metastatic NSCLC.

[Potential role of cholesterol in distinguishing malignant from benign pleural effusion].

Cholesterol and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels in pleural effusion and sera, were measured in 199 patients with pleural effusions of various origins. Malignant cause was found in 93, and nonmalignant in 106 patients. Mean cholesterol level in sera of patient with malignant disease was 5.

[Transitional type of Castleman's disease manifested as the POEMS syndrome].

Background: Castleman's disease is an atypical lymphoproliferative disorder characterized by angiofollicular hyperplasia of lymph nodes. Histologically, it can be classified into a hyaline-vascular type, plasma-cell type, and transitional (mixed-cell) type, while clinically localized type has been classified as unicentric, or generalized (multicentric) form of the disease.

Case Report: This paper presents a 21 year old male patient with multicentric Castleman's disease, a transitional (mixed-cell) type.

[Diagnosis of multiple myeloma based on the material obtained by fine needle aspiration biopsy of the lungs].

The patient presented in this paper was admitted to the hospital for the evaluation of radiologically revealed shadow in both lungs. In the course of diagnostic procedures, fine needle aspiration biopsy of the intrathoracic mass was performed. Cytologic analysis of the smear was performed because of clinical suspicion of plasma cell proliferative disease that was confirmed by bone marrow aspiration.

[Allergic granulomatous angiitis].

Allergic granulomatous angiitis (AGA)--Churg-Strauss syndrome, is a rare autoimmune disease characterized by three distinct clinical phases: prodromal, eosinophilic, and vasculitic, and most of respiratory symptoms and signs begin in the first two phases of the disease. Two female patients of different age, who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for AGA, and were in different phases and with the different duration of the disease are presented. The first patient (24 years of age) was admitted to the hospital due to aggravation of asthma, heart failure, and polyneuropathy.

[Primary ciliary dyskinesia].

In patients with chronic respiratory diseases that last since the early childhood, primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) needs to be considered. Four patients reviewed in this paper were with typical disease history and clinical picture, as well as clear ciliary axonema damage. Complete examination was performed in all the patients, including bronchoscopy with bronchography, and the examination of the biopsy samples of respiratory airways' mucous membrane, obtained by transmission electron microscope (TEM).

[Chylous effusions].

This paper presents 4 patients with chylothorax, and one patient with bilateral chylothorax and chyloperitoneum. The chylous effusions were of benign etiology, developed as a complication of miliary tuberculosis (1 patient), after L-2 vertebral body fracture (1 patient), and idiopathic (2 patients). The diagnosis was confirmed by the presence of chylomicrons and high content of triglycerides in the effusion, ranged 11.

[Diagnostic thoracoscopy].

Diagnostic thoracoscopy in patients with pleural effusion of unclear origin mostly provides the correct diagnosis. Results from published reports of previous researches are not uniform. In 47 male and 20 female patients with pleural effusion of unknown etiology, after receiving negative results obtained from cytological finding of pleural effusion and percutaneous needle biopsy, thoracoscopy with biopsy of one or both pleurae was performed.

[Tumor markers in pleural effusions in bronchogenic carcinoma and tuberculosis].

Concentrations of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carborhydrate antigen (CA) 50 were measured in pleural effusion and sera of 57 patients with bronchogenic carcinoma and in 73 patients in whom the effusion was the sequela of tuberculous pleurisy. In the group with bronchogenic carcinomas, planocellular was confirmed in 19, microcellular in 17, macrocellular in 2, and adenocarcinoma in 18, while in 1 patient it was not possible to determine the histopathologic structure. The diagnosis of pleural disease was established upon the cytologic examination of the effusion and histopathologic examination of the pleural sample obtained by blind percutaneous needle biopsy or following pleuroscopy.