Association between periodontal disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and periodontal disease are chronic inflammatory conditions that significantly affect an individual's overall health and well-being. Generally, the prevalence of periodontitis is higher in patients with COPD than those without COPD, which may partly be attributed to common risk factors in COPD, such as smoking, respiratory infections, and inflammation. In particular, periodontitis may exacerbate the progression of COPD and further deteriorate the respiratory system by promoting inflammatory responses and bacterial infections. Immunocytes, including neutrophils, and microorganisms such as Fusobacterium nucleatum originating from oral biofilms are believed to be crucial factors influencing to COPD. Furthermore, the potential benefits of treating periodontal disease in COPD outcomes have been investigated. Although the relationship between COPD and periodontal disease has been preliminarily studied, there is currently a lack of large-scale clinical studies to validate this association. In addition to clinical examinations, investigating biomarkers and microbiology may contribute to explore the underlying mechanisms involved in the management of these conditions. This review aims to contribute to a better understanding of the clinical and basic research aspects of COPD and periodontitis, allowing for potential therapeutic approaches and interdisciplinary management strategies.

Homemade blenderized tube feeding improves gut microbiome communities in children with enteral nutrition.

Enteral nutrition for children is supplied through nasogastric or gastrostomy tubes. Diet not only influences nutritional intake but also interacts with the composition and function of the gut microbiota. Homemade blenderized tube feeding has been administered to children receiving enteral nutrition, in addition to ready-made tube feeding. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the oral/gut microbial communities in children receiving enteral nutrition with or without homemade blenderized tube feeding. Among a total of 30 children, 6 receiving mainly ready-made tube feeding (RTF) and 5 receiving mainly homemade blenderized tube feeding (HBTF) were analyzed in this study. Oral and gut microbiota community profiles were evaluated through 16S rRNA sequencing of saliva and fecal samples. The α-diversity representing the number of observed features, Shannon index, and Chao1 in the gut were significantly increased in HBTF only in the gut microbiome but not in the oral microbiome. In addition, the relative abundances of the phylum Proteobacteria, class Gammaproteobacteria, and genus Escherichia-Shigella were significantly low, whereas that of the genus Ruminococcus was significantly high in the gut of children with HBTF, indicating HBTF altered the gut microbial composition and reducing health risks. Metagenome prediction showed enrichment of carbon fixation pathways in prokaryotes at oral and gut microbiomes in children receiving HBTF. In addition, more complex network structures were observed in the oral cavity and gut in the HBTF group than in the RTF group. In conclusion, HBTF not only provides satisfaction and enjoyment during meals with the family but also alters the gut microbial composition to a healthy state.

Successful surgical treatment of epithelioid hemangioendothelioma involving multiple liver lesions and bilateral lung nodules.

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) affects many organs, particularly lung and liver, and typically presents as multiple lesions. Treatment for EHE is not yet standardized, but surgery is appropriate when lesions are resectable. In our patient, radiography revealed multiple bilateral pulmonary nodules, and CT showed several liver tumors. The liver masses and those in the right lung were removed during the initial surgery; pathology of hepatic specimens confirmed the diagnosis of EHE. During the second operation, the left lung nodules were excised, and all were EHEs. Surgical removal of multiorgan multinodular EHE is a viable treatment option, especially for young patients.

Patient background and prognosis of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis in fibrosing interstitial lung disease.

Several previous reports have shown interstitial lung disease (ILD) to be a predictor of poor prognosis in patients with chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA). However, there is a lack of clarity regarding patient background and the prognostic factors in CPA associated with ILD (CPA-ILD). Therefore, we assessed these points to obtain valuable information for clinical practice. We retrospectively surveyed and collected data from 459 patients who had serum examination for anti-Aspergillus antibody. Of these patients, we extracted and investigated CPA-ILD patients. We ultimately analyzed 32 CPA-ILD patients. Patient background factors more frequently showed the patients to be older (mean: 74.9 years), male (75.0%), and to have a smoking history (71.9%). Median survival time from the diagnosis of ILD was 76.0 months, whereas that from the diagnosis of CPA-ILD was 25.5 months. No significant differences in survival were found in regard to each ILD pattern and the presence of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. A higher level of C-reactive protein was a significant predictor of mortality by Cox regression analysis. CPA complicating ILD is associated with poor prognosis. ILD patients with older age, male sex, and smoking history should be aware of the potential for the development of CPA in ILD. If such patients have elevated markers of inflammation, prompt induction of antifungal treatment may improve their prognosis. Clinicians should be aware of which complications of CPA may lead to a poor prognosis for any ILD not just those limited to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis or usual interstitial pneumonia pattern.

