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Frontiers in Microbiology 2024The human gut microbiome plays a critical role in maintaining our health. Fluctuations in the diversity and structure of the gut microbiota have been implicated in the... (Review)
Review
The human gut microbiome plays a critical role in maintaining our health. Fluctuations in the diversity and structure of the gut microbiota have been implicated in the pathogenesis of several metabolic and inflammatory conditions. Dietary patterns, medication, smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity can all influence the abundance of different types of microbiota in the gut, which in turn can affect the health of individuals. Intestinal phages are an essential component of the gut microbiome, but most studies predominantly focus on the structure and dynamics of gut bacteria while neglecting the role of phages in shaping the gut microbiome. As bacteria-killing viruses, the distribution of bacteriophages in the intestine, their role in influencing the intestinal microbiota, and their mechanisms of action remain elusive. Herein, we present an overview of the current knowledge of gut phages, their lifestyles, identification, and potential impact on the gut microbiota.
PubMed: 38585689
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1379382 -
Malawi Medical Journal : the Journal of... Dec 2023Tracheobronchial variations (TBVs) are more common than previously believed due to the increasing use of multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT). This study aimed to...
BACKGROUND
Tracheobronchial variations (TBVs) are more common than previously believed due to the increasing use of multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT). This study aimed to assess TBVs in cases of pneumoconiosis, one of the oldest occupational diseases that still poses a threat to public health.
METHODS
This was a descriptive study that involved reviewing chest MDCT images of 34 cases of pneumoconiosis and 34 control cases retrospectively from January 2020 to April 2022. Variations in the trachea, right main bronchus, left main bronchus, lobar and segmental branches of the cases in the patient and control groups were evaluated according to Boyden's nomenclature.
RESULTS
The frequency of TBV was 32.4% in pneumoconiosis cases. Although the frequency of TBV was higher in the patient group than in the control group, the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.086). Furthermore, there was no significant difference in terms of TBV classification between the patient and control groups (p=0.407). Additionally, the presence of TBV did not affect the distribution of International Labour Organization categories in pneumoconiosis cases (p=0.360).
CONCLUSIONS
Although our study provides initial insights into the occurrence of TBVs in pneumoconiosis cases, further research is needed to clarify the relationship between these variations and the disease.
Topics: Humans; Multidetector Computed Tomography; Retrospective Studies; Pneumoconiosis; Occupational Diseases; Bronchi
PubMed: 38362566
DOI: 10.4314/mmj.v35i4.4 -
Frontiers in Medicine 2023Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) are indispensable components of chronic respiratory diseases and global health challenges. We aimed to explore the global long-term...
BACKGROUND
Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) are indispensable components of chronic respiratory diseases and global health challenges. We aimed to explore the global long-term changes in the prevalence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of ILDs; investigate the independent effect of age, period, and cohort; and project the disease burden over the next decade.
METHODS
Data were retrieved from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) database 2019. The joinpoint regression model was used to calculate the average annual percent change (AAPC). An age-period-cohort (APC) analysis was employed to measure the independent effect of age, period, and cohort. The Bayesian age-period-cohort (BAPC) model was used to project the global epidemiological trends until 2030.
RESULTS
From 1990 to 2019, the age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR), age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR), and age-standardized disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) rate (ASDR) of interstitial lung disease and pulmonary sarcoidosis (ILD) slightly increased from 52.66 per 100,000 [95% uncertainty interval (UI) 44.49 to 61.07] to 57.62 per 100,000 (95% UI 49.42 to 65.67), from 1.76 per 100,000 (95% UI 1.41 to 2.22) to 2.17 per 100,000 (95% UI 1.5 to 2.62), and from 41.57 per 100,000 (95% UI 33.93 to 51.92) to 46.45 per 100,000 (95% UI 35.12 to 54.98), whereas the ASPR, ASMR, and ASDR of pneumoconiosis decreased. High social-demographic index (SDI) regions possessed the highest ASPR, whereas low-middle SDI regions had the highest ASMR and ASDR, followed by low-SDI regions in ILD. Middle-SDI regions reported the highest ASPR, ASMR, and ASDR in pneumoconiosis. The age effect showed that the rate ratio (RR) was high in older adults. Period effect indicated that the RR of prevalence increased over time, whereas the RR of mortality and DALYs decreased in men but increased in women. The cohort effect exhibited that the more recent birth cohort had a higher RR than the previous cohort in prevalence. We projected that ASPR, ASMR, and ASDR would stabilize with little variation over the next decade.
CONCLUSION
The global burden of ILDs remains relatively severe, especially among older adults, in low- and middle-SDI regions. Effective measurements are expected to improve this situation.
