Objectives: Lung cancer is known to be associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Moreover; nutritional status is associated with chronic obstructive disease treatment and lung cancer. Our aim was to evaluate the interaction of the COPD status and treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. Methods: Eighty-two patients were enrolled in our multicenter study. Chronic obstructive disease stage, spirometry and treatment was recorded along with the treatment and Body Mass Index (BMI), Mediterranian Diet Score, Pack Years, Basic Metabolsim (RMR) (kcal/day), VO₂ (ml/min), Ve (lt/min) and Physical Activity. The statistical analysis was performed using the JMP 14.3 (SAS Inc 2018) software. Results: The drug pairs showed a steady and unchanged by time health condition for 48 patients. Overall, 31 patients were recorded with worse COPD health conditions. The one-way ANOVA clearly indicated that chemotherapy induced the best FEV1-difference conditions with a positive effect of 8.56 mean FEV volume, the combined treatment simply did not have an effect (-0.9), while immunotherapy and patients receiving radiation decreased their FEV1 volume down to -4.23 and -5.15 mean values. Conclusions: Patients receiving chemotherapy alone had their chronic obstructive disease improved with less drugs and exacerbations, while patients receiving immunotherapy had their chronic obstructive disease stable, while all other treatment combinations worsened the patients chronic obstructive disease. Nutritional status did not affect the chronic obstructive disease of these patients in any way.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive disease with significant mortality. Prognostic biomarkers to identify rapid progressors are urgently needed to improve patient management. Since the lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) pathway has been implicated in lung fibrosis in preclinical models and identified as a potential therapeutic target, we aimed to investigate if bioactive lipid LPA species could be prognostic biomarkers that predict IPF disease progression. LPAs and lipidomics were measured in baseline placebo plasma of a randomized IPF-controlled trial. The association of lipids with disease progression indices were assessed using statistical models. Compared to healthy, IPF patients had significantly higher levels of five LPAs (LPA16:0, 16:1, 18:1, 18:2, 20:4) and reduced levels of two triglycerides species (TAG48:4-FA12:0, -FA18:2) (false discovery rate < 0.05, fold change > 2). Patients with higher levels of LPAs had greater declines in diffusion capacity of carbon monoxide over 52 weeks (P < 0.01); additionally, LPA20:4-high (≥median) patients had earlier time to exacerbation compared to LPA20:4-low (

UNASSIGNED: The long-term prognosis of COVID-19 survivors remains poorly understood. It is evidenced that the lung is the main damaged organ in COVID-19 survivors, most notably in impairment of pulmonary diffusion function. Hence, we conducted a meta-analysis of the potential risk factors for impaired diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) in convalescent COVID-19 patients.
UNASSIGNED: We performed a systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Ovid databases for relevant studies from inception until January 7, 2022, limited to papers involving human subjects. Studies were reviewed for methodological quality. Fix-effects and random-effects models were used to pool results. Heterogeneity was assessed using I2. The publication bias was assessed using the Egger\'s test. PROSPERO registration: CRD42021265377.
UNASSIGNED: A total of eighteen qualified articles were identified and included in the systematic review, and twelve studies were included in the meta-analysis. Our results showed that female (OR: 4.011; 95% CI: 2.928-5.495), altered chest computerized tomography (CT) (OR: 3.002; 95% CI: 1.319-6.835), age (OR: 1.018; 95% CI: 1.007-1.030), higher D-dimer levels (OR: 1.012; 95% CI: 1.001-1.023) and urea nitrogen (OR: 1.004;95% CI: 1.002-1.007) were identified as risk factors for impaired DLCO.
UNASSIGNED: Pulmonary diffusion capacity was the most common impaired lung function in recovered patients with COVID-19. Several risk factors, such as female, altered chest CT, older age, higher D-dimer levels and urea nitrogen are associated with impairment of DLCO. Raising awareness and implementing interventions for possible modifiable risk factors may be valuable for pulmonary rehabilitation.
UNASSIGNED: This work was financially supported by Emergency Key Program of Guangzhou Laboratory (EKPG21-29, EKPG21-31), Incubation Program of National Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars by Guangzhou Medical University (GMU2020-207).

BACKGROUND: The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic initiated officially in October 2020. Since then several observations have been made regarding the disease and its symptoms.
METHODS: We included eighty seven in our observational study. Our main aim was to investigate their long term respiratory follow-up in correlation with their initial radiological and laboratory findings and values. The nose swab PCR test for COVID-19 was used for diagnosis. Patients were monitored at 3 and 6 months after their hospital reception whereas basic parameters of health condition (smoking, PO2, SPO2, WBC, CXR, CRP, intercurrent findings, days of nursing, colchicine administration) in joint with gender and age were recorded.
RESULTS: Males seem more susceptible to the viral disease than females in a ratio 1,8:1. The parameters FEV1 and FVC (as % relative changes) were not affected, apart from the DLCO to which CRP (in loge+1 transformation) and SPO2 showed a statistically significant effect.
CONCLUSIONS: None of these patients were intubated, or admitted to the intensive care unit. The respiratory function is affected by the virus and the effect is reversed within the first three months. Males are more affected and the radiological and laboratory findings are associated with the respiratory functions.

