Development of Pulmonary Artery Aneurysms Due to Behçet's Disease and Resolution after Treatment.

We herein describe a patient with Behçet's disease in whom we followed the development and resolution of pulmonary artery aneurysms. He presented with intermittent hemoptysis, pulmonary thromboembolism was initially diagnosed, and anticoagulant therapy was started. Over the next several months, the expansion of pulmonary arteries was noted.

Comparison of clinical characteristics and outcomes between aspiration pneumonia and community-acquired pneumonia in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients often have dysphagia through age and several co-morbidities, leading to aspiration pneumonia (AsP). COPD patients also have increased risk of developing community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Using a national inpatient database in Japan, we aimed to compare clinical characteristics and outcomes between AsP and CAP in COPD patients and to verify the factors that affect in-hospital morality.

Comparison of in-hospital mortality in patients with COPD, asthma and asthma-COPD overlap exacerbations.

Background And Objective: Obstructive airway diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), have airflow limitation associated with chronic inflammation. Using a national inpatient database in Japan, we aimed to evaluate factors affecting in-hospital mortality in patients with asthma, COPD or asthma-COPD overlap (ACO).

Methods: We retrospectively collected data for inpatients (age >40 years) with exacerbation of COPD and/or asthma in 1073 hospitals across Japan between July 2010 and May 2013.

Paradoxical association between body mass index and in-hospital mortality in elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Japan.

Background And Objective: The prevalence and mortality of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in elderly patients are increasing worldwide. Low body mass index (BMI) is a well-known prognostic factor for COPD. However, the obesity paradox in elderly patients with COPD has not been well elucidated.

Clinical features of 280 hospitalized patients with lymphangioleiomyomatosis in Japan.

Background And Objective: Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is rare, but potentially life threatening owing to respiratory failure. However, knowledge is limited about the condition of hospitalized LAM patients. The objectives of this study were to investigate patient characteristics, comorbidities and causes of death among hospitalized LAM patients in Japan.

Factors affecting mortality following emergency admission for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of mortality worldwide. Patients with COPD frequently have systemic comorbidities that often require unscheduled hospitalization for exacerbation and deterioration of physical conditions, and can have a poor prognosis. We verified factors affecting patients' short-term mortality, using a national inpatient database in Japan.

Simultaneous stimulation with TGF-β1 and TNF-α induces epithelial mesenchymal transition in bronchial epithelial cells.

Background: Airway remodeling is an important feature of chronic airway disease, but the mechanisms involved remain unclear. Recently, epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) was reported to be associated with tissue fibrosis. TGF-β1, which is a potent inducer of EMT, is thought to be related to the pathogenesis of airway remodeling.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha enhances both epithelial-mesenchymal transition and cell contraction induced in A549 human alveolar epithelial cells by transforming growth factor-beta1.

Recently, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been reported to contribute to tissue fibrosis through enhanced transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 signaling. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha has also been implicated in tissue fibrosis. Therefore, the authors investigated whether TNF-alpha affected TGF-beta1-induced EMT.

C-reactive protein modulates human lung fibroblast migration.

C-reactive protein (CRP) has been classically used as a marker of inflammation. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of CRP on migration of human fetal lung fibroblasts (HFL-1) to human plasma fibronectin (HFn). Using the blindwell chamber technique, CRP inhibited HFL-1 migration in a dose-dependent fashion (at 1 microg/mL, inhibition: 32.

Airway epithelial versus immune cell Stat1 function for innate defense against respiratory viral infection.

The epithelial surface is often proposed to actively participate in host defense, but evidence that this is the case remains circumstantial. Similarly, respiratory paramyxoviral infections are a leading cause of serious respiratory disease, but the basis for host defense against severe illness is uncertain. Here we use a common mouse paramyxovirus (Sendai virus) to show that a prominent early event in respiratory paramyxoviral infection is activation of the IFN-signaling protein Stat1 in airway epithelial cells.

Modification of the Stat1 SH2 domain broadly improves interferon efficacy in proportion to p300/CREB-binding protein coactivator recruitment.

A normal level of interferon (IFN) responsiveness via the Stat1 transcription factor is critical to the host, since decreased Stat1 signaling causes immune compromise and increased signaling is associated with inflammatory and neoplastic disease. Here we report how this balance may be influenced by novel alterations in the efficiency of Stat1 signaling. To enable disulfide-dependent and spontaneous formation of active Stat1 homodimer (as was done previously for Stat3), we engineered Stat1-CC with double-cysteine substitutions in the Src homology 2 (SH2)-homodimerization domain (at Ala-656 and Asn-658).

Interferon-gamma inhibits hepatocyte growth factor-stimulated cell proliferation of human bronchial epithelial cells: upregulation of p27(kip1) cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor.

Proliferation of bronchial epithelial cells is an important biologic process in a variety of physiologic and pathologic conditions. In this study, we demonstrate that hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) stimulates proliferation of human bronchial epithelial cells obtained from healthy volunteers. The mitogenic effect of HGF is dependent on costimulation with serum and is completely abrogated by interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma).