Chest
-
A significant percentage of pneumothorax in women is due to thoracic endometriosis. Pathophysiologic mechanisms continue to be debated, and pathologic aspects are poorly known. ⋯ In women with surgically treated pneumothorax, prevalence of catamenial/endometriosis-related pneumothorax is high. Clinicians and pathologists must be aware to recognize such a difficult diagnosis.
-
Parental smoking is known to worsen asthma symptoms in children and to make them refractory to asthma treatment, but the molecular mechanism is unclear. Oxidative stress from tobacco smoke has been reported to impair histone deacetylase-2 (HDAC2) via phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt activation and, thus, to reduce corticosteroid sensitivity. The aim of this study was to investigate passive smoking-dependent molecular abnormalities in alveolar macrophages (AMs) by comparing passive smoke-exposed children and non-passive smoke-exposed children with uncontrolled severe asthma. ⋯ Passive smoking impairs HDAC2 function via PI3K signaling activation, which could contribute to corticosteroid-insensitive inflammation in children with severe asthma. This novel mechanism will be a treatment target in children with severe asthma and stresses the need for a smoke-free environment for asthmatic children.