Background: To determine the respiratory outcomes in patients following COVID-19-related hospitalization. Methods: Systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature. Results: Forced vital capacity (FVC, % of predicted): 0-3 months post discharge: 96.1, 95% CI [82.1-110.0]; 3-6 months post discharge: 99.9, 95% CI [84.8, 115.0]; >6 months post discharge: 97.4, 95% CI [76.8-118.0]. Diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLCO, % of predicted): 0-3 months post discharge: 83.9, 95% CI [68.9-98.9]; 3-6 months post discharge: 91.2, 95% CI [74.8-107.7]; >6 months post discharge: 97.3, 95% CI [76.7-117.9]. Percentage of patients with FVC less than 80% of predicted: 0-3 months post discharge: 10%, 95% CI [6-14%]; 3-6 months post discharge: 10%, 95% CI [2-18%]; >6 months post discharge: 13%, 95% CI [8-18%]. Percentage of patients with DLCO less than 80% of predicted: 0-3 months post discharge: 48%, 95% CI [41-56%]; 3-6 months post discharge: 33%, 95% CI [23-44%]; >6 months post discharge: 43%, 95% CI [22-65%]. Conclusion: The meta-analysis confirms a high prevalence of persistent lung diffusion impairment in patients following COVID-19-related hospitalization. Routine respiratory follow-up is thus strongly recommended.

Background: Primary Sjögren\'s syndrome (pSS) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease characterized by typical autoantibody production and lymphocytic-mediated exocrine gland damage. Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a common complication of pSS and can be associated with a poor prognosis. However, the pathogenesis of ILD in pSS is still unclear. Methods: In this study, we used RNA sequencing to investigate the gene-expression profile of the minor salivary glands (MSGs) from 36 patients with ILD-pSS and 128 patients with non-ILD-pSS. Results: In the remarkably enriched chemokine-mediated signaling pathway, C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 2 (CXCR2), a receptor for interleukin-8, which participates in the activation of neutrophils, was found to be significantly elevated in both MSG and plasma from pSS patients with vs. without ILD (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the CXCR2 expression level in MSG and plasma was significantly associated with the diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and EULAR Sjögren\'s Syndrome disease Activity Index in ILD-pSS. Conclusion: Therefore, with its potential role in ILD progression in patients with pSS and its strong association with clinical manifestations of the disease, CXCR2 may serve as a useful index for disease activity in ILD associated with pSS.

Expression of β2-microglobulin (β2M) is involved in fibrosis progression in kidney, liver, and heart. In this case-controlled retrospective study, we investigated the role of β2M in the development of pulmonary fibrosis in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Analysis of 450 COPD patients revealed that patients with decreased pulmonary diffusing capacity (DLCO) had increased β2M serum levels. Compared to patients with lower β2M serum levels, patients with increased β2M levels exhibited increased alveolar wall/septal thickening and lung tissue β2M expression. In addition, patients with increased β2M levels had increased lung expression of TGF-β1, Smad4, and a-SMA. Animal experiments showed that increased β2M expression resulted in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), alveolar wall/septal thickening, and pulmonary fibrosis in a rat COPD model. Together, these results indicate that β2M serum levels may serve as a new indicator for assessment of pulmonary diffusion function and pulmonary fibrosis severity in clinical practice and may provide a potential target for treatment of pulmonary fibrosis in the future.

Swimming exercise at sea level causes a transient decrease in lung diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO). The exposure to hypobaric hypoxia can affect lung gas exchange, and hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction may elicit pulmonary oedema. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether there are changes in DLCO during a 14-day altitude training camp (1850 m) in elite swimmers and the acute effects of a combined training session of swimming in moderate hypoxia and 44-min cycling in acute normobaric severe hypoxia (3000 m). Participants were eight international level swimmers (5 females and 3 males; 17-24 years old; 173.5 ± 5.5 cm; 64.4 ± 5.3 kg) with a training volume of 80 km per week. The single-breath method was used to measure the changes in DLCO and functional gas exchange parameters. No changes in DLCO after a 14-day altitude training camp at 1850 m were detected but a decrease in alveolar volume (VA; 7.13 ± 1.61 vs. 6.50 ± 1.59 L; p = 0.005; d = 0.396) and an increase in the transfer coefficient of the lung for carbon monoxide (KCO; 6.23 ± 1.03 vs. 6.83 ± 1.31 mL·min-1·mmHg-1·L-1; p = 0.038; d = 0.509) after the altitude camp were observed. During the acute hypoxia combined session, there were no changes in DLCO after swimming training at 1850 m, but there was a decrease in DLCO after cycling at a simulated altitude of 3000 m (40.6 ± 10.8 vs. 36.8 ± 11.2 mL·min-1·mmHg-1; p = 0.044; d = 0.341). A training camp at moderate altitude did not alter pulmonary diffusing capacity in elite swimmers, although a cycling session at a higher simulated altitude caused a certain degree of impairment of the alveolar-capillary gas exchange.