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BMJ Open 2020 Jul 1;10(7):e035811. Epub 2020 Jul 1.

Maladies Respiratoires, Univ Montpellier, CHU Montpellier, Montpellier, France.

Objectives: Presently, those outcomes that should be prioritised for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation studies remain unclear. In order to coordinate multicentre studies on eosinophilia-driven corticosteroid therapy for patients hospitalised for acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD), we aimed to find consensus among experts in the domain regarding the prioritisation of outcomes.

Design: A modified Delphi study was proposed to recognised COPD experts. Read More

Tuberc Respir Dis (Seoul) 2020 Jul 18;83(3):175-184. Epub 2020 Jun 18.

Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton and the Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.

Quantitative sputum cytometry facilitates in assessing the nature of bronchitis associated with exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This is not assessed in most clinical trials that evaluate the effectiveness of strategies to prevent or to treat exacerbations. While up to a quarter of exacerbations may be associated with raised eosinophil numbers, the vast majority of exacerbations are associated with neutrophilic bronchitis that may indicate airway infections. Read More

Ter Arkh 2020 Apr 27;92(3):25-29. Epub 2020 Apr 27.

Ulyanovsk State University.

Aim: To assess the risk of exacerbations of bronchial asthma (BA) in smoking patients with the asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) overlap (ACO) after inpatient treatment.

Materials And Methods: 36 smokers with ACO (main group) and 36 non-smoking patients (control group) with severe or moderate exacerbation of bronchial asthma were examined. Assessment of the severity of exacerbation of BA before treatment, levels of control and risk of exacerbations of BA after treatment was determined according to the Federal clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of BA (2016). Read More

Ter Arkh 2019 Oct 15;91(10):144-152. Epub 2019 Oct 15.

Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University).

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous disease that combines various clinical manifestations and pathophysiological mechanisms. It underlies the separation of patients with COPD by phenotypes, endotypes and a personalized therapy of this disease. The implementation of this approach is possible only with the use of appropriate biomarkers. Read More

Stem Cell Res Ther 2020 Jun 26;11(1):254. Epub 2020 Jun 26.

Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, 222 Banpodae-ro, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 06591, South Korea.

Background: Human chronic graft-versus-host disease (CGVHD) shares clinical characteristics with a murine sclerodermatous GVHD (Scl-GVHD, B10.D2 → BALB/c) model that is characterized by skin and lung fibrosis. In this study, bone marrow- or adipose tissue-derived human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) were injected into the Scl-GVHD mice to address their therapeutic effect on CGVHD. Read More

Antiviral Res 2020 Jun 22:104864. Epub 2020 Jun 22.

Department of Virology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Saint Petersburg, Russia. Electronic address:

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can cause recurrent infection in people because it does not stimulate a long-lived immunological memory. There is an urgent need to develop a safe and efficacious vaccine against RSV that would induce immunological memory without causing immunopathology following natural RSV infection. We have previously generated two recombinant live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) viruses that encode immunodominant T-cell epitopes of RSV M2 protein in the neuraminidase or NS1 genes. Read More

Exp Lung Res 2020 Jun 24:1-15. Epub 2020 Jun 24.

Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA.

Exposure to various allergens has been shown to increase expression of ORMDL3 in the lung in models of allergic asthma. Studies using genetically modified (transgenic or knock out) mice have revealed some of the functions of ORMDL3 in asthma pathogenesis, although amid debate. The goal of this study was to use targeted post-transcriptional downregulation of in allergen-challenged wild-type (WT) mice by RNA interference to further elucidate the functional role of ORMDL3 in asthma pathogenesis and evaluate a potential therapeutic option. Read More

J Asthma 2020 Jul 1:1-7. Epub 2020 Jul 1.

Department of Internal Medicine, Allergy and clinical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.

Asthma is a common chronic inflammatory air way disease which poses a high disease burden worldwide. Asthma is a heterogenous disease with various phenotypes and endotypes. Refractory asthma requires new and personalized approaches to manage it effectively. Read More

Int J Dermatol 2020 Jun 18. Epub 2020 Jun 18.

Dermatology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Balamand University, Saint Georges Hospital UMC, Beirut, Lebanon.

