Sarcoidosis Vasc Dif
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Sarcoidosis Vasc Dif · Dec 2008
Comparative StudyBronchiolitis obliterans syndrome and survival following lung transplantation for patients with sarcoidosis.
End-stage sarcoidosis is characterized by severe pulmonary fibrosis and is often poorly responsive to medical therapy. Lung transplantation, therefore, may be the only treatment option. Currently, there are few studies evaluating long-term outcomes following transplantation for these patients. Our aim was to evaluate post-transplant morbidity and survival of patients with sarcoid compared to recipients transplanted for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). ⋯ We observe similar long term outcomes following lung transplantation for sarcoid and IPF recipients. Transplantation remains a treatment option for end-stage sarcoidosis, as BOS and survival rates are comparable to IPF.
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Sarcoidosis Vasc Dif · Dec 2008
Comparative StudyEffects of oxygen on exercise-induced increase of pulmonary arterial pressure in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a severe disease with no known effective therapy. Patients with IPF may develop severe increase of pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) on exercise, the mechanisms of which is not clearly identified. ⋯ Our results demonstrate that oxygen does not improve exercise-induced increase of PAP in patients with IPF and support the hypothesis that hypoxic vaso-constriction is not the main mechanism of acute increase of PAP during exercise.
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Sarcoidosis Vasc Dif · Sep 2008
Comparative StudyThe role of transbronchial lung biopsy for the diagnosis of diffuse drug-induced lung disease: a case series of 44 patients.
At present, no studies have evaluated the role of bronchoscopic transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) in the diagnosis of diffuse drug-induced lung disease (DILD), and there is no consensus for a definite diagnostic workup approach for this rare clinical entity. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical usefulness of TBLB in diffuse DILD. This study was a retrospective analysis of patients with diffuse DILD, who underwent bronchoscopy. ⋯ No severe complications related to bronchoscopic procedures occurred. In conclusion, TBLB is a safe procedure, and is diagnostically helpful in the majority of cases of patients with diffuse DILD. Histological data obtained by TBLB further corroborate clinical, laboratory, radiologic and BAL results for a definitive diagnosis of diffuse DILD.
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Sarcoidosis Vasc Dif · Sep 2008
Comparative StudyQuantitative analysis of propionibacterial DNA in bronchoalveolar lavage cells from patients with sarcoidosis.
The causes of sarcoidosis are still unknown. Propionibacterial subspieces are thought to be one of the most likely sources of antigens. Here we attempted to measure the amount of propionibacterial DNA in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cell samples from patients with sarcoidosis and other pulmonary diseases. ⋯ The amount of P. acnes DNA in BAL cells from patients with sarcoidosis was significantly higher than that in BAL cells from patients with other pulmonary diseases. P. acnes may be involved in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis.
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Sarcoidosis Vasc Dif · Sep 2007
Epstein-Barr virus DNA in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is the most common idiopathic interstitial pneumonia. The human herpesviruses and especially Epstein-Barr virus have been implicated in the etiology of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in a number of studies. ⋯ The results of this study support the association between IPF and EBV, at least in some cases, and provide evidence that BALF is an alternative for the detection of viral DNA in patients with IPF. However further investigation is required concerning the etiology of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.