Sarcoidosis is a chronic condition which predominantly affects the lungs and lymph glands within the chest, however, may affect any organ within the body. At the present time, very little is known as to the exact cause of sarcoidosis and it is widely believed that the condition arises due to overreaction of the immune system to an unknown trigger in the environment such as an infection. Alongside this, the clinical course and progression of the condition varies considerably; some patients have a very mild form which does require any specific treatment, where as other patients develop a more severe form which can lead to permanent...
Rehabilitation interventions can help address the consequences of COVID-19. These include medical, physical, cognitive and psychological related problems. To our knowledge, no studies have investigated the effects of rehabilitation following discharge from hospital. The specific aims of this project are to investigate the effects of a 12-week exercise program on pulmonary fibrosis in recovering COVID-19 patients. A further aim will be to examine how Chinese herbal medicines, gut microbiome and its metabolites regulate immune function and possibly autoimmune deficiency in the rehabilitation process.
Fibroproliferative diseases, including pulmonary, cardiac and vascular fibrosis share common pathogenetic mechanisms. Furthermore, cardiovascular comorbidities are frequently found in patients with IPF. However, the prevalence of cardiac and vascular fibrosis in patients with IPF have yet to be determined. Main Purpose of this study is to evaluate, with non-invasive methods (echocardiogram, endothelial function and pulse wave velocity) and blood biomarkers (galectins-3, osteopontin, periostin and pro-BNP), the presence of vascular fibrosis (vascular rigidity and endothelial function) and cardiac fibrosis (prevalence of HFpEF -...
Sarcoidosis is a disease of unknown cause which affects adults of all ethnic backgrounds. Clumps of tissue called granulomas develop primarily in the lungs, but can damage other organs, especially the heart. Anecdotal evidence from autopsy studies suggests the heart is affected in up to 68% of patients, but there is much uncertainty about this figure. If undetected and untreated, it can lead to serious complications or even sudden death. The current recommendation is to perform heart tracings (ECG s) on all patients, but this detects fewer than half of those with heart involvement. Blood markers traditionally used to diagnose...
Chronic Respiratory Diseases (CRDs) are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality, ranking as the third leading cause of death worldwide. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is a fundamental evidence-based intervention for the management of a variety of CRDs, such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Interstitial Lung Diseases (ILDs). However, the benefits of PR tend to decline over time and there is currently no strong evidence that patients translate those benefits into a more active lifestyle. There is an urgent need for evidence-based interventions to promote physical activity (PA) participation, whilst ...
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a condition where scar tissue (called fibrosis) builds up in the lungs. It usually gets worse over time. Fibrosis causes the lungs to become stiff, and reduces the amount of oxygen that the lungs can take up. People with IPF complain of worsening breathlessness, which limits their day to day activities. Lung function tests are breathing tests that measure how well your lungs are working, and are used by doctors to decide whether to start or stop medicines in people with IPF. However, people with IPF tell us that lung function tests require a lot of effort, can make them cough and feel very...
Background: - Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic lung disease that becomes worse over time. There is currently no effective treatment for it. Researchers want to study the disease and learn new ways to treat it. Objectives: - To discover new pathways that are involved in pulmonary fibrosis. To develop new drugs that may be used to treat pulmonary fibrosis. Eligibility: - People at least 18 years old with IPF. - Healthy volunteers at least 18 years old. Design: - Participants will be screened with medical history, questionnaire, and physical exam. They will...
Very recent studies indicate that a high percentage of HCL, about 50%, have mutations in the B-RAF oncogene. The development of ultrasensitive methodologies capable of identifying these mutations in bronchoalveolar lavage will represent a significant advance in the diagnosis and treatment of these patients. An undetermined percentage of HCL does not present mutations in B-RAF. Consequently, the deep genetic analysis, through the use of techniques of massive sequencing, can favor the identification of new alterations that contribute to the development of the disease. We hypothesized that patients with HCL may present a different...
Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome (HPS) is an inherited disease which results in decreased pigmentation (oculocutaneous albinism), bleeding problems due to a platelet abnormality (platelet storage pool defect), and storage of an abnormal fat-protein compound (lysosomal accumulation of ceroid lipofuscin). The disease can cause poor functioning of the lungs, intestine, kidneys, or heart. The major complication of the disease is pulmonary fibrosis and typically causes death in patients ages 40 - 50 years old. The disorder is common in Puerto Rico, where many of the clinical research studies on the disease have been conducted. Neither the full...
Interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features (IPAF) was defined in 2015 by the Working Group of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) and the American Thoracic Society (ATS) as interstitial pneumonia with some clinical and/or serological features suggesting presence of an underlying autoimmune disorder. However, ofiicial criteria for diagnosis of an autoimmune disease are not met. Aims of the study: 1. Determine the incindence of IPAF in comparison with interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) and classic autoimmune diseases (ADs) in polish pulmonological centers. 2. Clinical, serological, functional and...