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Background Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is an easily obtained biological marker and a promising index for determining the severity of amyopathic dermatomyositis with interstitial lung disease (ADM-ILD). In this study, we retrospectively analysed the clinical signs and laboratory data from ADM-ILD patients displaying nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) or organizing pneumonia (OP) ILD radiological patterns, and we identified the serum LDH level as a useful biomarker for early ADM-ILD detection. Methods In our cohort study, 158 Chinese patients were divided into four groups according to whether NSIP or OP patterns were present on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). The 4 groups included 25 ADM-NSIP and 92 control-NSIP patients, 15 ADM-OP patients, and 29 control-OP patients. Patient’s demographic features, clinical presentation, laboratory parameters, duration of ILD, and follow-up data were recorded and analysed. Results ADM-ILD patients generally had higher AST (45.96 ± 42.45 in NSIP, 64.53 ± 75.75 in OP, U/L) and LDH (317.20 ± 104.29 in NSIP, 356.60 ± 214.84 in OP, U/L) levels than the corresponding control groups. A total of 40.53% (15/37) and 86.49% (32/37) of ADM-ILD patients had high serum levels of AST and LDH above the normal range, respectively. At a cut-off level of 235.5 U/L, identified by the ROC curve, serum LDH yielded a sensitivity of 78.38% and specificity of 82.64% for ADM with NSIP or OP radiological patterns. The 5-year overall survival rate of ADM-OP patients (73.33%) was significantly worse than that of control-OP patients (94.12%) (p=0.007). No difference was evident in the survival rate between the NSIP groups. The presence of skin ulcers (p=0.028) and OIp=0.029) were significant risk factors for poor outcomes in ADM-ILD patients. A lower serum level of ferritin (< 500 ng/ml) indicated a better patient prognosis (p=0.023). The presence of coexistent myositis-associated autoantibodies with anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (anti-MDA5) seems to protect ADM-ILD patients. Conclusions The LDH level can be used as a screening biomarker for patients with NSIP or OP ILD radiological patterns. It is important to recognize ADM-ILD early, especially in patients with the OP radiological pattern, which appears to impact patient treatment and outcomes.

Introduction Nicotine dependence (ND) is a maladaptive pattern of tobacco smoking with withdrawal symptoms similar to other drug addictive disorders. It is very common in clinical practice that smokers always have different degrees of nicotine dependence with the same amount of tobacco consumption. Behaviors may influence daily cigarette consumption or smoking status. Hence it is critical to ascertain the association between concurrent behaviors and high nicotine dependence among smokers. Methods A total of 343 patients who attended a clinic for smoking cessation were recruited, and the information on concurrent behaviors were recorded. Factors associated and not associated with nicotine dependence were recorded. Nicotine dependence was determined by Fagerström test for nicotine dependence (FTND). Results High ND patients (FTND >5) showed significant behaviors distribution compared with mild and moderate ND patients (FTND ≤5). There is no single behavior that was significantly different between high ND and mild and moderate ND smokers. However, the combined effects of nicotine dependence influencing behaviors of caffeine drinking and mental activities after dinner have an association with high ND (OR=1.939; 95% CI: 1.154–3.258, p=0.012). In addition, the combined effects of inadequate sleep time (

Exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (ECOPD) is an important event during the course of the disease. It causes a more rapid decline in lung function, which is associated with hospitalization and the risk of death. Therefore, it is essential to discover approaches to early detection and prevention of ECOPD. Peak expiratory flow (PEF) can be safely used instead of spirometry which can assess the severity of COPD as a standard tool. We hypothesized that monitoring PEF could possibly be used to predict the ECOPD.To verify this hypothesis, daily morning PEF was monitored for 6 months in 53 patients with moderate to severe COPD (mean FEV1 31.53%predicted) who were enrolled in Ningbo, China.A total of 69 exacerbations of COPD (63 of gradual onset, six of sudden onset) were recorded in this study. Thirty cases (43.5%) of gradual onset exacerbations needed to be hospitalized, and the mean PEF significantly decreased (vs baseline) during the 5 days that preceded those exacerbations (from 161.9 ± 39.4 L/min to 137.9 ± 36.1 L/min, P 0.05, statistical power = 0.92). However, this was not the case with non-hospitalized exacerbations (from 175.4 ± 42.5 L/min to 161.5 ± 39.3 L/min, P = 0.172, statistical power = 0.63). The ROC analysis demonstrated that 24 h before hospitalized exacerbation, the optimal cutoff value of ΔPEF for its prediction was 28 L/min (17% from baseline), with a sensitivity and specificity of 76.7% and 72.7%, respectively (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.84, P 0.05, statistical power = 0.78). While 48 h before hospitalized exacerbation, the optimal cutoff value of ΔPEF for its prediction was 14 L/min (9% from baseline), with a sensitivity and specificity of 86.7% and 66.7%, respectively (AUC = 0.863, P 0.05, statistical power = 0.87).As a rapid, inexpensive method, PEF could be used for the prediction and early detection of hospitalized exacerbation of COPD. This may provide opportunity for early intervention of ECOPD.

Background: Nicotine dependence (ND) is a maladaptive pattern of tobacco smoking with withdrawal symptoms like other drug addictive disorders. It is very common in clinic that smokers always have different degree of nicotine dependence with same amount of tobacco consumption. Lifestyle may influence cigarettes daily consumption or smoke state. So it is critical to prove the influence of healthy or unhealthy lifestyles in high nicotine dependence smokers. This study aimed to identify behavioral correlates to high ND.Methods: 343 patients who went to clinic for smoking cessation were recruited. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire. The extent of Nicotine dependence was determined by Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND).Results: High ND patients (FTND>5) showed significant life style compared with mild and moderate ND patients (FTNDχ2=36.98, P value=0.002). There is no single lifestyle index can significantly distinguish high ND from mild and moderate ND. However, combined behaviors of caffeine drink and mental activities after dinner contribute to the risk of high ND (OR:1.939, 95%CI:1.154-3.258, P value=0.012). In addition, combined index of(sleep time < 8 hours, caffeine drink and mental activities after dinner) each significantly distinguished patients of high ND from patients of mild and moderate ND. with high nicotine dependence(OR:2.208, 95%CI:1.032-4.737, P value=0.042）.Conclusion: Interact effects of mental activities after dinner and caffeine drink will increase the risk of high nicotine dependence. Sleep less than 8 hours with behaviors of mental activities after dinner and caffeine drink also have the same effect.

In recent years, various biomarkers have been gradually applied on bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid for the diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA). The objective of this study is to assess the value of the liquid-based cytopathology test (LCT) for improving the identification of IPA in BAL fluid from possible IPA patients, following special staining with periodic acid-Schiff staining (PAS) or Grocott's methenamine silver (GMS). A total of 47 consecutive possible IPA patients who underwent bronchoscopy with BAL fluid from January 2017 to December 2018 were included. 45 people had a pair of BAL fluid specimens and 2 patients had two BAL fluid specimens. The 49 pairs of BAL fluid specimens were processed for culture, tuberculosis acid fast staining smear, direct microbial smear, and LCT with special staining (PAS and GMS), respectively. Then, we compared the sensitivity and specificity of PAS and GMS in BAL fluid in high-risk patients. Among 47 possible IPA patients, 25 patients had proven/probable IPA, and 11 patients had other invasive fungal diseases. The sensitivity of GMS was higher than that of PAS (92.11% versus 81.58%; P = 0.175). The specificity of GMS was 81.82%, which was higher than that of PAS (81.82% versus 72.73%; P = 0.611). The negative predictive value (NPV) for PAS and GMS were 53.33% and 75.00%, respectively. The positive predictive value (PPV) for PAS and GMS were 91.18% and 94.59%, respectively. This study showed that special staining of LCT in BAL fluid may be a novel method for the diagnosis of IPA, and the GMS of LCT had higher sensitivity and specificity, which was superior to PAS.

