Prevalence and causes of subacute cough in Japan.

Background: Subacute cough is subdivided and distinguished from chronic cough, because post-infectious cough is considered to be the main cause of subacute cough and differs from acute and chronic cough. However, the details of the spectrum and frequency of causes of subacute cough remain unclear because only two studies on subacute cough have been published.

Methods: Patients who presented with cough that lasted for 3-8 weeks and visited respiratory clinics or hospitals affiliated with the Japan Cough Society during 2 years were studied.

Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin sensitization is associated with declined capsaicin cough sensitivity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Sensitization to Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) enterotoxins (SEs) A (SEA) and B (SEB) is associated with the pathogenesis of several chronic airway diseases, including asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis, but its role in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains unclear. This cohort study aimed to investigate the impact of sensitization to SEs on total IgE levels, and capsaicin cough reflex sensitivity (C-CS) in COPD.

Factors associated with uncontrolled severe asthma in the biologic era.

Background: Despite the development of biologics for severe asthma, individuals with uncontrolled status persist, posing a significant social problem. This multicenter prospective study aimed to identify factors associated with the uncontrolled status of patients with severe asthma in the biologic era assessed using the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ).

Methods: Subjects with severe asthma diagnosed by respiratory specialists were enrolled from 11 hospitals.

Predicting dupilumab effectiveness with Type-2 biomarkers: A real-world study of severe asthma.

Background: The therapeutic effectiveness of dupilumab for severe asthma in real-world settings is yet to be prospectively investigated across multiple institutions, and uncertainties persist regarding predictive factors for its effectiveness. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of dupilumab and identify predictors of its effectiveness in real-world settings using two type-2 biomarkers: FeNO concentration and blood eosinophil count.

Methods: This prospective multicenter study included 103 patients with severe asthma.

Two cases of respiratory infection due to : Acute and chronic form.

We present two cases of () respiratory infection. The first case involves a 62-year-old female with abnormal chest shadows, a history of bronchial asthma, and colorectal cancer. Endobronchial ultrasound with a guide sheath (EBUS-GS) revealed granulomatous changes, and was cultured.

Pulmonary cryptococcosis suspected due to inhalation of swallow excreta presenting with multiple infiltrative shadows.

A 70-year-old woman had been treated with methotrexate for rheumatoid arthritis by a rheumatologist who opened a clinic near our hospital. In January of a certain year, she had respiratory symptoms of cough, sputum, and fever. Laboratory test results showed a white blood cell count of 8600/μL (neutrophil count of 5330/μL, lymphocyte count of 2490 μ/L), C-reactive protein (CRP) of 3.

An autopsy case of acute fibrinous and organizing pneumonia with periorbital MRSA cellulitis and rheumatoid arthritis.

This case report details a 78-year-old male with periorbital Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) cellulitis whose condition rapidly deteriorated despite treatment. An autopsy confirmed acute fibrinous and organizing pneumonia (AFOP), revealing fibrin ball formation and organizing pneumonia. While both idiopathic and secondary AFOP cases often exhibit bilateral consolidation on CT, our patient presented with ground-glass opacities, which are frequently associated with secondary AFOP.

The liver-to-spleen ratio is a risk factor predicting oxygen demand in COVID-19 patients.

Background: We aimed to investigate risk factors predicting oxygen demand in COVID-19 patients.

Methods: Patients admitted to Shizuoka General Hospital with COVID-19 from August 2020 to August 2021 were included. First, we divided patients into groups with and without oxygen demand.

Exacerbation rates in Japanese patients with obstructive lung disease: A subanalysis of the prospective, observational NOVELTY study.

Background: Although clinical trials including asthma and COPD patients have revealed much about exacerbation frequencies, most studies are limited in that they recruited patients only with a clear diagnosis of one disease or the other, based on conventional diagnostic criteria, which may exclude many real-world patients with mixed symptoms.

Methods: NOVELTY is a global prospective observational study of patients with asthma and/or COPD from real-world practice. In this subanalysis, we compared patient characteristics of obstructive pulmonary diseases between the Japanese population (n = 820) and the overall population excluding Japanese patients (n = 10,406).

Eosinophilic pneumonia developed after dupilumab administration in a patient with atopic dermatitis.

A 63-year-old woman with refractory atopic dermatitis started treatment with dupilumab. She developed a cough 4 days later, sputum, and a slight fever 2 weeks later. Laboratory test results showed a blood eosinophil count of 7360/μL.

Oscillometry helps assess treatment responsiveness in adults with asthma exacerbations.

Background: It is necessary to evaluate the severity of asthma exacerbations for subjective symptoms and objective indicators. When patients cannot perform spirometry, oscillometry is a surrogate test.

Objective: We assessed the usefulness of oscillometry for the evaluation of treatment responsiveness in patients with asthma exacerbations.

Decreased capsaicin cough reflex sensitivity predicts hospitalisation due to COPD.

Introduction: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are often hospitalised due to severe acute exacerbation (AE) or community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Previous studies revealed the association of cough reflex sensitivity with the pathophysiology of COPD and pneumonia. We hypothesised that cough reflex sensitivity may be associated with severe AE or CAP requiring hospitalisation in patients with COPD.

Impaired cough-related quality of life in patients with nontuberculous mycobacteriosis.

Background: Cough and sputum are the significant symptoms of nontuberculous mycobacteriosis (NTM) and impair quality of life (QOL). However, the relationship between these symptoms and clinical features is not fully understood. This study aimed to investigate cough-related QOL in NTM patients.

Mucus Plugs and Small Airway Dysfunction in Asthma, COPD, and Asthma-COPD Overlap.

Purpose: There are reports concerning mucus plugs detected on high-resolution computed tomography images and airflow obstruction in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, little is known about the associations between mucus plugs and small airway dysfunction (SAD). We evaluated the relationship between mucus plugs and pulmonary function in patients with asthma, COPD, and asthma-COPD overlap (ACO), and investigated the relevance to SAD and type 2 inflammation in a retrospective study.