Seasonal effect of PM exposure in patients with COPD: a multicentre panel study.

: Exposure to particulate matter <2.5 μm (PM) is linked to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but most studies lack individual PM measurements. Seasonal variation and their impact on clinical outcomes remain understudied.

Involvement of the Constitutive Photomorphogenesis 9 Signalosome Subunit 5 With Programmed Cell Death Protein 1 Ligand in Asthma.

Purpose: The constitutive photomorphogenesis 9 signalosome (CSN) is a highly conserved protein complex comprised of eight subunits, each of which play crucial roles in diverse cellular processes, such as signal transduction, gene transcription, angiogenesis, and cell proliferation. In the context of asthma, a potential emerging target is the programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1)-mediated pathway, which serves as a significant immune checkpoint inhibitor in this condition. However, the precise involvement of CSN subunit 5 (CSN5) in bronchial asthma and the interplay between CSN5 and PD-L1 in asthma remain poorly understood.

The role of FEV/FVC in the prediction of acute exacerbation of COPD.

Background: Whether the ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 s to forced vital capacity (FEV/FVC) can be used as a biomarker to predict the risk of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) is unclear.

Methods: To investigate the predictive role of FEV/FVC for AECOPD, we analyzed data from an observational and multicenter cohort study of 2043 patients with COPD in KOREA. Exposures were post-bronchodilator FEV/FVC and/or percentage predicted FEV (FEV%pred).

Clinical outcomes of interstitial lung abnormalities: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Interstitial lung abnormalities (ILA), incidental findings on computed tomography scans, have raised concerns due to their association with worse clinical outcomes. Our meta-analysis, which included studies up to April 2023 from PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library, aimed to clarify the impact of ILA on mortality, lung cancer development, and complications from lung cancer treatments. Risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for outcomes.

Lifestyle practices that reduce seasonal PM exposure and their impact on COPD.

Particulate matter (PM) is a major air pollutant that has led to global health concerns and can cause and exacerbate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We asked patients with COPD to complete a detailed questionnaire about their lifestyle practices to reduce PM exposure and analyzed the relationship between ambient PM concentrations and lifestyle practices. We prospectively enrolled 104 COPD patients from four hospitals in different areas of Korea.

Glucocorticoid pulse therapy in an elderly patient with post-COVID-19 organizing pneumonia: A case report.

Background: Pulmonary fibrosis often occurs as a sequel of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); however, in some cases, it can rapidly progress, similar to the acute exacerbation of interstitial lung disease. Glucocorticoids are the standard treatment for severe COVID-19 pneumonia requiring oxygen supply; however, the post-COVID-19 efficacy of high-dose steroid therapy remains unclear. Here, we presented a case of an 81-year-old man who developed acute respiratory failure after COVID-19 and was treated with glucocorticoid pulse therapy.

Impact of the Junction Adhesion Molecule-A on Asthma.

Purpose: Junctional adhesion molecule (JAM)-A is an immunoglobulin-like molecule that colocalizes with tight junctions (TJs) in the endothelium and epithelium. It is also found in blood leukocytes and platelets. The biological significance of JAM-A in asthma, as well as its clinical potential as a therapeutic target, are not well understood.

Nectin4 is a potential therapeutic target for asthma.

Background: Nectins comprise a family of cellular adhesion molecules involved in Ca-independent cellular adhesion. Neither the biological significance nor clinical potential of Nectin4 for asthma has been investigated.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to elucidate the role of Nectin4 in airway inflammation and to determine the relationship between Nectin4 and clinical variables in patients with asthma.

Cofilin-1 and profilin-1 expression in lung microvascular endothelial cells exposed to titanium dioxide nanoparticles.

Background: Air pollutants exacerbate chronic airway diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the underlying mechanisms are yet to be determined. While a number of studies have reported adverse effects of nanoparticles on humans, little is known about their effects on the respiratory system.

N-acetylcysteine decreases lung inflammation and fibrosis by modulating ROS and Nrf2 in mice model exposed to particulate matter.

Air pollutants can induce and incite airway diseases such as asthma. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) affects signaling pathways involved in apoptosis, angiogenesis, cell growth and arrest, redox-regulated gene expression, and the inflammatory response. However, it is not known how NAC change redox-regulated gene expression in asthma mouse model exposed to particulate matter (PM).

The Impact of Environmental Pollutants on Barrier Dysfunction in Respiratory Disease.

