Respiratory investigation最新文献

Background

Japan's super-aged society presents significant challenges, particularly with regard to managing aspiration pneumonia among older adults. We aimed to investigate the link between anticholinergic drug use and the incidence of aspiration pneumonia, primarily utilizing data from the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report (JADER) database.

Methods

The primarily analysis included JADER data from the first quarter of 2004 through the third quarter of 2023, focusing on 2367 cases of aspiration pneumonia in individuals aged ≥60 years. The study examined the association of aspiration pneumonia with 49 drugs listed in the Anticholinergic Risk Scale, using the Reporting Odds Ratio for signal detection. A scoping review incorporating findings from MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library was conducted to validate these associations.

Results

The primary analysis identified an increased risk of aspiration pneumonia associated with specific drugs, including clozapine, haloperidol, risperidone, quetiapine, and olanzapine. A total of 20 drugs were significantly associated with an increased risk of aspiration pneumonia. Our results emphasize the importance of considering the dopamine-blocking effects of these drugs, particularly in at-risk populations, such as older adults, and those with conditions, such as schizophrenia or Parkinson's disease.

Conclusions

The study highlights the importance of careful monitoring of anticholinergic drugs with potent dopamine-blocking effects, such as clozapine, haloperidol, risperidone, quetiapine, and olanzapine, to reduce the risk of aspiration pneumonia. Future research should include observational and interventional studies to further investigate these findings.

Ethics and dissemination

As this study utilized pre-existing anonymized information, approval from an ethics committee was not required.

Background

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) represents a global health concern, including in older adults. This study assessed the safety and immunogenicity of mRNA-1345, an investigational mRNA RSV vaccine, in adults aged ≥60 years of Japanese descent.

Methods

In this phase 1, randomized, observer-blind, placebo-controlled study, participants were randomized to receive one injection of mRNA-1345 100 μg or placebo. Solicited local and systemic adverse reactions (ARs) were collected within 7 days following injection. Unsolicited adverse events (AEs) were collected up to 28 days after injection; AEs of special interest, medically attended AEs, and serious AEs were collected through end of study. Immunogenicity was assessed at baseline and months 1, 2, 3, and 6 following injection.

Results

Twenty-five adults of Japanese descent aged ≥60 years received one injection of mRNA-1345 100 μg (n = 21) or placebo (n = 4). mRNA-1345 was well-tolerated; the most common local and systemic solicited ARs were injection site pain, and fatigue and myalgia, respectively, which were generally mild to moderate and transient. No serious AEs were reported. Neutralizing (nAb) and binding (bAb) antibodies were detectable at baseline, consistent with prior RSV exposure. mRNA-1345 boosted RSV nAb titers and preF bAb concentrations 1 month post-injection (geometric mean fold rise: RSV-A nAb, 11.2; RSV-B nAb, 6.6; preF bAb, 9.1). Titers among mRNA-1345 recipients remained above baseline through 6 months.

Conclusions

mRNA-1345 100 μg was well-tolerated among older adults of Japanese descent and induced nAbs and bAbs which were durable through 6 months, supporting its continued development.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04528719.

In 2022, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Respiratory Society (ERS) proposed new diagnostic criteria for pulmonary hypertension (PH). These criteria include significant changes to the definitions of pulmonary hemodynamic indices. Specifically, the threshold for mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) has been lowered from ≥25 mmHg to >20 mmHg, and the threshold for pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) has been adjusted from ≥3 Wood units (WU) to >2 WU. Additionally, the diagnostic criterion for exercise-induced PH has been reintroduced. To differentiate between non-severe and severe PH associated with lung disease, a differential threshold of 5 WU for PVR has been proposed. However, the threshold for mean pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP) remains unchanged. While these new criteria could provide a more refined approach to clinical practice, they may also raise clinical concerns and questions regarding the diagnosis and management of PH.

