BreathePub Date : 2025-04-17eCollection Date: 2025-04-01DOI: 10.1183/20734735.0172-2024
Timothy J Nolan, Isabel Dwyer, Pierce Geoghegan
{"title":"The use of mechanical ventilation in interstitial lung disease.","authors":"Timothy J Nolan, Isabel Dwyer, Pierce Geoghegan","doi":"10.1183/20734735.0172-2024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1183/20734735.0172-2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This review explores the challenges and strategies for managing mechanical ventilation in interstitial lung disease (ILD), particularly during acute exacerbations. It highlights the unique physiological barriers posed by fibrotic, non-compliant lungs, discusses evidence-based approaches to noninvasive and invasive ventilation, and emphasises the importance of balancing life-sustaining treatments with palliative care. This review aims to provide practical insights into optimising respiratory support for ILD patients while aligning treatment goals with patient prognosis and preferences.</p>","PeriodicalId":9292,"journal":{"name":"Breathe","volume":"21 2","pages":"240172"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12004253/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143976907","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BreathePub Date : 2025-04-17eCollection Date: 2025-04-01DOI: 10.1183/20734735.0228-2024
Eimear Foley, Ahmad Basirat, Ankit Yadav, Shane O'Brien, Patrick D Mitchell, Seamas C Donnelly
{"title":"A case of pulmonary and cutaneous sarcoidosis.","authors":"Eimear Foley, Ahmad Basirat, Ankit Yadav, Shane O'Brien, Patrick D Mitchell, Seamas C Donnelly","doi":"10.1183/20734735.0228-2024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1183/20734735.0228-2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>A case demonstrating refractory cutaneous and pulmonary sarcoidosis, with classic clinical, spirometry and radiological features, despite OCS and low-dose HCQ treatment that responded clinically and functionally to the addition of a TNF inhibitor</b> https://bit.ly/4h8Gix1.</p>","PeriodicalId":9292,"journal":{"name":"Breathe","volume":"21 2","pages":"240228"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12004252/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143953798","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BreathePub Date : 2025-04-17eCollection Date: 2025-04-01DOI: 10.1183/20734735.0258-2024
Aoife Carolan, Mari Ozaki, Wan Lin Ng, John Ryan, Michael W O'Reilly, Ruth Dunne, Aurelie Fabre, Nadia Nathan, Caroline Kannengiesser, Raphael Borie, Killian Hurley
{"title":"A non-resolving cough in a 41-year-old woman: a case of familial pulmonary fibrosis.","authors":"Aoife Carolan, Mari Ozaki, Wan Lin Ng, John Ryan, Michael W O'Reilly, Ruth Dunne, Aurelie Fabre, Nadia Nathan, Caroline Kannengiesser, Raphael Borie, Killian Hurley","doi":"10.1183/20734735.0258-2024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1183/20734735.0258-2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Identification of cases of familial pulmonary fibrosis is important with the risk of a monogenic cause. Patients appear to be younger and may have a more progressive disease. Consideration for antifibrotics and early transplant referral should be made.</b> https://bit.ly/42jJ3aO.</p>","PeriodicalId":9292,"journal":{"name":"Breathe","volume":"21 2","pages":"240258"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12004259/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143959289","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Recurrent unilateral pleural effusion in a 63-year-old man: the answer lies in the mediastinum.","authors":"Lorenzo Carriera, Guido Levi, Federico Cremonesi, Giulia Gri, Venere Piluso, Maroon Salameh, Iacopo Ghini, Luisa Lorenzi, Gianpietro Marchetti, Damiano Bottone","doi":"10.1183/20734735.0237-2024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1183/20734735.0237-2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Benign vascular masses in the mediastinum, such as haemangiomas, should be considered in the differential diagnosis of unexplained pleural effusions</b> https://bit.ly/4fOjtO1.</p>","PeriodicalId":9292,"journal":{"name":"Breathe","volume":"21 2","pages":"240237"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12004255/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143980367","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BreathePub Date : 2025-04-17eCollection Date: 2025-04-01DOI: 10.1183/20734735.0176-2024
Marta Alexandra Carvalho da Silva, Rui Miguel Mouro de Santos Rolo, Maria Joana Pereira Catarata, Eva Filipa de Sousa Antunes Dias Padrão