Simultaneous augmentation of muscle and bone by locomomimetism through calcium-PGC-1α signaling.

Impaired locomotion has been extensively studied worldwide because those afflicted with it have a potential risk of becoming bedridden. Physical exercise at times can be an effective remedy for frailty, but exercise therapy cannot be applied in all clinical cases. Medication is safer than exercise, but there are no drugs that reinforce both muscle and bone when administered alone. Multiple medications increase the risk of adverse events; thus, there is a need for individual drugs targeting both tissues. To this end, we established a novel sequential drug screening system and identified an aminoindazole derivative, locamidazole (LAMZ), which promotes both myogenesis and osteoblastogenesis while suppressing osteoclastogenesis. Administration of this drug enhanced locomotor function, with muscle and bone significantly strengthened. Mechanistically, LAMZ induced Mef2c and PGC-1α in a calcium signaling-dependent manner. As this signaling is activated upon physical exercise, LAMZ mimics physical exercise. Thus, LAMZ is a promising therapeutic drug for locomotor diseases, including sarcopenia and osteoporosis.

Impact of progressive fibrosing interstitial lung disease (ILD) in ILD patients complicated with secondary spontaneous pneumothorax.

BACKGROUND: Secondary spontaneous pneumothorax (SSP) in interstitial lung disease (ILD) may influence prognosis of any ILD, and SSP onset predicts poor outcome in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Recently, progressive fibrosing ILD (PF-ILD) has rapidly acquired importance. OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that PF-ILD would strongly influence the prognosis of patients with any ILD complicated with SSP. METHODS: We retrospectively surveyed and collected data from patients hospitalized for SSP from January 2016 to June 2020. PF-ILD was defined as the following occurring within 24 months before SSP develops: relative decline in %forced vital capacity (FVC) ≥10% or two of the following: relative decline in %FVC between 5% and 10%, worsening respiratory symptoms, or increased extent of fibrosis on high-resolution computed tomography. RESULTS: We analyzed 32 patients hospitalized for SSP in ILD. This study comprised 18 patients with PF-ILD and 14 patients with non-PF-ILD. PF-ILD patients had lower body mass index (BMI) and %FVC. No significant differences in survival regarding follow-up period from the time of ILD diagnosis and hospitalization for SSP were observed between the PF-ILD and non-PF-ILD patients. Older age and lower BMI were significant predictors of mortality by multivariate Cox regression analysis. ROC analysis showed BMI ≤17.8 kg/m2 to reliably predict poor prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: Regardless of whether patients have PF-ILD, older age and lower BMI in patients with ILD places them at higher risk of developing SSP, and prognosis is poor if SSP develops. Therefore, clinical management of physique is important to improve the prognosis of ILD patients.

Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome-like Condition Associated with Pneumocystis jirovecii Pneumonia During Folinic Acid Treatment in a Rheumatoid Arthritis Patient.

A 94-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis who had been treated with low-dose methotrexate was referred to our hospital because of a 3-day history of a fever and pancytopenia. With a diagnosis of febrile neutropenia of unknown origin, empirical antibiotic treatment and folinic acid therapy were initiated. Despite a recovery from pancytopenia, the high fever remained, and dyspnea developed. She was clinically diagnosed with Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) and successfully treated with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and adjunctive corticosteroid therapy. Folinic acid treatment effectively brought about rapid immune recovery but might have led to a clinical manifestation of PCP resembling immune reconstruction inflammatory syndrome.

Hairspray Inhalation-induced Interstitial Pneumonitis Evaluated by a Transbronchial Lung Cryobiopsy.

A 60-year-old Japanese woman was admitted to our hospital with a fever and shortness of breath occurring immediately after using hairspray. Chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) showed ground-glass opacities (GGOs) predominantly distributed around the bronchovascular bundles, and a pathological evaluation by a transbronchial lung cryobiopsy (TBLC) revealed fibrotic non-specific interstitial pneumonia (f-NSIP). Her symptoms disappeared without the use of corticosteroids, and GGOs on HRCT improved markedly over time. This case suggests that a pathological evaluation by a TBLC for lung injury due to inhalation pathogen exposure may provide a more accurate diagnosis and a better understanding of the pathology from bronchial to interstitial lesions than transbronchial lung biopsy.