Characterized chiefly by hypereosinophilia and angioedema, Gleich syndrome is a rare disorder with unclear clinical and therapeutic findings. Other symptoms include increased IgM levels, weight gain, fever, and urticaria. Herein we review Gleich syndrome and assess clinical features, epidemiology, and treatment options. Read More

Cardiovasc J Afr 2020 Jun 12;31:1-7. Epub 2020 Jun 12.

Department of Cardiology, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Cardiovascular Institute of Jilin Province, Changchun 130033, Jilin Province, China.

Idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome (IHES) is a rare myeloproliferative disease characterised by multisystem dysfunction and persistent, extreme eosinophilia of unknown cause. Here we present a 42-year-old patient complaining of moderate to severe chest pain and shortness of breath, and typical ischaemic electrocardiography changes were recorded. He was initially suspected of having acute coronary syndrome, however the coronary angiogram excluded coronary abnormalities. Read More

Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis 2020 19;15:1123-1134. Epub 2020 May 19.

Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Beijing Institute of Respiratory Medicine and Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100020, People's Republic of China.

Purpose: Peripheral blood eosinophilic counts are susceptible to many factors and have variability over time. There are limited studies on association of blood eosinophilia with long-term mortality of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients and these results remain controversial. Our aims were to explore the association of blood eosinophilia at index hospitalization and stability of blood eosinophilia stability over 5 years with all-cause mortality of patients hospitalized for acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD). Read More

Eur Respir J 2020 Jun 4. Epub 2020 Jun 4.

Department of Respiratory Medicine, Laboratory for Translational Research in Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium

Background: Occupational asthma, induced by workplace exposures to low molecular weight (LMW) agents such as toluene 2,4-diisocyanate (TDI), causes a significant burden to patients and society. Little is known about innate lymphoid cells (ILC) in TDI-induced asthma. A critical regulator of ILC function is microRNA-155, a microRNA associated with asthma. Read More

Pak J Med Sci 2020 May-Jun;36(4):750-754

Dr. Lubna Ghafoor, MBBS, MD (Pulmonology). Trainee, Pulmonology & Chest Unit-II, Ojha Institute of Chest Diseases, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan.

Objective: To determine Blood Eosinophilia frequency in newly diagnosed Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease patients.

Methods: An observational cross-sectional research on newly diagnosed COPD patients with age ≥ 40 years was performed at Ojha Institute of Chest Diseases, Dow University of Health Sciences Karachi. COPD patients diagnosed in outpatient clinic or admitted in Chest Unit during six-month period from September 2018 to May 2019 were selected. Read More

Med Hypotheses 2020 May 27;143:109883. Epub 2020 May 27.

President British Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society, Visiting Professor University of Chester, CEO Phoenix Health, United Kingdom. Electronic address:

It is widely believed that infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus triggers a disproportionate immune response which causes a devastating systemic injury, particularly in individuals with obesity, itself a chronic, multi-organ inflammatory disease. Immune cells accumulate in visceral adipose tissue and together with paracrine adipocytes release a wide range of biologically active cytokines (including IL-1β, IL5, IL6 and IL8) that can result in both local, pulmonary and systemic inflammation. A more intense 'cytokine storm' is postulated as the mechanism behind the extreme immune response seen in severe COVID-19. Read More

Int Immunol 2020 Jun 3. Epub 2020 Jun 3.

Department of Immunology, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan.

Intestinal nematode infection induces pulmonary eosinophilia via interleukin (IL)-33, although the mechanism of pulmonary IL-33 induction remains unclear. Because nematode migration damages lungs, we speculated that lung-derived damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) possess an IL-33-inducing activity (IL33ia). Indeed, intranasal administration of a lung extract induced IL-33 production in lungs. Read More

Clin Ther 2020 Jun 29;42(6):1015-1031. Epub 2020 May 29.

Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Alberta Respiratory Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Purpose: Psychological stress shifts the immune system toward the production of T-helper (Th)-2-mediated cytokines and eosinophilia, increases the risks for both asthma and depression, and can precipitate asthma exacerbations. Th2-mediated inflammation is a characteristic of allergic asthma. We have shown that the levels of CD4 Th2 cells in the peripheral blood of patients with asthma are associated with severity and/or control of the disease. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2020 May;99(22):e20226

Department of Respiratory Medicine.