{"title":"Cough in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: what is new.","authors":"Marta Alexandra Carvalho da Silva, Rui Miguel Mouro de Santos Rolo, Maria Joana Pereira Catarata, Eva Filipa de Sousa Antunes Dias Padrão","doi":"10.1183/20734735.0176-2024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1183/20734735.0176-2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive and fatal interstitial fibrosing disease and, despite some well-known risk factors, its cause is still unknown. Cough is experienced by most patients and is commonly chronic and refractory, having a significant impact on quality of life. Its aetiology is complex, combining factors related to interstitial lung disease (ILD) such as an increased sensitivity of cough-sensitive nerves, structural lung changes and inflammation, genetic factors, several comorbidities and medication-adverse effects. Despite the therapeutic advancements in IPF over the past decade with the introduction of antifibrotic drugs that slow disease progression, effective treatment options for cough in IPF remain unavailable. Cough management often relies on empirical approaches based on studies involving chronic cough patients of unspecified causes and ILD physicians' personal experiences. Different classes of medications have been tried over time and, more recently, the focus has turned to neuromodulators and opioids, but several studies have shown suboptimal efficacy in cough. On the other hand, these drugs are associated with significant physical, psychological and economic burdens. However, the future brings us hope to the extent that most current ongoing clinical trials are using new molecules and some have demonstrated promising antitussive effects. This review aims to provide a practical guide to understanding and managing cough in IPF patients, presenting pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches over time, as well as those treatments that are currently being investigated in clinical settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":9292,"journal":{"name":"Breathe","volume":"21 2","pages":"240176"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12004257/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143954428","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BreathePub Date : 2025-04-17eCollection Date: 2025-04-01DOI: 10.1183/20734735.0170-2024
Dishant Joy Shah, Anthony Esposito, Areen Pitaktong, Harald Sauthoff
{"title":"Thoracic ultrasound in interstitial lung disease.","authors":"Dishant Joy Shah, Anthony Esposito, Areen Pitaktong, Harald Sauthoff","doi":"10.1183/20734735.0170-2024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1183/20734735.0170-2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>B-lines and pleural line thickening on LUS are sensitive but nonspecific signs of ILD. LUS aids in early detection and monitoring, but HRCT and PFT remain the gold standards. Limitations include operator dependence and lack of standardised protocols.</b> https://bit.ly/41vUQSn.</p>","PeriodicalId":9292,"journal":{"name":"Breathe","volume":"21 2","pages":"240170"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12015945/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143982656","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BreathePub Date : 2025-04-17eCollection Date: 2025-04-01DOI: 10.1183/20734735.0260-2024
Athina Trachalaki, Anna L Lindahl, Simone Petrarulo, George A Margaritopoulos
{"title":"\"Regression to the truth\": lessons learned from negative IPF trials.","authors":"Athina Trachalaki, Anna L Lindahl, Simone Petrarulo, George A Margaritopoulos","doi":"10.1183/20734735.0260-2024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1183/20734735.0260-2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic lung disease with limited treatment options. Despite the approval of pirfenidone and nintedanib that slow disease progression, IPF remains a disease with poor survival. Promising therapeutic candidates were tested as potential treatments for IPF and while some drugs were successful in phase II clinical trials, their successful transition to positive phase III was unfortunately disappointing. This highlights the \"regression to the truth\" concept in drug development, whereby positive phase II trial results may simply be a statistical anomaly rather than the result of true efficacy. We examine three pivotal trials of novel IPF therapies, zinpentraxin alfa, ziritaxestat and pamrevlumab, that failed in late-stage clinical development. These failures underscore common pitfalls in IPF drug development, including inadequate phase II sample sizes, reliance on surrogate endpoints like forced vital capacity, and challenges integrating background antifibrotic therapies. Moving forward, innovative approaches like adaptive trial designs, Bayesian statistics and composite endpoints could improve trial robustness. Moreover, platform trials may accelerate drug development by testing multiple therapies simultaneously. Negative trials are not failures but opportunities for learning. By recognising and addressing these challenges, while also embracing novel trial methodologies, we can enhance drug development and improve IPF outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":9292,"journal":{"name":"Breathe","volume":"21 2","pages":"240260"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12004256/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143984232","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BreathePub Date : 2025-03-18eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.1183/20734735.0225-2023
Cheryl Y Magnin, David Lauer, Michael Ammeter, Janine Gote-Schniering
