Abstract Background Recent studies have emphasized the importance of the biological processes of different forms of cell death in tumor heterogeneity and anti-tumor immunity. Nonetheless, the relationship between cuproptosis and lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remains largely unexplored. Methods Data for 793 LUAD samples and 59 normal lung tissues obtained from TCGA-LUAD cohort GEO datasets were used in this study. A total of 165 LUAD tissue samples and paired normal lung tissue samples obtained from our hospital were used to verify the prognostic value of dihydrolipoamide S-acetyltransferase (DLAT) and dihydrolipoamide branched chain transacylase E2 (DBT) for LUAD. The cuproptosis-related molecular patterns of LUAD were identified using consensus molecular clustering. Recursive feature elimination with random forest and a tenfold cross-validation method was applied to construct the cuproptosis score (CPS) for LUAD. Results Bioinformatic and immunohistochemistry (IHC) analyses revealed that 13 core genes of cuproptosis were all significantly elevated in LUAD tissues, among which DBT and DLAT were associated with poor prognosis (DLAT, HR = 6.103; DBT, HR = 4.985). Based on the expression pattern of the 13 genes, two distinct cuproptosis-related patterns have been observed in LUAD: cluster 2 which has a relatively higher level of cuproptosis was characterized by immunological ignorance; conversely, cluster 1 which has a relatively lower level of cuproptosis is characterized by TILs infiltration and anti-tumor response. Finally, a scoring scheme termed the CPS was established to quantify the cuproptosis-related pattern and predict the prognosis and the response to immune checkpoint blockers of each individual patient with LUAD. Conclusion Cuproptosis was found to influence tumor microenvironment (TME) characteristics and heterogeneity in LUAD. Patients with a lower CPS had a relatively better prognosis, more abundant immune infiltration in the TME, and an enhanced response to immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic granulomatous disease of unknown etiology. Pleural effusion is rare in patients with sarcoidosis, occurring in 0.7% to 20% of cumulative series. Bloody pleural effusion is even more rare. We herein report two cases of sarcoidosis with bloody pleural effusion and discuss the clinical manifestations, diagnostic procedures and treatment of these cases. Sarcoidosis should be included in the differential diagnosis when bloody pleural effusions are detected. An increased level of lymphocytes and an increased ratio of CD4+/CD8+ lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) are helpful for making a diagnosis of sarcoidosis. Medical thoracoscopy is helpful for determining the definitive diagnosis. Corticosteroids are an effective treatment; however, the dose should be individualized according to the treatment response.
"Tracheoesophageal Fistula in a Tracheal Diverticulum Closed with Combined Esophagoscopy and Tracheoscopy: A Case Report." American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 0(ja), pp.
Objective: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is an irreversible and progressive fibrotic lung disease that leads to declines in pulmonary function and, eventually, respiratory failure and has no effective treatment. Gly-His-Lys (GHK) is a tripeptide involved in the processes of tissue regeneration and wound healing and has significant inhibitory effects on transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 secretion. The effect of GHK on fibrogenesis in pulmonary fibrosis and the exact underlying mechanism underlying this effect have not been studied previously. Thus, this study investigated the effects of GHK on bleomycin (BLM)-induced fibrosis and identified the pathway that is potentially responsible for these effects. Methods: Intratracheal injections of 3 mg/kg BLM were administered to induce pulmonary fibrosis in C57BL/6 mice. GHK was administered intraperitoneally at doses of 2.6, 26 and 260 µg/ml/day every other day from the 4th to the 21st day after BLM instillation. Three weeks after BLM instillation, pulmonary injury and pulmonary fibrosis was evaluated by the hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and Masson's trichrome (MT) staining. Chronic inflammation index was used for the histological assessments by two pathologists blindly to each other. Tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-ɑ and IL-6 levels in BALF and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in lung extracts were measured. For the pulmonary fibrosis evaluation, the fibrosis index calculated based on MT staining, collagen deposition and active TGF-β1 expression detected by ELISA, and the expression of TGF-β1, α-smooth muscle actin(SMA), fibronectin, MMP-9, and TIMP-1 by western blotting. The epithelial mesenchymal transition index, E-cadherin, and vimentin was also detected by western blot. The statistical analysis was performed by one-way ANOVA and the comparison between different groups were performed. Results: GHK suppresses BLM-induced fibrosis, chronic inflammation and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in mice. Treatment with GHK at all three doses reduced inflammatory cell infiltration and interstitial thickness and attenuated BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice. GHK treatment significantly improved BLM-induced pathological changes, collagen deposition, and MMP-9/TIMP-1 imbalances in lung tissue and also reduced tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-ɑ, IL-6 expression in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF)and myeloperoxidase (MPO)MPO in lung extracts expression in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Furthermore, GHK reversed BLM-induced increases in TGF-β1, p-Smad2, p-Smad-3 and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) expression.
Tuberculous pleurisy (TP) is a common type of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB). With the development of research and changes in TP patient characteristics, an increasing number of studies have revealed the prevalence, risk factors, and novel diagnosis techniques. Thus, this bibliometric analysis was performed to identify global scientific output characteristics and research hotspots and frontiers for TP over the past 15 years. We searched the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-expanded) for literature published between 2007 and 2021 and recorded their information. The Bibliometrix software package was used for bibliometric indicator analysis, and VOSviewer was used to visualize the trends of and hotspots in TP research. A total of 1,464 original articles were reviewed, and the results indicated that the annual number of publications (Np) focusing on TP has increased over the past 15 years. China had the largest number of papers and the highest H-index, and the United States ranked first for number of citations (Nc). EGYPTIAN KNOWLEDGE BANK and PLOS ONE were the most prolific unit and journal, respectively. The use of the Xpert assay and immune-related biomarker detection to diagnose TP appears to be a recent research hotspot. This bibliometric study demonstrated that the number of publications related to TP have tended to increase. China is a major producer, and the United States is an influential country in this field. Research in the past 15 years has been predominantly clinical research. The diagnosis of TP was the focus of research, and the exploration of novel diagnostic techniques, verification of diagnostic markers, and combination of diagnostic methods have been recent research hotspots. Immune-related biomarkers should be given more attention in the field of TP diagnosis.