Diagnostic Yield of Endobronchial Ultrasound-Guided Transbronchial Needle Aspiration Cytological Smears and Cell Blocks: A Single-Institution Experience.

Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) is a minimally invasive endobronchial technique, which uses ultrasound along with a bronchoscope to visualize the airway wall and structures that are adjacent to it. Indications for endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) are samplings of mediastinal, hilar lymph nodes, and tumors adjacent to airway walls. EBUS-TBNA has been used in our clinic since 2009.

Distribution of M1 and M2 macrophages in tumor islets and stroma in relation to prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains the most common cause of cancer related death worldwide. Tumor-infiltrating macrophages are believed to play an important role in growth, progression, and metastasis of tumors. In NSCLC, the role of macrophages remains controversial; therefore, we aimed to evaluate the distribution of macrophages (M1 and M2) in tumor islets and stroma and to analyze their relations to patients' survival.

Suppression of Eosinophil Integrins Prevents Remodeling of Airway Smooth Muscle in Asthma.

Airway smooth muscle (ASM) remodeling is an important component of the structural changes to airways seen in asthma. Eosinophils are the prominent inflammatory cells in asthma, and there is some evidence that they contribute to ASM remodeling via released mediators and direct contact through integrin-ligand interactions. Eosinophils express several types of outer membrane integrin, which are responsible for cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions.

Eosinophils enhance WNT-5a and TGF-β1 genes expression in airway smooth muscle cells and promote their proliferation by increased extracellular matrix proteins production in asthma.

Background: Recent studies have suggested that eosinophils may have a direct effect on airway smooth muscle cells (ASMC), causing their proliferation in patients with asthma, but the precise mechanism of the interaction between these cells remains unknown. We propose that changes in Wnt signaling activity and extracellular matrix (ECM) production may help explain these findings. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of eosinophils from asthmatic and non-asthmatic subjects on Wnt-5a, transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), and ECM protein (fibronectin and collagen) gene expression and ASMC proliferation.

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Lithuania - Still a long way ahead.

Despite the recent advances in the diagnosis of tuberculosis, treatment of the disease, for the most part, remains the same as it was half a century ago. In recent years only two new anti-tuberculosis drugs have been approved by the European Medicines Agency and Food and Drug Administration. Though the prevalence of this disease is slowly decreasing all over Europe, new challenges appear.

Levels of IL-32 in Serum, Induced Sputum Supernatant, and Bronchial Lavage Fluid of Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Interleukin-32 (IL-32) is a newly described cytokine which is expected to have an important role in autoimmune disorders. It was shown that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has a component of autoimmunity, though the role of IL-32 in its pathogenesis is not known. The aim of this study was to estimate IL-32 concentrations in serum, induced sputum (IS) supernatant and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid from patients with COPD, and to compare asthma patients with and healthy subjects.

Evaluation of vitamin D levels in allergic and non-allergic asthma.

Background And Objective: Some researches show that low vitamin D may play a role in asthma pathogenesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum vitamin D level in asthmatics with different phenotypes and to determine its associations with lung function, IgE, eosinophil count and body mass index (BMI).

Materials And Methods: The study population comprised 85 patients with asthma and 73 healthy persons.

Distribution of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in tumor islets and stroma from patients with non-small cell lung cancer in association with COPD and smoking.

Background And Objective: The immune system plays an important role in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the infiltration patterns of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in NSCLC and to analyze their relation to COPD, smoking status and other clinicopathologic variables.

Materials And Methods: Lung tissue specimens from 50 patients who underwent surgery for NSCLC (stages I-III) and 10 control group subjects were analyzed immunohistochemically.

The prognostic influence of tumor infiltrating Foxp3(+)CD4(+), CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in resected non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Different subsets of tumor infiltrating T lymphocytes are believed to play essential role in the immune response to cancer cells. The data of these cells in NSCLC are relatively rare and controversial therefore we aimed to evaluate the infiltration patterns of Foxp3 + CD4+, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in NSCLC and to analyze their relations to survival.

Methods: Lung tissue specimens from 80 newly diagnosed and untreated patients who underwent surgery for NSCLC (stages I-III), and 16 control group subjects, who underwent surgery due to recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax, were analyzed.

p-STAT6, PU.1, and NF-κB are involved in allergen-induced late-phase airway inflammation in asthma patients.

Background: Previous in vitro and animal studies demonstrated that transcription factors p-STAT6 and PU.1 are required to induce interleukin (IL)-9 secretion by T helper (Th) 9 cells. It is believed that n factor-kappaB (NF-κB) plays a role in eosinophil survival.

Functional activity of peripheral blood eosinophils in allergen-induced late-phase airway inflammation in asthma patients.

Objective: We aimed to investigate peripheral blood eosinophil chemotaxis, generation of spontaneous reactive oxygen species (ROS), and apoptosis in patients with allergic asthma after bronchial allergen challenge.

Material And Methods: A total of 18 patients with allergic asthma (AA), 14 with allergic rhinitis (AR), and 10 healthy subjects (HS) underwent bronchial challenge with a specific allergen extract. Eosinophils from peripheral blood were isolated 24 h before as well as 7 and 24 h after bronchial allergen challenge.

Peripheral blood Th9 cells and eosinophil apoptosis in asthma patients.

Background And Objective: Th9 cells producing interleukin (IL) 9 are novel subset of CD4+ T helper cells, which might contribute to airway inflammation in asthma. Moreover, the effect of IL-9 on eosinophils is still not fully understood. Study aim was to evaluate peripheral blood Th9 cells and eosinophil apoptosis in allergic asthma patients.

