Blood Neutrophil Count and Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio for Prediction of Disease Progression and Mortality in Two Independent Systemic Sclerosis Cohorts.

Objective: To assess the predictive significance of blood neutrophil count and the ratio between neutrophil and lymphocyte count (neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio [NLR]) for disease severity and mortality in systemic sclerosis (SSc).

Methods: Neutrophil and lymphocyte counts were prospectively measured in the Genetics versus Environment in Scleroderma Outcome Study (GENISOS) and the Scleroderma Lung Study II (SLS II). Forced vital capacity percent predicted (FVC%) and modified Rodnan skin thickness score (MRSS) were used as surrogate measures for disease severity.

The Effect of Anti-Scl-70 Antibody Determination Method on Its Predictive Significance for Interstitial Lung Disease Progression in Systemic Sclerosis.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the predictive significance of anti-Scl-70 (anti-topoisomerase I) antibodies, as determined by three different methods, for decline in forced vital capacity (FVC) within the first year of follow-up in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc)-related interstitial lung disease (ILD).

Methods: Patients in the Genetics Versus Environment in Scleroderma Outcome Study cohort who had ILD (verified by imaging) and available FVC% at enrollment, plus 12 to 18 months thereafter, were examined. All patients had a disease duration of 5 years or less at enrollment.

52-Year-Old With Epistaxis, Hemoptysis, Hoarseness, and Weight Loss.

A 52-year-old man presented with hemoptysis of 2 weeks' duration. He had been experiencing hoarseness, right-sided pleuritic chest pain, subjective fevers, chills, night sweats, and 10 pounds weight loss for the previous 2 months. He additionally reported severe frontal headaches, nasal congestion, and intermittent epistaxis, which had been present for a year before his current presentation.

Predictive factors for success of awake proning in hypoxemic respiratory failure secondary to COVID-19: A retrospective cohort study.

Background: Awake prone positioning has been recommended as an adjunctive measure in spontaneously breathing patients with hypoxemic respiratory failure during the COVID-19 pandemic. It remains uncertain as to how long this should be implemented, what variables to follow and who would be the ideal candidates for this adjunctive therapy.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of patients admitted from April to August 2020 within our institution with multifocal pneumonia and hypoxemic respiratory failure secondary to COVID-19 who underwent awake-proning for at least 3 hours was conducted.

Diagnostic yield of electromagnetic navigational bronchoscopy: A safety net community-based hospital experience in the United States.

Introduction: Electromagnetic navigational bronchoscopy (ENB) is an excellent tool to diagnose peripheral pulmonary nodules, especially in the setting of emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis. However, most of these procedures are done by interventional pulmonologists and academic tertiary centers under general anesthesia. Studies evaluating the diagnostic utility of this tool in safety-net community hospitals by pulmonologists not formally trained in this technology are lacking.

Safety and incidence of complications associated with bronchoscopy in an obese population.

Introduction: The safety of bronchoscopy in obese patients and those with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is unclear. Our objective was to evaluate the incidence of complications during bronchoscopy under moderate sedation in obese patients and to assess the impact of OSA, body mass index (BMI), and duration of the procedure.

Methods: We performed a retrospective study in adult patients undergoing bronchoscopy from January 2010 to August 2019.

Wells Score to Predict Pulmonary Embolism in Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Background: The association between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and hypercoagulability has been extensively described, and pulmonary embolism is a recognized complication of COVID-19. Currently, the need for computed tomography pulmonary angiogram (CTPA) relies on the Wells score and serum D-dimer levels. However, because COVID-19 patients have a different thrombotic and inflammatory milieu, the usefulness of the Wells score deserves further exploration for this patient population.

Pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum in COVID-19: A case series.

COVID- 19 has become a major pandemic affecting more than 11 million people worldwide. Common radiological manifestations of COVID-19 include peripheral based ground-glass or consolidative opacities; however, pneumothorax and pneumo-mediastinum are very rare manifestations; even more so within patients not on mechanical ventilation. We present a case series of 5 patients with COVID-19 who either presented with or developed spontaneous pneumothorax or pneumo-mediastinum within the course of hospitalization.

Clinical, radiology, pathologic patterns and outcomes of vaping related pulmonary injury in a single institution; A case series.