Background

Lung cancer is often diagnosed at an advanced stage; however, it has shown improved therapeutic efficacy with the introduction of molecularly targeted drugs and immune checkpoint inhibitors, necessitating accurate molecular diagnosis for effective treatment planning. Traditional sampling techniques, including endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration, frequently require multiple biopsies to obtain sufficient tissues for multiplex testing, highlighting the need for more efficient methods. Therefore, we explored the diagnostic utility of endoscopic ultrasound with bronchoscope-guided fine-needle biopsy (EUS-B-FNB) versus fine-needle aspiration (EUS-B-FNA) in patients with lung cancer, focusing on tissue sample collection for molecular testing. The introduction of the Franseen needle in EUS-B-FNB, characterized by three beveled edges, allows for more tissue collection in cylinder form.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed the data of 97 patients who underwent EUS-B-FNB or EUS-B-FNA at Hakodate Goryoukaku Hospital and evaluated diagnostic yields, safety, and nucleic acid concentrations using collected specimens.

Results

The diagnostic yields of EUS-B-FNB and EUS-B-FNA were comparable (92.2% vs. 92.3%), with no significant differences in complications. However, EUS-B-FNB provided significantly higher DNA and RNA concentrations (DNA; 41.05 vs. 10.20 ng/mL; P < 0.0001, RNA; 36.80 vs. 11.80 ng/mL; P = 0.0009), essential for comprehensive molecular testing.

Conclusion

This study highlights the potential of EUS-B-FNB for enhancing the molecular diagnosis of lung cancer by ensuring adequate tissue sample collection for multiplex testing, paving the way for personalized medicine. This technique is comparable in safety and efficacy to traditional methods while offering a substantial improvement in the quality of molecular diagnostics.

Background

The importance of multidisciplinary discussion (MDD) for diagnosing interstitial lung disease (ILD) is emphasized by several international guidelines. While initial diagnoses are often provisional and require periodic re-evaluation, there is a lack of literature regarding the role of follow-up MDD in clinical practice.

Methods

From September 2020 to January 2022, patients underwent an initial MDD (MDD1) based on clinical, radiological, and pathological evaluations. Each diagnosis was assigned a confidence level. One year later, a second MDD (MDD2) was conducted for re-evaluation, based on subsequent clinical and radiological information. Changes in diagnosis and confidence levels between MDD1 and MDD2 were assessed.

Results

Among 52 patients enrolled in both MDDs, the diagnosis for 13 (25%) was revised at MDD2. Of these, 10 patients were initially diagnosed with unclassifiable ILD, and 3 received a low confidence diagnosis of either idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis or idiopathic nonspecific interstitial pneumonia. The most common diagnostic revision was due to the deterioration after antigen exposure or improvement after antigen avoidance, which resulted in a revised diagnosis of HP at MDD2.

Conclusions

Our findings underscore the importance of periodic reassessment of MDD to improve the accuracy of ILD diagnosis. This study highlights the significance of longitudinal clinical and radiological evaluation for diagnostic revision, even in situations when rebiopsy is not feasible.

Background

Dysfunctional breathing (DB) is a major asthma comorbidity; however, it is not well recognized in Japan. Moreover, it has rarely been reported in the asthma population, and its clinical characteristics are unclear. We aimed to clarify the clinical characteristics of DB as a comorbidity in patients with asthma in Japan. Questionnaire surveys were conducted among patients with asthma at medical facilities in three regions of Japan (Niigata, Kumamoto, and Tokyo).

Methods

This cross-sectional questionnaire survey targeting patients with asthma who had regularly visited medical institutions and their doctors was conducted from September to November 2021. The questionnaire addressed the control status and method of treatment. The diagnosis of DB was evaluated using the Nijmegen questionnaire (NQ).

Results

There were 2087 eligible participants. Based on their NQ scores, 217 patients were classified into the DB group (NQ ≥ 19). There were significant differences with respect to sex, disease duration, Asthma Control Test (ACT) scores, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores, type-2 biomarkers, pulmonary function indices, treatment methods, severity, and asthma exacerbations in the previous year between the DB and non-DB groups. In the multivariate analysis, there were significant differences in sex, disease duration (≥15 y), ACT scores (<20), and PHQ-9 scores (≥10). The cluster analysis of cases with DB classified the population into four clusters.

