Does a Type of Inciting Antigen Correlate with the Presence of Lung Fibrosis in Patients with Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis?

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is an interstitial inflammatory lung disease that develops as a result of exposition to various, mostly organic antigens. In some patients, fibrotic HP is diagnosed. Factors predisposing to the development of fibrotic lung disease in HP patients are not well documented in the literature.

Lung Ultrasonography in the Evaluation of Late Sequelae of COVID-19 Pneumonia-A Comparison with Chest Computed Tomography: A Prospective Study.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic allowed physicians to gain experience in lung ultrasound (LUS) during the acute phase of the disease. However, limited data are available on LUS findings during the recovery phase. The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of LUS to assess lung involvement in patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome.

Phenotypes of Sarcoidosis-Associated Pulmonary Hypertension-A Challenging Mystery.

Sarcoidosis has been a well-recognised risk factor for pulmonary hypertension (PH) for a long time, but still, the knowledge about this concatenation is incomplete. Sarcoidosis-associated PH (SAPH) is an uncommon but serious complication associated with increased morbidity and mortality among sarcoidosis patients. The real epidemiology of SAPH remains unknown, and its pathomechanisms are not fully explained.

D-Dimers Variability in the Perioperative Period of Breast Cancer Surgery Helps to Predict Cancer Relapse: A Single-Centre Prospective Study.

Background: The importance of D-dimers (DD) assessment in the diagnostic algorithm of venous thromboembolic (VTE) disease is well known. Increase of DD concentration may be also associated with neoplastic disease. Many studies documented that high concentration of DD before solid tumour surgery indicates more advanced disease and poor life expectancy.

Sudden Vision Loss Due to Optic Neuritis-An Uncommon Presentation of Neurosarcoidosis.

Sarcoidosis is a systemic, granulomatous disease of unknown etiology, most often manifested by mediastinal and hilar lymph node enlargement and parenchymal nodules in the lungs. However, it may involve any other organ. Neuro-sarcoidosis, a condition that affects up to 20% of sarcoidosis patients, can be found in any part of the central or peripheral nervous system and has important ophthalmic and neuro-ophthalmic manifestations.

Pulmonary Hypertension in the Course of Interstitial Lung Diseases-A Personalised Approach Is Needed to Identify a Dominant Cause and Provide an Effective Therapy.

The prevalence of pulmonary hypertension (PH) complicating interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) is 3.5-15% at an early stage, and up to 90% in ILD patients listed for lung transplantation. In addition, other types of PH may occur in patients with ILDs due to concomitant conditions.

Imaging Plays a Key Role in the Diagnosis and Control of the Treatment of Bone Sarcoidosis.

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disease of unknown origin. The most frequent localizations are thoracic lymph nodes and/or parenchymal lung disease, nevertheless any other organ may be involved. Musculoskeletal sarcoidosis, previously considered a rare manifestation of the disease, is presently recognized with increasing frequency, due to the development of modern imaging modalities.

The Presence of T Allele (rs35705950) of the MUC5B Gene Predicts Lower Baseline Forced Vital Capacity and Its Subsequent Decline in Patients with Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis.

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is an exposure-related interstitial lung disease with two phenotypes-fibrotic and non-fibrotic. Genetic predisposition is an important factor in the disease pathogenesis and fibrosis development. Several genes are supposed to be associated with the fibrosing cascade in the lungs.

Bronchoalveolar Lavage Cell Count and Lymphocytosis Are the Important Discriminators between Fibrotic Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Background: Fibrotic hypersensitivity pneumonitis (fHP) shares many features with other fibrotic interstitial lung diseases (ILD), and as a result it can be misdiagnosed as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We aimed to determine the value of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) total cell count (TCC) and lymphocytosis in distinguishing fHP and IPF and to evaluate the best cut-off points discriminating these two fibrotic ILD.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of fHP and IPF patients diagnosed between 2005 and 2018 was conducted.

Fibrinolytic Therapy in Purulent Pericarditis.

Purulent pericarditis (PP) is rare disease, and if left untreated, it is associated with very high mortality, nearly 100%. A considerable clinical problem due to PP is a very high probability of developing constrictive pericarditis (CP). Pericardial drainage is essential in the treatment of PP and should be performed urgently.

Factors Predictive for Immunomodulatory Therapy Response and Survival in Patients with Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis-Retrospective Cohort Analysis.

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is one of the interstitial lung diseases with clearly established diagnostic criteria. Nevertheless, pharmacologic treatment recommendations are still lacking. Most specialists use steroids as first-line drugs, sometimes combined with an immunosuppressive agent.

