Bexotegrast in people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF): a plain language summary of publication of the INTEGRIS-IPF study.

This plain language summary shares results from a clinical study called INTEGRIS-IPF that was published in the in 2024. This study looked at a medicine called (beck-so-teh-grast) as a possible treatment for (i-dee-uh-pa-thick pul-muh-ner-ee fie-bro-sis; IPF). is an investigational medicine, which means that it is being studied and has not yet been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), for people with IPF to take as a treatment.

Corticosteroid therapy in fibrotic interstitial lung disease: a modified Delphi survey.

https://bit.ly/3VkgvbS.

Worsening dyspnoea as a predictor of progression of pulmonary fibrosis.

https://bit.ly/3APvQL7

Development and initial validation of the ILD-Anxiety-Questionnaire (IAQ): A new instrument for assessing disease specific fears in interstitial lung disease.

Introduction: Multiple studies focusing on chronic lung diseases (i.e. COPD), have indicated that the quality of life (QoL) can be impacted by disease-related fears.

The influence of the interventionalist's sex on the outcome and complications of transbronchial lung cryobiopsy.

Background: To date there are no data on sex aspects evaluating outcomes of interventional pneumology (IP). Our aim was to investigate sex differences in transbronchial lung cryobiopsy (TBLC) outcomes in the diagnosis of interstitial lung disease (ILD).

Methods: All consecutive (TBLC)s performed for ILD evaluation between Nov 17 and Dec 21 at a tertiary referral center for ILDs and IP were analyzed.

Modified blood cell GAP model as a prognostic biomarker in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Background: The Gender, Age and Physiology (GAP) model is a simple mortality prediction tool in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis that uses demographic and physiological variables available at initial evaluation. White blood cell variables may have associations with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis outcomes. We evaluated whether incorporating blood cell counts in modified GAP (cGAP) models would improve outcome prediction in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Lung Fibrosis Is Linked to Increased Endothelial Cell Activation and Dysfunctional Vascular Barrier Integrity.

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) can be a fatal disease characterized by progressive lung scarring. It is still poorly understood how the pulmonary endothelium is involved in the disease pathogenesis. Differences of the pulmonary vasculature between patients and donors were analyzed using transmission electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry, and single-cell RNA sequencing.

Bexotegrast in Patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: The INTEGRIS-IPF Clinical Trial.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a rare and progressive disease that causes progressive cough, exertional dyspnea, impaired quality of life, and death. Bexotegrast (PLN-74809) is an oral, once-daily, investigational drug in development for the treatment of IPF. This Phase-2a multicenter, clinical trial randomized participants with IPF to receive, orally and once daily, bexotegrast at 40 mg, 80 mg, 160 mg, or 320 mg, or placebo, with or without background IPF therapy (pirfenidone or nintedanib), in an approximately 3:1 ratio in each bexotegrast dose cohort, for at least 12 weeks.

Design of ANCHOR-RA: a multi-national cross-sectional study on screening for interstitial lung disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at risk of developing interstitial lung disease (ILD), which is associated with high mortality. Screening tools based on risk factors are needed to decide which patients with RA should be screened for ILD using high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). The ANCHOR-RA study is a multi-national cross-sectional study that will develop a multivariable model for prediction of RA-ILD, which can be used to inform screening for RA-ILD in clinical practice.

Diagnostic Potential of Supplemental Static and Dynamic Ga-FAPI-46 PET for Primary F-FDG-Negative Pulmonary Lesions.

PET using Ga-labeled fibroblast activation protein (FAP) inhibitors (FAPIs) holds high potential for diagnostic imaging of various malignancies, including lung cancer (LC). However, F-FDG PET is still the clinical gold standard for LC imaging. Several subtypes of LC, especially lepidic LC, are frequently F-FDG PET-negative, which markedly hampers the assessment of single pulmonary lesions suggestive of LC.

Thoracic skeletal muscle mass predicts mortality in patients with surgery for pleural empyema: A case control study.

Background: This study investigated the role of the thoracic skeletal muscle mass as a marker of sarcopenia on postoperative mortality in pleural empyema.

Methods: All consecutive patients (n = 103) undergoing surgery for pleural empyema in a single tertiary referral center between January 2020 and December 2022 were eligible for this study. Thoracic skeletal muscle mass index (TSMI) was determined from preoperative computed tomography scans.

ERS International Congress 2023: highlights from the Interstitial Lung Diseases Assembly.

This article summarises a selection of scientific highlights in the field of interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) presented at the International Congress of the European Respiratory Society in 2023. Translational and clinical studies focused on the whole spectrum of ILDs, from (ultra)rare ILDs to sarcoidosis, ILDs associated with connective tissue disease and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The main topics of the 2023 Congress presentations were improving the diagnostic process of ILDs, better prediction of disease course and investigation of novel treatment options.

Adaptive multi-interventional trial platform to improve patient care for fibrotic interstitial lung diseases.

Background: Fibrotic interstitial lung diseases (fILDs) are a heterogeneous group of lung diseases associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Despite a large increase in the number of clinical trials in the last 10 years, current regulatory-approved management approaches are limited to two therapies that prevent the progression of fibrosis. The drug development pipeline is long and there is an urgent need to accelerate this process.

An adjudication algorithm for respiratory-related hospitalisation in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Background: There is no standard definition of respiratory-related hospitalisation, a common end-point in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) clinical trials. As diverse aetiologies and complicating comorbidities can present similarly, external adjudication is sometimes employed to achieve standardisation of these events.

Methods: An algorithm for respiratory-related hospitalisation was developed through a literature review of IPF clinical trials with respiratory-related hospitalisation as an end-point.

Hospitalisation patterns in interstitial lung diseases: data from the EXCITING-ILD registry.

Background: Interstitial lung diseases (ILD) comprise a heterogeneous group of mainly chronic lung diseases with more than 200 entities and relevant differences in disease course and prognosis. Little data is available on hospitalisation patterns in ILD.

Methods: The EXCITING-ILD (Exploring Clinical and Epidemiological Characteristics of Interstitial Lung Diseases) registry was analysed for hospitalisations.

Causes and Risk Factors for Absenteeism among Medical Staff in German Specialized Lung Clinics during the COVID Pandemic.

Background: Staff shortages pose a major challenge to the health system.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to clarify the role of different causative factors we investigated on staff absenteeism during the COVID pandemic.

Methods: The prospective multicentre cohort study assessed the private and professional impact of the pandemic on health care workers (HCWs) using a specially developed questionnaire.