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Lung Diseases and Infections in the New Era
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Lung Diseases and Infections in the New Era

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 January 2020) | Viewed by 29331

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Fiorella Calabrese

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Pathological Anatomy, University of Padova, Via Romagnoli 6A, Padova, Italy
Interests: pulmonary pathology; transplant pathology; molecular pathology; infective and immunological diseases; cardiomyopathy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Lunardi Francesca

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, Pathological Anatomy Section, University of Padova, Via A. Gabelli 61, Padova, Italy
Interests: lung; immunohistochemistry; pathology; cancer biology; cell biology; microscopy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to this special Issue “Lung Diseases and Infections in The New Era”, of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

Infectious diseases, especially lung infections are still the leading cause of debilitating chronic disease and death. In the last few decades, medicine has made giant steps in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of infections but it has also seen the emergence of new and deadly pathogens that continue to have a significant impact on several forms of lung diseases. New medical treatments such as potent immunosuppressive therapies that weaken host defences have contributed to the emergence of new microorganisms and overall to the recrudescence of others. In this scenario a high level of experience and expertise of several specialists in the field together with the use of different ancillary tools, such new molecular investigations, are mandatory for a sensitive diagnosis and overall appropriate patient care. The primary goal of the special issue is to draw attention to many different aspects of lung infections that are currently changing in pathology, diagnostic and treatment approaches. It is our greatest pleasure to invite expert research scientists from all relevant fields to submit their articles/reviews for this special issue.

We are looking forward to your submissions for this highly important issue.

Prof. Dr. Fiorella Calabrese
Dr. Lunardi Francesca
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • lung diseases
  • infections
  • diagnosis
  • molecular pathology
  • treatment

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1215 KiB  
Article
Mechanical Ventilation Impairs IL-17 Cytokine Family Expression in Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia
by Fien H. R. De Winter, Bart ’s Jongers, Kenny Bielen, Domenico Mancuso, Leen Timbermont, Christine Lammens, Vincent Van averbeke, Jan Boddaert, Omar Ali, Jan Kluytmans, Alexey Ruzin, Surbhi Malhotra-Kumar, Philippe G. Jorens, Herman Goossens and Samir Kumar-Singh
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20(20), 5072; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20205072 - 12 Oct 2019
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3453
Abstract
Mechanical ventilation (MV) is the primary risk factor for the development of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Besides inducing a pro-inflammatory T-helper (Th)-1 cytokine response, MV also induces an anti-inflammatory Th2 cytokine response, marked by increased IL-4 secretion and reduced bacterial phagocytic capacity of rodent [...] Read more.
Mechanical ventilation (MV) is the primary risk factor for the development of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Besides inducing a pro-inflammatory T-helper (Th)-1 cytokine response, MV also induces an anti-inflammatory Th2 cytokine response, marked by increased IL-4 secretion and reduced bacterial phagocytic capacity of rodent lung macrophages. Since IL-4 is known to downregulate both Th1 and Th17 cytokines, the latter is important in mediating mucosal immunity and combating bacterial and fungal growth, we studied and showed here in a rat model of MV that Th17 cytokines (IL-17A, IL-17F, and IL-22) were significantly upregulated in the lung as a response to different MV strategies currently utilized in clinic. To study whether the increased IL-4 levels are associated with downregulation of the anti-bacterial Th17 cytokines, we subsequently challenged mechanically ventilated rats with an intratracheal inoculation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (VAP model) and showed a dramatic downregulation of IL-17A, IL-17F, and IL-22, compared to animals receiving the same bacterial burden without MV. For the studied Th1 cytokines (IFNγ, TNFα, IL-6, and IL-1β), only IFNγ showed a significant decrease as a consequence of bacterial infection in mechanically ventilated rats. We further studied IL-17A, the most studied IL-17 family member, in intensive care unit (ICU) pneumonia patients and showed that VAP patients had significantly lower levels of IL-17A in the endotracheal aspirate compared to patients entering ICU with pre-existing pneumonia. These translational data, obtained both in animal models and in humans, suggest that a deficient anti-bacterial Th17 response in the lung during MV is associated with VAP development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lung Diseases and Infections in the New Era)
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Review