Venous Thromboembolic Disease in COVID-19, Pathophysiology, Therapy and Prophylaxis.

For over two years, the world has been facing the epidemiological and health challenge of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Growing problems are also complications after the development of COVID-19 in the form of post and long- COVID syndromes, posing a challenge for the medical community, both for clinicians and the scientific world. SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular complications, especially thromboembolic complications, which are associated with both thrombosis of small and very small vessels due to immunothrombosis, and the development of venous thromboembolism.

Therapeutic decisions in a cohort of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a multicenter, prospective survey from Poland.

Background: Pirfenidone and nintedanib are considered as the standard of care in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), but there is no consensus as to which of these two agents should be regarded as first-line treatment.

Objective: To provide real-world data on therapeutic decisions of pulmonary specialists, particularly the choice of the antifibrotic drug in patients with IPF.

Methods: This was a multicenter, prospective survey collecting clinical data of patients with IPF considered as candidates for antifibrotic treatment between September 2019 and December 2020.

Atypical Pulmonary Tuberculosis as the First Manifestation of Advanced HIV Disease-Diagnostic Difficulties.

Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of morbidity, hospitalisations, and mortality in people living with HIV (PLWH). The lower CD4+ T-lymphocyte count in the course of HIV infection, the higher risk of active TB, and the higher odds for atypical clinical and radiologic TB presentation. These HIV-related alterations in TB presentation may cause diagnostic problems in patients not knowing they are infected with HIV.

An Unfavorable Outcome of Infection in Patient with Silicosis.

is a slow-growing, nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) belonging to the (). It was identified as a unique species in 2004. Since 2013 it has been reported as a cause of disseminated infection in patients after cardiac surgeries.

Large Pericardial Effusion-Diagnostic and Therapeutic Options, with a Special Attention to the Role of Prolonged Pericardial Fluid Drainage.

Background: Large pericardial effusion (LPE) is associated with high mortality. In patients with cardiac tamponade or with suspected bacterial etiology of pericardial effusion, urgent pericardial decompression is necessary.

Aim: The aim of the present retrospective study was to assess the short-term results of pericardial decompression combined with prolonged drainage in LPE.

Acute Eosinophilic Pneumonia Complicated with Venous Thromboembolic Disease-Diagnostic and Therapeutic Considerations.

Acute Eosinophilic Pneumonia (AEP) is a rare idiopathic disease caused by an accumulation of eosinophils in the pulmonary alveoli and interstitial tissue of the lungs. The onset of symptoms is acute; some patients develop respiratory failure. The diagnosis is based on clinical symptoms, diffuse interstitial infiltrates in the lungs on imaging studies, and eosinophilia exceeding 25% on bronchoalveolar lavage or pleural fluid smear.

Tuberculous Pericarditis-Own Experiences and Recent Recommendations.

Tuberculous pericarditis (TBP) accounts for 1% of all forms of tuberculosis and for 1-2% of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. In endemic regions, TBP accounts for 50-90% of effusive pericarditis; in non-endemic, it only accounts for 4%. In the absence of prompt and effective treatment, TBP can lead to very serious sequelae, such as cardiac tamponade, constrictive pericarditis, and death.

Chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis is associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis share commonalities in pathogenesis shifting haemostasis balance towards the procoagulant and antifibrinolytic activity. Several studies have suggested an increased risk of venous thromboembolism in IPF. The association between venous thromboembolism and chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis has not been studied yet.

Pulmonary amyloidosis mimicking interstitial lung disease and malignancy - A case series with a review of a pulmonary patterns.

Background: Amyloidosis is an uncommon condition, which results from accumulation of misfolded extracellular insoluble protein in tissues and organs of the body, causing its damage and dysfunction. Histologically, after staining with Congo red, the amyloid deposits show an apple-green birefringence under polarized light microscope. Amyloidosis can affect all organ systems and is classified into hereditary or acquired, localized or systemic.

A 40-Year-Old Man with Sarcoidosis and Factor V Leiden Thrombophilia Presenting with Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Thromboembolism.

BACKGROUND The association between sarcoidosis and pulmonary embolism (PE) has been described in the literature, but little is known about the origin of hypercoagulability and hypofibrinolysis in sarcoidosis. PE is a multifactorial disease that is rarely caused by a single risk factor, and might be expected in disabling sarcoidosis. No data are available, however, about sarcoidosis being a risk factor for venous thromboembolism in factor V Leiden thrombophilia.