Persistence of lung inflammation and lung cytokines with high-resolution CT abnormalities during recovery from SARS

Background

During the acute phase of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), mononuclear cells infiltration, alveolar cell desquamation and hyaline membrane formation have been described, together with dysregulation of plasma cytokine levels. Persistent high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) abnormalities occur in SARS patients up to 40 days after recovery.

Methods

To determine further the time course of recovery of lung inflammation, we investigated the HRCT and inflammatory profiles, and coronavirus persistence in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of 12 patients at recovery at 60 and 90 days.

Results

At 60 days, compared to normal controls, SARS patients had increased cellularity of BALF with increased alveolar macrophages (AM) and CD8 cells. HRCT scores were increased and correlated with T-cell numbers and their subpopulations, and inversely with CD4/CD8 ratio. TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, RANTES and MCP-1 levels were increased. Viral particles in AM were detected by electron microscopy in 7 of 12 SARS patients with high HRCT score. On day 90, HRCT scores improved significantly in 10 of 12 patients, with normalization of BALF cell counts in 6 of 12 patients with repeat bronchoscopy. Pulse steroid therapy and prolonged fever were two independent factors associated with delayed resolution of pneumonitis, in this non-randomized, retrospective analysis.

Conclusion

Resolution of pneumonitis is delayed in some patients during SARS recovery and may be associated with delayed clearance of coronavirus, Complete resolution may occur by 90 days or later.     

Multi-step Preparation Technique to Recover Multiple Metabolite Compound Classes for In-depth and Informative Metabolomic Analysis

Metabolomics is an emerging field which enables profiling of samples from living organisms in order to obtain insight into biological processes. A vital aspect of metabolomics is sample preparation whereby inconsistent techniques generate unreliable results. This technique encompasses protein precipitation, liquid-liquid extraction, and solid-phase extraction as a means of fractionating metabolites into four distinct classes. Improved enrichment of low abundance molecules with a resulting increase in sensitivity is obtained, and ultimately results in more confident identification of molecules. This technique has been applied to plasma, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and cerebrospinal fluid samples with volumes as low as 50 µl.  Samples can be used for multiple downstream applications; for example, the pellet resulting from protein precipitation can be stored for later analysis. The supernatant from that step undergoes liquid-liquid extraction using water and strong organic solvent to separate the hydrophilic and hydrophobic compounds. Once fractionated, the hydrophilic layer can be processed for later analysis or discarded if not needed. The hydrophobic fraction is further treated with a series of solvents during three solid-phase extraction steps to separate it into fatty acids, neutral lipids, and phospholipids. This allows the technician the flexibility to choose which class of compounds is preferred for analysis. It also aids in more reliable metabolite identification since some knowledge of chemical class exists.     

Autoxidation of Sodium Linoleate in the Protein Solution

The flowers of Inula japonica (Inulae Flos) have long been used in traditional medicine for treating inflammatory diseases. The effects on OVA-induced asthmatic mice of an Inulae Flos extract (IFE) were evaluated in this study. The anti-asthmatic effects of IFE were determined by observing eosinophil recruitment, airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR), Th2 cytokine and IgE levels, and lung histopathology. The IFE treatment effectively reduced the percentage of eosinophils and Th2 cytokines in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) when compared to the levels in OVA-induced mice. IFE also suppressed AHR induced by aerosolized methacholine in OVA-induced mice. The results of the histopathological studies indicate that inflammatory cell infiltration and mucus hypersecretion were both inhibited by the IFE administration when compared to the effect on OVA-induced mice. The IFE treatment also suppressed the serum IgE levels and decreased Th2 cytokines in the supernatant of cultured splenocytes. These results suggest that IFE may have therapeutic potential against asthma.     

Diagnostic value of nucleic acid amplification tests on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid for smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis: a meta-analysis

The diagnosis of smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis (SNPT) remains a clinical challenge. Many studies suggest that nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) plays a role in diagnosing SNPT, but with considerable varying results. The current study aimed to summarize the overall diagnostic accuracy of NAATs assay on BALF for SNPT. A systematic literature search was performed and data were retrieved. Pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR) and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) were calculated. A summary receiver operating characteristic curve and area under the curve (AUC) were used to evaluate the overall diagnostic performance. All the statistical analysis was performed by using STATA 12.0 and Meta-DiSc 1.4 software. A total of nine studies with 1214 subjects were included this meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR and DOR were 0.54 [95% CI (confidence interval): 0.48–0.59], 0.97 (95% CI: 0.95–0.98), 12.13 (95% CI: 8.23–17.88), 0.36 (95% CI: 0.23–0.56) and 44.71 (95% CI: 22.30–89.63) respectively. The AUC was 0.96. Estimated positive and negative post-probability values for a SNPT prevalence of 20% were 82% and 7% respectively. No publication bias was identified. Current available evidence indicated that NAATs on BALF may play a role in diagnosing SNPT, whereas the results should be interpreted in parallel with clinical information of patients and the results of traditional tests. Further studies should be performed to confirm our findings.     

