{"title":"From fibrosis to thrombosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of venous thromboembolism risk in interstitial lung disease.","authors":"Narat Srivali, Federica De Giacomi","doi":"10.1080/17476348.2026.2661949","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17476348.2026.2661949","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is characterized by chronic inflammation and fibrosis, with emerging evidence suggesting increased venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to quantify VTE risk in ILD patients compared to controls.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases from inception to January 2026 for observational studies examining ILD-VTE associations. Two investigators independently screened studies, extracted data, and assessed quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Random-effects meta-analyses examined overall VTE risk, specific subtypes (pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis), and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)-specific populations.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Nine studies involving 7,892 ILD patients from six countries were included. ILD was associated with significantly elevated VTE risk (pooled RR 3.04, 95% CI: 1.96-4.70, <i>p</i> < 0.00001; moderate certainty evidence), with stronger associations for pulmonary embolism (RR 4.52, 95% CI: 1.84-11.10; moderate certainty) than deep vein thrombosis (RR 1.93, 95% CI: 1.15-3.23; low certainty). In IPF-specific populations, elevated VTE risk remained significant (RR 2.76, 95% CI: 1.71-4.45; moderate certainty). Substantial heterogeneity was observed (I<sup>2</sup> = 80-95%).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>ILD is associated with three-fold increased VTE risk, particularly pulmonary embolism. These findings support heightened VTE awareness, risk stratification, and prophylaxis consideration during high-risk periods in ILD patients.</p><p><strong>Protocol registration: </strong>CRD420261285724.</p>","PeriodicalId":94007,"journal":{"name":"Expert review of respiratory medicine","volume":" ","pages":"1203-1214"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147725209","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Sepsis risk in patients with COPD and type 2 diabetes mellitus: influence of emerging antihyperglycemic therapies.","authors":"Kuan-Chih Kuo, Chao-Hsien Chen, Ting-Jia Wu, Hsiu-Chin Wu, Ya-Hui Wang, Cheng-Yi Wang, Chih-Cheng Lai, Vin-Cent Wu","doi":"10.1080/17476348.2026.2713233","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17476348.2026.2713233","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objective: </strong>Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are at increased risk of sepsis, yet the comparative infection-related outcomes of newer antihyperglycemic agents remain unclear. We evaluated the associations of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) versus sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) with infection outcomes in this population.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this retrospective cohort study using the TriNetX global federated database, individuals aged 40-100 years with coexisting COPD and T2DM who initiated a GLP-1RA or SGLT2i between 2021 and 2024 were identified. A new-user, active-comparator design with 1:1 propensity score matching was applied. Sepsis was the primary outcome; all-cause mortality and components of the primary outcome were secondary. Cox proportional hazards models estimated hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>After matching, 45,491 pairs were included. Compared with SGLT2is, GLP-1RAs showed lower risks of sepsis (adjusted HR, 0.832; 95% CI, 0.781-0.887), all-cause mortality (0.642; 0.598-0.689), and severe sepsis (0.841; 0.774-0.914).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>In patients with COPD and T2DM, GLP-1RAs were associated with significantly lower risks of sepsis and all-cause mortality compared with SGLT2is.</p>","PeriodicalId":94007,"journal":{"name":"Expert review of respiratory medicine","volume":" ","pages":"1235-1245"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148664865","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Microscopy versus confocal laser endomicroscopy for EBUS-TBNA: pros and cons.","authors":"Paul Zarogoulidis","doi":"10.1080/17476348.2026.2713234","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17476348.2026.2713234","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":94007,"journal":{"name":"Expert review of respiratory medicine","volume":" ","pages":"1149-1151"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148633330","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fernando Martín López Domínguez, José Ricardo Tosca Jiménez, Sergio Quiroz Gómez
