Artificial stone silicosis: a UK case series.

Silicosis due to artificial stone (AS) has emerged over the last decade as an increasing global issue. We report the first eight UK cases. All were men; median age was 34 years (range 27-56) and median stone dust exposure was 12.5 years (range 4-40) but in 4 cases was 4-8 years. One is deceased; two were referred for lung transplant assessment. All cases were dry cutting and polishing AS worktops with inadequate safety measures. Clinical features of silicosis can closely mimic sarcoidosis. UK cases are likely to increase, with urgent action needed to identify cases and enforce regulations.

Interaction between the promoter MUC5B polymorphism and mucin expression: is there a difference according to ILD subtype?

The MUC5B promoter variant rs35705950 is associated with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). MUC5B glycoprotein is overexpressed in IPF lungs. We examined immunohistochemical expression of MUC5B in different interstitial lung disease patterns according to rs35705950 T-allele carriage. We observed increased expression of MUC5B in T-allele carriers in both distal airways and honeycomb cysts in patients with IPF (n=23), but no difference in MUC5B expression according to T-carrier status in the distal airways of patients with idiopathic non-specific interstitial pneumonitis (n=17), in scleroderma-associated non-specific interstitial pneumonitis (n=15) or in control lungs (n=20), suggesting that tissue overexpression in MUC5B rs35705950 T-carriers is specific to IPF.

First patient-centred set of outcomes for pulmonary sarcoidosis: a multicentre initiative.

Introduction: Routine and international comparison of clinical outcomes enabling identification of best practices for patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis is lacking. The aim of this study was to develop a standard set of outcome measures for pulmonary sarcoidosis, using the value-based healthcare principles. Methods: Six expert clinics for interstitial lung diseases in four countries participated in a consensus-driven RAND-modified Delphi study. A mixed-method approach was applied for the identification of an outcome measures set and initial conditions for patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis. The expert team consisted of multidisciplinary professionals (n=14) from Cleveland Clinic, Cincinnati MC, Erasmus MC, Leuven UZ, Royal Brompton and St. Antonius Hospital. During a ranking process, participants were instructed to rank variables on a scale from 1 to 10 based on whether it has (1) impact of the outcome on quality of life, (2) impact of quality of care on the outcome and (3) the number of patients negatively affected by the outcome. Results: An outcome measures set was defined consisting of seven outcome measures: mortality, pulmonary function, soluble interleukin-2 receptor change as an activity biomarker, weight gain, quality of life, osteoporosis and clinical outcome status. Discussion: Collecting outcomes in pulmonary sarcoidosis internationally and the use of a broadly accepted set can enable international comparison. Differences in outcomes can potentially be used as a starting point for quality improvement initiatives.