Rationale: Sparganosis is an infectious disease caused by a larval tapeworm of the genus Spirometra, which commonly invades subcutaneous tissues. Pulmonary and pleural involvement due to sparganum has been rarely reported previously.

Patient Concerns: We herein described a case of recurrent eosinophilic pleuritis in a 24-year-old woman. Read More

Med Pharm Rep 2020 Apr 22;93(2):169-174. Epub 2020 Apr 22.

Department of Pneumology, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

Background And Aims: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is currently the third leading cause of death worldwide, with increasing mortality and morbidity. The neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and blood eosinophils level (EOS) represent biomarkers of inflammation in various diseases, with current research in the field of COPD. The aim of this study was to determine correlations of NLR and EOS with certain characteristics of COPD in a group of patients without major comorbidities. Read More

J Am Assoc Nurse Pract 2020 May 21. Epub 2020 May 21.

Emory University, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Atlanta, Georgia.

Newer guidelines for the use of inhaled corticosteroids in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) state that they should be reserved for those patients who are likely to derive the greatest benefits from this medication class. This makes the latest Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung disease (GOLD) guidelines of great importance. This article examines the utility of a previous diagnosis of asthma, the presence of eosinophilia, elevated immunoglobulin E, and positive bronchodilator response in identifying the people with COPD who also have asthma, and it presents two case studies of patients with COPD to illustrate the use of the GOLD guidelines in clinical practice. Read More

J Allergy Clin Immunol 2020 May 19. Epub 2020 May 19.

University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Groningen Research Institute for Asthma and COPD, Groningen, The Netherlands; University of Groningen, UMCG, Department of Pathology and Medical Biology, Groningen, The Netherlands.

Background: Asthma is a complex disease with multiple phenotypes that may differ in disease pathobiology and treatment response. Interleukin 33 (IL33) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been reproducibly associated with asthma. IL33 levels are elevated in sputum, and bronchial biopsies of asthma patients. Read More

Rheumatol Int 2020 Jul 18;40(7):1171-1176. Epub 2020 May 18.

Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, Department of Medicine, SUNY Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, NY, USA.

Pulmonary angiitis is a small vessel vasculitis commonly reported in granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) but is rarely attributed to angiostrongyliasis. We report a case of a patient with well-controlled rheumatoid arthritis, who was treated for GPA based on lung biopsy results with glucocorticoids (GC). Upon re-review of the initial pathology, along with peripheral eosinophilia and history of recent travel, the patient was eventually diagnosed with angiostrongylus-like nematode infection. Read More

Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis 2020 Apr 22;71:101488. Epub 2020 Apr 22.

Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran. Electronic address:

Toxocariasis is considered a neglected disease despite the importance of Toxocara spp. infections for human health and is little recognized as a significant problem by public health institutions in developing countries. Epidemiological studies suggest that infection with Toxocara cati contributes to the development of allergic asthma. Read More

Zhong Nan Da Xue Xue Bao Yi Xue Ban 2020 Mar;45(3):345-348

Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410011, China.

We report a case of myeloid neoplasm with the abnormality of PDGFRB gene secondary interstitial pneumonia. A 66-year-old male complained dry cough and shortness of breath after regular activities. Two years ago, high-resolution computerized tomography (HRCT) showed interstitial lung diseases, and no clear etiology was found. Read More

Adv Respir Med 2020 ;88(2):142-146

Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, United States.

Acute eosinophilic pneumonia (AEP) is characterized by an acute onset respiratory illness with bilateral chest infiltrates and evidence of pulmonary eosinophilia. Cigarette smoking is the main risk factor, but drugs and other inhalational exposures have also been reported. Herein, the association between AEP and smoking devices other than cigarettes is reviewed The PubMed database was searched using terms such as "smoking", "vaping", "e-cigarette", "waterpipe", and "marijuana", along with other commonly used synonyms for these terms. Read More

Eur Respir J 2020 May 7. Epub 2020 May 7.

Department of Chronic Diseases, Metabolism and Ageing, BREATHE, KU Leuven, Belgium

Background: Acute fibrinous and organising pneumonia (AFOP) after lung transplantation is associated with a rapid decline in pulmonary function. However, the relation with chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) remains unclear. We investigated the association between detection of AFOP in lung allograft biopsies with clinically important endpoints. Read More

Respir Med Case Rep 2020 4;30:101050. Epub 2020 Apr 4.

