Pulmonary actinomycosis complicated by fistula of the chest wall.

Actinomycosis is a rare disease caused by Actinomyces spp. The clinical and radiological picture of the disease is uncharacter-istic, which delays the diagnosis and can lead to complications. We present a case of pulmonary actinomycosis complicated by a chest wall fistula in a 43-year-old man with advanced tooth decay.

Efficacy and safety of pleurectomy and wedge resection versus simple pleurectomy in patients with primary spontaneous pneumothorax.

Background: The treatment of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) remains controversial. Guidelines do not explicitly define surgical procedures. Different treatment modalities are observed in clinics of same profile.

New aspects in the diagnosis and treatment of primary spontaneous pneumothorax.

This paper provides a recapitulation of the position of the British Thoracic Society and the American College of Chest Physicians based on a review of the literature concerning the current methods of diagnosing and treating primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP). The previously developed guidelines were re-evaluated in 2015 by a task force of the European Respiratory Society (ERS). They are intended to be used by surgeons as well as emergency and pulmonary ward physicians, and they apply largely to emergency procedures.

Selected metabolic aspects of elastin and collagen fiber proteolysis in diseases of the respiratory system - the significance of α1 antitrypsin deficiency.

The process of elastin and collagen fiber destruction was presented based on the example of the changes taking place in the course of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and primary spontaneous pneumothorax. In 1963, when analyzing patients with α1 antitrypsin deficiency, Dr Laurell and Dr Eriksson hypothesized that elastolysis plays a role in the pathogenesis of emphysema, which marked the beginning of studies aimed at analyzing this process. The present work concerns new scientific reports regarding the hypothesis.