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Inorganic antigens may contribute to paediatric sarcoidosis. Thirty-six patients matched with 36 healthy controls as well as a group of 21 sickle-cell disease (SCD) controls answered an environmental questionnaire. Patients' indirect exposure to inorganic particles, through coresidents' occupations, was higher than in healthy and SCD controls (median score: 2.5 (0.5-7) vs 0.5 (0-2), p=0.003 and 1 (0-2), p=0.012, respectively), especially for construction, exposures to metal dust, talc, abrasive reagents and scouring products. Wood or fossil energies heating were also linked to paediatric sarcoidosis. This study supports a link between mineral environmental exposure due to adult coresident occupations and paediatric sarcoidosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is an increasingly common treatment for recurrent or persistent primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP). Surgery usually involves diffuse treatment of the pleura and possible targeted therapy to areas of bullous disease. The purpose of this large cohort study was to examine incidence of recurrence after VATS and identify predictors of outcome.Methods: Patients undergoing VATS for PSP at a single centre between 2000 and 2012 were prospectively enrolled. All patients underwent talc poudrage. Targeted surgical techniques were used based on presence of air leak and Vanderschueren's stage. Patients had clinical and radiological follow-up for at least 2 years (median 8.5 years).Results: 1415 patients with PSP underwent VATS with talc poudrage. The most frequent indications were recurrent pneumothorax (92.2%) and persistent air leak (6.5%). The complication rate was 2.0% of which 1.7% was prolonged air leak. There was no mortality. Median length of stay was 5 days. Recurrent pneumothorax occurred in 26 patients (1.9%). At the time of surgery, 592 patients smoked (43%) and they had a significantly higher incidence of recurrence (24/575, 4.2%) than non-smokers (2/805, 0.2%), p<0.001. The incidence of recurrence in those undergoing bullae suturing (3.8%, n=260) was significant higher than those undergoing poudrage alone (0.3%, p=0.036).Conclusion: The marked difference in recurrence between smokers and non-smokers suggests this as an important predictor of outcome. This study demonstrates a low incidence of recurrence and complications for patients with PSP undergoing VATS with talc poudrage. Talc poudrage requires prospective comparison with pleurectomy and mechanical abrasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To assess the effect of an occupational exposure to talc dust on respiratory health.Methods: 166 talc millers from a French factory underwent spirometry and filled in a standardised respiratory questionnaire during their annual medical visit in 1989. A full sized chest radiograph taken in 1987 for the subjects hired before 1982 was also available, for the others a radiograph taken when hired was used. Radiography was repeated in 1992 for all subjects still active at this date (n = 139). The occupational exposure to talc dust was characterised for each workplace with 1440 personal samples collected since 1986 and by semiquantitative estimates of the historical exposure.Results: The geometric mean (range) of estimated exposure was 1.87 (0.5 to 50) mg/m3 and the estimated cumulative exposure at the date of spirometry was > 150 y mg/m3 for 41 subjects. After adjustment for smoking in a linear model the standardised residual values of both forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in one second decreased significantly with increasing exposure. The prevalence of dyspnoea also increased after adjustment for smoking categories and age in a logistic regression. The prevalence of small radiological opacities was significantly related to age and to the exposure after adjustment for age and smoking categories. The incidence of new opacities between the two radiographs (11 new opacities with a profusion higher than 0/1) was significantly related to smoking (10 out of 11 are smokers) but not to the exposure.Conclusion: This study shows an effect of high levels of talc dust both on functional variables and on the prevalence of small radiological images, but provides no clear evidence about the possible effect of present levels of exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Complicated (recurring or persistent) spontaneous pneumothorax requires treatment either by talc pleurodesis with bullae electrocoagulation or, more aggressively, by thoracotomy or video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. However, the relative merits of bullectomy, pleurectomy, and pleurodesis have not yet been established in the treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax.Methods: The complications, duration of drainage, length of hospital stay, and immediate and long term success rate of treating complicated spontaneous pneumothorax with talc pleurodesis under local anaesthesia supplemented with nitrous oxide were studied.Results: Talc pleurodesis was performed in 93 patients without serious complication (two benign arrhythmias, two subcutaneous emphysema, two pneumonia, one bronchospasm). The procedure was immediately successful in 90 patients (97%) with a median duration of drainage of five days (range 2-40) and a median length of hospital stay of 5.2 days (range 3-40). After a mean follow up duration of 5.1 (range 1-9.4) years in 84 cases the long term success rate was 95%, although six cases developed a small localised recurrence of spontaneous pneumothorax which did not require further surgery. Macroscopic staging at thoracoscopy was only carried out in the last 59 cases of whom 10 (17%) had bullae with a diameter of > 2 cm. In this group of patients the risk of definitive failure requiring surgery was significantly higher than in those patients without such bullae (odds ratio 7; confidence interval 3.7 to 13.3; p = 0.03), although eight of these patients did not require thoracotomy. Total lung capacity was reduced immediately after talc pleurodesis (mean (SD) 75 (23)% predicted at 10 days) but had improved to 95 (14)% predicted at 12 months.Conclusions: This study shows that simple thoracoscopic talc pleurodesis under local anaesthesia is a safe and effective treatment for complicated spontaneous pneumothorax. However, patients with bullae of > 2 cm in diameter have a greater risk of treatment failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