PSMA6 (rs2277460, rs1048990), PSMC6 (rs2295826, rs2295827) and PSMA3 (rs2348071) genetic diversity in Latvians, Lithuanians and Taiwanese.

PSMA6 (rs2277460, rs1048990), PSMC6 (rs2295826, rs2295827) and PSMA3 (rs2348071) genetic diversity was investigated in 1438 unrelated subjects from Latvia, Lithuania and Taiwan. In general, polymorphism of each individual locus showed tendencies similar to determined previously in HapMap populations. Main differences concern Taiwanese and include presence of rs2277460 rare allele A not found before in Asians and absence of rs2295827 rare alleles homozygotes TT observed in all other human populations.

Evaluation of proteasomal gene polymorphisms in Lithuanian patients with asthma.

Objective: To investigate polymorphisms of proteasomal genes PSMA6 (rs1048990 and rs2277460), PSMC6 (rs2295826 and rs2295827) and PSMA3 (rs2348071) in Lithuanian patients with asthma.

Methods: One-hundred forty-six asthma patients and 150 control subjects were studied. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples.

Sputum neutrophil count after bronchial allergen challenge is related to peripheral blood neutrophil chemotaxis in asthma patients.

Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate relations between sputum neutrophilia and the chemotactic activity of peripheral blood neutrophils after the bronchial allergen challenge in asthma patients.

Materials And Methods: Fifteen patients with allergic asthma (AA), 13 patients with allergic rhinitis (AR), all sensitized to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, and 8 healthy subjects (HS) underwent bronchial challenge with D. pteronyssinus.

Expert opinion on the cough hypersensitivity syndrome in respiratory medicine.

In 2011, a European Respiratory Society Task Force embarked on a process to determine the position and clinical relevance of the cough hypersensitivity syndrome, a disorder characterised by troublesome coughing often triggered by low levels of thermal, mechanical or chemical exposure, in the management of patients with chronic cough. A 21-component questionnaire was developed by an iterative process supported by a literature review. 44 key opinion leaders in respiratory medicine were selected and interviewed as to their opinions.

Efficacy of radiofrequency treatment of the soft palate for patients with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome: treatment protocol with nine lesions to the soft palate.

Purpose: The study aimed at assessing the efficacy and safety of a radiofrequency treatment (RFT) protocol with nine lesions to the soft palate in the treatment of mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS).

Methods: Twenty-eight mild to moderate OSAHS patients underwent two sessions of RFT (CelonLab ENT system) at the palatal level within the interval from 6 to 8 weeks. Nine lesions (power setting of 10 W) were made per session.

Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency and spontaneous pneumothorax: possible causal relationship.

Background: An increased incidence of serum alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency has been reported in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but has not been well proven in association with spontaneous pneumothorax. The aim of our study was to evaluate frequency of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency in subjects with spontaneous pneumothorax.

Methods: 39 patients with the diagnosis of spontaneous pneumothorax and 100 age- and sex-matched control subjects were included in the study.

Vascular adhesion molecules in men with obstructive sleep apnea: associations with obesity and metabolic syndrome.

Introduction: Mechanisms linking obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) to vascular diseases as well as obesity and metabolic syndrome are not clear. The purpose of the study was to evaluate levels of vascular adhesion molecules (soluble vascular cell adhesion molecules-1 (sVCAM-1) and E-selectin) in men with obstructive sleep apnea and control subjects and to determine their relations with obesity and metabolic syndrome.

Methods: Men with OSA and controls matched for age were included in the study.

Stargardt disease caused by a rare combination of double homozygous mutations.

Stargardt disease is a juvenile macular degeneration most often inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, characterized by decreased vision in the first 2 decades of life. This report presents a clinical case of Stargardt disease: a 10-year-old female patient complained of blurry vision, and in a 4-year period, her visual acuity was reduced from OD=0.3 and OS=0.

Proteasomes and proteasomal gene polymorphism in association with inflammation and various diseases.

A proteasome, a multicatalytic protein complex, is a central particle of the ubiquitin-proteasome proteolytic pathway in all eukaryotic cells. Through the degradation of most intracellular proteins, proteasomes play a significant role in cell processes, such as cell cycle and division, posttranslational protein quality control, cell signaling, and apoptosis. Therefore, the ubiquitin-proteasome system is necessary to ensure the normal functioning of cells and an organism.

Th17 response to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus is related to late-phase airway and systemic inflammation in allergic asthma.

Background: Th17 cells may play a role in the development of late-phase allergen-induced airway and systemic inflammation in allergic asthma, although the mechanisms involved remain to be elucidated.

Methods: A total of 36 subjects were enrolled into the study: 15 allergic asthma patients with early asthmatic reaction (n=7) or dual asthmatic reaction (n=8) developed to inhaled D. pteronyssinus, 13 patients with allergic rhinitis, and 8 healthy subjects.

Local and systemic neutrophilic inflammation in patients with lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Recent investigations suggest that neutrophils play an important role in the immune response to lung cancer as well as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the amount of neutrophils and markers of their activity in lung cancer and COPD and in coexistence of these two diseases.

Methods: In total, 267 persons were included in the study: 139 patients with lung cancer, 55 patients with lung cancer and COPD, 40 patients with COPD, and 33 healthy subjects.

Reactive oxygen species in peripheral blood and sputum neutrophils during bacterial and nonbacterial acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Chronic airway inflammation can be mediated by an enhanced neutrophil oxidative burst. However, the role of bacteria in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations is highly controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in peripheral blood and sputum neutrophils during bacterial and nonbacterial acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD).