Systematic review: progression of beryllium sensitization to chronic beryllium disease

BACKGROUND The relevance of beryllium sensitization testing for occupational health practice and prevention is unclear. AIMS To analyse the natural course of beryllium sensitization and clarify the prognosis following cessation of exposure among sensitized workers. METHODS An electronic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Toxline and Cochrane databases supplemented by a manual search. Data abstraction and study quality assessment with adapted guideline checklists were performed independently by three reviewers. Seven studies met the eligibility criteria and were included in the systematic review; however, six of the seven studies were of low methodological quality. RESULTS A …

S3-Leitlinie Gesundheitsüberwachung bei Beryllium-Exposition und diagnostisches Vorgehen bei berylliumassoziierter Erkrankung

Spontaneous interleukin 2 release of bronchoalveolar lavage cells in sarcoidosis is a codeterminator of prognosis

There is mounting evidence that activated interleukin 2 (IL-2)-releasing lymphocytes play a central role in the immunopathogenesis of sarcoidosis by directing inflammatory reactions and granuloma formation. In the context that a significant proportion of these cells accumulates in the lung and releases mediators, we hypothesized that different immunologically defined stages of sarcoidosis can be identified. A cohort of 89 sarcoidosis patients was allocated to four groups according to the following criteria: stage A, a low number of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) lymphocytes (20%) without IL-2 release (1 unit/ml in BAL cell culture supernatant); stage B, BAL lymphocytes20%, with IL-2 release (…

Induction of accessory cell function of human alveolar macrophages by inhalation of human natural interleukin-2.

Accessory function allows antigen-presenting cells to produce sufficient secondary signals for optimum T cell proliferation and interleukin-2 (IL-2) production. Alveolar macrophages are inferior accessory cells compared to monocytes (PBM). We report here that the accessory index (AI) of alveolar macrophages and PBM of patients with lung metastases of solid tumors treated with inhalations of human natural IL-2 (hnIL-2) increased following its administration (P0.005). The accessory index was significantly elevated from baseline values after 2 weeks of inhalation of 300,000 IU hnIL-2/day (8.2 +/- 10.2 compared to 1.1 +/- 1; P0.001). The inhalation of 150,000 IU also induced increases in the in…

S2K-Leitlinie zur Diagnostik und Therapie der idiopathischen Lungenfibrose

Die idiopathische pulmonale Fibrose (IPF) ist eine schwerwiegende und in der Regel zum Tod fuhrende Erkrankung, die bisher nur unzureichend behandelt werden kann. Empfehlungen zur Diagnostik und Therapie wurden erstmals im ATS-ERS-Statement im Jahr 2000 publiziert 1 . Seither haben sich die diagnostischen Standards geandert und es liegen zahlreiche Therapiestudien zu diesem Krankheitsbild vor, die es erforderlich machten, die bestehenden Empfehlungen zu uberarbeiten und eine wissenschaftlich begrundete Leitlinie zu erstellen. Diese wurde von einer internationalen Expertengruppe in den Jahren 2006 – 2010 erarbeitet und publiziert 2 . Die folgenden Ausfuhrungen beinhalten eine Ubersetzung wes…