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Neohydatothrips stachyurus sp. n. is described from Guizhou, China. Morphologically, this new Sericothripinae species is characterized by the shape of blotch on pronotum and the distribution of microtrichia on abdominal segments. The distribution of Neohydatothrips species from China also is discussed.

Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a rare but clinically well-known, polygenic, and systemic autoinflammatory disease, which is characterized by spiking fever, evanescent skin rash, arthralgia, and sore throat. The application of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and glucocorticoids, which are first-line therapies of AOSD, is limited due to their side effects such as liver injury or disorder of blood glucose. Therefore, patients who suffer from systemic diseases in China prefer to seek help from Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), which is an important part of complementary and alternative medicine. In this case, we report a 28-year-old male badminton coach presenting with a 15-day history of fever and skin rash, accompanied by sore throat, fatigue, myalgia and chills. Additionally, hepatosplenomegaly, multiple lymphadenopathies, aminotransferase abnormality, and elevated inflammatory factor levels were observed during hospitalization. Infectious diseases, solid tumors, hematological diseases, and common autoimmune diseases were excluded. Not benefitting from antibiotic therapy, the patient was finally diagnosed with AOSD, after a careful examination, then showed rapid remission after a six-week treatment with CHM granules based on Xiaochaihu Decoction and Yinqiao Powder. After stopping the treatment, there was no relapse within a 15-month follow-up period. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first well-documented case of this successful treatment. The present case report suggests that CHM is a reliable choice for complementary and alternative therapy for AOSD, but confirming the utility of CHM for AOSD requires further support from prospective studies.

IntroductionIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and lethal lung disease characterised by a fibrotic histological pattern found in usual interstitial pneumonia. Its causes, pathogenesis, clinical phenotype and molecular mechanisms are poorly defined. Large-scale, multicentre studies are warranted to better understand IPF as a disease in China, its associated risk factors, clinical characteristics, diagnosis, disease progression and treatment.Methods and analysisThe Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Registry China Study (PORTRAY) is a prospective, multicentre registry study of patients with IPF in China. Eight hundred patients will be enrolled over a 36-month period and followed for at least 3 years to generate a comprehensive database on baseline characteristics and various follow-up parameters including patient-reported outcomes. Biological specimens will also be collected from patients to develop a library of blood, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and lung biopsy samples, to support future research. As of 15 December 2019, 204 patients from 19 large medical centres with relatively high IPF diagnosis and treatment rates had been enrolled. Patient characteristics will be presented using descriptive statistics. The Kaplan-Meier method will be used for survival analyses. Repeated measures will be used to compare longitudinal changes in lung function, imaging and laboratory tests. Results following analysis have been projected to be available by July 2025.Ethics and disseminationThe study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board from all the study sites currently recruiting patients. Study results will be published in peer-reviewed journals.Trial registration numberNCT03666234.

BackgroundIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive fibrosing interstitial pneumonia of unknown cause. The incidence of IPF is increasing year by year, as well as the mortality rates, which is really a burden both for the family and the society. However few data concerning the economic burden of the patients with IPF is available, especially in China.ObjectiveThis study aimed to examine the direct medical costs of hospitalized patients with IPF and to determine the contributing factors.MethodsThis retrospective analysis used the cost-of-illness framework in order to analyze the direct medical costs of patients with IPF. The study used data from the pneumology department of Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University from year 2012 to 2015. The direct medical costs included drug fee, auxiliary examination fee, treatment fee and other fee. Patients’ characteristics, medical treatment, and the direct medical costs were analyzed by descriptive statistics and multivariable regression.ResultsThere were 219 hospitalized patients meeting the diagnosis of IPF, 91% male. The mean age was 65 years old. For the direct medical costs of hospitalized patients with IPF, the mean(SD) of the total costs per IPF patient per admission was 14882.3 (30975.8)CNY. The largest parts were the examination fee of 6034.5 (15651.2)CNY and the drug fee of 5048.9 (3855.1)CNY. By regression analysis we found that length of stay, emergency treatment, ventilator use and being a Beijing native were significantly (PConclusionThis study showed that IPF has a major impact on the direct medical costs. Thus, appropriate long-term interventions are recommended to lower the economic burden of IPF.Strengths and limitations of this studyIt was the first time in China to discuss the economic burden of diseases and its influencing factors in patients with IPF.The results of this study might be of reference for the establishment of IPF disease-related medical policies in future.The retrospective cross-sectional design does not allow for establishing any causal relationships.It was a a single-center study, resulting a slightly smaller sample size. A large sample of multicenter studies is needed to confirm this.