UOC Malattie dell'Apparato Respiratorio, Ospedale "Regina Apostolorum", Albano Laziale, RM, Italy.

A 63 years - old woman affected by severe eosinophilic asthma associated with EGPA presented refractory respiratory symptoms, resistant to high dose oral corticosteroid treatment. A significant hyper-eosinophilia was present at the blood test, and the ACT score was steadily low, despite the maximal dose of inhalation therapy. The CT chest scan showed a persistent diffuse bronchial wall thickening, pulmonary infiltration and paranasal sinusitis. Read More

Int J Basic Clin Immunol 2019 Dec 12;2:1-12. Epub 2019 Sep 12.

Department of Medicine, Pulmonary Diseases, Tulane Eosinophilic Disorder Center, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.

Background And Aim: IgE-mediated immune responses contribute to the pathogenesis of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). Interleukin (IL)-4 is a well-established cytokine involved in B cell activation, immunoglobulin (Ig) E production and isotype class switching. Earlier reports indicated that IL-15, B cells and IgE are induced in EoE pathogenesis. Read More

Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2020 May;201(9):e56-e69

: This document provides clinical recommendations for the pharmacologic treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It represents a collaborative effort on the part of a panel of expert COPD clinicians and researchers along with a team of methodologists under the guidance of the American Thoracic Society.: Comprehensive evidence syntheses were performed on all relevant studies that addressed the clinical questions and critical patient-centered outcomes agreed upon by the panel of experts. Read More

J Allergy Clin Immunol 2020 Apr 10. Epub 2020 Apr 10.

National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom; Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom. Electronic address:

Background: Respiratory viral infection causes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations. We previously reported increased bronchial mucosa eosinophil and neutrophil inflammation in patients with COPD experiencing naturally occurring exacerbations. But it is unclear whether virus per se induces bronchial mucosal inflammation, nor whether this relates to exacerbation severity. Read More

Nutr Res Rev 2020 Apr 13:1-16. Epub 2020 Apr 13.

Chemical Injuries Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Interaction between a healthy microbiome and the immune system leads to body homeostasis, as dysbiosis in microbiome content and loss of diversity may result in disease development. Due to the ability of probiotics to help and modify microbiome constitution, probiotics are now widely used for the prevention and treatment of different gastrointestinal, inflammatory, and, more recently, respiratory diseases. In this regard, chronic respiratory diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and allergic rhinitis are among the most common and complicated respiratory diseases with no specific treatment until now. Read More

Pneumologie 2020 Apr 9;74(4):230-233. Epub 2020 Apr 9.

Kliniken der Stadt Köln gGmbH, Lungenklinik-Merheim, ARDS und ECMO Zentrum, Universität Witten/Herdecke, Köln.

A 27-year-old, previously physically healthy man presented to an emergency department with an acute onset of thoracic pain, dyspnea, non-productive cough and fever. Hours before the onset of symptoms, the patient has smoked tobacco using a waterpipe (spearmint taste, not commercially available in Germany). Due to a progressive respiratory failure the patient required invasive mechanical ventilation. Read More

BMJ Open Respir Res 2020 Apr;7(1)

Pulmonary Medicine, Mainz University Hospital, Mainz, Germany.

Rheumatol Int 2020 Jul 8;40(7):1163-1170. Epub 2020 Apr 8.

Division of Rheumatology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangitis (EGPA) is a systemic necrotizing small-vessel vasculitis that presents heterogeneously as a multi-organ disease. EGPA evolves through three phases: (1) prodromic phase with asthma, atopy and sinusitis, (2) eosinophilic phase characterized by peripheral eosinophilia and eosinophilic infiltration without necrosis, and (3) vasculitic phase involving organ damage. EGPA often presents with asthma, mononeuritis multiplex, lung infiltrates, sinusitis and constitutional symptoms. Read More

Anaesthesist 2020 Jun 8;69(6):414-420. Epub 2020 Apr 8.

Klinik für Anästhesiologie und operative Intensivmedizin, Ortenauklinikum Lahr-Ettenheim, Lahr, Deutschland.