{"title":"Short-term exposure to urban air pollution and asthma-related morbidity in children under five: a PRISMA-guided systematic review with narrative synthesis (2021-2025).","authors":"Fernando Martín López Domínguez, José Ricardo Tosca Jiménez, Sergio Quiroz Gómez","doi":"10.1080/17476348.2026.2699458","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17476348.2026.2699458","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Urban air pollution is a critical environmental determinant of pediatric respiratory health. This PRISMA 2020-guided systematic review synthesizes evidence on the association between short-term exposure to urban ambient air pollutants and asthma-related morbidity in children under five years of age.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for urban time-series or case-crossover studies published between 2021 and 2025 (final search: 15 January 2026). Eligible outcomes included hospital admissions, emergency department visits, or urgent consultations in children aged 0-5 years. Two reviewers independently screened records, extracted data, and assessed study quality. Due to methodological heterogeneity, a structured narrative synthesis was performed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Four studies met the inclusion criteria. Across settings, short-term increases in particulate matter (PM_{2.5}/PM_{10}) and nitrogen dioxide (NO_2) were consistently associated with increased asthma-related hospitalizations or urgent visits. Stronger effects were reported during cold seasons and in high-traffic environments.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Short-term exposure to traffic-related and particulate pollutants exacerbates asthma morbidity in vulnerable preschool children. However, the certainty of evidence was rated as low due to residual confounding, potential exposure misclassification inherent to observational designs, and the limited number of eligible studies. These findings support strengthening urban air-quality policies.</p><p><strong>Protocol registration: </strong>PROSPERO (Identifier: CRD420251251275; Available from: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420251251275.</p>","PeriodicalId":94007,"journal":{"name":"Expert review of respiratory medicine","volume":" ","pages":"1193-1201"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148388343","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Roberto Cherchi, Debraj Mukhopadhyay, Alice Spanu, Barbara Pardini, Roberto Cusano, Alessio Naccarati, Patrizia Zavattari, Enrico Bergamaschi, Pierluigi Cocco, Sara De Matteis
{"title":"MicroRNAs in exhaled breath condensate and plasma for diagnosis of asbestos-related interstitial lung diseases.","authors":"Roberto Cherchi, Debraj Mukhopadhyay, Alice Spanu, Barbara Pardini, Roberto Cusano, Alessio Naccarati, Patrizia Zavattari, Enrico Bergamaschi, Pierluigi Cocco, Sara De Matteis","doi":"10.1080/17476348.2026.2685338","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17476348.2026.2685338","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been proposed as diagnostic biomarkers of asbestos-related cancers, but their role in asbestos-related interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) is unknown.</p><p><strong>Research design and methods: </strong>We conducted a pilot study in 30 subjects: 11 unexposed population controls, 8 ILD-free asbestos-exposed subjects, and 11 asbestos-related ILD cases. We used the Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) Area Under the Curve (AUC) to estimate the diagnostic accuracy of miRNAs, and volcano plots to assess their differential expression between the study groups.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>miR-548h-5p was over-expressed in ILD-free asbestos-exposed subjects and demonstrated a 90% accuracy (95% CI: 0.75-1.00) in discriminating them from unexposed subjects, as well as a 96% diagnostic accuracy (95% CI: 0.88-1.00) in differentiating asbestos-related ILD cases from ILD-free asbestos-exposed subjects. miR-6127-3p was over-expressed and showed an accuracy of 85% (95% CI: 0.66-1.00) in discriminating asbestos-related ILD cases from unexposed subjects in plasma. let-7f-5p was over-expressed in the exhaled breath condensate (EBC) of ILD-free asbestos-exposed subjects and showed a 90% accuracy (95% CI: 0.76-1.00) in discriminating them from unexposed subjects.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our results suggest that the plasma and EBC miRNA profile might serve as a diagnostic biomarker of asbestos-related ILDs.</p>","PeriodicalId":94007,"journal":{"name":"Expert review of respiratory medicine","volume":" ","pages":"1247-1255"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148213804","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Updates in the diagnosis of interstitial lung disease: evolving concepts and terminology.","authors":"Hassan Baig, Geran Maule, Augustine Lee, Jay Ryu","doi":"10.1080/17476348.2026.2736889","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17476348.2026.2736889","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) comprise a heterogeneous group of disorders that involve the interstitium and may be of identified cause or idiopathic.