OBJECTIVES: Proteolytic degradation of aggrecan is a hallmark of the pathology of osteoarthritis. The aim of this study was to develop enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to quantify the serum levels of specific aggrecan fragments generated by aggrecanases-mediated cleavage. We investigated the relationships between these two aggrecan degradations fragments and urinary ...

Background: Quantitative measurement of circulating D-dimer, a product of fibrin degradation, has been shown to be a very useful diagnostic tool in the management of patients with suspected deep vein thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism. Whether D-dimer can play a similar role also in the diagnostic approach in patients with suspected ...

BackgroundAlthough an increased concentration of degraded elastin products in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been reported for many years, its clinical validity and utility remain uncertain due to technical difficulties, small study groups and the unknown relationship between exacerbation and elastin degradation. The objectives of this study ...

Introduction. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NET) consist of a DNA scaffold that can be destroyed by Deoxyribonuclease (DNase). Thus DNases are potential prerequisites for natural counter regulation of NETs formation. In the present study, we determined the relationship of NETs and DNase after major trauma. Methods. Thirty-nine major trauma patients, 14 ...

There is a paucity of well-validated biomarkers for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Metabolomics, which identifies novel biomarkers, was applied to a well-defined COPD patient cohort from the ECLIPSE study. Results were correlated with accepted biomarkers of disease.Baseline serum from controls (n=66) and GOLD II (n=70), III (n=64) and IV ...

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is characterized by gradual cementation of the vertebrae, a process that is described by excessive extracellular matrix remodeling. Specific matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-derived collagen fragments are released to the circulation, and measurement of those might act as biomarkers of ankylosis. The aim of the study was to investigate ...

OBJECTIVE: Although peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a widely accepted form of renal replacement therapy, concerns remain regarding the bioincompatible nature of standard PD fluid (PDF). Short-term studies of new biocompatible PDFs low in glucose degradation products (GDPs) reveal divergent results with respect to peritoneal integrity. METHODS: We studied 125 patients ...

Hypodysfibrinogenemia is characterized by both a qualitative and quantitative deficiency of fibrinogen. Here we report a patient with remote history of bleeding and presents with provoked deep venous thrombosis associated with hypodysfibrinogenemia. Molecular studies identified the presence of fibrinogen Epsom, which was previously reported in a family with pregnancy associated ...

Study design:Clinical cross-sectional study.Objectives:To investigate the cartilage degradation by turnover of C-telopeptide fragments of collagen type-II (CTX-II), a molecule specific for articular cartilage in spinal cord injured patients with respect to clinical functional status.Setting:Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics, hospital settings.Methods:In 68 patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) level and severity ...

BACKGROUND: Lumbar spinal canal stenosis (LSCS) is one of the most common spinal disorders in the elderly, and ligamentum flavum (LF) hypertrophy is an important cause of LSCS. Matrix metalloproteinase 13 (MMP13) can degrade fibrillar collagens and elastic microfibrils, and is involved in inflammation and fibrosis. The purpose of this ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Mucopolysaccharidosis type III (MPS III, Sanfilippo syndrome) is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by a deficiency of one of the enzymes involved in the degradation of heparan sulfate. MPS III is characterized by progressive mental deterioration resulting in severe dementia. A number of potentially disease-modifying therapies are studied. ...

The deterioration of the ventilation-to-perfusion distribution in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) reflects structural changes affecting both the airways and the blood vessels. These changes result in lung perfusion abnormalities that may be quantified by lung perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). To compare the perfused lung ...

Purpose: To determine the elastic fiber content and ultrastructure as well as the expression of elastin-degrading enzymes in biopsy specimens from patients with involutional ectropion and entropion. Materials and Methods: Twenty consecutive patients with involutional ectropion (group 1) and twenty consecutive patients with entropion (group 2) were matched with twenty control patients ...

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is associated with decreased overall survival in patients with chronic lung disease. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of echocardiographic evidence of PH on 1-year survival in patients hospitalized with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This is a retrospective study ...

AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the role of labelled leukocyte scintigraphy in the diagnosis and monitorization of response to therapy of patients with active bronchiectasis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty patients underwent (99m)Technetium hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime ((99m)Tc-HMPAO) labelled white blood cell (WBC) scintigraphy. A second scintigraphy was performed ...

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown a high prevalence of bronchiectasis in patients with moderate-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the factors associated with bronchiectasis remain unknown in these patients. The objective of this study is to identify the factors associated with bronchiectasis in patients with moderate-severe COPD. METHODS: ...

PURPOSE: To systematically assess the spectrum of radiologic changes in the lung after radiation therapy for non-small-cell lung cancer. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We reviewed the cases of 146 patients treated with radical radiotherapy at our institution. All patients had computed tomography (CT) scans performed 3 months after completion of therapy. ...