Objective. This epidemiological investigation aimed at determining the current situation regarding the diagnosis and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), especially missed diagnosis and missed treatment, in a group of individuals residing in an island area of Ningbo. Methods. Adults ≥60 years of age were selected from an island area of Ningbo. All participants completed a COPD-Screening Questionnaire and underwent a post-bronchodilator pulmonary function test. COPD-positive individuals then completed a questionnaire surveying the status of diagnosis and treatment of COPD and the reasons for missed diagnosis and treatment. The data were collated and analyzed using SPSS version 22.0 (IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY, USA). Findings. (1) A total of 1526 individuals were screened, of whom 1371 (89.8%) were eventually included in data analysis. From these, 254 were diagnosed with spirometry-defined COPD, corresponding to an overall prevalence of 18.5%. Prevalence was higher in men (28.9%) than in women (8.3%) among the sample. (2) According to chi-squared test results, risk factors for COPD included sex, age, smoking history (pack-years), cough, and dyspnea. Body mass index, family history of respiratory diseases, and exposure to biomass smoke from cooking were not risk factors for COPD. (3) Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that age and smoking were independent risk factors for COPD. (4) Receiver operating curve analysis revealed that, at a cutoff of 19.5, the highest sum of sensitivity and specificity was 69.7% and 75.5%, respectively. The COPD-Screening Questionnaire could be used as a preselection method to screen for COPD in primary care settings. (5) Of 254 individuals diagnosed with COPD, only 10 had a history of COPD and only 35 had a previous diagnosis of pneumonia or bronchitis. These data revealed that the rate of missed diagnosis of COPD in the Ningbo island area was 96.1%. Conclusion. The prevalence of COPD among elderly individuals in the Ningbo island area was significantly higher than in other parts of China. Moreover, the rate of missed diagnosis of COPD in the Ningbo island area was extremely high. Smoking and age were independent factors for the occurrence of COPD.

Oxidative stress induced by tobacco smoking is one of the main causes of DNA damage and is known to be involved in various cancers. Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, while the role of cigarette smoke-induced oxidative DNA damage response during lung carcinogenesis is largely unknown. In this study, we investigated oxidative DNA damage response levels in smoking and nonsmoking patients with lung cancer, and evaluated the potential diagnostic value of 8-OHdG for lung cancer. We observed a higher level of 8-OHdG expression and secretion in airways of lung cancer patients than that of noncancer controls. 8-OHdG expression was associated with the TNM stages. Additionally, cigarette smoke-induced oxidative DNA damage response was observed in bronchial epithelial cells in vitro and in vivo. A statistical significance correlation was found between the levels of 8-OHdG and smoking index. With a cut-off value of 2.86 ng/ml, 8-OHdG showed a sensitivity and specificity of 70.0% and 73.7%, respectively, to identify a patient with lung cancer. These findings not only underscore the importance of smoking in oxidative DNA damage response of lung cancer patients, but also suggest 8-OHdG as a potential diagnostic biomarker for lung cancer.

Rationale: Dieulafoy disease of the bronchus is a rare vascular deformity. To the best of our knowledge, reports of these involving both lung vascular are hitherto absent. Patient concerns: A 67-year-old male was admitted to our department due to agnogenic hemoptysis. Diagnoses: Bronchoscopy was performed and some smooth, pulsatile nodular lesions were found in the middle and lower lobes, Computed tomography angiography of the bronchial artery confirmed a left bronchial artery arising from the aortic arch at T4 level, and both bronchial arteries were dilated and tortuous. Interventions: Bronchial artery embolization was performed successfully. Outcomes: The patient was discharged with no hemoptysis. In addition, patient is under follow-up until today without any further incidents. Lessons: This case reminds us that Dieulafoy disease of the bronchus could be a potential etiology for unexplained hemoptysis. The clinician should be aware of this disease when bronchoscopy revealed multiple some smooth, pulsatile nodular lesions, thereafter, bronchoscope biopsy should be avoided, as it could lead to fatal hemoptysis.

Spontaneous hemothorax due to anticoagulant use is extremely rare in clinical practice. Dabigatran is a novel anticoagulant to prevent stroke or thromboembolic episodes in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. We report on an 83-year-old man who received dabigatran therapy (110 mg twice daily) for 7 months and developed massive spontaneous hemothorax and acute renal failure. The patient was admitted to the hospital with complaint of a dull ache in the chest and dyspnea. Chest computed tomography scan revealed massive pleural effusion in the left hemithorax with atelectasis. Acute renal failure was observed 4 days later after admission. Almost 2500 mL of blood was repeatedly drained by ultrasound-guided thoracocentesis, followed by a dramatic decrease in serum red blood cell count, hemoglobin and hematocrit. After excluding other possible causes, diagnostic withdrawal was performed for dabigatran, and plasma transfusion was conducted to supply the lost blood volume. A causal relationship was established, because the patient’s renal function gradually improved and no further pleural effusion developed after dabigatran was discontinued. This is a rare case report of massive spontaneous hemothorax caused by dabigatran. Therefore, practitioners should be aware of hemothorax as a potential complication of dabigatran therapy.

Spontaneous hemothorax due to anticoagulant use is extremely rare in clinical practice. Dabigatran is a novel anticoagulant to prevent stroke or thromboembolic episodes in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. We report on an 83-year-old man who received dabigatran therapy (110 mg twice daily) for 7 months and developed massive spontaneous hemothorax and acute renal failure. The patient was admitted to the hospital with complaint of a dull ache in the chest and dyspnea. Chest computed tomography scan revealed massive pleural effusion in the left hemithorax with atelectasis. Acute renal failure was observed 4 days later after admission. Almost 2500 mL of blood was repeatedly drained by ultrasound-guided thoracocentesis, followed by a dramatic decrease in serum red blood cell count, hemoglobin and hematocrit. After excluding other possible causes, diagnostic withdrawal was performed for dabigatran, and plasma transfusion was conducted to supply the lost blood volume. A causal relationship was established, because the patient's renal function gradually improved and no further pleural effusion developed after dabigatran was discontinued. This is a rare case report of massive spontaneous hemothorax caused by dabigatran. Therefore, practitioners should be aware of hemothorax as a potential complication of dabigatran therapy.

In the present study, we assessed the diagnostic value of epidermal growth factor (egf) and cancer antigens 125 (ca125) and 15-3 (ca15-3) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (balf) of lung cancer from 79 enrolled patients with suspected lung cancer. All patients underwent fibrescopic examination, during which balf samples were collected. Levels of egf, ca125, and ca15-3 were determined in balf using commercially available test kits. The results showed that levels of egf in balf were significantly higher in patients with lung cancer than in patients with benign diseases (p < 0.01), no significant differences for ca125 (p = 0.67) or ca15-3 (p = 0.43) in balf were observed between the lung cancer patients and the non-cancer control subjects. With a cut-off value of 27.22 pg/mL, egf showed a sensitivity of 63.6% and a specificity of 65.7% in predicting the malignant nature of pulmonary disease. The study findings suggest that levels of egf are significantly increased in balf from patients with lung cancer than in balf from patients with benign disease. Detection of the level of egf in balf is proposed as a noninvasive test to identify patients at high risk for lung cancer.

Background. We evaluated the utility of galactomannan (GM) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) for the diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) in nonneutropenic patients. Methods. A total of 183 patients were included in the final analysis. Bronchoscopies and the detection of GM in BALF were all performed on them. Results. Ten cases of IPA were diagnosed. ROC data demonstrated that, for diagnosing IPA, an optimal cutoff value for GM in BALF of 0.76 yielded a sensitivity of 100.0% and a specificity of 76.2%. Symptoms and radiological findings had no significant difference between proven or probable IPA group and non-IPA group. In our case-control analysis, although nine patients with false-positive results received treatment with Piperacillin/tazobactam, there was no significant difference between case and control group. Conclusions. BALF GM detection is a valuable adjunctive diagnostic tool. Our retrospective study suggests that the optimal value of GM detection in BALF is 0.76 in nonneutropenic patients.

Rationale Eosinophilic pleural effusion (EPE) is an eosinophil count ≥10% in pleural effusion, which is a rare condition in drug therapy. Patient concerns We describe the case of a 70-year-old Alzheimer patient who was taking olanzapine for 2 months for the treatment of depression, and developed peripheral eosinophilia and bilateral EPE. Diagnoses Olanzapine-induced peripheral eosinophilia and eosinophilic pleural effusion was diagnosed. Interventions Olanzapine was discontinued, and repeated drainage of fluid from the pleural cavity was performed. Outcomes All symptoms-as well as the EPE-were resolved 6 months later. Lessons This case is a reminder that olanzapine may be a potential agent for EPE, and that this should be considered in clinical practice.

Objective To explore the expression of HER4 in gastric carcinoma and elucidate the relationship between its overexpression and clinical pathology.

