The effects of cyclosporin A (CsA), a potent immunosuppressive drug with antiparasitic activity, on the innate immunological response in guinea pig lungs during an early period (6th and 14th days) after T. spiralis infection were studied. CsA treatment of T. spiralis-infected guinea pigs caused a significant attenuation of immunological response in lungs by decreasing lymphocyte infiltration into pulmonary alveolar space, inhibiting alveolar macrophage superoxide anion production and lowering both the production of NO metabolites measured in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and expression of the iNOS protein in lung homogenates, allowing us to speculate that the T. spiralis-dependent immunological response is dependent on lymphocyte T function. Interestingly, CsA itself had a pro-inflammatory effect, promoting leucocyte accumulation and macrophage superoxide production in guinea pig lungs. This observation may have a relevance to the situation in patients undergoing CsA therapy. Macrophage expression of the iNOS protein, evaluated by immunoblotting was not influenced by treatment of animals with CsA or anti-TGF-antibody, indicating different regulation of the guinea pig and murine enzymes.
Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a rarely seen disease of the alveoli, characterized by accumulation of proteinous material, which stains positive with periodic acid Schiff, in the alveoli. Secondary PAP may develop as a result of occupational exposure to materials such as silica and indium. In the paper, together with a review of the relevant literature, we present an uncommon case of a 47-year old male, marble worker who was diagnosed with PAP associated with a 12-year history of exposure to marble dust. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2016;29(5):871–876
Bronchoscopy was introduced into clinical practice over 100 years ago. Due to technological advances, diagnostic capabilities of current bronchoscopy are not limited to the trachea and proximal bronchi but also include the peripheral airways as well as various anatomical structures located outside the bronchi. A wide range of available techniques that include bronchoalveolar lavage, protected microbiological brush, transbronchial biopsy of the lungs and mediastinal lymph nodes makes bronchoscopy useful in diagnosing various lower respiratory tract infections. For example, the collection of high quality biological samples for microbiological examination plays a crucial role when treating patients with nosocomial pneumonia. Bronchoscopy may provide the samples directly from the site of infection. In immunocompromised hosts bronchoscopy is routinely used as the diagnostic tool in lower respiratory tract infections. Due to implementation of novel therapies, the number of immunocompromised patients is steadily increasing, hence there are growing needs for effective diagnosis of opportunistic pulmonary infections. In the specific group of lung transplant recipients, bronchoscopy play a crucial role in monitoring the rejection process and also in differentiating between the rejection and pulmonary infections. Bronchoscopy is also useful in diagnosing tuberculosis or nontuberculous pulmonary infections. This particularly refers to patients who are unable to produce sputum for microbiological examination.
5
Dostęp do pełnego tekstu na zewnętrznej witrynie WWW
Sarcoidosis is a chronic inflammatory multiorgan disease of unknown origin. Our previous study demonstrated a significant correlation between the relative count of nonCD4+, nonCD8+ lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage of active sarcoidosis patients and proangiogenic activity of BAL homogenates. The aim of the present study was to evaluate in a group of 40 patients with active sarcoidosis the possible relationship between the intensity of alveolitis, particularly the nonCD4+, nonCD8+ lymphocyte subset, and other parameters characterizing the level of pulmonary (lung function tests) and extrapulmonary (spleen longitudinal dimension) disease activity. We found that the relative count of nonCD4+, nonCD8+ lymphocytes in BAL correlated positively with spleen size (r=0.50, P<0.01) and negatively with static compliance (r=0.43, P<0.05). We concluded that the lymphocytes belonging to the nonCD4+nonCD8+ subset participate in the inflammatory process in sarcoidosis. However, more detailed phenotypic and functional characteristics of this cellular population are needed.
