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.

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.

Implementing the EXPEDITE parenteral induction protocol: Rapid parenteral treprostinil titration and transition to oral treprostinil.

Treprostinil is a prostacyclin analogue that targets multiple cellular receptors to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). In certain scenarios, patients may require aggressive treprostinil titration. Several studies have demonstrated that higher doses of treprostinil lead to greater clinical benefit.

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.

Does postpneumonectomy empyema improve long-term survival for patients with lung cancer?

Postpneumonectomy empyema (PPE) is life-threatening morbidity that affects up to 10% of patients and carries a 9-13% mortality risk. Treatment can take a long time, and the prognosis is uncertain. Forty years ago, improved survival was reported among patients with lung cancer and pleural empyema compared to those with lung cancer and no empyema.

Predictive value of chest HRCT for survival in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Background: Little attention has been paid to chest high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) findings in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) patients so far, while a couple of small studies suggested that presence of centrilobular ground-glass opacifications (GGO) on lung scans could have a significant negative prognostic value. Therefore, the aims of the present study were: to assess frequency and clinical significance of GGO in IPAH, and to verify if it carries an add-on prognostic value in reference to multidimensional risk assessment tool recommended by the 2015 European pulmonary hypertension guidelines.

Methods: Chest HRCT scans of 110 IPAH patients were retrospectively analysed.

Detection of EGFR mutations in liquid biopsy samples using allele-specific quantitative PCR: A comparative real-world evaluation of two popular diagnostic systems.

Purpose: The detection of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is an auxiliary tool for the molecular diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), especially when an adequate tumor tissue specimen cannot be obtained. We compared the diagnostic accuracy of two commonly used in vitro diagnostic-certified allele-specific quantitative PCR assays for detecting plasma cfDNA EGFR mutations.

Methods: We analyzed EGFR mutations in plasma cfDNA from 90 NSCLC patients (stages I-IV) before treatment (n ​= ​60) and after clinical progression on EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (n ​= ​30) using the cobas EGFR mutation test v2 (Roche Molecular Systems, Inc.

Hepatobiliary phenotypes of adults with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.

Objective: Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is a common, potentially lethal inborn disorder caused by mutations in alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT). Homozygosity for the 'Pi*Z' variant of AAT (Pi*ZZ genotype) causes lung and liver disease, whereas heterozygous 'Pi*Z' carriage (Pi*MZ genotype) predisposes to gallstones and liver fibrosis. The clinical significance of the more common 'Pi*S' variant remains largely undefined and no robust data exist on the prevalence of liver tumours in AATD.

Night shiftwork and prostate-specific antigen level in a tire manufacturing factory.

Background: Recent studies suggest that night shiftwork may increase the risk of prostate cancer and elevated serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level. The purpose of this study was to verify whether rotating night shiftwork affects serum PSA level.

Methods: This study included 3,195 male production workers who work in a large tire manufacturing factory.

The association between serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) levels and job-related stress among female nurses.

Background: Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) is an endogenous steroid hormone produced by the adrenal gland. DHEAS has been suggested to play a protective role against psychosocial stress. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between job-related stress and blood concentrations of DHEAS according to occupational stress factors among female nurses.

Short-term inhalation study of graphene oxide nanoplates.

Graphene oxides possess unique physicochemical properties with important potential applications in electronics, pharmaceuticals, and medicine. However, the toxicity following inhalation exposure to graphene oxide has not yet been clarified. Therefore, this study conducted a short-term graphene oxide inhalation toxicity analysis using a nose-only inhalation exposure system and male Sprague-Dawley rats.

Systemic sclerosis due to crystalline silica exposure among jewelry workers in Korea: two case reports.

Background: Occupational exposure to crystalline silica is a potential risk factor for various systemic autoimmune diseases including systemic sclerosis. The etiology of systemic sclerosis is not conclusively known, but there are epidemiological studies that show the relationship between exposure to crystalline silica and risk of systemic sclerosis. Here we report, for the first time, two cases of crystalline silica-related systemic sclerosis in patients who worked in crystal processing in the jewelry-manufacturing field.

Evaluation of Susceptibility to Antimycobacterial Drugs in Complex Strains Isolated from Cattle in Poland.

Introduction: Tuberculosis is a highly infectious disease affecting humans and animals. It is caused by the complex (MTBC) - and , which are aetiological factors of bovine tuberculosis (bTB). In Poland, the bTB eradication programme exists.

28-Day inhalation toxicity of graphene nanoplatelets in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Graphene, a two-dimensional engineered nanomaterial, is now being used in many applications, such as electronics, biological engineering, filtration, lightweight and strong nanocomposite materials, and energy storage. However, there is a lack of information on the potential health effects of graphene in humans based on inhalation, the primary engineered nanomaterial exposure pathway in workplaces. Thus, an inhalation toxicology study of graphene was conducted using a nose-only inhalation system for 28 days (6 h/day and 5 days/week) with male Sprague-Dawley rats that were then allowed to recover for 1-, 28-, and 90-day post-exposure period.

Pulmonary Responses of Sprague-Dawley Rats in Single Inhalation Exposure to Graphene Oxide Nanomaterials.