, , 788-793. A man of 37 had an iodized talc pleurodesis carried out for recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax. There was no history of industrial exposure to asbestos. Two years later he presented with pain in the right chest and radiographs at that time showed some localized pleural thickening at the site of the thoracoscopy cannulation for introduction of talc. A provisional diagnosis of talc granuloma, chemical abscess or tumour was made and exploratory thoracotomy revealed a tumour involving the chest wall, lung, and pleura which, on histological examination, showed adenocarcinoma of varying degrees of differentiation and in some parts also presenting a more squamoid appearance. Numerous doubly refractile talc particles were intimately associated with the tumour and fibrous tissue. Shortly after excision the patient developed evidence of systemic dissemination of the disease and died four months later. The possibility of this tumour being induced by the talc is discussed. A brief review is made of the various forms of talc used in surgery over the past 40 years and attention is drawn to the significance of the proportion of asbestos mineral which is present in talc as mined in various parts of the world. We do not consider that this is a case of mesothelioma of the pleura. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Ovarian cancer is one of the most common gynaecological neoplasms, especially in industrialised countries. The aetiology of the disease is not well understood, except that inherited mutations in the breast cancer genes BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 account for up to 10% of all cases,1 and child-bearing, oral contraceptive use and breast-feeding reduce the risk. Some environmental exposures, notably talc and asbestos, have been suspected as ovarian carcinogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presents abstracts of medical research related to the role of TGF-β in lung disease. They include "Activation of Proteinase Activated Receptor-1 on Mesothelial Cells Induces Activation of Transforming Growth Factor-Beta," "Epithelial Mesencymal Transition Occurs in Primary Airway Epithelial Cells in Response to Transforming Growth Factor-Beta and Epidermal Growth Factor," and "Talc Induces Release of Transforming Growth Factor-Beta."