6
Dostęp do pełnego tekstu na zewnętrznej witrynie WWW
Nitric oxide has been extensively studied as a noninvasive marker of airway inflammation. Assuming that bronchoscopy can produce not only systemic but also local inflammatory response, we hypothesized that bronchofiberoscopy can be responsible for an increase in nitric oxide synthesis with resulting increase in fractional concentration of exhaled nitric oxide (FENO). Fifty five subjects (F/M-23/32; mean age 53.9 ±17.3 yr) undergoing diagnostic bronchoscopy participated in the study. The indications for bronchoscopy were as follows: interstitial lung diseases (n=13; 23.6%), lung cancer (n=11; 20.0%), hemoptysis (n=10; 18.2%), differential diagnosis of asthma/dyspnea (n=9; 16.4%), pulmonary infections (n=7; 12.7%), and others (n=5; 9.1%). During bronchoscopy bronchial washing (n=18), bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) (n=26), and bronchial biopsies (n=24) were performed. FENO was analyzed on-line with chemiluminescence analyzer (NIOX, Aerocrine, Sweden) according to the ATS guidelines, before and at 1, 2, 3 and 24 h after bronchoscopy. The mean FENO before bronchoscopy was 21.0 ±3.31(SE) ppb, it decreased to 14.8 ±2.10 ppb 1 h after bronchoscopy, reached a nadir at 2 h (14.4 ±2.28 ppb; P<0.05), and was not different from baseline 24 h after bronchoscopy (22.8 ±2.90 ppb). There were no differences in the FENO profile in BAL patients compared with those in whom only the bronchial washing was performed. We conclude that bronchoscopy leads to a decrease in FENO. The underlying mechanisms are at present unclear.
The objectives of the study were to estimate human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) DNA copy number in broncho-alveolar lavage cells, blood leukocytes, and serum of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The study groups consisted of 16 patients, newly diagnosed with IPF and never treated, (mean age 40.9 ±11.0 yr; F/M-7/9) and in 16 adult healthy volunteers (mean age 36.8 ±6.4 yr; F/M-4/12) used as controls. The HCMV DNA copy number was calculated by a Q-PCR method using TaqMan ABI PRISMTM7700. We found that the prevalence of the HCMV DNA positive subjects in the patient group (75%) did not differ significantly from that in the control group (69%). We also found that in both patient and control groups the mean HCMV DNA copy number in BAL cells was significantly higher than that in blood leukocytes (log10=2.7 vs. 1.2 for patients and 2.8 vs. 0.9 for controls, respectively). However, a higher HCMV DNA copy number in blood serum was observed in IPF patients than in controls (log10=3.2 vs. 2.0, respectively). We conclude that the lungs play an important role in the human pathobiology of cytomegalovirus sustenance.
The effects of cyclosporin A (CsA), a potent immunosuppressive drug with antiparasitic activity, on the innate immunological response in guinea pig lungs during an early period (6th and 14th days) after T. spiralis infection were studied. CsA treatment of T. spiralis-infected guinea pigs caused a significant attenuation of immuno- logical response in lungs by decreasing lymphocyte infiltration into pulmonary alveolar space, inhibiting alveolar macrophage superoxide anion production and lowering both the production of NO metabolites measured in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and expression of the iNOS protein in lung homogenates, allowing us to speculate that the T. spiralis-dependent immunological response is dependent on lymphocyte T function. Interestingly, CsA itself had a pro-inflammatory effect, promoting leucocyte accumulation and macrophage superoxide production in guinea pig lungs. This observation may have a relevance to the situation in patients undergoing CsA therapy. Macrophage expression of the iNOS protein, evaluated by immunoblotting was not influenced by treatment of animals with CsA or anti-TGF-antibody, indicating different regulation of the guinea pig and murine enzymes.
Pulmonary sarcoidosis may progress to fibrosis in some patients, so that close monitoring of its activity is essential for recommending clinical strategy. Examination of ariway inflammatory markers in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is one of the methods applied to assess the disease severity. Recently, the expired breath condensate (EBC) has become another source of cytokines and mediators. In sarcoidosis, except for NO and oxidative stress markers, no other mediators have yet been estimated in the exhaled air. In the present study we attempted to answer the question of whether airway inflammatory markers in pulmonary sarcoidosis patients might be assessable in EBC and to what extend these markers might reflect the disease activity in the lungs IL-6, TNF-alpha, PAI-1, and IGF-1 were measured by Elisa method in EBC and BALF samples from 9 patients with newly-diagnosed pulmonary sarcoidosis. TNF-alpha, IGF-1, and PAI-1 levels in EBC and BAL samples were comparable and closely positively correlated [TNF-alpha (r=0.79, P<0.001), IGF-1 (r=0.94, P<0.001), and PAI-1 (r=0.81, P<0.001)]. In contrast, IL-6 concentration in EBC was significantly lower compared with that in BALF, while the correlation between both materials was negative (r=-0.47, P<0.05). An important distinction in IL-6 performance, which might explain this inconsistency, is its tendency to form more complex molecular forms of a higher weight than that of other cytokines. Our study shows that EBC reflects cytokine production in the lung as effectively as BALF, providing that the characteristics of proteins evaluated allow their easy transfer into the exhaled air. Further studies are required before accepting EBC samples as an equivalent to BALF.