OBJECTIVE: Malnutrition frequently occurs in lung cancer patients. We aimed to determine nutritional status and antioxidant and mineral levels in Thai patients with lung cancer. METHODS: A prospective study with matched case-control was conducted. Nutritional status was assessed by body mass index (BMI) and subjective global assessment (SGA). Eastern Cooperative ...

Objectives: We estimated the influence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) upon the clinicopathological characteristics of lung cancer (LC) in Japanese surgical cases by comparing LC cases in non-COPD smokers. Method: A consecutive cohort comprising 157 COPD patients (78 in Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease-1 (GOLD-1) and 79 in ...

HYPOTHESIS: Smoking is an important risk factor for the development of rotator cuff tears. We hypothesized that smoking may also influence rotator cuff tear size. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 408 patients who underwent arthroscopic repair of cuff tear. Cuff tears were classified during surgery. We analyzed the percentage ...

Airway clearance is a key component of respiratory physiotherapy management for patients with excess secretions, including patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of this review is to give an overview of the available evidence for the use of different airway clearance techniques (ACT) and their effects in ...

One of the radiologic patterns associated with IgG4-related systemic disease was similar to that of pulmonary sarcoidosis. We analyzed whether suspected pulmonary sarcoidosis might include unrecognized IgG4-related systemic disease. The enrolled patients had bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy and/or lung nodules on chest computed tomography, used to diagnose the patients who could ...

Neurofibromatosis type I (NF1) is a rare genetic disease caused by mutations in the NF1 gene, which codes for tumor suppressor neurofibromin. NF1 is transmitted as an autosomal dominant and fully penetrant trait with no sex predominance. Precapillary pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a severe complication of NF1, initially described in ...

PURPOSE: This study was undertaken to assess the presence and extent of air trapping (AT) on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) in patients with Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) and to correlate the finding with the inspiratory pattern and bronchial/bronchiolar involvement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-one patients (7 M/14 F) with WG underwent inspiratory ...

Our objective was to try to evaluate lung affection and to correlate an easier and cheaper method with the high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) findings in patients with RA. Thirty-six RA patients were selected for HRCT lung scan (twelve patients with altered pulmonary function test (PFT) and 24 with normal PFT). ...

BACKGROUND: As a result of dynamic hyperinflation caused by expiratory flow limitation, resting end-expiratory lung volume (functional residual capacity) is markedly increased in many COPD patients. This investigation aimed at verifying the impact of CPAP on hyperinflation and airway resistance (Raw) in patients with stable COPD, as well as to ...

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: The triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (TREM-1) is known to be expressed during bacterial infections. We investigated if TREM-1 is also expressed in non-infectious inflammation following traumatic lung contusion. METHODS: In a study population of 45 adult patients with multiple trauma and lung contusion, we obtained bronchoalveolar ...

PURPOSE: To assess the additional diagnostic value of indirect CT venography (CTV) of the pelvis and upper thighs performed after pulmonary CT angiography (CTA) for the diagnosis of venous thromboembolism (VTE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a retrospective analysis, the radiology information system entries between January 2003 and December 2007 were ...

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: We studied the diagnostic accuracy of bedside lung ultrasound (the presence of a comet tail sign), N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and clinical assessment (modified Boston criteria) in differentiating heart failure (HF)- related acute dyspnea from pulmonary (COPD/asthma) related acute dyspnea in the prehospital setting. METHODS: Prospective study ...

RATIONALE: Current assessment of COPD relies extensively on the use of spirometry, an effort-dependent maneuver. Impulse oscillometry (IOS) is a non-volitional way to measure respiratory system mechanics, but its relationship to structural and functional measurements in large groups of patients with COPD is not clear. OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the ability ...

The diagnosis of bronchiolitis is based mainly on the patient's medical history and physical examination. However, in severe cases, a further evaluation including chest X-ray (CXR) may be necessary. At present, lung ultrasound (LUS) is not included in the diagnostic work-up of bronchiolitis. This study aimed to compare the diagnostic ...

Pulmonary disease is the most frequent and among the most severe extra-articular manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, this issue has not been sufficiently studied in Egyptian patients. The objectives of the present study are to investigate the prevalence and types of pulmonary involvement using high-resolution computed tomography scan (HRCT) ...

Objectives Time series studies have shown adverse effects of outdoor air pollution on mortality and hospital admissions in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) but panel studies have been inconsistent. This study investigates short-term effects of outdoor nitrogen dioxide, ozone, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter (PM(10)) and black smoke on ...

Pulmonary mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma is the most frequent type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) that primarily involves the lungs. It represents a rare entity accounting for less than 1% of all NHLs and the clinical features have yet to be clearly elucidated. The clinicopathological features and radiological data of ...