Genetic susceptibility to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been a research focus in the scientific community in the past few years. In this study, we recruited 375 subjects to investigate whether functional polymorphisms in the promoter region of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 (-1306C/T) and MMP-9 (-1562C/T) increased susceptibility to OSA. Our study showed no significant association between MMP-2 -1306C/T polymorphism and risk of OSA (T vs. C: OR = 1.01, 95% CI = 0.67–1.52; P = 0.97). Compared with the MMP-9 -1562C allele, the -1562T allele was associated with increased risk of OSA (T vs. C: OR = 1.56, 95% CI = 1.02–2.39; P = 0.04). However, neither MMP-2 -1306C/T nor MMP-9 -1562C/T polymorphism was found to be associated with severity of the disease. Our study suggested that the MMP-2 -1306C/T polymorphism was not associated with OSA susceptibility, whereas the MMP-9 -1562T allele was associated with increased risk of OSA.

Aberrant DNA methylation can be a potential genetic mechanism in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, inconsistent findings existed among the recent association studies between cigarette smoking and gene methylation in lung cancer. The purpose of our meta-analysis was to evaluate the role of gene methylation in the smoking behavior of NSCLC patients. A total of 116 genes were obtained from 97 eligible publications in the current meta-analyses. Our results showed that 7 hypermethylated genes (including CDKN2A, RASSF1, MGMT, RARB, DAPK, WIF1 and FHIT) were significantly associated with the smoking behavior in NSCLC patients. The further population-based subgroup meta-analyses showed that the CDKN2A hypermethylation was significantly associated with cigarette smoking in Japanese, Chinese and Americans. In contrast, a significant association of RARB hypermethylation and smoking behavior was only detected in Chinese but not in Japanese. The genes with altered DNA methylation were likely to be potentially useful biomarkers in the early diagnosis of NSCLC.

Changes of cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) reflect immunologic reactions of the lung in pulmonary malignancies. Detection of biomarkers in BALF might serve as an important method for differential diagnosis of lung cancer. A total of 78 patients admitted into hospital with suspected lung cancer were included in our study. BALF samples were obtained from all patients, and were analyzed for TGF-β1, IL-6, and TNF-α using commercially available sandwich ELISA kits. The levels of TGF-β1 in BALF were significantly higher in patients with lung cancer compared with patients with benign diseases (P = 0.003). However, no significant difference of IL-6 (P = 0.61) or TNF-α (P = 0.72) in BALF was observed between malignant and nonmalignant groups. With a cut-off value of 10.85 pg/ml, TGF-β1 showed a sensitivity of 62.2%, and a specificity of 60.6%, in predicting the malignant nature of pulmonary disease. Our data suggest that TGF-β1 in BALF might be a valuable biomarker for lung cancer. However, measurement of IL-6 or TNF-α in BALF has poor diagnostic value in lung cancer.

A total of 87 patients were enrolled and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples were obtained from all subjects. A significant difference was found in BALF VEGF-C level between patients with squamous cell carcinoma and benign diseases (P = 0.043). In addition, the concentration of NSE in BALF form the malignant group was significantly higher compared with that of the benign groups (P = 0.018). However, no statistical difference was observed in BALF CEA (P = 0.375) or CYFRA21-1 (P = 0.838) between lung cancer patients and nonmalignant controls. With a cut-off value of 2.06 ng/ml, NSE had a sensitivity of 72.9%, a specificity of 69.2%, respectively, in predicting the malignant nature of pulmonary mass. Our study observed that the level of VEGF-C was increased in BALF of patients with squamous cell carcinoma. Moreover, we found that NSE was significantly higher in BALF of lung cancer patients than in benign diseases.

