Mucus plugs and bronchial wall thickening on three-dimensional computed tomography in patients with unexplained chronic cough whose sputum yielded filamentous Basidiomycetes.

Objectives: This study was conducted in order to identify imaging features on three-dimensional computed tomography (CT) of unexplained chronic cough (UCC) patients with positive sputum cultures for filamentous Basidiomycetes (f-BM).

Methods: UCC outpatients who had been given various questionnaires for cough, pulmonary function tests, and fungal cultures of sputum were evaluated. Multidetector row CT (MDCT) was performed for three-dimensional CT analysis of the lungs.

Change in muscle thickness during exercise to stabilize the hip joint against a load in the ventral direction of the femoral head.

[Purpose] This study aimed to measure the thickness of the muscles located on the ventral side of the hip joint and to identify the muscles involved in exercise against the load that results in femoral head translation in the ventral direction, which can be used as an index of exercise performance for the prevention and improvement of hip joint disease caused by femoral head translation. [Participants and Methods] The participants were 10 healthy young males. During the measurement task, we asked them to hold a 10 kgf load in the ventral direction to the femoral head in the supine position.

Morphological changes of lower leg muscles according to ankle joint position during sitting evaluated by gravity mri in young females.

[Purpose] This study aimed to clarify whether the morphological changes of the lower leg muscle occur equally in the longitudinal direction of the muscle according to changes in ankle joint position during sitting. [Participants and Methods] The participants were 15 healthy young females whose dominant lower legs were analyzed. The participants sat with the lower leg vertical to the floor with a neutral, dorsiflexed, or plantarflexed ankle position.

Schizophyllum commune-induced allergic fungal rhinosinusitis and sinobronchial mycosis.

We present 32- and 38-year-old males with Schizophyllum commune-induced allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (AFRS). S. commune-induced AFRS was diagnosed by clinical and radiographic findings, positive specific IgE antibodies against S.

Effects of nebulized amphotericin B and budesonide inhalation for chronic cough-related laryngeal sensations.

Objective: To compare the acute effects of single nebulized amphotericin B and budesonide in treating cough-related laryngeal sensations in chronic cough patients, a randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial was performed between two groups with positive and negative results of basidiomycetous (BM) fungi in their sputum culture.

Methods: Forty patients presenting with chronic cough lasting 8 weeks or longer, whose sputum could be obtained, were recruited for this study. At the first visit, all patients underwent fungal culture sampling of sputum, capsaicin cough inhalation test, pulmonary function tests, and cough-related laryngeal sensation questionnaire (C-LSQ) consisting of 6 items with a severity scale of 0-5 for each item: (1) a sensation of irritation in the throat (SIT); (2) tickle in the throat; (3) throat clearing; (4) urge to cough; (5) a sensation of something stuck in the throat; and (6) a sensation of mucus in the throat (SMIT).

Fungus-associated asthma: overcoming challenges in diagnosis and treatment.

With regard to fungal colonization and fungal sensitization, the goals of fungus-associated asthma management are as follows: 1) to survey fungi colonizing the airways of patients repeatedly; 2) to evaluate the tendency of the colonizing fungi to sensitize patients and the influence on clinical manifestations of asthma; 3) to follow disease development to allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis or sinobronchial allergic mycosis; and 4) to determine whether fungal eradication from the airway of patients is beneficial from the viewpoints of future risk factors. Recent developments in molecular biological analyses have facilitated the identification of basidiomycetous fungi that were not previously thought to be of concern in fungal allergy. The total control of fungus-associated asthma will be accomplished by environmental management established from the viewpoint of both the ecology and life cycle of the responsible fungi.

Chronic cough management: dealing with a sensation of irritation in the throat.

Among the various types of laryngeal paraesthesia suffered by chronic cough patients, we often encounter 'a sensation of irritation in the throat (SIT)'. Our study indicated that capsaicin cough threshold was significantly (P < 0.05) lower in the SIT-positive group (13.

Impact of Schizophyllum sensitization on decline of lung function in asthma.

Objective: There is increasing interest in the association between the severity of asthma and fungal sensitization, and lung function decline in relation to mold and dampness in the home has recently been reported. This study was performed to determine the correlation between sensitization to Schizophyllum commune and decline of lung function, and to elucidate the outcomes and risk factors, especially from Schizophyllum allergy.

Methods: The medical records of 50 patients with asthma who satisfied the following inclusion criteria were collected and reviewed retrospectively: (1) at least 5 years of follow-up with five evaluations; (2) intradermal skin tests including S.

Chronic cough management: dealing with a sensation of mucus in the throat.

Among the various types of laryngeal paresthesia, the results of the study with use of a newly developed cough-related laryngeal sensation questionnaire suggested that a sensation of mucus in the throat (SMIT) can predict the presence of fungal colonization in chronic cough patients. Next to 'cough' or 'sputum', SMIT may become the third key clinical manifestation leading to successful prediction of the efficacy of antifungal therapy in chronic cough patients.

Clinical experience with low-dose itraconazole in chronic idiopathic cough.

Background: The presence of basidiomycetous (BM) fungi in induced sputum is an important clinical finding in chronic idiopathic cough (CIC). However, the efficacy of anti-fungal therapy for CIC has not been evaluated.

Methods: We selected 10 patients with CIC and carried out allergological examinations for Bjerkandera adusta, a BM fungus that has been shown to enhance cough severity.

The definitive diagnostic process and successful treatment for ABPM caused by Schizophyllum commune: a report of two cases.

Background: Although mucoid impaction of the bronchi (MIB) is a well-known manifestation in allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis (ABPM), when unknown samples or plural eumycetes are cultured from bronchial materials, several problems are encountered which can affect the definitive diagnostic process or successful treatment.

Case Summary: The definitive diagnostic process of two patients [a 58-(Case 1) and a 70-(Case 2) year-old female] with MIB was: 1) to identify the existence of any allergic respiratory disorder, 2) to detect the fungi obtained from bronchial materials, with use of the 28S rDNA sequencing and analysis, 3) to investigate whether the detected fungus was a probable etiologic antigen, and 4) to make the final diagnosis based on the results of the inhalation examinations using the antigenic solution of the fungi. As a treatment strategy, bronchial toilet and low dose itraconazole therapy were planned according to the clinical manifestations of each patient.

The influence of Schizophyllum commune on asthma severity.

Background: The sensitization and exposure to fungal allergens have been reported to be associated with asthma. The aim of this study was to clarify the impact of sensitization to Schizophyllum commune (S. commune) on the severity and exacerbations of asthma.

Sensitization to Bjerkandera adusta enhances severity of cough symptom in patients with fungus-associated chronic cough (FACC).

Objective: The aim of the present study was to clarify the influence of sensitization to Bjerkandera adusta (B. adusta) on the clinical manifestation in patients with fungus-associated chronic cough (FACC).

Methods: Seventeen patients with FACC who underwent bronchoprovocation tests using an antigenic solution of B.

Two cases of Schizophyllum asthma: is this a new clinical entity or a precursor of ABPM?

Background: There is a close link between fungal sensitization and asthma severity. Although Schizophyllum commune (S. commune, "suehirotake" in Japanese), one of the basidiomycetous (BM) fungi, is a fungus that can cause allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis (ABPM) and allergic fungal sinusitis (AFS), whether the fungus causes or sensitizes subjects to asthma is unclear.