Project description:AbstractIdiopathic 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.
Project description:BackgroundDelays between breast cancer diagnosis and surgery are associated with worsened survival. Delays are more common in urban-residing patients, although factors specific to surgical delays among rural and urban patients are not well understood.MethodsWe used a 100% sample of fee-for-service Medicare claims during 2007-2014 to identify 238,491 women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer undergoing initial surgery and assessed whether they experienced biopsy-to-surgery intervals > 90 days. We employed multilevel regression to identify associations between delays and patient, regional, and surgeon characteristics, both in combined analyses and stratified by rurality of patient residence.ResultsDelays were more prevalent among urban patients (2.5%) than rural patients (1.9%). Rural patients with medium- or high-volume surgeons had lower odds of delay than patients with low-volume surgeons (odds ratio [OR] = 0.71, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.58-0.88; OR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.61-0.90). Rural patients whose surgeon operated at ≥ 3 hospitals were more likely to experience delays (OR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.01-1.64, Ref: 1 hospital). Patient driving times ≥ 1 h were associated with delays among urban patients only. Age, black race, Hispanic ethnicity, multimorbidity, and academic/specialty hospital status were associated with delays.ConclusionsSociodemographic, geographic, surgeon, and facility factors have distinct associations with > 90-day delays to initial breast cancer surgery. Interventions to improve timeliness of breast cancer surgery may have disparate impacts on vulnerable populations by rural-urban status.
Project description:BackgroundIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a rare life-threating interstitial lung disease (ILD). This study characterizes demographics, health care utilization, and comorbidities among elderly IPF patients and estimates prevalence and incidence rates for selected outcomes.MethodsCohort study using a large US health insurance database (Optum's Medicare Advantage plan).Inclusion criteria? 1 diagnosis code for IPF (2008 - 2014), age ?65 years, no diagnosis of IPF or other ILD in prior 12 months. Demographics, health care utilization, comorbidities and incidence rates for various outcomes were estimated. Follow-up continued until the earliest of: health plan disenrollment, death, a claim for another known cause of ILD, or end of the study period.Results4,716 patients were eligible; 53.4% had IPF diagnostic testing. Median age was 77.5 years, 50.3% were male, median follow-up time was 0.8 years. Incidence rates ranged from 1.0/1,000 person-years (lung transplantation) to 374.3/1,000 person-years (arterial hypertension). Baseline characteristics and incidence rates were similar for cohorts of patients with and without IPF diagnostic testing.ConclusionsElderly IPF patients experience a variety of comorbidities before and after IPF diagnosis. Therapies for IPF and for the associated comorbidities may reduce morbidity and associated health care utilization of these patients.
Project description:Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most frequent chronic idiopathic interstitial pneumonia in adults. The management of rare diseases in France has been organised by a national plan for rare diseases, which endorsed a network of expert centres for rare diseases throughout France. This article is an overview of the executive summary of the French guidelines for the management of IPF, an initiative that emanated from the French National Reference Centre and the Network of Regional Competence Centres for Rare Lung Diseases. This review aims at providing pulmonologists with a document that: 1) combines the current available evidence; 2) reviews practical modalities of diagnosis and management of IPF; and 3) is adapted to everyday medical practice. The French practical guidelines result from the combined efforts of a coordination committee, a writing committee and a multidisciplinary review panel, following recommendations from the Haute Autorité de Santé. All recommendations included in this article received at least 90% agreement by the reviewing panel. Herein, we summarise the main conclusions and practical recommendations of the French guidelines.
Project description:BACKGROUND:The soluble receptor for advanced glycation end-products (sRAGE) has been suggested that it acts as a decoy for capturing advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) and inhibits the activation of the oxidative stress and apoptotic pathways. Lung AGEs/sRAGE is increased in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The objective of the study was to evaluate the AGEs and sRAGE levels in serum as a potential biomarker in IPF. METHODS:Serum samples were collected from adult patients: 62 IPF, 22 chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis (cHP), 20 fibrotic non-specific interstitial pneumonia (fNSIP); and 12 healthy controls. In addition, 23 IPF patients were re-evaluated after 3-year follow-up period. Epidemiological and clinical features were recorded: age, sex, smoking habits, and lung function. AGEs and sRAGE were evaluated by ELISA, and the results were correlated with pulmonary functional test values. RESULTS:IPF and cHP groups presented a significant increase of AGE/sRAGE serum concentration compared with fNSIP patients. Moreover, an inverse correlation between AGEs and sRAGE levels were found in IPF, and serum sRAGE at diagnosis correlated with FVC and DLCO values. Additionally, changes in serum AGEs and sRAGE correlated with % change of FVC, DLCO and TLC during the follow-up. sRAGE levels below 428.25 pg/ml evolved poor survival rates. CONCLUSIONS:These findings demonstrate that the increase of AGE/sRAGE ratio is higher in IPF, although the levels were close to cHP. AGE/sRAGE increase correlates with respiratory functional progression. Furthermore, the concentration of sRAGE in blood stream at diagnosis and follow-up could be considered as a potential prognostic biomarker.
