• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.58 no.5
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• pp.515-520
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• 2005

Acute eosinophilic pneumonia (AEP) has been described as an idiopathic febrile illness with a duration of less than seven days with severe hypoxemia, pulmonary infiltrates, and no history of asthma. It has been reported that AEP is associated with smoking. Although the pathogenesis of smoking induced AEP is being actively studied, there is no direct histological evidence that smoking actually induces AEP. Recently, we encountered a case of AEP that may have been caused by smoking. We performed a cigarette smoking challenge test to verify that smoking was indeed the cause of AEP in this patient. Smoking induced an increase the proportion of eosinophils in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid without any respiratory symptoms or abnormal radiological findings. This result suggests that smoking was the cause of AEP in this patient.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.533-537
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• 2008

Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae) infection causes a wide variety of clinical manifestations in children and young adults, the main one being pneumonia. M. pneumoniae is transmitted from person to person by infected respiratory droplets. Symptoms caused by M. pneumoniae infection can be divided into those involving the respiratory tract, and those caused by extrapulmonary disease. M. pneumoniae infections may cause central nervous system (CNS) complications-with encephalitis being the most frequent-and stroke being a rare complication. The pathogenesis of the CNS disease is unclear; possibilities include direct infection and an immune-mediated reaction. We present two cases of CNS complications subsequent to infection with M. pneumoniae; both cases had convincing evidence of preceding M. pneumoniae respiratory disease with no evidence of viable M. pneumoniae in the cerebrospinal fluid. We report cases of encephalitis and stroke following a recent M. pneumoniae infection.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.71 no.5
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• pp.359-362
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• 2011

Streptococcus parasanguinis is a Viridans group bacteria that is most often discovered in the oral cavity and causes dental plaque and endocarditis in a rat model. It has low virulence but an unknown relationship to human respiratory infections. We report on a 61-year-old woman who developed hemoptysis followed by pleuritic chest pain after conscious sedation during a gastroscopic polypectomy and was diagnosed with pneumonia and parapneumonic effusion from Streptococcus parasanguinis isolated in pleural fluid. Microaspiration during the procedure was presumed to play a role in the pathogenesis.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.479-491
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• 1998

In order to know the pathogenesis of adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in association with the oxidative stress by neutrophils, the role of platelet activating factor (1-0-alkyl-2-acetyl-snglycero-3-phosphocholine, PAF) was investigated during acute lung injury induced by interleukin- $1{\alpha}$ (IL-1) in rats. An insufflation of IL-1 into the rat's trachea increased the acetyltransferase activity in the lung and the increase of PAF content was followed. As evidences of acute lung injury by neutrophilic respiratory burst, lung leak index, myeloperoxidase activity, numbers of neutrophils in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, neutrophilic adhesions to endothelial cells and NBT positive neutrophils were increased after IL-1 treatment. In addition, a direct instillation of PAF into the trachea caused acute lung leak and the experimental results showed a similar pattern in comparison with IL-1 induced acute lung injury. For the confirmation of oxidative stress during acute lung leak by IL-1 and PAF, a histochemical electron microscopy was performed. In IL-1 and PAF treated lungs of rats, the deposits of cerrous perhydroxide were found. To elucidate the role of PAF, an intravenous injection of PAF receptor antagonist, WEB 2086 was given immediately after IL-1 or PAF treatment. WEB 2086 decreased the production of hydrogen peroxide and the acute lung leak. In ultrastructural study, WEB 2086 mitigated the pathological changes induced by IL-1 or PAF. The nuclear factor kappa B (NFkB) was activated by PAF and this activation was inhibited by WEB 2086 almost completely. Based on these experimental results, it is suggested that the PAF produced in response to IL-1 through the remodeling pathway has the major role for acute lung injury by neutrophilic respiratory burst. In an additional experiment, we can also come to conclude that the activation of the NFkB by PAF is thought to be the fundamental mechanism to initiate the oxidative stress by neutrophils causing release of proinflammatory cytokines and activation of phospholipase $A_2$.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2023

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a pathogen with a high burden of disease and social cost among infants worldwide, but the development of a vaccine has been delayed. The recent understanding of the pathogenesis of RSV, progress in reverse genetics, and successful implementation of other maternal immunizations have prompted the recent rapid development of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and vaccines for RSV prevention. Phase 3 clinical trials for two next-generation mAbs (nirsevimab and clesrovimab) and two maternal RSV pre-F vaccines are currently underway or have been recently completed. Soon, we might be able to protect young infants through long-acting mAbs and/or maternal immunization. Additionally, the development of live-attenuated vaccine candidates that are capable of avoiding enhanced RSV disease is ongoing. We need to gain familiarity with these newly developed strategies and collect epidemiological data on domestic RSV to adequately prepare for a new era of RSV prevention.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.87 no.3
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• pp.221-233
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• 2024