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16 pages, 789 KiB  
Review
Lung Cancer (LC) in HIV Positive Patients: Pathogenic Features and Implications for Treatment
by Stefano Frega, Alessandra Ferro, Laura Bonanno, Valentina Guarneri, PierFranco Conte and Giulia Pasello
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(5), 1601; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21051601 - 26 Feb 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4834
Abstract
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection continues to be a social and public health problem. Thanks to more and more effective antiretroviral therapy (ART), nowadays HIV-positive patients live longer, thus increasing their probability to acquire other diseases, malignancies primarily. Senescence along with immune-system [...] Read more.
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection continues to be a social and public health problem. Thanks to more and more effective antiretroviral therapy (ART), nowadays HIV-positive patients live longer, thus increasing their probability to acquire other diseases, malignancies primarily. Senescence along with immune-system impairment, HIV-related habits and other oncogenic virus co-infections increase the cancer risk of people living with HIV (PLWH); in the next future non-AIDS-defining cancers will prevail, lung cancer (LC) in particular. Tumor in PLWH might own peculiar predictive and/or prognostic features, and antineoplastic agents’ activity might be subverted by drug-drug interactions (DDIs) due to concurrent ART. Moreover, PLWH immune properties and comorbidities might influence both the response and tolerability of oncologic treatments. The therapeutic algorithm of LC, rapidly and continuously changed in the last years, should be fitted in the context of a special patient population like PLWH. This is quite challenging, also because HIV-positive patients have been often excluded from participation to clinical trials, so that levels of evidence about systemic treatments are lower than evidence in HIV-uninfected individuals. With this review, we depicted the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical-pathological characteristics and implications for LC care in PLWH, offering a valid focus about this topic to clinicians. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lung Diseases and Infections in the New Era)
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21 pages, 1620 KiB  
Review
Molecular Imaging of Pulmonary Inflammation and Infection
by Chiara Giraudo, Laura Evangelista, Anna Sara Fraia, Amalia Lupi, Emilio Quaia, Diego Cecchin and Massimiliano Casali
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(3), 894; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21030894 - 30 Jan 2020
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 6168
Abstract
Infectious and inflammatory pulmonary diseases are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although infrequently used in this setting, molecular imaging may significantly contribute to their diagnosis using techniques like single photon emission tomography (SPET), positron emission tomography (PET) with computed tomography [...] Read more.
Infectious and inflammatory pulmonary diseases are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although infrequently used in this setting, molecular imaging may significantly contribute to their diagnosis using techniques like single photon emission tomography (SPET), positron emission tomography (PET) with computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with the support of specific or unspecific radiopharmaceutical agents. 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG), mostly applied in oncological imaging, can also detect cells actively involved in infectious and inflammatory conditions, even if with a low specificity. SPET with nonspecific (e.g., 67Gallium-citrate (67Ga citrate)) and specific tracers (e.g., white blood cells radiolabeled with 111Indium-oxine (111In) or 99mTechnetium (99mTc)) showed interesting results for many inflammatory lung diseases. However, 67Ga citrate is unfavorable by a radioprotection point of view while radiolabeled white blood cells scan implies complex laboratory settings and labeling procedures. Radiolabeled antibiotics (e.g., ciprofloxacin) have been recently tested, although they seem to be quite unspecific and cause antibiotic resistance. New radiolabeled agents like antimicrobic peptides, binding to bacterial cell membranes, seem very promising. Thus, the aim of this narrative review is to provide a comprehensive overview about techniques, including PET/MRI, and tracers that can guide the clinicians in the appropriate diagnostic pathway of infectious and inflammatory pulmonary diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lung Diseases and Infections in the New Era)
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12 pages, 700 KiB  
Review
The Role of the Lung’s Microbiome in the Pathogenesis and Progression of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
by Paolo Spagnolo, Philip L. Molyneaux, Nicol Bernardinello, Elisabetta Cocconcelli, Davide Biondini, Federico Fracasso, Mariaenrica Tiné, Marina Saetta, Toby M. Maher and Elisabetta Balestro
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20(22), 5618; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20225618 - 10 Nov 2019
Cited by 48 | Viewed by 5851
Abstract
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive, fibrosing interstitial lung disease that commonly affects older adults and is associated with the histopathological and/or radiological patterns of usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP). Despite significant advances in our understanding of disease pathobiology and natural history, [...] Read more.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive, fibrosing interstitial lung disease that commonly affects older adults and is associated with the histopathological and/or radiological patterns of usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP). Despite significant advances in our understanding of disease pathobiology and natural history, what causes IPF remains unknown. A potential role for infection in the disease’s pathogenesis and progression or as a trigger of acute exacerbation has long been postulated, but initial studies based on traditional culture methods have yielded inconsistent results. The recent application to IPF of culture-independent techniques for microbiological analysis has revealed previously unappreciated alterations of the lung microbiome, as well as an increased bacterial burden in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) of IPF patients, although correlation does not necessarily entail causation. In addition, the lung microbiome remains only partially characterized and further research should investigate organisms other than bacteria and viruses, including fungi. The clarification of the role of the microbiome in the pathogenesis and progression of IPF may potentially allow its manipulation, providing an opportunity for targeted therapeutic intervention. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lung Diseases and Infections in the New Era)
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18 pages, 779 KiB  
Review
Understanding Platelets in Infectious and Allergic Lung Diseases
by Cristina Gomez-Casado, Alma Villaseñor, Alba Rodriguez-Nogales, Jose Luis Bueno, Domingo Barber and Maria M. Escribese
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20(7), 1730; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20071730 - 8 Apr 2019
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 8272
Abstract
Emerging evidence suggests that platelets, cytoplasmic fragments derived from megakaryocytes, can no longer be considered just as mediators in hemostasis and coagulation processes, but as key modulators of immunity. Platelets have received increasing attention as the emergence of new methodologies has allowed the [...] Read more.
Emerging evidence suggests that platelets, cytoplasmic fragments derived from megakaryocytes, can no longer be considered just as mediators in hemostasis and coagulation processes, but as key modulators of immunity. Platelets have received increasing attention as the emergence of new methodologies has allowed the characterization of their components and functions in the immune continuum. Platelet activation in infectious and allergic lung diseases has been well documented and associated with bacterial infections reproduced in several animal models of pulmonary bacterial infections. Direct interactions between platelets and bacteria have been associated with increased pulmonary platelet accumulation, whereas bacterial-derived toxins have also been reported to modulate platelet function. Recently, platelets have been found extravascular in the lungs of patients with asthma, and in animal models of allergic lung inflammation. Their ability to interact with immune and endothelial cells and secrete immune mediators makes them one attractive target for biomarker identification that will help characterize their contribution to lung diseases. Here, we present an original review of the last advances in the platelet field with a focus on the contribution of platelets to respiratory infections and allergic-mediated diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lung Diseases and Infections in the New Era)
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