Levetiracetam-induced interstitial lung disease in a patient with advanced lung cancer.

An 85-year-old woman with antibiotics-resistant pneumonia after surgery for metastatic brain tumor from lung cancer was consulted to our department. Chest CT showed diffuse GGO bilaterally. BALF showed elevated ratios of lymphocytes and CD4/CD8. Tests for bacteria, mycobacteria, and fungi were negative. She improved following levetiracetam discontinuance and systemic corticosteroid administration, and we diagnosed levetiracetam-induced lung injury. Although levetiracetam is widely used, few reports of levetiracetam-induced pneumonia exist. Changes in chest images may occur after levetiracetam administration if patients have multiple risk factors for development of drug-induced interstitial lung disease. Bronchoscopy is useful for differential diagnosis if new lung lesions appear after starting levetiracetam.

Nivolumab-induced contact dermatitis in a patient with advanced lung cancer.

An 85-year-old man was being treated for advanced squamous cell lung carcinoma with nivolumab as a second-line treatment. From the beginning of the third course, erythema appeared on his trunk and gradually progressed. Around the start of the fifth course, erythema spread to the proximal part of all limbs in addition to the trunk and was accompanied by a strong itching sensation. He was diagnosed as having contact dermatitis by a dermatologist because his rash was observed only where the moisture-absorbing fiber material of his underwear made contact with the skin surface. After suspending treatment of nivolumab, changing his underwear to a cotton material, and using moisturizers and steroid ointments, his rash disappeared in about a month and the size of his lung tumors remained reduced. The patient developed contact dermatitis despite the use of similar underwear without any skin problems for several years. We speculated that nivolumab-induced T-cell activation may have occurred in his skin, making him more likely to develop contact dermatitis, whose onset is thought to involve T-cell activation. No cases of contact dermatitis have been reported previously although the frequency of eruption as an immune-related adverse event is relatively high. When using immune checkpoint inhibitors including nivolumab, clinicians need to pay attention to the occurrence of skin disorders related to T-cell activation.

A case of pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy associated with lung cancer diagnosed by cell-block immunohistochemistry of pulmonary microvascular cytology.

Pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy (PTTM) is rare but should be considered as a possible diagnosis in patients with cancer. In this case, PTTM induced by lung cancer was more accurately diagnosed using cell block immunohistochemistry of pulmonary microvascular cytology (PMC) because we could confirm that lung adenocarcinoma was the origin of PTTM by the positive result of TTF-1 for atypical cells in PMC. The PMC procedure was minimally invasive and safer than lung biopsy. We believe that the cell block technique of PMC should be considered as one diagnostic option in PTTM.

Nintedanib allows retreatment with atezolizumab of combined non-small cell lung cancer/idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis after atezolizumab-induced pneumonitis: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Nintedanib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that efficiently slows the progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and has an acceptable tolerability profile. In contrast, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) such as programmed death 1 and programmed death ligand 1 inhibitors have shown clinical activity and marked efficacy in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. However, it is unclear whether nintedanib reduces the risk of ICI-induced pneumonitis in IPF. CASE PRESENTATION: A 78-year-old man with squamous cell lung carcinoma in IPF underwent second-line treatment with pembrolizumab. He was diagnosed as having pembrolizumab-induced pneumonitis after two cycles. He was administered prednisolone (PSL) and then improved immediately. Thereafter, his lung cancer lesion enlarged despite treatment with TS-1. Atezolizumab was then administered as 4th-line chemotherapy, but he immediately developed atezolizumab-induced pneumonitis after 1 cycle. The re-escalated dosage of PSL improved the pneumonitis, and then nintedanib was started as additional therapy. Under careful observation with nintedanib, atezolizumab was re-administered on day 1 of an every-21-day cycle. After three cycles, it remained stable without exacerbation of drug-induced pneumonitis. CONCLUSION: This case indicates the possibility that the addition of nintedanib to ICI therapy might prevent drug-induced pneumonitis or acute exacerbation of IPF. However, whether anti-fibrotic agents such as nintedanib are actually effective in preventing ICI-induced pneumonitis in ILD remains unknown and additional research is greatly needed to identify effective therapies for ILD combined with lung cancer.