Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases

The 2023 Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) revised the definition of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to broadly include a variety of etiologies. A new taxonomy, composed of etiotypes, aims to highlight the heterogeneity in causes and pathogenesis of COPD, allowing more personalized management strategies and emphasizing the need for targeted research to understand and manage COPD better. However, controversy arises with including some diseases under the umbrella term of COPD, as their clinical presentations and treatments differ from classical COPD, which is smoking-related...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In the recent years the procedure of medical thoracoscopy has well established its role in undiagnosed pleural effusion however the availability of the instrument results in underutilization of this procedure. The study analysed outcome of single port rigid thoracoscopy in patients of undiagnosed pleural effusions. METHODS: The study retrospectively analysed the outcome of all the patients with undiagnosed pleural effusion presenting to our centre in between 2016 to 2020 who underwent single port rigid medical thoracoscopy as a diagnostic procedure...

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BACKGROUND: Exercise capacity is associated to lung function decline in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, but a discrepancy between exercise capacity and airflow limitation exists. This study aims to explore factors contributing to this discrepancy in the patients. METHODS: Data for this prospective study were obtained from the Korean COPD Subgroup Study. The exercise capacity and airflow limitation were assessed using the 6-minute walk distance (6-MWD, m) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)...

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of small airway dysfunction (SAD) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) across different ethnicities is poorly understood. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of SAD in stable COPD patients. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 196 consecutive stable COPD patients. We measured pre- and post-bronchodilator lung function and respiratory impedance. The severity of COPD and lung function abnormalities were graded according to the GOLD guidelines...

BACKGROUND: Tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE) and parapneumonic effusion (PPE) are often difficult to differentiate owing to the overlapping clinical features. Observational studies demonstrate that the ratio of lactate dehydrogenase to adenosine deaminase (LDH/ADA) is lower in TPE compared to PPE, but integrated analysis is warranted. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the LDH/ADA ratio in differentiating TPE and PPE...

>Post-intensive care unit (ICU) syndrome may occur after ICU treatment and includes ICU-acquired weakness (ICU-AW), cognitive decline, and mental problems. ICU-AW is muscle weakness in patients treated in the ICU and is affected by the period of mechanical ventilation. Diaphragmatic weakness may also occur because of respiratory muscle unloading using mechanical ventilators. ICU-AW is an independent predictor of mortality and is associated with longer duration of mechanical ventilation and hospital stay...

INTRODUCTION: Results of studies investigating the association between body mass index (BMI) and mortality in patients with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) have been conflicting. METHODS: This multicenter, retrospective observational study, conducted between January 2020 and August 2021, evaluated the impact of obesity on outcomes in patients with severe COVID-19 in a Korean national cohort. A total of 1114 patients were enrolled from 22 tertiary referral hospitals or university-affiliated hospitals, of whom 1099 were included in the analysis, excluding 15 with unavailable height and weight information...

BACKGROUND: The mechanisms leading to lung fibrosis are still under investigation. This study aimed to demonstrate whether antacids could prevent the development of interstitial lung disease (ILD). STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This population-based longitudinal cohort study was conducted between January 2006 and December 2010 in South Korea. Eligible subjects were ≥40 years of age, exposed to proton pump inhibitors (PPI) +/- histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H-2 blockers) or H-2 blockers only, and had no history of ILD between 2004 and 2005...

Interstitial lung abnormalities (ILAs) are radiologic abnormalities found incidentally on chest CT that can be show a wide range of diseases, from subclinical lung fibrosis to early pulmonary fibrosis including definitive usual interstitial pneumonia. To clear up confusion about ILA, the Fleischner society published a position paper on the definition, clinical symptoms, increased mortality, radiologic progression, and management of ILAs based on several Western cohorts and articles. Recently, studies on long-term outcome, risk factors, and quantification of ILA to address the confusion have been published in Asia...

Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) are a diverse collection of lung disorders sharing similar features, such as inflammation and fibrosis. The diagnosis and management of ILD require a multidisciplinary approach using clinical, radiological, and pathological evaluation. Progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) is a distinct form of progressive and fibrotic disease, occurring in ILD cases other than in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). It is defined based on clinical symptoms, lung function, and chest imaging, regardless of the underlying condition...

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BACKGROUND: There are many methods of evaluating diaphragmatic function, such as trans-diaphragmatic pressure measurements, which are considered the key rule of diagnosis, we studied the clinical usefulness of chest ultrasonography in evaluating stable COPD patients and those in exacerbation, we focus on diaphragmatic measurements and their correlation to spirometry and other clinical parameters. METHODS: In a prospective case control study, we enrolled 100 COPD patients divided into 40 stable COPD patients and 60 patients with exacerbation...

BACKGROUND: Long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) improves the survival of patients with hypoxemia due to chronic respiratory diseases. The clinical outcomes of LTOT are strongly associated with patient adherence. To improve the adherence of patients, physicians have focused on the efficacy of LTOT. However, poor adherence may stem from patients' perceptions of LTOT. Herein we evaluated patients' perceptions of LTOT affecting adherence. METHOD: LWe conducted a cross-sectional survey study using descriptive, open, and closed-ended questionnaire...

The management of severe asthma presents a significant challenge in asthma treatment. Over the past few decades, remarkable progress has been made in developing new treatments for asthma, primarily in the form of biological agents. These advances have been made possible through a deeper understanding of the underlying pathogenesis of asthma. Most biological agents focus on targeting specific inflammatory pathways known as type 2 inflammation. However, recent developments have introduced a new agent targeting upstream alarmin signaling pathways...

Chronic respiratory diseases such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and respiratory infections injure the alveoli; the damage evoked is mostly irreversible and occasionally leads to death. Achieving a detailed understanding of the pathogenesis of these fatal respiratory diseases has been hampered by limited access to human alveolar tissue and the differences between mice and humans. Thus, the development of human alveolar organoid (AO) models that mimic in vivo physiology and pathophysiology has gained tremendous attention over the last decade...

After the successful development of targeted therapy and immunotherapy for the treatment of advanced-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), these innovative treatment options are rapidly being applied in the adjuvant setting for early-stage NSCLC. Some adjuvants that have recently been approved include osimertinib for epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated tumors and atezolizumab and pembrolizumab for selected patients with resectable NSCLC. Numerous studies on various targeted therapies and immunotherapy with or without chemotherapy are currently ongoing in the adjuvant setting...

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BACKGROUND: Exhaled condensates contain inflammatory biomarkers; however, their roles in the clinical field have been under-investigated. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled subjects admitted to pulmonology clinics. We collected exhaled breath condensates (EBC) and analysed the levels of 6 and 12 biomarkers using conventional and multiplex enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. RESULTS: Among the 123 subjects, healthy controls constituted the largest group (81 participants; 65...

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive, fibrosing interstitial pneumonia with a very poor prognosis. Accurate diagnosis of IPF is essential for good outcomes but remains a major medical challenge due to variability in clinical presentation and the shortcomings of existing diagnostic tests. Medical history collection is the first and most important step in the IPF diagnosis process; the clinical probability of IPF is high if the suspected patient is 60 years or older, male, and has a history of cigarette smoking...