Background Pleural effusion (PE) drainage can relieve the symptoms of dyspnea; however, details of the resulting hemodynamic changes remain undefined. Methods Subjects older than 12 years with massive PE requiring pleural drainage were included in this study. Hemodynamic parameters were collected using transthoracic echocardiography at pre-drainage, immediately post-drainage, and 24 h after drainage. Results We enrolled 47subjects in this prospective study from June 9, 2015 to September 18, 2016 in Beijing Chaoyang Hospital and 28 subjects were analyzed finally. Draining large-volume PE led to a progressive increase in left ventricular end-diastolic volume index, left atrial volume index, right ventricular area, right atrial area, left ventricular ejection fraction, stroke volume, and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion, both immediately (P

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) frequently complicates the course of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients and is associated with significantly worse outcomes. The aim of the present study was to investigate the incidence of PH in IPF patients and evaluate the correlation between clinical parameters and systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP). Methods: Hospitalized patients with IPF, who were evaluated for sPAP by Doppler echocardiography from January 2004 to December 2011, were enrolled in our study. Patients were defined as PH by an estimated sPAP > 50 mmHg and graded as PH likely, PH possible and PH unlikely, based on the 2009 European Society of Cardiology/European Respiratory Society PH Guidelines. The correlations between clinical parameters and sPAP were analyzed by multiple linear regression. Results: Totally, 119 IPF patients were enrolled in our study and 28 (23.5%), 20 (16.8%) and 71 (59.7%) patients were PH likely, PH possible and PH unlikely, respectively. Borg dyspnea score was positively correlated with sPAP, r = 0.467, P < 0.001. Oxygen saturation was negatively correlated with sPAP, r = −0.416, P < 0.001. Diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide percentage predicted was negatively correlated with sPAP, r = −0.424, P = 0.003. N-terminal fragment of pro-brain natriuretic peptide and pulmonary artery width was positively correlated with sPAP, r = 0.452, P = 0.011 and r = 0.513, P < 0.001, respectively. Conclusions: The incidence of PH in IPF patients was 23.5% in a single center of China. PH may worsen the dyspnea, right heart dysfunction and decrease the life quality of the patients with IPF.

Epidemiological data on interstitial lung disease (ILD) are very limited in China. This study describes the distribution of ILD in China based on data from a large ILD center. Footnotes This manuscript has recently been accepted for publication in the European Respiratory Journal . It is published here in its accepted form prior to copyediting and typesetting by our production team. After these production processes are complete and the authors have approved the resulting proofs, the article will move to the latest issue of the ERJ online. Please open or download the PDF to view this article. Conflict of interest: Dr. Yan has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: Dr. Ban has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: Dr. Xie has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: Dr. Dai has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: Dr. Ren has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: Dr. Zhang has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: Dr. Liu has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: Dr. Ye has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: Dr. Zhu has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: Dr. Geng has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: Dr. Jiang has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: Dr. Wang has nothing to disclose.

Background and objective The aetiology and pathogenesis of interstitial lung disease (ILD) and ILD combined with lung cancer (ILD-CA) are unclear. We aim to investigate serum tumour marker (STM) levels and to explore their predictive and diagnostic value of cancer in ILD. Methods Fifty-eight patients with ILD-CA, 632 with ILD only and 628 with acute respiratory illness were studied. Serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), CA125 and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) were measured. Results All STM levels were elevated in ILD-CA compared with ILD group (P

Pneumonia is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in lung transplant (LT) recipients. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the incidence, etiology, risk factors and prognosis of pneumonia in LT recipients.The LT cohort consisted of 28 recipients receiving LT in Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital from August 2005 to April 2011. Data collected included demographic data, underlying disorders, time and type of transplant, follow-up information, date of last follow-up, and patient status. A retrospective analysis was made of observational data that were prospectively collected.Twenty-two patients of 28 LT recipients had 47 episodes of pneumonia throughout the study period. Thirtyeight episodes of pneumonia in 19 recipients occurred post-LT with a median follow-up of 257.5 days (1-2104 days), the incidence of pneumonia was 192.4 episodes per 100 LT/year and its median time of onset was 100.5 days (0-946 days) post-transplantation. Bacteria, virus and fungi accounted for 62%, 16% and 15% of the microbial pathogens, respectively. The most frequent were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (20%), cytomegalovirus (CMV) (15%), and Aspergillus fumigatus (10%). A total of 29% (11/38) of pneumonias occurred in the first month post-LT, and then the incidence decreased gradually. The incidence of CMV pneumonia was 25% (7/28) with a median time of 97 days (10-971 days). More than one bacterial infection and CMV infection were independent risk factors for aspergillus infection. The incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) was 18% (5/28), and the history of TB was a risk factor for TB relapse. There were 58% (7/12) of recipients who died of infection, and 71% (5/7) of these died in the first year after LT.Pneumonia is still a major cause of morbidity and mortality in LT recipients. The most frequent microorganisms were Pseudomonas aeruginosa, CMV, and Aspergillus fumigates. The incidence of CMV pneumonia decreases with a delayed median time of onset. More than one incidence of bacterial infection and CMV infection are independent risk factors for aspergillus infection. LT recipients are at high risk for TB, and the history of TB is a risk factor for TB relapse.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and lethal fibrotic lung disease of unknown etiology. Host susceptibility or genetic factors may be important for the predisposition to it. Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1, a potent profibrotic cytokine) and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) play important roles in the development of pulmonary fibrosis. The objective of the study was to investigate the association between the gene polymorphisms of TGF-β1 869 TC and PAI-1 4G/5G and the susceptibility to IPF in Han ethnicity.Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism were performed to analyse the gene polymorphisms of TGF-β1 in 869TC and PAI-1 4G/5G in 85 IPF patients and 85 healthy controls matched in age, gender, race and smoker status.There was a significant difference in 869TC genotype distribution of TGF-β1 between IPF cases and controls, a significant negative association between TC genotype and the development of IPF (OR = 0.508, 95%CI: 0.275 - 0.941) and a positive association between CC genotype and the development of IPF (OR = 1.967, 95%CI: 1.063 - 3.641). There was a significant positive association between PAI-1 5G/5G genotype and the development of IPF (OR = 0.418, 95%CI: 0.193 - 0.904).Gene polymorphisms of TGF-β1 in 869TC and PAI-1 4G/5G may affect the susceptibility to IPF in Han ethnicity. Further investigations are needed to confirm these findings and assess their biological significance in the development of the disease in this ethnic population.