To detect the expression of human epidermal-growth-factor receptor 4 (HER4) and elucidate the relationship between its overexpression and the clinicopathological characteristics in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).The expression of HER4 was detected in 70 cases of paraffin-embedded NSCLC tissues by immunohistochemical assay.HER4 were overexpressed in 91.4% of NSCLC. The overexpression of HER4 was significantly related to lymph node metastasis (P=0.007), TNM stages (P=0.011) and postoperative survival rate (P= 0.0258).erbB4 is one of the genes to regulate the growth of advanced NSCLC. The artificial interference with HER4 overexpression may be a good way in the treatment of advanced NSCLC.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a major regulator of angiogenesis in the process of tumor growth and metastasis. In present study, we conducted a case–control study and meta-analysis to evaluate the genetic effects of VEGF -634G/C and VEGF -2578C/A polymorphisms and risk of lung cancer. A total of 175 subjects were recruited for case–control study and seven studies were included in the meta-analysis. Our case–control study showed that VEGF -634G/C polymorphism had no association with lung cancer risk (CC vs. GG: OR = 0.88, 95 % CI = 0.37–2.11), whereas there was an association between VEGF -2578CC genotype and decrease in lung cancer risk (CC vs. CA/AA: OR = 0.52, 95 % CI = 0.28–0.96). A meta-analysis was further performed and statistically similar results were obtained (CC vs. GG: OR = 0.91, 95 % CI = 0.60–1.39 for VEGF −634; CC vs. AA: OR = 0.53, 95 % CI = 0.32–0.89 for VEGF −2578). Our study showed that the variant genotypes of the VEGF -2578C/A polymorphism, but not the VEGF -634G/C polymorphism, was associated with lung cancer risk. More studies are needed to detect VEGF -634G/C and VEGF −2578 polymorphisms and their association with lung cancer in different ethnic populations incorporated with environmental exposures.

Published data have shown that the levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and soluble VEGF receptor-1 (sVEGFR-1) in plasma and pleural effusion might be usefulness for lung cancer diagnosis. Here, we performed a prospective study to investigate the utility of VEGF and sVEGFR-1 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) for differential diagnosis of primary lung cancer. A total of 56 patients with solitary pulmonary massed by chest radiograph or CT screening were enrolled in this study. BALF and plasma samples were obtained from all patients and analyzed for VEGF and sVEGFR-1 using a commercially available sandwich ELISA kit. The results showed that the levels of VEGF in BALF were significantly higher in patients with a malignant pulmonary mass compared with patients with a benign mass (P < 0.001). However, no significant difference of sVEGFR-1 in BALF was found between malignant and non-malignant groups (P = 0.43). With a cut-off value of 214 pg/ml, VEGF showed a sensitivity and specificity of 81.8% and 84.2%, respectively, in predicting the malignant nature of a solitary pulmonary mass. Our study suggests that VEGF is significantly increased in BALF among patients with lung cancer than in benign diseases. Measurement of VEGF in BALF might be helpful for differential diagnosis of primary lung cancer.

Background To investigate whether VEGF polymorphisms (-460 T/C, +405 G/C, and +936 C/T)/haplotypes influence the susceptibility of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Method A prospective case-control study was conducted to evaluate the genetic effects of VEGF polymorphisms on the development of OSA. 150 patients and 225 healthy controls were recruited for this study and their genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). The odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated by logistic regression analysis. Result Our study showed that the -460 C allele (C vs. T: OR = 1.95, 95% CI = 1.38-2.76) and +936 T allele (T vs. C: OR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.02-2.15) were associated with an increased OSA risk, whereas +405 C allele was associated with a decreased susceptibility to OSA (C vs. G: OR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.45-0.83). Compared with the most common haplotype CCT, CGC (OR = 2.22, 95% CI = 1.19-4.13) and TGC (OR = 3.83, 95% CI = 1.56-9.40) were associated with a significantly increased risk of OSA. Conclusion These observations implied that VEGF gene polymorphisms might be associated with the susceptibility to OSA. These results need to be validated by other independent studies, especially in diverse ethnic populations.

Background YKL-40 is also called chitinase-3-like-1 (CHI3L1) protein and may be a marker for asthma. The aims of the present study were to investigate whether serum YKL-40 levels are stable or decreased in patients with asthma after appropriate treatment and to evaluate the correlation of YKL-40 levels with lung function and asthma control test (ACT) results. Methods A total of 103 asthmatic patients (mean age 33.1 ± 0.9 years) with diagnosed asthma were enrolled in our study. All patients underwent a detailed clinical examination and completed the ACT questionnaire, serum YKL-40 measurement, and spirometry before (visit 1) and 8 weeks after initiation of treatment (visit 2). Results At the follow-up, the median serum YKL-40 level was significantly decreased compared to the levels at visit 1 (75.2 [55.8-86.8] ng/ml versus 54.5 [46.4-58.4] ng/ml, p