Respiratory epithelial cells form a selective barrier between the outside environment and underlying tissues. Epithelial cells are polarized and form specialized cell-cell junctions, known as the apical junctional complex (AJC). Assembly and disassembly of the AJC regulates epithelial morphogenesis and remodeling processes.

Association of the Tight Junction Protein Claudin-4 with Lung Function and Exacerbations in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Purpose: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) imposes a major healthcare burden. A tight junction protein, claudin-4 (CLDN4), may play a protective role in acute lung injury, but its role in COPD is unclear. To investigate the relationship between CLDN4 and COPD, we evaluated the association of CLDN4 with the clinical parameters of COPD, including exacerbations.

Clinical Applications of Liquid Biopsy in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients: Current Status and Recent Advances in Clinical Practice.

Recent advances in targeted and immune therapies have enabled tailored treatment strategies for advanced lung cancer. Identifying and understanding the genomic alterations that arise in the course of tumor evolution has become hugely valuable, but tissue biopsies are often insufficient for representing the whole cancer genome due to tumor heterogeneity. A liquid biopsy refers to the isolation and analysis of any tumor-derived material in the blood, and recent studies of this material have mostly focused on cell-free tumor DNA (ctDNA) in plasma.

The impact of life behavior and environment on particulate matter in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: The effect of exposure to particulate matter (PM) on human health is a global public health concern. To develop an effective strategy to reduce PM exposure, we performed detailed questionnaire surveys regarding the type of lifestyle required to avoid PM exposure in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We correlated the data with real-time PM concentration during the winter season.

Effect of particulate matter exposure on patients with COPD and risk reduction through behavioural interventions: the protocol of a prospective panel study.

Introduction: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are vulnerable to particulate matter (PM) exposure which can increase acute exacerbations and hospitalisation. Interventions to avoid PM exposure are important but evidence-based guidance is lacking. This study aims to assess the impact of PM on lung function, quality of life and exacerbations in patients with COPD using a panel design study; it will also provide evidence for interventional measures to reduce harm from PM exposure.

Long-term clinical course and outcomes of immunoglobulin G4-related lung disease.

Background: Immunoglobulin G4-related lung disease (IgG4-RLD) is the pulmonary manifestation of a systemic fibroinflammatory disease characterized by lymphoplasmacytic infiltration with an abundance of IgG4-positive plasma cells. Long-term clinical course and outcomes of IgG4-RLD remain unclear. We aimed to identify clinical characteristics, treatment outcomes, and longitudinal pulmonary function changes in patients with IgG4-RLD according to the radiologic classification.

Comparison of the change in QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus and QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube results after preventive therapy for latent tuberculosis infection.

Background: We investigated changes in the interferon-γ levels before and after treatment of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) using QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) and QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) assays. The objective was to assess whether QFT-Plus could serve as a biomarker of LTBI treatment response.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled 44 individuals whose baseline QFT-GIT and QFT-Plus showed positive results at a tertiary referral center in South Korea between March 2017 and March 2018.

KMBARC registry: protocol for a multicentre observational cohort study on non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis in Korea.

Introduction: Despite the significant disease burden of bronchiectasis in Korea, no large-scale, representative prospective cohort studies have been conducted to evaluate the clinical characteristics of Korean patients with bronchiectasis, indicating an urgent need for cohort studies on bronchiectasis.

Methods And Analysis: The Korean Multicenter Bronchiectasis Audit and Research Collaboration (KMBARC) is a prospective, non-interventional observational cohort study on bronchiectasis in Korea. The inclusion criteria of this registry are as follows: (1) adult patients (aged ≥18 years) with or without respiratory symptoms (cough, chronic sputum and/or recurrent respiratory infection) and chest computed tomography revealing bronchiectasis affecting one or more lobes and (2) stable status at the time of registration: patients with bronchiectasis who were admitted for a respiratory aetiology can be enrolled at least 4 weeks after hospital discharge.

Treatment outcomes of rifampin-sparing treatment in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis with rifampin-mono-resistance or rifampin adverse events: A retrospective cohort analysis.

Background: Rifampin (RIF) mono-resistant tuberculosis (RMR-TB) is a rare disease. Current guidelines recommend that RMR-TB be treated as multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) but the evidence is scarce.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study on pulmonary TB patients to investigate the characteristics and outcomes of RMR-TB.