The sensitivities of the serum and bronchoalveolar lavage galactomannan (GM) assays in 48 patients with pulmonary aspergilloma were 38% (13 of 34; 95% confidence interval [CI], 22%-56%) and 92% (33 of 36; 95% CI, 78%-98%), respectively. The positivity of serum GM assays was significantly higher in patients with hemoptysis than ...

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical, radiological, and histopathological patterns of transbronchial biopsy (TBB) used in order to confirm the diagnosis in patients with clinical suspicion of interstitial lung disease (ILD) treated at a tertiary-care university hospital. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records, radiology reports, and reports of transbronchial biopsies from ...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate alterations in pulmonary function in patients with systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial pneumonia over a five-year period. METHODS: This was a longitudinal study involving 35 nonsmoking patients with systemic sclerosis and without a history of lung disease. At the first evaluation, performed at the time of the diagnosis of ...

Objective To investigate pulmonary function impairment and the spinal factors that may determine pulmonary function in patients with scoliosis. Methods Seventy-eight patients with idiopathic scoliosis or congenital scoliosis and 78 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects were enrolled in this study. The radiographic parameters of spinal deformity were obtained from patients ...

AIM: To determine the gender-specific prevalence of pulmonary cysts typical for lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) in adult patients with known tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective, cross-sectional study in a cohort of 206 adult TSC patients was performed. Institutional review board approval was obtained, and patient informed consent was ...

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a major health problem. Despite the wealth of studies on its epidemiology, few have described the thrombus sidedness and particularly the association of thrombus sidedness with clinical presentation and subsequent complications. This article reviews current knowledge regarding this topic and in light of recent data ...

Background: Nonasthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis (NAEB) and cough variant asthma (CVA) are common causes of chronic cough. Both are characterized by eosinophilic inflammation in the airways. However, airway hyperresponsiveness, which is a characteristic feature of CVA, is not observed in NAEB. We hypothesized that endogenous bronchodilator S-nitrosothiol (SNO) levels are different ...

Inducted sputum (IS) is a non-invasive procedure that can be used for collection of airway secretions. The aim of our study is to evaluate the clinical usefulness of IS for detection of airway inflammation in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Bronchoalveolar lavage and IS were performed to 20 patients with SSc. Eighteen ...

Introduction: Diffuse idiopathic pulmonary neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia (DIPNECH) is being recognized with increasing frequency. Diagnostic and treatment information is limited. A systematic review is presented focusing on patient demographics, clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment options, and outcomes. METHODS: A systematic electronic literature search was conducted for adult DIPNECH cases reported in ...

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive airway inflammatory condition that is associated with accelerated decline of lung function and is characterized by worsening dyspnea with episodes of increased number and severity of symptoms, termed exacerbations.(1) The main objectives of managing COPD are a reduction in the severity of ...

To determine whether pulmonary function decreases as a function of severity of pectus excavatum, and whether reduced function is restrictive or obstructive in nature in a large multicenter study. We evaluated preoperative spirometry data in 310 patients and lung volumes in 218 patients aged 6 to 21 years at 11 ...

INTRODUCTION: There is no information available regarding the relationship between the respiratory symptoms or lung function and bronchial inflammation, measured by induced sputum. OBJECTIVES: Description of the clinical characteristics, radiographic images and lung function of patients suffering from Primary Sjögren Syndrome (PSS), and to assess the relationship with the inflammatory ...

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: The severity of obstructive pulmonary disease is determined by the percent predicted FEV(1) based on ATS/ERS guidelines. In patients with coexisting restrictive lung disease, the decrease in FEV(1) can overestimate the degree of obstruction. We hypothesize that adjusting the FEV(1) for the decrease in TLC results in a ...

Chronic beryllium disease (CBD) is clinically similar to other granulomatous diseases such as sarcoidosis. It is often misdiagnosed if a thorough occupational history is not taken. When appropriate, a beryllium lymphocyte proliferation tests (BeLPT) need to be performed. We aimed to search for CBD among currently diagnosed pulmonary sarcoidosis patients ...

BACKGROUND: Bronchiectasis is characterised by neutrophilic bronchial inflammation and patients are prone to recurrent or chronic bacterial airway infections. Direct measurement of lung inflammation would be useful in order to assess disease activity and guide need for antibiotic treatment and to monitor response. Current methods of monitoring inflammation are invasive, ...

OBJECTIVE: Pulmonary function frequently deteriorates after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) increases risk of respiratory complications after CPB. Cysteinyl leukotrienes are important mediators of respiratory dysfunction. Their role during cardiac surgery and its lung complications is incompletely understood. We studied whether production of cysteinyl leukotrienes changes during ...