Malignant pleural effusions are often symptomatic and tend to recur after simple aspiration. Pleurodesis may prevent recurrence of the effusion; many agents and techniques have been described. A questionnaire was sent to 448 clinicians in the United Kingdom to determine how pleurodesis is performed in practice. There was a 56% overall response, with replies from 101 respiratory physicians, 88 general physicians, 29 thoracic surgeons, and 35 general surgeons. General surgeons saw few cases of malignant pleural effusion and rarely performed pleurodesis. A patient with recurrent malignant pleural effusion would usually be managed with pleurodesis by 76 (76%) respiratory physicians, 26 (30%) general physicians, and 23 (81%) thoracic surgeons; a further 29 (33%) general physicians would refer such patients to another specialist. Most medical pleurodesis were performed by junior staff, whereas consultant thoracic surgeons were more likely to be concerned with the procedure. All the thoracic surgeons used an intercostal tube drain, usually with suction. An intercostal tube drain was used routinely by only 54 (54%) of the respiratory physicians and 28 (32%) general physicians. Thoracic surgeons preferred talc for pleurodesis whereas physicians most commonly used tetracycline. The variety of methods in use supports the need for randomised, controlled studies to determine the most effective technique of pleurodesis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: Talc slurry (TS) has been commonly used with high success rates in managing spontaneous pneumothroax (SP), but there were concerns of post-procedural complications. Alternatively, doxycycline solution (DS) was used successfully. This retrospective study aims to compare the effectiveness and safety between talc and doxycycline as a sclerosing agent and to investigate risk factors for recurrence in patients with SP., Methods: The review of medical records between January 2011 and December 2014 was conducted on 83 patients with SP who underwent pleurodesis with either TS (n=16) or DS (n=67). Recurrence and complications were compared between the DS and TS groups. Associations between recurrence after DS treatment and various factors were analysed., Results: Recurrence was significantly higher in the DS group than in the TS group (P=0.033), whereas complications were higher in the TS group than the DS group: fever was significantly higher in the TS group (P=0.001). Recurrences associated with doxycycline use were found significantly more often in patients with recurrent diagnosis of SP, height/weight ≥3.25 cm/kg and weight <55 kg., Conclusion: Talc was more effective without recurrence compared with doxycycline. Clinically insignificant fever associated with pleurodesis was more common with talc. Low weight, high height to weight ratio and recurrent diagnosis of SP were associated with higher recurrence after doxycycline treatment., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2019. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)

Objectives: Spontaneous pneumothorax is a common pathology. International guidelines suggest pleurodesis for non-resolving air leak or recurrence prevention at second occurrence. This study comprehensively reviews the existing literature regarding chemical pleurodesis efficacy.Design: We systematically reviewed the literature to identify relevant randomised controlled trials (RCTs), case-control studies and case series. We described the findings of these studies and tabulated relative recurrence rates or ORs (in studies with control groups). Meta-analysis was not performed due to substantial clinical heterogeneity.Results: Of 560 abstracts identified by our search strategy, 50 were included in our systematic review following screening. Recurrence rates in patients with chest tube drainage only were between 26.1% and 50.1%. Thoracoscopic talc poudrage (four studies (n=249)) provided recurrence rates of between 2.5% and 10.2% with the only RCT suggesting an OR of 0.10 compared with drainage alone. In comparison, talc administration during video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) from eight studies (n=2324) recurrence was between 0.0% and 3.2%, but the RCT did not demonstrate a significant difference compared with bleb/bullectomy alone. Minocycline appears similarly effective post-VATS (recurrence rates 0.0-2.9%). Prolonged air leak and recurrence prevention using tetracycline via chest drain (n=726) is likely to provide recurrence rates between 13.0% and 33.3% and autologous blood patch pleurodesis (n=270) between 15.6% and 18.2%.Conclusions: Chemical pleurodesis postsurgical treatment or via thoracoscopy appears to be most effective. Evidence for definitive success rates of each agent is limited by the small number of randomised trials or other comparative studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article comments on the study which recognized that the talc used in the U.S. and Great Britain to have serious effects due to systemic dissemination of small particles. It notes that a significant experimental study that used large talc particles and demonstrated that this talc does not disseminate in organs is not considered. It is mentioned that the experimental study explains the preference of respiratory physicians to use talc as a pleurodesing agent.

Assesses the hazard on the accidental inhalation of talcum powder on babies. Presentation of the case of a 12 week old baby boy; Analysis of arterial gases; Responsibility of health workers to discourage parents to use talcum powder.

Investigates the negative effect of the magnesium silicate powders in surgical gloves to patients. Symptoms observed on patients with granuloma and peritonitis; Need for proper cleaning of gloves to avoid illness; Importance of the powder in the manufacturing process of the gloves.

The authors comment on a European cohort study that offers evidence for safety of large particle talc. They agree on the possibility of the small increases in temperature and oxygen use after talc pleurodesis to be due to mild systemic and lung inflammation. They affirm that the study had 60.7% of the patients who used oxygen on day 1 and 56.8% still needed supplementation 48 hours after pleurodesis.

The article presents a prospective cohort study which examines whether pleurodesis with large-particle talc poudrage is safe in malignant pleural effusion in South Africa. It was found that there were no cases of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in the study. The authors concluded that use of talc for pleurodesis in malignant pleural effusion is safe, and suggest that fears about ARDS are largely unfounded.