[Clinical study on simvastatin treatment of pulmonary hypertension in patients with coal worker's pneumoconiosis].

OBJECTIVE: To observe simvastatin treatment of pulmonary hypertension in patients with coal workers pneumoconiosis (CWP). METHODS: 96 CWP patients with pulmonary hypertension were randomly divided into treatment and control groups. The control group was treated with 2.5 mg warfarin, once a day for four months; the treatment group was treated with 20 mg simvastatin, taken in evening, for 4 months. 6 min walking distance (6MWD) test and inspection pulmonary artery pressure were measured by echocardiography before and after treatment. RESULTS: In the treatment group, the 6MWD were (258 ± 26) m after treatment and (225 ± 19) m before treatment, respectively. Compared with control group, pulmonary artery pressure was (41 ± 9) mm Hg in the treatment group before treatment, (36 ± 3) mm Hg in the treatment group after treatment, and (39 ± 5) mm Hg in control group, respectively, the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Simvastatin can improve pulmonary hypertension in coal workers pneumoconiosis, and shows a definite curative effect.

Bronchial anthracostenosis with mediastinal fibrosis associated with long-term wood-smoke exposure.

Bronchial anthracostenosis describes a disease entity consisting of bronchial destruction, deformity and stenosis related to dark pigmentation on bronchoscopy in patients with a history of coal workers' pneumoconiosis or chronic exposure to biomass smoke. The combined occurrence of bronchial anthracostenosis and mediastinal fibrosis in association with wood-smoke exposure has not been previously reported. This case report describes a non-cigarette smoking elderly woman who developed bronchial anthracostenosis and mediastinal fibrosis after long-term exposure to wood smoke. Clinical and radiological improvements were achieved after treatment with corticosteroid and tamoxifen. Awareness of this unusual entity will help to avoid misdiagnosis of malignancy or unnecessary thoracotomy.

Esophageal anthracosis with tuberculous lymphadenitis confirmed on transesophageal endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration.

Esophageal anthracosis with tuberculous lymphadenitis is a very rare disease. Almost all reported cases are diagnosed using multiple endoscopic biopsies or thoracic esophagectomy. The present case report describes a case of esophageal anthracosis with tuberculous lymphadenitis that was diagnosed using transesophageal endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) alone. After taking antituberculosis drugs, the patient's chest pain was relieved and she recovered. The patient achieved an excellent outcome following the use of less invasive methods than mediastinoscopy. If no esophageal anthracotic lesions are found on the mucous membrane layer of the esophagus, transesophageal endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration is a suitable approach for diagnosing esophageal anthracosis.