</p><p><strong>Areas covered: </strong>This review highlights updates in ILD classification and a variety of diagnostic tools. Syndromic classifications including progressive pulmonary fibrosis, systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease-associated ILD, interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features, and interstitial lung abnormalities are discussed with attention to their clinical utility and limitations. Updates in molecular testing, including genetic testing for telomere-related disorders and telomere length, are discussed along with a brief review of radiomics and its utility in ILD classification and prognostication. We conclude by examining the central role of multidisciplinary discussion in integrating these data into a robust clinical diagnosis.</p><p><strong>Expert opinion: </strong>Diagnostic and classification schemes will continue to evolve with diagnostic standards shifting away from lung biopsy to multidisciplinary discussion. Further advances in 'omics' including radiomics and molecular testing will likely aid in classification of disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":94007,"journal":{"name":"Expert review of respiratory medicine","volume":" ","pages":"1-13"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149070740","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Alternatives to positive airway pressure devices for obstructive sleep apnea: a phenotype-guided review.","authors":"Abdulghani Sankari","doi":"10.1080/17476348.2026.2738234","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17476348.2026.2738234","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Continuous positive airway pressure (PAP) is the reference treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA); however, limited adherence leaves many patients inadequately treated, creating a pressing need for effective alternatives matched to individual disease mechanisms.</p><p><strong>Areas covered: </strong>This review examines the principal alternatives to PAP - custom oral appliances, upper airway and adherence-directed surgery, hypoglossal nerve stimulation, positional therapy, myofunctional and respiratory muscle training, daytime neuromuscular stimulation, neuromuscular pharmacotherapy, and weight-directed incretin therapy in adults. For each, we summarize indications, evidence, and limitations, and integrate drug-induced sleep endoscopy, bedside functional testing, and physiological endotyping into candidate selection. PubMed/MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library were searched from January 2005 through July 2026 using combinations of 'obstructive sleep apnea,' 'CPAP alternative,' 'phenotype,' 'endotype,' 'drug-induced sleep endoscopy,' and each modality's name; pivotal randomized trials, current clinical practice guidelines, and mechanistic studies from high-impact journals were prioritized, supplemented by hand-searching reference lists.</p><p><strong>Expert opinion: </strong>OSA care is shifting from a one-size-fits-all model toward phenotype-guided precision management. The first approved drug therapy, the maturation and broadening of hypoglossal nerve stimulation, and endotype-targeted pharmacotherapy will make mechanism-based selection and rational combination therapy the central task for clinicians treating patients unable to use PAP.</p>","PeriodicalId":94007,"journal":{"name":"Expert review of respiratory medicine","volume":" ","pages":"1-14"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149019264","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dongyu He, Lan Yang, Junyi Ke, Jiaxuan Wu, Weimin Li
{"title":"Methacholine challenge positivity and FEV1/FVC change at clinically determined follow-up.","authors":"Dongyu He, Lan Yang, Junyi Ke, Jiaxuan Wu, Weimin Li","doi":"10.1080/17476348.2026.2739660","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17476348.2026.2739660","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>We evaluated the exploratory association between methacholine challenge positivity and subsequent spirometric change.</p><p><strong>Research design and methods: </strong>This single-center retrospective longitudinal study included adults with an unambiguous baseline methacholine challenge result, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) ≥80% predicted, and FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC) ≥0.70. Outcomes were FEV1/FVC change and FEV1/FVC < 0.70 at the first qualifying examination ≥ 1 year later. Models adjusted for baseline FEV1/FVC and follow-up interval.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 36,167 eligible individuals, 1,092 (3.02%) had qualifying follow-up spirometry, including 133 with a positive methacholine challenge. Positivity was associated with greater FEV1/FVC decline (adjusted difference, -2.53% points; 95% confidence interval, -3.63 to -1.44). Marginally standardized probabilities of follow-up FEV1/FVC < 0.70 were 8.07% and 2.63% for positive and negative individuals, respectively. Weighting and lower-limit-of-normal analyses yielded associations in the same direction.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Among adults with clinically indicated follow-up spirometry, methacholine challenge positivity was associated with greater FEV1/FVC decline. Its independent prognostic value remains to be established.</p>","PeriodicalId":94007,"journal":{"name":"Expert review of respiratory medicine","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149042831","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nguyen Thanh Tung, Xuan Ngoc Tran, Jer-Hwa Chang, Hsiao-Chi Chuang
