Rare Cause of Recurrent Pneumonia in the Left Lower Lobe.

A 52-year-old male patient was hospitalized in our department with the diagnosis of recurrent pneumonia in the left lower lobe. The patient reported possible aspiration of plastic material about 10 years ago, although repeated bronchoscopies in an external hospital had not revealed any foreign body. A multiply folded 8-cm filing strip for a ring folder was detected and successfully removed together with granulation tissue by means of rigid bronchoscopy.

Integrin-linked kinase, phosphorylated AKT and the prognosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Objective: Integrin-linked kinase (ILK) is a cell membrane-bound molecule implicated in the metastatic progression of many tumour types. It phosphorylates the downstream target AKT (phosphorylated AKT, pAKT), and, by doing this, it activates anti-apoptotic pathways. We have recently shown ILK expression in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM).