Humans ; Aged ; Lung Diseases ; Pneumonia/drug therapy* ; Adrenal Cortex Hormones/therapeutic use* ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/drug therapy* ; Administration, Inhalation ; Community-Acquired Infections/drug therapy*

INTRODUCTION: Exposure to chemical agents in salon products, such as ammonia and formaldehyde, poses significant respiratory health risks for hairdressers. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of Diffuse Parenchymal Lung Disease Patterns (DPLD) observed in chest X-rays of hairdressers in the National Capital Region and to document their reported respiratory symptoms. METHODS: An analytical, cross-sectional study was conducted involving 100 hairdressers who underwent plain chest X ray examinations to identify any of the 12 recognized DPLD patterns. Participants also accomplished a self administered questionnaire detailing their demographic information, working conditions, health histories and current respiratory symptoms. RESULTS: Thirty nine percent of participants showed DPLD patterns on chest X-rays, primarily fine reticular opacities (69.23%) and coarse reticular opacities (25.64%). Positive associations (RR>1) were linked to over five years of work, lack of PPE, daily exposure to hair iron steam, respiratory symptoms, and salon vapor exposure of exceeding five hours daily. Symptoms reported included shortness of breath (27%) and throat irritation (15%). Logistic regression confirmed a significant link between DPLD and positive respiratory symptoms. CONCLUSION This study highlights the risk of structural lung abnormalities and respiratory symptoms among hairdressers, emphasizing the need for improved workplace safety, consistent PPE use and routine medical screenings to reduce occupational health risks.
Human ; Lung diseases, interstitial

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic progressive lung disease characterized by progressive lung fibrogenesis and histological features of usual interstitial pneumonia. IPF has a poor prognosis and presents a spectrum of disease courses ranging from slow evolving disease to rapid deterioration; thus, a differential diagnosis remains challenging. Several biomarkers have been identified to achieve a differential diagnosis; however, comprehensive reviews are lacking. This review summarizes over 100 biomarkers which can be divided into six categories according to their functions: differentially expressed biomarkers in the IPF compared to healthy controls; biomarkers distinguishing IPF from other types of interstitial lung disease; biomarkers differentiating acute exacerbation of IPF from stable disease; biomarkers predicting disease progression; biomarkers related to disease severity; and biomarkers related to treatment. Specimen used for the diagnosis of IPF included serum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, lung tissue, and sputum. IPF-specific biomarkers are of great clinical value for the differential diagnosis of IPF. Currently, the physiological measurements used to evaluate the occurrence of acute exacerbation, disease progression, and disease severity have limitations. Combining physiological measurements with biomarkers may increase the accuracy and sensitivity of diagnosis and disease evaluation of IPF. Most biomarkers described in this review are not routinely used in clinical practice. Future large-scale multicenter studies are required to design and validate suitable biomarker panels that have diagnostic utility for IPF.
Humans ; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis/diagnosis* ; Biomarkers ; Lung Diseases, Interstitial ; Lung ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; Disease Progression ; Prognosis