To summarize the chest high-resolution CT (HRCT) features of the patients with extrinsic allergic alveolitis (EAA).We analyzed the images of chest HRCT of 34 patients diagnosed as EAA at our hospital from February 2001 to August 2009.All patients had a history of environmental exposure. The duration of intermittent or continuous antigen exposure was from 3 months to 13 years. Two patients showed acute clinical manifestations. There were 22 sub-acute and 10 chronic cases. Acute EAA was characterized by ground-glass opacities, air trapping and/or mosaic sign on HRCT. The HRCT features of subacute EAA included patchy ground-glass opacities with mosaic sign (n = 11, 50.0%) and diffusely distributed centrilobular nodules (n = 7, 31.8%) with mosaic sign (n = 4, 18.2%). All patients with chronic EAA had reticular and honeycombing lesions on HRCT. There were 3 cases with ground-glass opacities, 3 with mosaic sign, and 3 with centrilobular nodules.The typical findings of chest HRCT are helpful for making a diagnosis and differential diagnosis of EAA.

To investigate the potential causes of respiratory failure in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) and evaluate the application value of mechanical ventilation (MV) in its treatment.This study included the clinical data of 47 ILD patients (29 males and 18 females) complicating respiratory failure and admitted to respiratory care unit (RICU) for receiving MV at Beijing Chaoyang Hospital from January 1, 1998 to June 30, 2008. The median age was 67 years old. And a retrospective analysis was conducted for clinical characteristics, potential causes of respiratory failure, RICU treatment, prognosis and causes of death, etc.The causes of respiratory failure were as follows: respiratory infections (n = 18, 38.3%), respiratory infection superimposed aggravated ILD (n = 15, 31.9%), pulmonary embolism (n = 8, 17.0%), ILD with acute exacerbation (n = 5, 10.6%) and heart failure (n = 1, 2.1%). And the mortality rates of RICU were 55.6% (10/18), 73.3% (11/15), 5/8, 4/5 and 1/1 respectively. Upon initial admission into RICU, 31 cases received noninvasive ventilation and 16 cases tracheal intubation. The mortality rates were 54.8% and 87.5% respectively. And there was statistically significant difference between the groups (chi(2) = 5.014, P = 0.025). In all patients, the RICU mortality rate was 66.0% (31/47) and the hospital mortality rate 70.2% (33/47).Respiratory infection, pulmonary embolism and acute exacerbation of ILD are the main common causes of respiratory failure in ILD patients. Noninvasive ventilation therapy is clinically preferable to invasive ventilation for ILD patients with respiratory failure.

To examine whether there was an association between epithelial neutrophil activating peptide 78 (ENA-78), interferon-inducible protein 10 (IP-10), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) polymorphism and Chinese patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) were performed to analyze the gene polymorphisms of ENA-78 (-156G/C), IP-10 (-1596C/T) and VEGF (+405G/C) in 60 IPF patients and 60 controls with trauma or bone fracture matched in age, gender and smoking status.The distribution of carrying GC + CC genotype frequency (20.0%) and C allele frequency (12.7%) for ENA-78 in IPF patients was significantly higher than that in healthy controls [6.7% (P = 0.032) and 3.3% (P = 0.008), respectively], the relative risk of suffering from IPF of -156C allele gene carrier significantly increased (OR = 4.23, 95%CI: 1.35-13.20). The distribution of carrying CT + TT genotype frequency (10.0%) and T allele frequency (5.8%) for IP-10 in IPF patients was significantly lower than that in healthy controls [26.7% (P = 0.018) and 14.2% (P = 0.031), respectively], the relative risk of suffering from IPF of -1596T allele gene carrier decreased (OR = 0.38, 95%CI: 0.15-0.95). No association was found between VEGF (+405G/C) polymorphism and IPF.-156C allele for ENA-78 may be a risk factor of IPF and -1596T allele for IP-10 a beneficial factor of IPF. The VEGF (+405G/C) gene polymorphism has no effect upon the predisposition to IPF.