NAR患者鼻灌洗EOS与诱导痰EOS的相关性研究

目的:评估非变应性鼻炎(nonallergic rhinitis,NAR)患者全身、鼻腔及下气道嗜酸性粒细胞(Eosinophils,EOS)浸润水平及相关性。探讨EOS在NAR患者鼻腔及下气道的特征及意义。方法:2011年6月~2012年6月在我院就诊的NAR患者241例,同期征集健康对照组222例,所有受试者均进行病史采集、皮肤点刺实验(SPT)、血清嗜酸性粒细胞、鼻灌洗、诱导痰检查。结果:1NAR组和对照组相比鼻灌洗EOS计数、诱导痰EOS比例、血EOS比例均显著高于健康对照组(P均0.01)。2有鼻腔EOS炎症和无鼻腔EOS炎症层的诱导痰EOS百分比阳性率分别为34.7%vs 9.6%(P0.01)。3NAR组鼻灌洗EOS计数和诱导痰EOS比例存在明显相关性(r=0.262,P=0.000),鼻灌洗EOS计数和血EOS比例存在明显相关性(r=0.228,P=0.000),诱导痰EOS比例和血EOS比例存在明显相关性(r=0.291,P=0.000)。结论:NAR患者血液、鼻腔及下气道EOS浸润程度较正常对照组均明显升高,EOS在NAR患者血液、鼻腔及下气道炎症中存在明显一致性,提示NAR是一种全身系统性炎症性疾病;无下气道症状的NAR患者部分存在下气道EOS炎症,鼻腔及血液EOS炎症是导致下气道EOS炎症的主要高危因素。鼻灌洗EOS可能是观测NAR患者下气道炎症及对下气道炎症进行评估和追踪的有效指标。EOS可能是鼻炎、哮喘及血液炎症相关的效应细胞,是上下气道炎症有效生物标记物。     

支气管扩张合并支气管哮喘患者支气管肺泡灌洗液病原菌培养及药敏状况研究

目的:对支气管扩张合并支气管哮喘患者支气管肺泡灌洗液病原菌培养及药敏状况展开分析,实现多药耐药医院感染的有效预防与控制。方法:随机选取2010年9月~2013年8月期间收治的50例支气管扩张症合并支气管哮喘患者,对50例患者支气管肺泡灌洗液标本进行病原学检测及药敏试验,并对临床感染资料及病原菌耐药性进行统计学分析。结果:50例支气管扩张症合并支气管哮喘患者支气管肺泡灌洗液培养阳性率为30例,60.0%,共分离出48株细菌。其中,革兰阳性球菌5株,占分离菌的10.4%;革兰阴性杆菌41株,占分离菌的85.4%;真菌2株,占分离菌的4.2%。41株革兰阴性杆菌对抗菌药物的耐药性分别为:复方新诺明73.1%,阿米卡星22.0%,环丙沙星14.6%,头孢曲松48.8%,头孢噻肟41.5%,头孢哌酮19.5%,头孢他啶20.7%,头孢他啶/舒巴坦12.1%,头孢吡肟22.0%,庆大霉素17.1%,阿莫西林/克拉维酸41.5%,哌拉西林/他唑巴坦19.5%。结论:铜绿假单胞菌是支气管扩张合并哮喘患者感染中的常见病原菌,医务人员要结合病原菌高耐药率、高分离阳性率的特征,合理运用抗菌药物控制传播。     

Proteomic approaches for studying human parenchymal lung diseases

Parenchymal lung diseases comprise a wide variety of diseases, with different etiologies, pathogeneses and prognoses. This perspective provides an overview of two different disease types: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which is related to smoking, is one of the leading causes of chronic morbidity and mortality around the world, being characterized by airway obstruction and parenchymal lung damage (emphysema). Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis of unknown etiology is classified as one of the most important idiopathic interstitial pneumonias and is connected to patchy but progressive lung fibrosis. Both diseases are generally diagnosed late and respond poorly to medical therapies. Although numerous biomarkers have been proposed for these diseases, they have not been validated or implemented into clinical practice. This perspective emphasizes some typical features of these diseases with different types of lung damage, how they are reflected in different samples, as well as potential advances and problems of current and future nonbiased proteomic approaches.     

142例支气管肺泡灌洗液真菌免疫荧光染色检测结果与G/GM试验结果对比分析

目的探讨真菌免疫荧光染色检测支气管肺泡灌洗液(brondioalveolar lavage fluid,BALF)在肺部真菌感染诊断中的意义。方法对2019年1月至12月送检至本所的142例BALF标本进行G/GM试验及真菌免疫荧光染色检测。结果142例BALF中免疫荧光染色检测阳性为52例(占36.62%),G试验同时阳性者为49例,GM试验同时阳性者为11例。免疫荧光染色检测阳性例数与KOH湿片镜检阳性27例(占19.01%)比较检出率明显提高。结论真菌免疫荧光染色检测作为一种快速方便高效直观的真菌常规检测方法,是BALF标本中真菌检测的1个重要补充,为临床肺部真菌感染的诊断提供了1种快速检测方法。     

维生素D联合肺泡灌洗对机械通气重症肺炎患者血清CHE、PA的影响

摘要 目的：探讨维生素D联合肺泡灌洗对机械通气重症肺炎患者血清胆碱酯酶（Cholinesterase,CHE）、前白蛋白（Prealbumin,PA）的影响。方法：2018年8月到2021年2月选择在本院重症监护病房（Intensive Care Unit,ICU）诊治的重症肺炎患者78例作为研究对象,根据随机信封1:1抽签原则将患者分为联合组与对照组各39例。对照组给予肺泡灌洗治疗,联合组在对照组治疗基础上给予外源性维生素D治疗,两组均给予机械通气治疗,且治疗观察2周。结果：治疗后联合组的总有效率为97.4 %,高于对照组的84.6 %（P<0.05）。所有患者在治疗期间都无出现窒息、气胸、气道痉挛、心律失常等不良反应,联合组的入住ICU时间与ICU费用少于对照组（P<0.05）。两组治疗后的第1秒FEV₁、PaO₂高于治疗前（P<0.05）,联合组高于对照组（P<0.05）。两组治疗后的血清CHE、PA水平高于治疗前（P<0.05）,联合组高于对照组（P<0.05）。结论：维生素D联合肺泡灌洗在机械通气重症肺炎患者的应用能抑制血清CHE、PA的表达,改善血气状况与肺功能,提高治疗效果,缩短入住ICU时间与降低ICU费用。