Acute eosinophilic pneumonia (AEP) is a rare disease characteristically involving eosinophilic infiltration of lung parenchyma as well as fever, dyspnea, and coughing. A differentiation is made between primary and secondary AEP depending on the underlying etiology. Substances that most frequently cause secondary AEP are antibiotics, such as the lipopeptide daptomycin. Read More

J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2020 Apr 3. Epub 2020 Apr 3.

Department of Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Diseases and Allergy, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland. Electronic address:

In recent years, heterogeneity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) inflammatory patterns has been recognized as a basis for more precise treatment interventions because current therapies have limited effectiveness. Eosinophilic airway inflammation in COPD has become a subject of research interest as a potential treatment target for inhaled corticosteroid therapy. However, the role of eosinophils in COPD is still unclear, and it is unknown why only some patients with COPD develop eosinophilic airway inflammation. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2020 Apr;99(14):e19625

Department of Pediatrics, West China Second Hospital, Sichuan University.

Patients with both serous effusion and eosinophilia are rarely reported and geographically distributed; their early diagnosis is difficult.According to the ultimate diagnosis, patients (≤14 years) in West China Second hospital with serous effusion and eosinophilia were divided into two groups including a parasitic group and a non-parasitic group. Clinical data were collected and analyzed between the two groups. Read More

PLoS Med 2020 03 31;17(3):e1003076. Epub 2020 Mar 31.

Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.

Background: Information regarding the prevalence of infectious diseases (IDs) in child and adolescent refugees in Europe is scarce. Here, we evaluate a standardized ID screening protocol in a cohort of unaccompanied refugee minors (URMs) in a municipal region of southwest Germany.

Methods And Findings: From January 2016 to December 2017, we employed a structured questionnaire to screen a cohort of 890 URMs. Read More

Pol Merkur Lekarski 2020 Feb;48(283):65-68

Medical Faculty of the Lazarski University in Warsaw, Poland.

The beneficial effects of low dose azithromycin on reducing the number of exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have been the subject of many clinical studies. Long-term administration of low dose azithromycin is known to suppress proinflammatory cytokine production, potentiate macrophage phagocytosis and anti-inflammatory cytokine expression. The effect of azithromycin is also associated with a decrease in the expression of human HLA (human leukocyte antigen) complex molecules in the respiratory tract, including HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-DPA1, HLA-DRA, HLA-DRB4. Read More

Pediatrics 2020 04;145(4)

Divisions of Pulmonary Medicine.

Idiopathic acute eosinophilic pneumonia is a rare and potentially life-threatening condition that is defined by bilateral pulmonary infiltrates and fever in the presence of pulmonary eosinophilia. It often presents acutely in previously healthy individuals and can be difficult to distinguish from infectious pneumonia. Although the exact etiology of idiopathic acute eosinophilic pneumonia remains unknown, an acute hypersensitivity reaction to an inhaled antigen is suggested, which is further supported by recent public health risks of vaping (electronic cigarette) use and the development of lung disease. Read More

Rev Chil Pediatr 2019 Dec;90(6):657-661

Servicio de Pediatría, Clínica Indisa, Santiago, Chile.

Introduction: Eosinophilic Pneumonia (EP) is a very rare disorder in Pediatrics. It is characterized by the infiltra tion of eosinophils in the pulmonary and alveolar interstitium, and may be primary or secondary as well as present an acute or chronic progress.

Objective: to present 2 pediatric EP clinical cases which were diagnosed at the pediatric intensive care unit of Clinica Indisa in Santiago, Chile between 2014 and 2017. Read More

J Vet Diagn Invest 2020 Mar;32(2):329-335

Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Current address: Tudor Glen Veterinary Hospital, St. Albert, Alberta, Canada (Abbott).

We describe and illustrate herein a case of eosinophilic pulmonary granulomatosis (EPG) in a 16-mo-old, castrated male, Great Pyrenees crossbred dog. EPG appears to differ from eosinophilic pneumonias and eosinophilic bronchopneumopathy in dogs by the presence of nodules and masses in the lungs composed of eosinophils, macrophages, and various combinations of lymphocytes, plasma cells, neutrophils, and mast cells within fibrous tissue. Specific information from this dog was added to the information from the limited number of other dogs diagnosed with EPG reported in the veterinary literature, and the information analyzed. Read More

Allergy 2020 Mar 13. Epub 2020 Mar 13.

