The cigarette smoke is the main reason for developing COPD, since this external irritant activates receptor cells of the innate immunity and this in turn leads to synthesis and release of proinflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α, IL-1, and IL-6. Regulatory T-lymphocytes par [....]
In recent years there has been a continuous increase in the frequency of allergic diseases with damage of skin, mucous of the upper respiratory tract and bronchi. Increased incidence of allergic diseases (up to 20% of the population) is the result of human contact with the g [....]
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the second most common lung disease in the UK, characterised by ventilator obstructions resulting in airflow limitation and potential mucosal retention. It is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality with an estimated annu [....]
Background: Smoking can cause damage at various types of organs in the body, including the lungs. Smoking can cause a variety of chronic diseases in the lungs such as pneumonia, emphysema and also restrictive lung disease. In ecigarettes there are harmful substances that can caus [....]
Rational: National Tuberculosis Program has envisioned to provide human immunodeficiency virus testing for all tuberculosis patients. However, human immunodeficiency virus testing coverage among notified tuberculosis patients is very low in Nepal. Similarly, the prevalence of HIV [....]
COPD and occupational exposures
Jordan Minov, Institute for Occupational Health of R. North Macedonia, R. North Macedonia
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) became an important public health in the last decades worldwide. Occupational COPD, defined as a form of COPD caused in whole or in a part by occupational exposures, accounts for up to 20% of all COPD cases. On the other side, the risk [....]
Radiation Pneumonitis Following Definitive Therapy with Radiation, Chemotherapy, and Immunotherapy
Rodney E. Wegner, Allegheny Health Network Cancer Institute, USA
Non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains one of the most common and lethal malignancies across the world, often affecting smokers who have other comorbid conditions which can limit the ability to receive adequate treatment. The current standard of care for stage IIIB NSCLC rema [....]
Osteonecrosis of the maxilla and mandible
Allen Fred Fielding, Temple University, USA
There is much controversy of the treatment of patients taking bisphosphonates and the resultant problem of ONJ (Osteonecrosis of the Jaw). The name changes from BRONJ to ASONJ to MRONJ to DRONJ beginning in 2003 shows how the development of what has now led up to 2020 treatment r [....]
The use of stereotactic body radiation therapy in patients with severe COPD
Zachary D Horne, Allegheny Health Network Cancer Institute, USA
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide and has a strong link to smoking, as does the development of COPD. Because of poor respiratory reserves, these patients are often not candidates for definitive surgery. SBRT represents an e [....]
Transcriptomic characterization of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease using PulmonDB
Ana Beatriz Villasenor Altamirano, UNAM-LIIGH, Mexico
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the fourth worldwide cause of death and has been broadly studied given its medical relevance and its lack of consensus regarding its pathology and etiology. The development of technologies, such as microarrays and RNAseq, allows us [....]
Role of proton therapy in reducing risk of lung disease in lymphoma
Shaakir Hasan, New York Proton Center, USA
Several observational studies indicate that patients with lymphoma of the mediastinum, neck, or axilla are at increased risk for acute and late lung disease due to the cytoxic chemotherapy and radiation required to control the malignancy. This is particularly important for younge [....]
Lung Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy in Medically Inoperable Lung Cancer
Athanasios Colonias, Allegheny Health Network Cancer Institute, USA
The standard of care for the treatment of stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains surgery. Often times, however, these patients are not surgical candidates due to coexisting comorbidities such as COPD and poor cardiopulmonary reserve. A viable alternative t [....]
Ultrasound diagnosis of acute asthma or exacerbated COPD using the BLUE-protocol
Daniel A. Lichtenstein, Medical ICU of Hospital Ambroise Paré, France
Ultrasound was always deemed to be not feasible at the lung area, but this dogma was wrong. Using a simple technique, requiring nothing more than a simple black and white unit without Doppler, and a universal probe suitable for lungs and veins, we built a standardized protocol, t [....]
Activin-A protects against lung cancer progression by boosting anti-tumor T cell responses
Maria Semitekolou, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Greece
Activin-A is a pleiotropic cytokine that exerts diverse effects on immune responses depending on the spatiotemporal context; still its precise role in shaping anti-tumor T cell-mediated immune responses remains ill defined. In order to evaluate whether activin-A directs effect [....]