Residential radon and characteristics of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

It is not known whether residential radon exposure may be linked to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and/or have an influence on the functional characteristics or exacerbations of COPD. The aim of this study was therefore to ascertain whether there might be an association between residential radon concentrations and certain characteristics of COPD. We analyzed COPD cases drawn from a case–control study conducted in an area of high radon exposure. Data were collected on spirometric pulmonary function variables, hospital admissions, and smoking. Radon measurements were taken using alpha-track-type CR-39 detectors individually placed in patients’ homes. All statistical analyses were performed using the IBM SPSS v22 computer software program. The study included 189 COPD cases (79.4% men; median age 64 years). The median radon concentration was 157 Bq/m3. No differences were found between radon concentration and sex, age or severity of breathing obstruction as measured by FEV1%. It should be noted, however, that 48.1% of patients with FEV1%  600 Bq/m3 exhibited no different characteristics in lung function. Exposure to radon does not appear to have an influence on the clinical characteristics of smokers and ex-smokers with COPD. As exposure to residential radon increases, there is no trend towards a worsening of FEV1%. Further studies are thus needed to analyze this possible association in never-smokers with COPDSpanish Society of Pneumology & Thoracic Surgery (Sociedad Española de Neumología y Cirugía Torácica—SEPAR), competitive Project Number 439, call 2018S

Residual pulmonary infiltrates, symptoms and diffusion impairment at one‐year after severe COVID‐19 infection have different associated factors

Menendez R, Mendez R, Latorre A, Gonzalez-Jimenez P, Peces-Barba G, Molina M, et al. Residual pulmonary infiltrates, symptoms and diffusion impairment at 1-year after severe COVID-19 infection have different associated factors. J Intern Med. 2023;00:1-13. Introduction. After severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pneumonia, patients may show lung sequelae on radiology and functional impairment at the 1-year followup. We aimed to describe the persistence of symptoms, radiological alterations, or reduced diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) at 1-year follow-up in patients from the Spanish Registry RECOVID. Methods. RECOVID collected symptom and radiological and functional lung tests data on hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 during the acute phase and at the 6- and 12-month follow-up visits. Results. Of the 2500 enrolled survivors (90% admitted to the ward), 1874 had follow-up visits for up to a year. Of these, 42% continued to present with symptoms, 27% had radiological sequelae and 31% had reduced DLCO. Independently associated factors included female sex, asthma and the requirement for invasive or non-invasive mechanical ventilation. Complete radiological resolution was 72.2% at 12 months; associated factors with incomplete recovery were age, male sex, oxygen or respiratory support, corticosteroids and an initial SpO(2)/FiO(2) = 2. Reduced D-LCO was observed in 31% of patients at 12 months; associated factors were older age, female sex, smoking habit, SpO(2)/FiO(2) = 2 and the requirement of respiratory support.At 12 months, a proportion of the asymptomatic patients showed reduced D-LCO (9.5%), radiological findings (25%) or both (11%). Conclusions. The factors associated with symptom persistence, incomplete radiological resolution and D-LCO <80% differed according to age, sex, comorbidities and respiratory support. The burden of symptoms, reduced D-LCO and incomplete radiological resolution were considerable in patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia at the 1-year follow-up after hospitalisation

Chromatin regulation by Histone H4 acetylation at Lysine 16 during cell death and differentiation in the myeloid compartment

Histone H4 acetylation at Lysine 16 (H4K16ac) is a key epigenetic mark involved in gene regulation, DNA repair and chromatin remodeling, and though it is known to be essential for embryonic development, its role during adult life is still poorly understood. Here we show that this lysine is massively hyperacetylated in peripheral neutrophils. Genome-wide mapping of H4K16ac in terminally differentiated blood cells, along with functional experiments, supported a role for this histone post-translational modification in the regulation of cell differentiation and apoptosis in the hematopoietic system. Furthermore, in neutrophils, H4K16ac was enriched at specific DNA repeats. These DNA regions presented an accessible chromatin conformation and were associated with the cleavage sites that generate the 50 kb DNA fragments during the first stages of programmed cell death. Our results thus suggest that H4K16ac plays a dual role in myeloid cells as it not only regulates differentiation and apoptosis, but it also exhibits a non-canonical structural role in poising chromatin for cleavage at an early stage of neutrophil cell death

Desmoplastic small round cell tumor of the lung: A case report and literature review

Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is a rare, aggressive and malignant tumor that is characterized by nests of small tumor cells surrounded by a cellular and vascular collagenous stroma and predominantly affects young adolescent males. This tumor most commonly originates in the abdomen; however, in rare cases, DSRCT can originate in other body regions. The main manifestations of DSRCT are chest pain and respiratory symptoms, and patients' average survival after diagnosis is less than two years. In this report, we describe a case involving DSRCT of the lung that proved to be difficult to diagnose, and we conduct a literature review

Community-Acquired Pneumonia and Empyema Caused by Citrobacter koseri in an Immunocompetent Patient

Citrobacter species, belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae, are environmental organisms commonly found in soil, water, and the intestinal tracts of animals and humans. Citrobacter koseri is known to be an uncommon but serious cause of both sporadic and epidemic septicemia and meningitis in neonates and young infants. Most cases reported have occurred in immunocompromised hosts. The infections caused by Citrobacter are difficult to treat with usual broad spectrum antibiotics owing to rapid generation of mutants and have been associated with high death rates in the past. We believe this is the first case described in the literature of a community-acquired pneumonia and empyema caused by Citrobacter koseri in an immunocompetent adult patient

Community-Acquired Moraxella catarrhalis Bacteremic Pneumonia: Two Case Reports and Review of the Literature

Moraxella (formerly Branhamella) catarrhalis was discovered at the end of the nineteenth century, and for many decades it was considered to be a harmless commensal of the upper respiratory tract. It is a Gram-negative, aerobic diplococcus considered to be the third most common pathogen isolated in childhood sinusitis and otitis media and in adult chronic lower respiratory disease, as well as an etiological agent of pneumonia in immunosuppressed patients or those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Moraxella catarrhalis pneumonia is rarely associated with bacteremia. Here, we present two cases of community-acquired Moraxella catarrhalis bacteremic pneumonia