Humans ; Child ; Nontuberculous Mycobacteria ; Lung Diseases

Objective: To investigate the chronic respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function of adult residents in 3 towns of Hongtong County, Shanxi Province, and to explore their risk factors. Methods: The investigation of chronic respiratory symptoms and lung function status of adult residents in Hongdong County is based on the regional population of the entire county in Hongdong County. The project was initiated by the Science and Technology Department of Linfen City and coordinated by the Hongdong County Government. The investigation will be conducted in 3 townships in Hongdong County, Linfen City, Shanxi Province from April to November 2021: Demographic characteristics, respiratory symptoms, smoking dust exposure and other personal history were collected through questionnaires. Physical examination, routine blood tests and lung function tests were also performed on each individual. SPSS 22.0 software was used to conduct t test, χ² test, ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis test for statistical analysis of the collected information. Results: 10 945 subjects aged 18-102 years were included in the analysis, of whom 3 754 (34.3%) were male, 1 222 (11.2%) had a history of dust exposure, 7 164 (65.5%) had used straw and firewood as cooking fuel, and 3 296 (30.1%) had a history of smoking. Among the participants, 394 (3.6%), 339 (3.1%), and 1 543 (14.1%) had respiratory symptoms such as chronic cough, sputum, and dyspnea. Statistics showed that the population with chronic respiratory symptoms was more elderly and had a smoking history, and the incidence of chronic respiratory symptoms was higher in those who smoked more than 40 packs a year (all P<0.05). Men with a history of dust exposure were more likely to suffer from chronic cough and expectoration, while emaciation and biofuel use for more than 40 years were more likely to suffer from chronic expectoration and dyspnea (all P<0.05). The median values of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC) and FEV1/FVC in 1 second were 2.19 L/s, 3.24 L and 69.16%, respectively. Among them, the lung function of 5 801 (53.0%) respondents was lower than the expected value. The median FEV1/FVC decreased with the increase of age. The FEV1/FVC of people over 40 years old with smoking history was lower, the dust exposure history of people with decreased lung function was more than that of people with normal lung function, and the incidence of chronic expectoration and dyspnea was higher in people with decreased lung function (all P<0.05). The absolute value and ratio of eosinophils in patients with decreased ventilation function over 60 years old were significantly higher than those with normal ventilation function, but the level of body mass index (BMI) was lower (all P<0.05). Conclusion: In Hongdong County, Shanxi Province, grassroots residents have poor medical awareness, low lung function examination rate, chronic respiratory symptoms and lung function decline are associated with more risk factors. Primary medical institutions need to formulate prevention strategies and carry out lung function detection according to the actual situation, focusing on monitoring and follow-up of high-risk groups to achieve early and timely prevention, diagnosis and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Aged ; Adult ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Cough/epidemiology* ; Lung ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/epidemiology* ; Chronic Disease ; Lung Diseases ; Vital Capacity ; Dyspnea ; Dust/analysis* ; Forced Expiratory Volume

OBJECTIVE: To study the correlation between dyslipidemia and rheumatoid arthritis associa-ted interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD) by retrospective analysis of the clinical data. METHODS: The clinical data of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), who were hospitalized in the Department of Rheumatism and Immunology of Peking University Shenzhen Hospital from January 2015 to July 2020 and fulfilled the criteria of the 2010 Rheumatoid Arthritis Classification Criteria established by American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism collaborative initiative, were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: There were 737 RA patients included, of whom 282(38.26%)were with interstitial lung disease (ILD). The median time from the onset of the first RA-related clinical symptoms to the onset of ILD was 13 years (95%CI 11.33-14.67). By multivariate Logistic regression analysis, we found that low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) was an independent risk factor for RA-ILD (OR 1.452, 95%CI 1.099-1.918, P=0.009), whereas high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was a protective factor for RA-ILD (OR 0.056, 95%CI 0.025-0.125, P < 0.001). The RA patients with high LDL-C or low HDL-C had higher incidence of ILD than that of the RA patients with normal LDL-C or HDL-C(57.45% vs. 36.96%, P < 0.001; 47.33% vs. 33.81%, P < 0.001, respectively). The median time of ILD onset in the RA patients with low HDL-C was shorter than that of the RA patients with normal HDL-C [10.0(95%CI 9.33-10.67)years vs.17.0 (95%CI 14.58-19.42) years, P < 0.001]. HDL-C level was negatively correlated with disease activity. Among the RA-ILD patients, the patients with low HDL-C had higher percentage of usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) then that of the patients with normal HDL-C (60.00% vs. 53.29%, P=0.002). The RA-ILD patients with high LDL-C had higher incidence rate of decrease in forced vital capacity (FVC) than that of the RA-ILD patients with normal LDL-C (50.00% vs. 21.52%, P=0.015). The RA-ILD patients with low HDL-C had higher incidence rate of decrease in FVC (26.92% vs. 16.18%, P=0.003) and carbon monoxide diffusion (80.76% vs. 50.00%, P=0.010) than that of RA-ILD patients with normal HDL-C. CONCLUSION LDL-C was possibly a potential independent risk factor for RA-ILD. HDL-C was possibly a potential protective factor for RA-ILD. HDL-C level was negatively correlated with disease activity of RA. The median time of ILD onset in the RA patients with low HDL-C was significantly shorter than that of the RA patients with normal HDL-C.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Cholesterol, LDL ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/complications* ; Lung Diseases, Interstitial/complications* ; Dyslipidemias/epidemiology*