Graphene is receiving increased attention due to its potential widespread applications in future. However, the health effects of graphene have not yet been well studied. Therefore, this study examined the pulmonary effects of graphene oxide using male Sprague-Dawley rats and a single 6-hour nose-only inhalation technique.

5-Day repeated inhalation and 28-day post-exposure study of graphene.

Graphene has recently been attracting increasing attention due to its unique electronic and chemical properties and many potential applications in such fields as semiconductors, energy storage, flexible electronics, biosensors and medical imaging. However, the toxicity of graphene in the case of human exposure has not yet been clarified. Thus, a 5-day repeated inhalation toxicity study of graphene was conducted using a nose-only inhalation system for male Sprague-Dawley rats.

Serum levels of IL-8 and ICAM-1 as biomarkers for progressive massive fibrosis in coal workers' pneumoconiosis.

Coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) is characterized as a chronic inflammation of the lung associated with activation of macrophages and endothelial cells in the lung. The aim of the present study was to compare the levels of serum interleukin-8 (IL-8), macrophage inflammatory protein-1α (MIP-α), and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) as biomarkers for progressive massive fibrosis (PMF) in 106 subjects (27 non-CWP and 79 CWP patients). The levels of serum IL-8 (P<0.

Health surveillance study of workers who manufacture multi-walled carbon nanotubes.

While many in vivo and in vitro toxicology studies of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have already indicated that exposure to MWCNTs can potentially induce health effects in humans, the actual health effects of MWCNTs among exposed workers are not yet known. Moreover, the levels of exposure and internal doses of MWCNTs are becoming more and more important for estimating the health effects resulting from exposure to MWCNTs. However, information on biomonitoring and exposure to MWCNTs remains limited.

Malondialdehyde and 3-nitrotyrosine in exhaled breath condensate in retired elderly coal miners with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an important cause of occupational mortality in miners exposed to coal mine dust. Although the inflammatory mediators involved in COPD have not been defined, many studies have shown that inflammatory mediators such as reactive oxygen and nitrogen species are involved in orchestrating the complex inflammatory process in COPD.

Methods: To investigate the relevance of exhaled biomarkers of oxidative and nitrosative stress in participants with COPD, we determined the levels of hydrogen peroxide, malondialdehyde (MDA), and 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT) in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) in 90 retired elderly coal miners (53 non-COPD and 37 COPD participants).

Workers' compensation for occupational respiratory diseases.

The respiratory system is one of the most important body systems particularly from the viewpoint of occupational medicine because it is the major route of occupational exposure. In 2013, there were significant changes in the specific criteria for the recognition of occupational diseases, which were established by the Enforcement Decree of the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act (IACIA). In this article, the authors deal with the former criteria, implications of the revision, and changes in the specific criteria in Korea by focusing on the 2013 amendment to the IACIA.

The scope and specific criteria of compensation for occupational diseases in Korea.

The range of diseases covered by workers' compensation is constantly expanding. However, new regulations are required for the recognition of occupational diseases (ODs) because OD types evolve with changes in industrial structures and working conditions. OD criteria are usually based on medical relevance, but they vary depending on the social security system and laws of each country.

Recumbent deoxygenation in mild/moderate liver cirrhosis: the "clinodeoxia". The ortho-clino paradigm.

Background: While the effects of postural change on arterial oxygenation have been well documented in normal subjects, and attributed to the relationship of closing volume (CV) to the tidal volume, in liver cirrhosis such postural changes have been evaluated mainly in a rare, peculiar clinical end-stage condition which is characterized by increased dyspnea shifting from supine to upright position ("platypnea"). The latter is associated with worsening of PaO2 ("orthodeoxia"). We evaluated the effects of postural changes on arterial oxygenation in patients affected by mild/moderate liver cirrhosis.

Airborne bacteria and fungi associated with waste-handling work.

Background: Municipal workers handling household waste are potentially exposed to a variety of toxic and pathogenic substances, in particular airborne bacteria, gram-negative bacteria (GNB), and fungi. However, relatively little is known about the conditions under which exposure is facilitated.

Methods: This study assessed levels of airborne bacteria, GNB, and fungi, and examined these in relation to the type of waste-handling activity (collection, transfer, transport, and sorting at the waste preprocessing plant), as well as a variety of other environmental and occupational factors.

A case of occupational asthma in a plastic injection process worker.

Objectives: We report a case of death due to asthma attack in a plastic injection process worker with a history of asthma.

Methods: To assess task relevance, personal history including occupational history and medical records were reviewed. Samples of the substances utilized in the injection process were collected by visiting the patient's workplace.

Serum levels of TGF-β1 and MCP-1 as biomarkers for progressive coal workers' pneumoconiosis in retired coal workers: a three-year follow-up study.

Various cytokines activated by the inhalation of coal dust may mediate inflammation and lead to tissue damage. Objective of this study was to examine the relationships between coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) progression over a 3 yr period and the serum levels of cytokines in 85 retired coal workers. To investigate the relevance of serum cytokines in CWP, serum levels of interleukin-8 (IL-8), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-β1), and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) as progressive CWP biomarkers were studied in relation to the progression of pneumoconiosis over a 3 yr period in 85 patients with CWP.