PubMed: 37554509
DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1141372 -
BMC Pulmonary Medicine Jan 2024IPF is a complex lung disease whose aetiology is not fully understood, but diet may have an impact on its development and progression. Therefore, we investigated the...
BACKGROUND
IPF is a complex lung disease whose aetiology is not fully understood, but diet may have an impact on its development and progression. Therefore, we investigated the potential causal connection between dietary intake and IPF through TSMR to offer insights for early disease prevention recommendations.
METHODS
The study incorporated 29 dietary exposure factors, oily fish intake, bacon intake, processed meat intake, poultry intake, beef intake, pork intake, lamb/mutton intake, non-oily fish intake, fresh fruit intake, cooked vegetable intake, baked bean intake, fresh tomato intake, tinned tomato intake, salad/raw vegetable intake, Fresh fruit intake, coffee intake, tea intake, water intake, red wine intake, average weekly beer plus cider intake, alcoholic drinks per week, cereal intake, bread intake, whole-wheat intake, whole-wheat cereal intake, cheese intake, yogurt intake, salt added to food and whole egg intake. The study explored the causal link between diet and IPF using TSMR analysis, predominantly the IVW method, and performed sensitivity analyses to validate the results.
RESULT
The study revealed that consuming oily fish, yogurt, and dried fruits had a protective effect against IPF, whereas the consumption of alcoholic beverages and beef was linked to an increased risk of IPF.
CONCLUSION
In this MR study, it was discovered that the consumption of oily fish, yogurt, and dried fruits exhibited a protective effect against IPF, whereas the intake of alcoholic beverages and beef was associated with an elevated risk of IPF. These findings underscore the significance of making informed and timely dietary decisions in IPF prevention.
Topics: Diet; Eating; Fruit; Genome-Wide Association Study; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis; Mendelian Randomization Analysis; Vegetables; Humans
PubMed: 38178024
DOI: 10.1186/s12890-023-02831-8 -
Journal of Epidemiology and Global... Apr 2024Pneumoconiosis is associated with pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases; however, the link between pneumoconiosis and sleep disorders is not well understood. This study...
BACKGROUND
Pneumoconiosis is associated with pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases; however, the link between pneumoconiosis and sleep disorders is not well understood. This study aimed to investigate the connection between pneumoconiosis and subsequent risk of sleep disorders.
METHODS
This population-based retrospective cohort study used data from the National Health Insurance database in Taiwan. The pneumoconiosis cohort consisted of 13,329 patients newly diagnosed between 2000 and 2015. The comparison group included 53,316 age-, sex-, and diagnosis date-matched individuals without pneumoconiosis. The development of sleep disorders was monitored until the end of 2018. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used for risk assessment.
RESULTS
The incidence of sleep disorders was 1.31 times higher in the pneumoconiosis cohort than in the comparison cohort (22.8 vs. 16.2 per 1000 person-years). After controlling for age, sex, comorbidity, and medication, the adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) was 1.24 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.17-1.32). Stratified analyses by age group, sex, and comorbidity status showed significant associations between pneumoconiosis and sleep disorders (aHRs, 1.19-1.64). In addition, patients with pneumoconiosis had a significantly increased risk of developing sleep apnea (aHR = 1.71, 95% CI = 1.31-2.22).
CONCLUSION
This study demonstrates that patients with pneumoconiosis are at a higher risk of developing sleep disorders and sleep apnea. Healthcare professionals should pay close attention to sleep quality and disturbances in patients with pneumoconiosis.
PubMed: 38573463
DOI: 10.1007/s44197-024-00225-5 -
Particle and Fibre Toxicology Mar 2024Crystalline silica (cSiO) is a mineral found in rocks; workers from the construction or denim industries are particularly exposed to cSiO through inhalation. cSiO...
BACKGROUND
Crystalline silica (cSiO) is a mineral found in rocks; workers from the construction or denim industries are particularly exposed to cSiO through inhalation. cSiO inhalation increases the risk of silicosis and systemic autoimmune diseases. Inhaled cSiO microparticles can reach the alveoli where they induce inflammation, cell death, auto-immunity and fibrosis but the specific molecular pathways involved in these cSiO effects remain unclear. This systematic review aims to provide a comprehensive state of the art on omic approaches and exposure models used to study the effects of inhaled cSiO in mice and rats and to highlight key results from omic data in rodents also validated in human.
METHODS
The protocol of systematic review follows PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. Eligible articles were identified in PubMed, Embase and Web of Science. The search strategy included original articles published after 1990 and written in English which included mouse or rat models exposed to cSiO and utilized omic approaches to identify pathways modulated by cSiO. Data were extracted and quality assessment was based on the SYRCLE's Risk of Bias tool for animal studies.
