BACKGROUND Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans are an important mediators in inflammation and leukocyte trafficking. However, their roles in pulmonary emphysema have not been explored. In a murine model of elastase-induced pulmonary emphysema, we found increased carbohydrate sulfotransferase 3 (CHST3), a specific enzyme that synthesizes chondroitin 6-sulfate proteoglycan (C6SPG). To elucidate the...

Mutations in the essential telomerase genes TERT and TR cause familial pulmonary fibrosis; however, in telomerase-null mice, short telomeres predispose to emphysema after chronic cigarette smoke exposure. Here, we tested whether telomerase mutations are a risk factor for human emphysema by examining their frequency in smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Across two indepen...

RATIONALE Despite shared environmental exposures, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are usually studied in isolation, and the presence of shared molecular mechanisms is unknown. OBJECTIVES We applied an integrative genomic approach to identify convergent transcriptomic pathways in emphysema and IPF. METHODS We defined the transcriptional repertoir...

A 6-year-old boy with known acute lymphocytic leukemia was referred for radiologic evaluation of his complaints of newly onset cough, high fever, dsypnea and general situation worsening. The patient underwent invasive mechanical ventilation through an endotracheal tube in the intensive care unit. The patient's symptoms resolved within 7 days of initiating therapy and he was extubated, however l...

BACKGROUND Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema are a frequent result of long-term smoking, but the exact mechanisms, specifically which types of cells are associated with the lung destruction, are unclear. METHODS AND FINDINGS We studied different subsets of lymphocytes taken from portions of human lungs removed surgically to find out which lymphocytes were the most frequent, ...

BACKGROUND Pulmonary emphysema is characterized by alveolar destruction and persistent inflammation of the airways. Although IL-17A contributes to many chronic inflammatory diseases, it's role in the inflammatory response of elastase-induced emphysema remains unclear. METHODS In a model of elastase-induced pulmonary emphysema we examined the response of IL-17A-deficient mice, monitoring airwa...

Relative area of emphysema below -910 Hounsfield units (RA-910) and 15th percentile density (PD15) are quantitative computed tomography (CT) parameters used in the diagnosis of emphysema. New concepts for noninvasive diagnosis of emphysema are aerosol-derived airway morphometry, which measures effective airspace dimensions (EAD) and aerosol bolus dispersion (ABD). Quantitative CT, ABD and EAD w...

BACKGROUND Although active smoking is well established as the main cause of lung cancer, there is accumulating evidence that history of prior lung diseases may be an independent risk factor for lung cancer. METHODS A population-based case-control study in Gansu Province, China identified 886 lung cancer cases (656 male, 230 female) diagnosed between January 1994 and April 1998. A standardized...

We do think that it is important for every child to have experience of warm physical contact, and we hope that young children of both sexes will continue to be cuddled by parents of both sexes. This contact is the ingredient for healthy development in any child. It has, however, nothing to do with 'sexualisation' of relationships and we entirely agree with Clarke et al on the abusive nature of ...