Conclusions

The asthma population with DB exhibited several characteristics, including depression and poorly controlled asthma. Further large-scale interventional investigations with longer follow-up periods are necessary to verify these findings.

The global incidence of nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) is increasing. The primary aim of pharmacotherapeutic treatment for NTM-PD is to achieve negative bacterial conversion, but this goal is challenging, especially in cases with poor prognosis factors. Moreover, recurrence frequently occurs following successful treatment. Consequently, patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have attracted an increasing amount of attention due to their potential to elucidate the pathophysiology of NTM-PD. The current review article aimed to describe the current understanding of PROs related to health-related quality of life (HRQoL). HRQoL is influenced by a variety of factors; notably, those factors associated with the prognosis of NTM-PD significantly impair HRQoL. In patients with refractory NTM-PD, HRQoL tends to worsen over time. Assessing HRQoL through PROs involves short-term or long-term evaluation tools, which are selected based on their relevance to the patient's condition and the clinician's goals. Understanding the nuances of PROs can be helpful for delivering empathetic care tailored to patients in even the most complex treatment scenarios.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma are common lung diseases with heterogeneous clinical presentations. Lung imaging allows evaluations of underlying pathophysiological changes and provides additional personalized approaches for disease management. This narrative review provides an overview of recent advances in chest imaging analysis using various modalities, such as computed tomography (CT), dynamic chest radiography, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Visual CT assessment localizes emphysema subtypes and mucus plugging in the airways. Dedicated software quantifies the severity and spatial distribution of emphysema and the airway tree structure, including the central airway wall thickness, branch count and fractal dimension of the tree, and airway-to-lung size ratio. Nonrigid registration of inspiratory and expiratory CT scans quantifies small airway dysfunction, local volume changes and shape deformations in specific regions. Lung ventilation and diaphragm movement are also evaluated on dynamic chest radiography. Functional MRI detects regional oxygen transfer across the alveolus using inhaled oxygen and ventilation defects and gas diffusion into the alveolar–capillary barrier tissue and red blood cells using inhaled hyperpolarized ¹²⁹Xe gas. These methods have the potential to determine local functional properties in the lungs that cannot be detected by lung function tests in patients with COPD and asthma. Further studies are needed to apply these technologies in clinical practice, particularly for early disease detection and tailor-made interventions, such as the efficient selection of patients likely to respond to biologics. Moreover, research should focus on the extension of healthy life expectancy in patients at higher risk and with established diseases.

Background

Refractory chronic cough (RCC) and unexplained chronic cough (UCC) adversely affect patients’ quality of life (QoL). This multicenter, non-interventional study evaluates the relationship between cough severity and QoL and other patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in Spanish outpatients.

Methods

RCC/UCC patients self-administered a printed survey comprising the cough-severity visual analog scale (VAS), adapted Cough Severity Diary (CSD), and Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ), plus purpose-designed items regarding the physical and everyday-life impact of cough. Patients were stratified into VAS score tertiles. The impact of cough on QoL and other PROs in each tertile, and relationships between LCQ scores and the tertiles, were assessed.

Results

The VAS was completed by 189 patients, and VAS score tertiles were identified as 0–50, 60–70, and 80–100 mm. The only between-tertile difference in demographic or cough characteristics was cough duration. VAS score tertiles were linearly associated with mean LCQ domain and total scores, as well as the proportion of patients with the highest scores on all adapted CSD items, and almost all physical and everyday-life impact items. In multiple linear-regression models, an increase of one tertile in the VAS score was associated with a decrease of 2.23 points in the LCQ total score, indicating poorer cough-related QoL.

Conclusion

As self-assessed in patients with RCC/UCC, cough-severity VAS scores were strongly associated with the impact of cough on QoL and everyday life. Patients with VAS scores of 60–100 mm reported the greatest impact and thus may benefit the most from targeted cough therapies.