The 2023 Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) revised the definition of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to broadly include a variety of etiologies. A new taxonomy, composed of etiotypes, aims to highlight the heterogeneity in causes and pathogenesis of COPD, allowing more personalized management strategies and emphasizing the need for targeted research to understand and manage COPD better. However, controversy arises with including some diseases under the umbrella term of COPD, as their clinical presentations and treatments differ from classical COPD, which is smoking-related. COPD due to infection (COPD-I) and COPD due to environmental exposure (COPD-P) are classifications within the new taxonomy. Some disease entities in these categories show distinct clinical features and may not benefit from conventional COPD treatments, raising questions about their classification as COPD subtypes. There is also controversy regarding whether bronchiectasis with airflow limitations should be classified as an etiotype of COPD. This article discusses controversial issues associated with the proposed etiotypes for COPD in terms of COPD-I, COPD-P, and bronchiectasis. While the updated COPD definition by GOLD 2023 is a major step towards recognizing the disease's complexity, it also raises questions about the classification of related respiratory conditions. This highlights the need for further research to improve our understanding and approach to COPD management.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.629-633
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• 2010

Pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory tract disease caused by $Bordetella$ $pertussis$ infection. The clinical manifestation of this infection can be severe enough to cause death. Although pertussis has been supposed to be a vaccine-preventable disease ever since the widespread vaccination of children against pertussis was started, since the 1990s, cases of pertussis and related fatalities are on the rise, especially in countries with high vaccination coverage. In Korea, there have been no deaths due to pertussis since 1990, and the vaccination rate continues to be approximately 94%. However, the number of pertussis cases reported to the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention has tended to increase in the 2000s, and in 2009, there was an obvious increase in the number of pertussis cases reported. This review aims to present the latest information about the pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of pertussis.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.25 no.10
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• pp.1035-1040
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• 1992

Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease in which the thymus gland is thought to play a central role in the pathogenesis. Thymectomy is now standard therapy, and improvements in surgical techniques, anesthesia, and respiratory care and the use of plasmapheresis have markedly reduced the operative morbidity. We experienced 7 myasthenia gravis with maximal thymectomy from November 1989. As compared with the results of previous classic transsternal thymectomy group the 25 patients who were operated from June 1979 to December 1991[Group B], excellent surgical result was obtained in maximal thymectomy group[Group A]. During follow-up period that ranged from a month to 10.7 years[mean 2 years], the remission rate for the entire group was 15.6 percent and an additional 71.9 percent had improvement[87.5 percent benefited]. In Group A, the remission rate was 42.9 percent with 100 percent of the patients benefiting from operations. But in Group B, 8 percent had remission and a total of 80 percent benefited. In both Groups, there was no operative mortality but there was one case`s mortality in Group B during follow-up period.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.11-15
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• 2014

Congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS) is a disorder of the autonomic nervous system characterized by a decreased response to hypercarbia. CCHS is frequently associated with congenital megacolon; the combination is called Haddad syndrome. CCHS is associated with dysfunction in respiratory features of the autonomic nervous system and with other disorders, including facial deformities, cardiovascular symptoms, and tumors. Patients with CCHS frequently have a mutation in the homeobox protein 2b (PHOX2B) gene. Most mutations involve heterozygous expansion of alanine repeats (GCN). Interestingly, a higher polyalanine repeat number is associated with a more severe clinical phenotype. To clarify the role of PHOX2B in disease pathogenesis, we introduce and review the clinical and molecular features of CCHS and Haddad syndrome.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.301-309
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• 2021

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are the most recently discovered family of innate immune cells. ILCs can be categorized into three groups on the basis of the transcription factors that direct their functions and the cytokines they produce. Notably, these functions parallel the effector functions of T lymphocytes. ILCs play a frontline role in host defense and tissue homeostasis by responding rapidly to environmental factors, conducting effector responses in a tissue-specific manner, and interacting with hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic cells throughout the body. Moreover, recent studies reveal that ILCs are involved in development of various inflammatory diseases, such as respiratory diseases, autoimmune diseases, or cancer. In this review, we discuss the recent findings regarding the biology of ILCs in health and inflammatory diseases.