OBJECTIVE: To detect the expression of plasma exosomal microRNA (miRNA) in systemic sclerosis (SSc), and to investigate its clinical significance. METHODS: A total of 20 patients who were initially diagnosed with SSc and did not receive medication in Department of Rheumatology and Immunology of Meizhou People' s Hospital from January 2020 to January 2022 were recruited, as well as 15 healthy individuals whose gender and age matched with those of the SSc patients. Plasma exosomes were isolated using ultracentrifugation method. The expression levels of exosomal miR-34-5p, miR-92-3p and miR-142-3p were detected by quantative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Correlations between the expression levels of exosomal miRNAs and clinical characteristic were analyzed by Spearman's rank correlation coefficient test. RESULTS: The mean age of 20 patients with SSc was (52.6±12.6) years, including 7 males and 13 females. Among the 20 SSc patients, 13 cases were diagnosed as limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis (lcSSc) and 7 cases were diagnosed as diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc) according to the extent of skin involvement. According to the findings of high resolution chest CT, 7 of 20 SSc patients were diagnosed with interstitial lung disease (ILD) and 13 SSc patients were diagnosed with non-ILD. The expression levels of exosomal miR-34-5p, miR-92-3p and miR-142-3p were significantly elevated in the SSc patients compared with those in the healthy controls group (P=0.003, P=0.000 1, and P=0.016, respectively). Compared with the SSc patients without ILD, the expression levels of miR-34-5p and miR-142-3p were significantly lower in the SSc patients with ILD (P=0.037 and P=0.015, respectively). The expression levels of exosomal miR-34-5p and miR-142-3p showed negative correlation with ILD (r=-0.48, P=0.031 and r=-0.55, P=0.011, respectively), and arthritis (r=-0.46, P=0.040 and r=-0.48, P=0.032, respectively). The expression levels of exosomal miR-142-3p showed a negative correlation with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (r=-0.55, P=0.012). CONCLUSION Plasma exosomal miR-34-5p, miR-92-3p and miR-142-3p were dysregulated in SSc. The dyregulation of exosomal miR-34-5p and miR-142-3p showed correlation with SSc associated ILD (SSc-ILD).
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Young Adult ; Adult ; Clinical Relevance ; MicroRNAs/genetics* ; Scleroderma, Systemic/genetics* ; Lung Diseases, Interstitial

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and fatal interstitial lung disease, the cause is not yet clear. Pathological manifestations are abnormal repair changes resulting from sustained lung injury. Macrophages have been identified as playing a key role in IPF pathogenesis. In different local microenvironments, macrophages can exhibit either classically activated (M1) or alternately activated (M2) phenotypes. M1 plays a key role in promoting inflammatory response and is involved in the process of causing alveolar tissue injury. M2 is involved in wound healing and stopping lung inflammation. Previous studies have shown that activation of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) signaling is enhanced in pulmonary fibrosis and that 5-HT receptors play an important role in the observed pro-fibrotic effects. As a multifunctional signaling molecule, 5-HT is closely related to lung macrophage polarization, early lung tissue injury, abnormal proliferation and repair, and late extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition. This article reviewed the role of 5-HT and M2 macrophages in the pathogenesis of IPF and the possible regulatory mechanism of 5-HT, in order to provide a reference for further research.
Humans ; Serotonin ; Macrophages ; Lung Diseases, Interstitial/pathology* ; Lung/pathology* ; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis ; Fibrosis

Humans ; COVID-19 ; Neoplasms/complications* ; Lung Diseases ; Medical Oncology

Humans ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/diagnosis* ; Hemorrhage/etiology* ; Lung Diseases/etiology* ; Pulmonary Alveoli