{"title":"The role of air quality and pollution in obstructive sleep apnea: insights from recent studies.","authors":"Nguyen Thanh Tung, Xuan Ngoc Tran, Jer-Hwa Chang, Hsiao-Chi Chuang","doi":"10.1080/17476348.2026.2736322","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17476348.2026.2736322","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Air pollution is an increasingly important environmental determinant of respiratory health and has emerging relevance for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Although obesity, aging, sex, craniofacial anatomy, and neuromuscular factors remain established contributors to OSA, ambient and indoor pollutants, together with climate-related and meteorological factors, may influence sleep-disordered breathing through multiple biological pathways. This review summarizes recent epidemiological and mechanistic evidence linking environmental exposures with OSA risk, symptoms, and severity.</p><p><strong>Areas covered: </strong>This narrative review synthesizes evidence from PubMed and Web of Science (database inception through 30 June 2026) on the relationship between environmental exposures and OSA, including air pollution, indoor and outdoor pollutants, climate change, and meteorological factors. We summarize current epidemiological evidence linking environmental exposures with OSA risk, symptoms, and severity; evidence from vulnerable populations; and biological mechanisms involving upper-airway inflammation, oxidative stress, autonomic dysfunction, intermittent hypoxia, and metabolic dysregulation.</p><p><strong>Expert opinion: </strong>Although current evidence is suggestive, it remains heterogeneous; future research should therefore incorporate standardized exposure assessment, objective sleep measurements, longitudinal and intervention designs, and mechanistic biomarkers. Recognition of environmental risk factors may support more comprehensive OSA prevention, risk stratification, counseling, and public health strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":94007,"journal":{"name":"Expert review of respiratory medicine","volume":" ","pages":"1-15"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149013416","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cameron Dean McCraw, Dominique Rose Grayeb, Navneet Gupta, Palwasha Zafar, Anam Javed, Kainat, Zayaan A Adrish, Humza Saeed, Abu Baker Sheikh, Adeel Nasrullah
{"title":"Association of GLP-1-based therapy with asthma-related outcomes in patients with obesity: a propensity-matched retrospective cohort study.","authors":"Cameron Dean McCraw, Dominique Rose Grayeb, Navneet Gupta, Palwasha Zafar, Anam Javed, Kainat, Zayaan A Adrish, Humza Saeed, Abu Baker Sheikh, Adeel Nasrullah","doi":"10.1080/17476348.2026.2730537","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17476348.2026.2730537","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Obesity worsens asthma morbidity, but observational associations between glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)-based therapy and respiratory outcomes may be confounded by treatment selection.</p><p><strong>Research design and methods: </strong>We conducted an active-comparator retrospective cohort study in the TriNetX US Collaborative Network across 72 healthcare organizations. Adults with body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m<sup>2</sup>, repeated asthma documentation, and subsequent GLP-1-based therapy were compared with patients receiving active non-GLP pharmacologic weight-management therapy. After 1:1 propensity-score matching, 2,423 patients remained per cohort. Outcomes were assessed from day 1 through day 365 after the treatment-aligned index event.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Recorded asthma exacerbation occurred in 1.7% versus 4.0% (risk difference [RD], -2.2%; 95% confidence interval (CI), -3.2% to -1.3%; risk ratio [RR], 0.438; 95% CI, 0.306-0.626). GLP-1-based therapy was also associated with lower systemic glucocorticoid exposure (16.4% vs 23.1%; RR, 0.712), emergency department/critical-care utilization (7.1% vs 13.0%; RR, 0.541), and acute respiratory failure (0.7% vs 1.8%; RR, 0.364). BMI- and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c)-restricted sensitivity analyses were generally directionally concordant. GLP-1-specific adverse events were not systematically assessed.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>GLP-1-based therapy was associated with fewer recorded one-year respiratory and utilization events than active non-GLP pharmacotherapy. Residual confounding, treatment-persistence uncertainty, and exposure/outcome misclassification preclude causal inference.</p>","PeriodicalId":94007,"journal":{"name":"Expert review of respiratory medicine","volume":" ","pages":"1-9"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148964061","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}