Project description:Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a disease related to AT2 cell. We used flow cytometry to analyze the epithelial component of donor and IPF lungs. From the live cells, we first excluded the CD31PosCD45Pos and then selected the EPCAMPos cells for further analysis using the human AT2 cell marker HTll-280 and the surface marker PD-L1. Our data indicate that, the bona fide differentiated AT2 cells (HTll-280High PD-L1Neg), were drastically reduced in the context of IPF. More interestingly, the number of HTll-280Low/Neg PD-L1High was drastically increased, suggesting that HTll-280Low PD-L1High epithelial cells could represent a pool of progenitors linked to the deficient AT2 lineage. The aim of this experiment is further characterization of AT2 and PDL1+ cells in donor and IPF.
Project description:Over the past two and a half decades, many clinical trials have been designed to determine the safety and efficacy of pharmacotherapy for patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, so far, only two drugs (pirfenidone and nintedanib) have been found to have an impact on disease progression as defined by reducing the rate of decline in forced vital capacity over a year among IPF patients with mild to moderate impairment in lung function. These two drugs have been approved for treatment of IPF by regulatory agencies and are currently in clinical use worldwide. This article summarises the current landscape of pharmacotherapy for IPF and highlights the prospects and potential of new therapies that are currently being pursued in clinical trials.
Project description:Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive type of interstitial pneumonia with unknown causes, poor prognosis and no effective therapy available. Circular RNAs (circRNAs), which serve as potential therapeutic targets and diagnostic biomarkers for certain diseases, represent a recent hotspot in the field of RNA research. In the present study, a total of 67 significantly dysregulated circRNAs were identified in the plasma of IPF patients by using a circRNA microarray. Among these circRNAs, 38 were upregulated, whereas 29 were downregulated. Further validation of the results by polymerase chain reaction analysis indicated that Homo sapiens (hsa)_circRNA_100906, hsa_circRNA_102100 and hsa_circRNA_102348 were significantly upregulated, whereas hsa_circRNA_101225, hsa_circRNA_104780 and hsa_circRNA_101242 were downregulated in plasma samples of IPF patients compared with those in samples from healthy controls. The majority of differentially expressed circRNAs were generated from exonic regions. The host genes of the differentially expressed circRNAs were involved in the regulation of the cell cycle, adherens junctions and RNA transport. The competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network of the circRNAs/micro(mi)RNAs/mRNAs indicated that circRNA‑protected mRNA participated in transforming growth factor‑β1, hypoxia‑inducible factor‑1, Wnt, Janus kinase, Rho‑associated protein kinase, vascular endothelial growth factor, mitogen‑activated protein kinase, Hedgehog and nuclear factor κB signalling pathways or functioned as biomarkers for pulmonary fibrosis. Furthermore, luciferase reporter assays confirmed that hsa_circRNA_100906 and hsa_circRNA_102348 directly interact with miR‑324‑5p and miR‑630, respectively, which were downregulated in IPF patients. The present study provided a novel avenue for exploring the underlying molecular mechanisms of IPF disease.
Project description:Currently, there are no approved pharmacological treatments for the management of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in the USA or Europe. Pirfenidone is an orally bio-available small molecule that exhibits antifibrotic and anti-inflammatory properties in a variety of in vitro and animal models. Pirfenidone has been evaluated in four randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials conducted in Japan, North America and Europe. The totality of the data from these trials indicates that pirfenidone is able to reduce the rate of decline in lung function, measured as change in per cent predicted forced vital capacity (FVC) or vital capacity. There was also an effect on secondary end-points of progression free survival, categorical change in per cent predicted FVC, and the 6-min walk test. A recent meta-analysis of the three phase III studies in IPF demonstrated that pirfenidone significantly reduced the risk of disease progression by 30%. The efficacy of pirfenidone is associated with an acceptable tolerability and safety profile.