Division of Hematology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.

Med Sci Monit 2020 Mar 12;26:e921182. Epub 2020 Mar 12.

Department of Respiratory Medicine, Jiangxi Provincial People's Hospital Affiliated to Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China (mainland).

BACKGROUND The 2018 Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease Report reveals that the blood eosinophil count could forecast the risk of flare-ups. This study explored the correlations of blood eosinophils with fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and pulmonary function parameters in acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). MATERIAL AND METHODS The data of patients with AECOPD at our hospital admitted between July 2018 and June 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Read More

Cureus 2020 Jan 28;12(1):e6803. Epub 2020 Jan 28.

Internal Medicine, University of North Dakota School of Medicine, Fargo, USA.

Daptomycin is a cyclic lipopeptide antibiotic with great efficacy targeting gram-positive cocci, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant enterococcus. Acute eosinophilic pneumonia is a rare complication of daptomycin therapy, with a poorly understood etiology thought to involve the accumulation of the drug in pulmonary surfactant inducing inflammation. We present a 56-year-old male with a history of spinal epidural abscess being treated with intravenous daptomycin, who presented to the emergency department with fever, developed worsening shortness of breath, and was subsequently discovered to have eosinophilia of pulmonary secretions via bronchoalveolar lavage. Read More

Cell Host Microbe 2020 04 3;27(4):614-628.e6. Epub 2020 Mar 3.

Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA; Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA; Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA. Electronic address:

Airway epithelium is the first body surface to contact inhaled irritants and report danger. Here, we report how epithelial cells recognize and respond to aeroallergen alkaline protease 1 (Alp1) of Aspergillus sp., because proteases are critical components of many allergens that provoke asthma. Read More

Front Immunol 2020 11;11:84. Epub 2020 Feb 11.

Laboratory of Immunoendocrinology, Department of Clinical and Toxicological Analyses, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University São Paulo (FCF/USP), São Paulo, Brazil.

Reports have shown that the onset of diabetes mellitus (DM) in patients previously diagnosed with asthma decreases asthmatic symptoms, whereas insulin aggravates asthma. The present study evaluated the modulatory effect of insulin on the development of allergic airway inflammation in diabetic mice. To evaluate the effects of relative insulin deficiency, an experimental model of diabetes was induced by a single dose of alloxan (50 mg/kg, i. Read More

BMC Pulm Med 2020 Feb 24;20(1):50. Epub 2020 Feb 24.

Department of Respiratory Medicine, Huizhou third people's Hospital, Guangzhou Medical College, 1# Xuebei Ave, Huizhou, 516002, Guangdong, China.

Background: Measurement of sputum is frequently used to define airway inflammatory subtypes. The venous blood cell is a reliable and simple biomarker, may be used as an alternative procedure to reflect the subtypes. For the aim of verifying the hypothesis that venous blood cell can quantify sputum inflammatory cell to access the airway subtypes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease of acute exacerbations (AECOPD) and to ascertain the accuracy of the blood cell biomarker. Read More

Parasitol Int 2020 Jun 20;76:102087. Epub 2020 Feb 20.

Institute of Pathology, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany.

We report a case of a fatal Strongyloides stercoralis hyperinfection syndrome (SHS) in a migrant from Kenya, who had been living in Germany for three decades. A short-course oral steroid treatment for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) exacerbation had been administered four weeks prior to the presentation. The initial clinical and radiological findings suggested a mechanical small bowel obstruction as a cause of ileus. Read More

Surg Case Rep 2020 Feb 19;6(1):40. Epub 2020 Feb 19.

Department of Thoracic Surgery, Otsu Red Cross Hospital, 1-1-35, Nagara, Otsu, Shiga, 520-8511, Japan.

Background: Acute eosinophilic pneumonia (AEP) is a rare idiopathic lung disease characterized by pulmonary eosinophilia. The epidemiology of AEP remains understudied; however, past reports have reported that AEP can be caused by an allergic reaction to medications, such as antibiotics or inhaled antigens, such as tobacco smoke. AEP usually occurs bilaterally. Read More