{"title":"From images to clinical insights: an educational review on radiomics in lung diseases.","authors":"Cheryl Y Magnin, David Lauer, Michael Ammeter, Janine Gote-Schniering","doi":"10.1183/20734735.0225-2023","DOIUrl":"10.1183/20734735.0225-2023","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Radiological imaging is a cornerstone in the clinical workup of lung diseases. Radiomics represents a significant advancement in clinical lung imaging, offering a powerful tool to complement traditional qualitative image analysis. Radiomic features are quantitative and computationally describe shape, intensity, texture and wavelet characteristics from medical images that can uncover detailed and often subtle information that goes beyond the visual capabilities of radiological examiners. By extracting this quantitative information, radiomics can provide deep insights into the pathophysiology of lung diseases and support clinical decision-making as well as personalised medicine approaches. In this educational review, we provide a step-by-step guide to radiomics-based medical image analysis, discussing the technical challenges and pitfalls, and outline the potential clinical applications of radiomics in diagnosing, prognosticating and evaluating treatment responses in respiratory medicine.</p>","PeriodicalId":9292,"journal":{"name":"Breathe","volume":"21 1","pages":"230225"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11915127/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143656140","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BreathePub Date : 2025-03-18eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.1183/20734735.0177-2024
Andrii Dudnyk, Wandini Lutchmun, Raquel Duarte, Christoph Lange, Elin M Svensson
{"title":"The importance of getting the dose right in the treatment of tuberculosis.","authors":"Andrii Dudnyk, Wandini Lutchmun, Raquel Duarte, Christoph Lange, Elin M Svensson","doi":"10.1183/20734735.0177-2024","DOIUrl":"10.1183/20734735.0177-2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Prescribing the optimal combination of anti-tuberculosis drugs at the right dose is a fundamental step to achieve successful treatment outcomes. To aid the decision, clinicians should consider multiple factors, such as body weight, age, results of drug susceptibility testing, risk of intolerance and potential drug-drug interactions. In this viewpoint, we outline different aspects of dose selection in the treatment of tuberculosis (TB) such as traditional pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics, population pharmacokinetics models, the importance of real-world evidence and clinical trial design in the development of shorter treatment regimens and the new TB drug pipeline. Therapeutic drug monitoring for rifampicin, linezolid and amikacin may significantly improve their risk-benefit profile promoting their responsible administration. Precision dosing of novel, repurposed or conventional TB drugs should ensure optimal efficacy, while minimising toxicity and the development of resistance.</p>","PeriodicalId":9292,"journal":{"name":"Breathe","volume":"21 1","pages":"240177"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11915130/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143656217","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BreathePub Date : 2025-03-18eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.1183/20734735.0096-2024
Ruaidhrí Keane, Vincent Brennan
{"title":"Assessment of breathlessness: a pulmonologist's perspective - short of breath, but not short of answers.","authors":"Ruaidhrí Keane, Vincent Brennan","doi":"10.1183/20734735.0096-2024","DOIUrl":"10.1183/20734735.0096-2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Breathlessness, or dyspnoea, is a complex symptom influenced by respiratory, cardiovascular and neural mechanisms, necessitating a systematic and tiered approach for accurate diagnosis and effective management. This review presents a structured, three-tier diagnostic framework, comprising history-taking, static testing (such as pulmonary function tests and thoracic imaging), and dynamic testing (<i>e.g.</i>, 6-minute walk test and cardiopulmonary exercise testing) for comprehensive assessment. Each tier is designed to progressively investigate and characterise underlying conditions. This framework is specifically tailored for use in an outpatient general respiratory clinic setting, where clinicians evaluate chronic or unexplained dyspnoea in non-acute patients. Literature and guidelines support this approach, highlighting the importance of combining clinical examination, imaging, laboratory testing and dynamic assessments to capture both static and exertional components of dyspnoea. Emphasising a patient-centred approach, this framework aims to improve diagnostic accuracy and guide targeted therapeutic interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":9292,"journal":{"name":"Breathe","volume":"21 1","pages":"240096"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11915126/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143656138","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}