RESULTS
Rats and male rodents were the more used models while female rodents and autoimmune prone models were less studied. Exposure of animals were both acute and chronic and the timing of outcome measurement through omics approaches were homogeneously distributed. Transcriptomic techniques were more commonly performed while proteomic, metabolomic and single-cell omic methods were less utilized. Immunity and inflammation were the main domains modified by cSiO exposure in lungs of mice and rats. Less than 20% of the results obtained in rodents were finally verified in humans.
CONCLUSION
Omic technics offer new insights on the effects of cSiO exposure in mice and rats although the majority of data still need to be validated in humans. Autoimmune prone model should be better characterised and systemic effects of cSiO need to be further studied to better understand cSiO-induced autoimmunity. Single-cell omics should be performed to inform on pathological processes induced by cSiO exposure.
Topics: Animals; Rats; Inflammation; Lung; Proteomics; Silicon Dioxide; Silicosis; Mice
PubMed: 38429797
DOI: 10.1186/s12989-024-00573-x -
Respiratory Medicine 2023Reduced lung function is associated with increased mortality, but it is unclear how different spirometric patterns are related to specific deaths. Aim of this study was...
BACKGROUND AND AIM
Reduced lung function is associated with increased mortality, but it is unclear how different spirometric patterns are related to specific deaths. Aim of this study was to investigate these associations in a large general population cohort.
METHODS
The study population consisted of 26,091 men aged 30-46 years from the Pneumoconiosis Survey of Western Norway conducted in 1988-1990 with follow-up on date and cause of death for 26 years. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the association between baseline FEV, FVC, obstructive (OSP) and restrictive spirometric pattern (RSP) (z-scores calculated according to GLI-2012 equations) and mortality (European 2012 shortlist classification (E-2012)), after adjustment for age, body mass index, smoking habits, and education.
RESULTS
In total, 2462 (9%) subjects died. A predominant reduction of FEV (and OSP) were associated with respiratory non-cancer (E-8) (HR for one unit FEV z-score decrease 2.29 (95% CI 1.90, 2.77) and lung cancer mortality (E-2.1.8) (1.27(1.12, 1.44)). A similar reduction of FEV and FVC (and RSP) were associated with diabetes (E-4.1) (FEV 2.21(1.67, 2.92), FVC 2.41(1.75, 3.32)), cerebrovascular (E-7.3) (1.52(1.21, 1.91), 1.54(1.19, 1.98)), ischemic heart disease (E-7.1) (1.22(1.10, 1.35), 1.21(1.08, 1.36)), neurological (E-6.3) (1.56(1.21, 2.01), 1.61(1.22, 2.13)), suicide (E-17.2) (1.37(1.13, 1.65), 1.29(1.04, 1.59)) and hematological cancer mortality (E-2.1.19-21) (1.29(1.05, 1.58), (1.26(1.00, 1.58)). No association was found between reduced lung function and mortality due to accidents, alcohol abuse, digestive and genitourinary cancer.
CONCLUSIONS
Spirometric obstruction was mainly related to pulmonary mortality. Spirometric restriction was mainly related to extra-pulmonary mortality.
Topics: Male; Humans; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive; Cause of Death; Forced Expiratory Volume; Lung; Spirometry; Vital Capacity
PubMed: 37776914
DOI: 10.1016/j.rmed.2023.107421 -
Annals of Medicine Dec 2024Miliary Tuberculosis (TB) remains an important infectious disease that threatens human health. The clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of miliary TB are...
BACKGROUND
Miliary Tuberculosis (TB) remains an important infectious disease that threatens human health. The clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of miliary TB are summarized in this study.
METHODS
The clinical information of miliary TB patients between 2010 and 2022 was retrospectively analyzed. Patients with miliary TB were characterized and compared to adverse outcomes cases. Factors independently associated with adverse outcomes were determined via multivariate logistic regression analysis.
RESULTS
A total of 288 patients were analyzed, including 181 with adverse outcomes. The clinical manifestations are atypical. 88.54% Of them experienced systemic symptoms, whilst 69.79% manifested respiratory symptoms. 40.97% Presented with neurologic symptoms, while 35.07% reported gastrointestinal symptoms. The major comorbidities were pharmacological immunosuppression (21.53%), pneumoconiosis (15.28%), diabetes (10.76%), and pregnancy or postpartum (7.29%). Regarding microbiology, most patients were diagnosed via sputum or Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid (BALF), pleural effusion, ascites, cerebrospinal fluid, urine TB-DNA, and tuberculosis culture. Meanwhile, 2.43% of patients were diagnosed via cerebrospinal fluid NGS. Independent risk factors predictive of adverse outcomes were current smoking, leukocytosis, elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, and the combination of lymphopenia with bone marrow tuberculosis or tuberculous lymphadenitis. The accuracy of the model was validated by an area under the ROC curve of 0.753 (95% IC 0.697-0.810).
