Pulmonary Function, Computed Tomography Lung Abnormalities, and Small Airway Disease after COVID-19: 3-, 6-, and 9-Month Follow-Up.

Background/Objectives: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) course may differ among individuals-in particular, those with comorbidities may have severe pneumonia, requiring oxygen supplementation or mechanical ventilation. Post-COVID-19 long-term structural changes in imaging studies can contribute to persistent respiratory disturbance. This study aimed to investigate COVID-19 sequels affecting the possibility of persistent structural lung tissue abnormalities and their influence on the respiratory function of peripheral airways and gas transfer. Methods: Patients were divided into two groups according to severity grades described by the World Health Organization. Among the 176 hospitalized patients were 154 patients with mask oxygen supplementation and 22 patients with high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) or mechanical ventilation. All tests were performed at 3, 6, and 9 months post-hospitalization. Results: Patients in the severe/critical group had lower lung volumes in FVC, FVC%, FEV1, FEV1%, LC, TLC%, and DLCO% at three months post-hospitalization. At 6 and 9 months, neither group had significant FVC and FEV1 value improvements. The MEF 25-75 values were not significantly higher in the mild/moderate group than in the severe/critical group at three months. There were weak significant correlations between FVC and FEV1, MEF50, MEF 75, plethysmography TLC, disturbances in DLCO, and total CT abnormalities in the severe/critical group at three months. In a mild/moderate group, there was a significant negative correlation between the spirometry, plethysmography parameters, and CT lesions in all periods. Conclusions: Persistent respiratory symptoms post-COVID-19 can result from fibrotic lung parenchyma and post-infectious stenotic small airway changes not visible in CT, probably due to persistent inflammation.

A dose-dependent beneficial effect of methotrexate on the risk of interstitial lung disease in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to assess the influence of different factors, including treatment, on the risk of ILD in the course of RA. METHODS: A total of 109 RA patients were included in the analysis. High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of chest was obtained in each patient. Patients were classified as having ILD (ILD group) or not (N-ILD group). The ILD was graded using the semi-quantitative Warrick scale of fibrosis. Warrick extent score (WES) and Warrick severity score (WSS) were calculated separately for each patient, then combined to obtain a global score (WGS). RESULTS: In univariate analysis the presence of ILD was associated positively with age (P = 5x10-6) and negatively with MTX treatment (P = 0.0013), mean MTX dose per year of treatment (P = 0.003) and number of DMARDs used (P = 0.046). On multivariate analysis only age and treatment with MTX were independently associated with the presence of ILD. WGS was significantly lower in patients treated with MTX in a dose of ≥15 mg/week (MTX≥15 group) as compared to patients treated with lower doses of MTX (0

Assessment of Solitary Pulmonary Nodules Based on Virtual Monochrome Images and Iodine-Dependent Images Using a Single-Source Dual-Energy CT with Fast kVp Switching.

With lung cancer being the most common malignancy diagnosed worldwide, lung nodule assessment has proved to be one of big challenges of modern medicine. The aim of this study was to examine the usefulness of Dual Energy Computed Tomography (DECT) in solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN) assessment. Between January 2017 and June 2018; 65 patients (42 males and 23 females) underwent DECT scans in the late arterial phase (AP) and venous phase (VP). We concluded that imaging at an energy level of 65 keV was the most accurate in detecting malignancy in solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs) measuring ≤30 mm in diameter on virtual monochromatic maps. Both virtual monochromatic images and iodine concentration maps prove to be highly useful in differentiating benign and malignant pulmonary nodules. As for iodine concentration maps, the analysis of venous phase images resulted in the highest clinical usefulness. To summarize, DECT may be a useful tool in the differentiation of benign and malignant SPNs. A single-phase DECT examination with scans acquired 90 s after contrast media injection is recommended.

Molecular characteristics of KPC-producing Enterobacteriaceae at the early stage of their dissemination in Poland, 2008-2009.

After the first report in May 2008, the National Reference Center for Susceptibility Testing confirmed 113 cases of infection or colonization by KPC-producing members of the family Enterobacteriaceae in Poland by the end of 2009. The vast majority of patients were found in 18 hospitals; three patients were diagnosed at outpatient clinics. Most of the institutions were in the Warsaw area, including three hospitals with the highest numbers of cases. When available, the data on previous hospitalizations often indicated that these hospitals were the probable acquisition sites; one patient arrived from New York. The group of 119 unique isolates consisted of Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 114), followed by Klebsiella oxytoca (n = 3), and Escherichia coli (n = 2). The K. pneumoniae isolates were dominated by the clone sequence type 258 (ST258) (n = 111); others were ST11 and ST23. The ST258 group was heterogeneous, with 28 pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) subtypes, ∼25 plasmid profiles, and nine ß-lactamase patterns differing by KPC variants (KPC-2 mainly), and SHV-12, CTX-M-3, and TEM-1-like enzymes. Plasmids carrying bla(KPC) genes varied in size (~48 to 250 kb), structure, and conjugation potential. Transferable IncFII(K) plasmids of ~110 to 160 kb, probably pKpQIL or its derivatives, were observed in all K. pneumoniae clones and in K. oxytoca. Also prevalent were nontypeable pETKp50-like plasmids of ~50 kb, found in K. pneumoniae ST258 and E. coli isolates (ST93 and ST224). Two K. pneumoniae-E. coli pairs from single patients might represent the in vivo transfer of such plasmids. The striking diversity of KPC producers at the early stage of dissemination could result from several introductions of these bacteria into the country, their multidirectional evolution during clonal spread, and transfer of the plasmids.