Clinical remission in patients with severe eosinophilic asthma treated with mepolizumab: A analysis of RELIght study.

Remission of asthma can occur as part of the natural history of the disease; however, the use of biologics can result in disease remission in some patients. In this post hoc analysis of the RELIght study, we aimed to evaluate clinical remission in real life among patients treated with mepolizumab, to detect possible differences between "remitters" and "nonremitters," and to evaluate possible predictors of remission. Clinical remission was defined as the absence of asthma exacerbations, discontinuation of oral corticosteroids (OCS), achievement of asthma control (Asthma Control Test [ACT] ≥ 20), and stable or improved lung function.

Performance of Lung Ultrasound as a Screening Tool for Subclinical Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease: a Multicenter Study.

Background: The screening strategy for interstitial lung disease (ILD) in rheumatoid arthritis patients is currently debated. While high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is the gold standard for diagnosing ILD, its systematic use as a screening tool is not yet recommended. The role of lung ultrasound (LUS) in assessing ILD has been previously explored.

Prevalence of SARS-COV-2 infection and outcomes in Greek sarcoidosis patients.

Background And Aim: There is limited data on the prevalence of SARS-COV-2 in sarcoidosis patients and the underlying parameters linked to severity. We aimed to conduct a national multicenter study to explore the prevalence of SARS-COV-2 in sarcoidosis patients and investigate its impact on hospitalization and infection rates, describe the characteristics of the infected population and assess the role of these characteristics in determining the likelihood of infection or hospitalization.

Methods: We recruited all the adult sarcoidosis patients with who were examined across eight Greek Health Interstitial Lung Disease Referral Centers from the beginning of the pandemic until August 1, 2022.

Effect of mepolizumab in airway remodeling in patients with late-onset severe asthma with an eosinophilic phenotype.

Background: Clinical trials and real-world experience have provided evidence for the clinical benefits of mepolizumab, an anti-IL-5 biologic, in severe asthma. However, limited data exist regarding the impact of mepolizumab on airway remodeling.

Objective: We sought to investigate the effect of mepolizumab on airway structural remodeling in patients treated for severe asthma in routine clinical care.

Multi-level therapeutic actions of cannabidiol in ketamine-induced schizophrenia psychopathology in male rats.

Repeated administration of ketamine (KET) has been used to model schizophrenia-like symptomatology in rodents, but the psychotomimetic neurobiological and neuroanatomical underpinnings remain elusive. In parallel, the unmet need for a better treatment of schizophrenia requires the development of novel therapeutic strategies. Cannabidiol (CBD), a major non-addictive phytocannabinoid has been linked to antipsychotic effects with unclear mechanistic basis.

Cell type-specific and subcellular expression of phospholipid phosphatase-related proteins to modulate lyso-phosphatidic acid synaptic signaling in the developing and adult CNS.

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a bioactive phospholipid that participates in critical processes in neural development and adult brain function and is implicated in various pathophysiological conditions. Along with its six well-characterized receptors, atypical regulators of LPA signaling have also been suggested, including phospholipid phosphatase-related proteins (PLPPRs). PLPPRs have been mostly studied in the developing brain where they control LPA-dependent axon guidance, cortical network hyperexcitability, and glutamatergic neurotransmission.

rs12702634 and rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease in European ancestry.

Objective: Recently, a genome-wide association study identified an association between RA-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD) and rs12702634 in the Japanese population, especially for patients with a usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) pattern. We aimed to replicate this association in a European population and test for interaction with rs35705950.

Methods: In this genetic case-control association study, patients with RA and ILD and controls with RA and no ILD were included from France, the USA and the Netherlands.

ERS International Congress 2023: highlights from the Interstitial Lung Diseases Assembly.

This article summarises a selection of scientific highlights in the field of interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) presented at the International Congress of the European Respiratory Society in 2023. Translational and clinical studies focused on the whole spectrum of ILDs, from (ultra)rare ILDs to sarcoidosis, ILDs associated with connective tissue disease and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The main topics of the 2023 Congress presentations were improving the diagnostic process of ILDs, better prediction of disease course and investigation of novel treatment options.

Reversibility of the Enlargement of the Pulmonary Artery in COVID-19 Pneumonia as a Marker of Remission of the Disease.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia is associated with extensive pulmonary microangiopathy and the enlargement of the pulmonary artery (PA), while its progression after the remission of the disease has not been investigated yet. The aim was to assess the diametral increase in the PA in COVID-19 pneumonia, as revealed on chest computed tomography (CT), and further investigate its progression. This was a retrospective cohort study of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, without prior history of pulmonary hypertension, who underwent CT pulmonary angiography before, during, and after the infection.

Multi-level profiling of the Fmr1 KO rat unveils altered behavioral traits along with aberrant glutamatergic function.