CONCLUSIONS
The clinical manifestations of miliary TB are atypical, and early diagnosis is challenging. The major comorbidities in miliary TB patients were pharmacological immunosuppression, pneumoconiosis, diabetes, pregnancy, and postpartum. Regarding etiological detection, multi-site and multi-type specimens should be collected for a timely diagnosis. Cerebrospinal fluid mNGS test may be a viable choice in some cases. Finally, current smoking, leukocytosis, elevated ALT levels, and the combination of lymphopenia with bone marrow tuberculosis or tuberculous lymphadenitis were identified as independent risk factors for adverse outcomes.
Topics: Humans; Tuberculosis, Miliary; Female; Male; Middle Aged; Retrospective Studies; Prognosis; Adult; Risk Factors; Aged; Comorbidity; China; Young Adult
PubMed: 38848041
DOI: 10.1080/07853890.2024.2356647 -
Frontiers in Medicine 2024Pneumoconiosis is the most important occupational disease all over the world, with high prevalence and mortality. At present, the monitoring of workers exposed to dust...
BACKGROUND
Pneumoconiosis is the most important occupational disease all over the world, with high prevalence and mortality. At present, the monitoring of workers exposed to dust and the diagnosis of pneumoconiosis rely on manual interpretation of chest radiographs, which is subjective and low efficiency. With the development of artificial intelligence technology, a more objective and efficient computer aided system for pneumoconiosis diagnosis can be realized. Therefore, the present study reported a novel deep learning (DL) artificial intelligence (AI) system for detecting pneumoconiosis in digital frontal chest radiographs, based on which we aimed to provide references for radiologists.
METHODS
We annotated 49,872 chest radiographs from patients with pneumoconiosis and workers exposed to dust using a self-developed tool. Next, we used the labeled images to train a convolutional neural network (CNN) algorithm developed for pneumoconiosis screening. Finally, the performance of the trained pneumoconiosis screening model was validated using a validation set containing 495 chest radiographs.
RESULTS
Approximately, 51% (25,435/49,872) of the chest radiographs were labeled as normal. Pneumoconiosis was detected in 49% (24,437/49,872) of the labeled radiographs, among which category-1, category-2, and category-3 pneumoconiosis accounted for 53.1% (12,967/24,437), 20.4% (4,987/24,437), and 26.5% (6,483/24,437) of the patients, respectively. The CNN DL algorithm was trained using these data. The validation set of 495 digital radiography chest radiographs included 261 cases of pneumoconiosis and 234 cases of non-pneumoconiosis. As a result, the accuracy of the AI system for pneumoconiosis identification was 95%, the area under the curve was 94.7%, and the sensitivity was 100%.
CONCLUSION
DL algorithm based on CNN helped screen pneumoconiosis in the chest radiographs with high performance; thus, it could be suitable for diagnosing pneumoconiosis automatically and improve the efficiency of radiologists.
PubMed: 38348336
DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1290729 -
Scandinavian Journal of Work,... Mar 2024This paper discusses the failure and success of society to decrease the adverse health effects of asbestos exposure on workers' health in relation to scientific... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
This paper discusses the failure and success of society to decrease the adverse health effects of asbestos exposure on workers' health in relation to scientific knowledge.
METHODS
The findings are based on a narrative literature review.
RESULTS
Early warnings of the adverse health effects of workplace exposure to asbestos were published already in the 1930s. Serious health effects, such as malignancies and fibrosis due to occupational asbestos exposure, were highlighted in major medical journals and textbooks in late 1960s. New technologies could detect also asbestos fibers in the lung of non-occupational exposed persons in the 1970s. The first bans for using asbestos came in the early 1970s, and more general bans by authorities came in the 1980s and continue until today.
CONCLUSIONS
The rather late recognition of adverse effects of asbestos exposure in the general population and measures to decrease the exposure through more general bans came rather late. However, the very strong measures such as general bans in many countries have been a success. A Swedish study showed that the general ban and other measures have decreased the risk of malignancies due to occupational exposure. The effect of the bans on adverse effects in the general population has yet to be studied. Analysis of fibers in the lungs of persons born after the bans could be an efficient method.
Topics: Humans; Public Health; Asbestos; Occupational Exposure; Neoplasms; Occupational Health; Mesothelioma; Lung Neoplasms; Asbestosis
PubMed: 38323897
DOI: 10.5271/sjweh.4146