Since March 2019, E-cigarette or Vaping product associated lung injury (EVALI) has become an ongoing epidemic with more 2600 cases reported in the span of a few months in the United States. EVALI is defined as acute lung injury that develops secondary to the use of e-cigarettes or vaping products within the previous 90 days after exlusion of other possible inciting factors. Vitamin E acetate is believed to play a significant role in its pathogenesis.

A 35-Year-Old Woman With Progressive Dyspnea and Cough.

A 35-year-old woman with no known medical history presented to the ED with complaints of progressive dyspnea for several months. The patient also reported episodic cough with yellow to green sputum production. She denied fever, chills, weight loss, or hemoptysis.

E-Cigarette or Vaping Product-Associated Lung Injury: A Review.

Since its introduction in the US market in 2007, the use of electronic nicotine delivery systems, colloquially referred to as e-cigarettes or "vaping" products, has increased substantially, particularly among high school children and young men. With the legalization of marijuana within multiple states in the United States and thus, coincident change in the public perception of its risk, the availability of multiple tetrahydrocannabinol (the psychoactive agent in marijuana)- and cannabidiol (a nonpsychogenic agent in marijuana)- containing vaping products has also increased tremendously. Since March 2019, there has been an ongoing epidemic of acute lung injury secondary to the use of e-cigarettes, with over 2600 cases and 60 deaths reported all over the United States; the term e-cigarette- or vaping product-associated lung injury is used.

Lung Hyperlucency: A Clinical-Radiologic Algorithmic Approach to Diagnosis.

Areas of diminished lung density are frequently identified both on routine chest radiographs and chest CT examinations. Colloquially referred to as hyperlucent foci of lung, a broad range of underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms and differential diagnoses account for these changes. Despite this, the spectrum of etiologies can be categorized into underlying parenchymal, airway, and vascular-related entities.

Developmental lung anomalies in adults: A pictorial review.

Developmental lung anomalies represent a heterogeneous group of diverse, yet related abnormalities that involve the lung parenchyma, pulmonary vasculature or a combination of both-which usually present prenatally and in early childhood. However, a substantial number of cases go unnoticed during childhood and present either incidentally or with recurrent respiratory infections progressing into adulthood. Defective development of the tracheobronchial tree and the pulmonary vasculature are proposed to cause these developmental anomalies.

A 45-Year-Old Woman With Multiple Pulmonary Nodules and Sjögren Syndrome.

A 45-year-old woman presented for evaluation for 3 months of coughing and dyspnea. A recent chest CT scan done for workup of her symptoms revealed a 2-cm right-sided pulmonary nodule. She had a medical history of Sjögren syndrome, hypertension, and obesity.

Clinical Characteristics and Etiologies of Miliary Nodules in the US: A Single-Center Study.

Background: Miliary nodules have been typically described as a radiological manifestation of disseminated tuberculosis. However, miliary nodules are known to occur in a wide variety of conditions. The primary objective of the study was to identify clinical characteristics and etiologies of miliary nodules within our institution.

A 32-Year-Old Man With HIV Infection, Pleural Effusions, and Lymphadenopathy.

A 32-year-old man presented with fever, nonproductive cough, diffuse lymphadenopathy, and polyarticular pain for 2 weeks. His medical history included HIV diagnosed 10 years ago, anal intraepithelial neoplasia, Kaposi sarcoma, and herpes simplex virus-2 infection. The patient was not receiving antiretroviral therapy or antibiotic prophylaxis, and his last known CD4 count a month before was 45 cells/mm.

KL-6 But Not CCL-18 Is a Predictor of Early Progression in Systemic Sclerosis-related Interstitial Lung Disease.

Objective: The 2 pneumoproteins, KL-6 and CCL-18, are promising biomarkers in systemic sclerosis (SSc)-related interstitial lung disease (ILD). Our goal was to determine their predictive significance for forced vital capacity % (FVC%) decline within the first year of followup in patients with early SSc-ILD.

Methods: Early SSc patients with imaging-verified ILD enrolled in the Genetics versus Environment in Scleroderma Outcome Study (GENISOS) cohort were included.

Primary pulmonary lymphoproliferative neoplasms.

Pulmonary lymphoproliferative neoplasms are rare lung tumors and account for <1% of all lung tumors. Among them, primary pulmonary lymphomas (PPL) constitute the majority, which include Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) that comprise of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphomas and other rare types of NHL and lymphomatoid granulomatosis. HL, which arises secondary to contiguous spread from the mediastinum, is the rarest type of PPL.