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common cause of inherited intellectual disabilities and the most prevalent monogenic cause of autism. Although the knockout (KO) of the Fmr1 gene homolog in mice is primarily used for elucidating the neurobiological substrate of FXS, there is limited association of the experimental data with the pathophysiological condition in humans. The use of Fmr1 KO rats offers additional translational validity in this regard.

Overnight desaturation in interstitial lung diseases: links to pulmonary vasculopathy and mortality.

Background: Overnight desaturation predicts poor prognosis across interstitial lung diseases (ILDs). The aim of the present study was to investigate whether nocturnal desaturation is associated with pulmonary vasculopathy and mortality.

Methods: A retrospective single centre study of 397 new ILD patients was carried out including patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) (n=107) and patients with non-IPF fibrotic ILD (n=290).

Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis: Challenges of a Complex Disease.

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is a complex interstitial lung disease caused by chronic inhalation of a wide variety of antigens in susceptible and sensitized individuals, commonly associated with an occupational exposure. An impressive number of inciting antigens causing hypersensitivity pneumonitis have been found to cover a wide range of occupations. As working practices have changed over time, especially in industrialized countries, new names for occupational HP have emerged.

Calprotectin serum levels on admission and during follow-up predict severity and outcome of patients with COVID-19: A prospective study.

Background & Aims: Calprotectin reflects neutrophil activation and is increased in various inflammatory conditions including severe COVID-19. However, serial serum calprotectin measurements in COVID-19 patients are limited. We assessed prospectively, calprotectin levels as biomarker of severity/outcome of the disease and a COVID-19 monitoring parameter in a large cohort of consecutive COVID-19 patients.

Gastrointestinal pirfenidone adverse events in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis depending on diet: the MADIET clinical trial.

https://bit.ly/3LuzAUJ

Increased lipocalin-2 expression in pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis.

Introduction: Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive interstitial lung disease with dismal prognosis. The underlying pathogenic mechanisms are poorly understood, resulting in a lack of effective treatments. However, recurrent epithelial damage is considered critical for disease initiation and perpetuation, via the secretion of soluble factors that amplify inflammation and lead to fibroblast activation and exuberant deposition of ECM components.

SRC and TKS5 mediated podosome formation in fibroblasts promotes extracellular matrix invasion and pulmonary fibrosis.

The activation and accumulation of lung fibroblasts resulting in aberrant deposition of extracellular matrix components, is a pathogenic hallmark of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, a lethal and incurable disease. In this report, increased expression of TKS5, a scaffold protein essential for the formation of podosomes, was detected in the lung tissue of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis patients and bleomycin-treated mice. Τhe profibrotic milieu is found to induce TKS5 expression and the formation of prominent podosome rosettes in lung fibroblasts, that are retained ex vivo, culminating in increased extracellular matrix invasion.

Corrigendum: Post-COVID-19 interstitial lung disease: Insights from a machine learning radiographic model.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.

ERS International Congress 2022: highlights from the Interstitial Lung Diseases Assembly.

This article contains a selection of scientific highlights in the field of interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) presented at the hybrid European Respiratory Society International Congress 2022. Early Career Members of Assembly 12 summarise recent advances in translational and clinical research in idiopathic interstitial pneumonias, ILDs of known origin, sarcoidosis and other granulomatous diseases, and rare ILDs. Many studies focused on evaluation of diagnostic and prognostic (bio)markers, and novel pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatment options for different ILDs.

Pathogenesis, clinical features, and phenotypes of pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease: A consensus statement from the Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute's Innovative Drug Development Initiative - Group 3 Pulmonary Hypertension.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a frequent complication of interstitial lung disease (ILD). Although PH has mostly been described in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, it can manifest in association with many other forms of ILD. Associated pathogenetic mechanisms are complex and incompletely understood but there is evidence of disruption of molecular and genetic pathways, with panvascular histopathologic changes, multiple pathophysiologic sequelae, and profound clinical ramifications.

Evaluation of Drug Interactions in Hospitalized Patients with Respiratory Disorders in Greece.

: Patients with respiratory disorders often have additional diseases and are usually treated with more than one medication to manage their respiratory conditions as well as additional comorbidities. Thus, they are frequently exposed to polypharmacy (≥5 drugs), which raises the risk for drug-drug interactions (DDIs) and adverse drug reactions (ADRs). In this work, we present the results regarding the prevalence of DDIs in hospitalized patients with respiratory disorders in Greece.

Post-COVID-19 interstitial lung disease: Insights from a machine learning radiographic model.

Introduction: Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 seem to be an emerging global crisis. Machine learning radiographic models have great potential for meticulous evaluation of post-COVID-19 interstitial lung disease (ILD).

Methods: In this multicenter, retrospective study, we included consecutive patients that had been evaluated 3 months following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection between 01/02/2021 and 12/5/2022.