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Lung Diseases and Infections in the New Era 2.0

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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2020) | Viewed by 17582

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Fiorella Calabrese

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Guest Editor

Institute of Pathological Anatomy, University of Padova, Via Romagnoli 6A, Padova, Italy
Interests: pulmonary pathology; transplant pathology; molecular pathology; infective and immunological diseases; cardiomyopathy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Lunardi Francesca

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Guest Editor

Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, Pathological Anatomy Section, University of Padova, Via A. Gabelli 61, Padova, Italy
Interests: lung; immunohistochemistry; pathology; cancer biology; cell biology; microscopy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to this special Issue “Lung Diseases and Infections in The New Era”, of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

Infectious diseases, especially lung infections are still the leading cause of debilitating chronic disease and death. In the last few decades, medicine has made giant steps in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of infections but it has also seen the emergence of new and deadly pathogens that continue to have a significant impact on several forms of lung diseases. New medical treatments such as potent immunosuppressive therapies that weaken host defences have contributed to the emergence of new microorganisms and overall to the recrudescence of others. In this scenario a high level of experience and expertise of several specialists in the field together with the use of different ancillary tools, such new molecular investigations, are mandatory for a sensitive diagnosis and overall appropriate patient care. The primary goal of the special issue is to draw attention to many different aspects of lung infections that are currently changing in pathology, diagnostic and treatment approaches. It is our greatest pleasure to invite expert research scientists from all relevant fields to submit their articles/reviews for this special issue.

We are looking forward to your submissions for this highly important issue.

Prof. Dr. Fiorella Calabrese
Dr. Lunardi Francesca
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

lung diseases
infections
diagnosis
molecular pathology
treatment

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 3641 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Epithelial Membrane Protein 2 Suppresses Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cell Growth by Inhibition of MAPK Pathway

by Yunxia Ma, Desiree Charlotte Schröder, Miljana Nenkov, Maryam Noor Rizwan, Mohamed Abubrig, Jürgen Sonnemann, José M. Murrieta-Coxca, Diana M. Morales-Prieto, Martin Westermann, Nikolaus Gaßler and Yuan Chen

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(6), 2944; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22062944 - 14 Mar 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3054

Abstract

Epithelial membrane proteins (EMP1-3) are involved in epithelial differentiation and carcinogenesis. Dysregulated expression of EMP2 was observed in various cancers, but its role in human lung cancer is not yet clarified. In this study, we analyzed the expression of EMP1-3 and investigated the biological function of EMP2 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The results showed that lower expression of EMP1 was significantly correlated with tumor size in primary lung tumors (p = 0.004). Overexpression of EMP2 suppressed tumor cell growth, migration, and invasion, resulting in a G1 cell cycle arrest, with knockdown of EMP2 leading to enhanced cell migration, related to MAPK pathway alterations and disruption of cell cycle regulatory genes. Exosomes isolated from transfected cells were taken up by tumor cells, carrying EMP2-downregulated microRNAs (miRNAs) which participated in regulation of the tumor microenvironment. Our data suggest that decreased EMP1 expression is significantly related to increased tumor size in NSCLC. EMP2 suppresses NSCLC cell growth mainly by inhibiting the MAPK pathway. EMP2 might further affect the tumor microenvironment by regulating tumor microenvironment-associated miRNAs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lung Diseases and Infections in the New Era 2.0)

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Review

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19 pages, 712 KiB

Open AccessReview

Infections and Immunotherapy in Lung Cancer: A Bad Relationship?

by Lorenzo Belluomini, Alberto Caldart, Alice Avancini, Alessandra Dodi, Ilaria Trestini, Dzenete Kadrija, Marco Sposito, Daniela Tregnago, Miriam Casali, Silvia Teresa Riva, Giulia Sartori, Jessica Menis, Michele Milella and Sara Pilotto

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(1), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22010042 - 22 Dec 2020

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 5519

Abstract

Infectious diseases represent a relevant issue in lung cancer patients. Bacterial and viral infections might influence the patients’ prognosis, both directly affecting the immune system and indirectly impairing the outcome of anticancer treatments, mainly immunotherapy. In this analysis, we aimed to review the current evidence in order to clarify the complex correlation between infections and lung cancer. In detail, we mainly explored the potential impact on immunotherapy outcome/safety of (1) bacterial infections, with a detailed focus on antibiotics; and (2) viral infections, discriminating among (a) human immune-deficiency virus (HIV), (b) hepatitis B/C virus (HBV-HCV), and (c) Sars-Cov-2. A series of studies suggested the prognostic impact of antibiotic therapy administration, timing, and exposure ratio in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors, probably through an antibiotic-related microbiota dysbiosis. Although cancer patients with HIV, HBV, and HCV were usually excluded from clinical trials evaluating immunotherapy, some retrospective and prospective trials performed in these patient subgroups reported similar results compared to those described in not-infected patients, with a favorable safety profile. Moreover, patients with thoracic cancers are particularly at risk of COVID-19 severe outcomes and mortality. Few reports speculated about the prognostic implications of anticancer therapy, including immunotherapy, in lung cancer patients with concomitant Sars-Cov-2 infection, showing, to date, inconsistent results. The correlation between infectious diseases and immunotherapy remains to be further explored and clarified in the context of dedicated trials. In clinical practice, the accurate and prompt multidisciplinary management of lung cancer patients with infections should be encouraged in order to select the best treatment options for these patients, avoiding unexpected toxicities, while maintaining the anticancer effect. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lung Diseases and Infections in the New Era 2.0)

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16 pages, 589 KiB

Open AccessReview

Potential of the Electronic Nose for the Detection of Respiratory Diseases with and without Infection

by Johann-Christoph Licht and Hartmut Grasemann

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(24), 9416; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21249416 - 10 Dec 2020

Cited by 29 | Viewed by 4484

Abstract

Respiratory tract infections are common, and when affecting the lower airways and lungs, can result in significant morbidity and mortality. There is an unfilled need for simple, non-invasive tools that can be used to screen for such infections at the clinical point of care. The electronic nose (eNose) is a novel technology that detects volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Early studies have shown that certain diseases and infections can result in characteristic changes in VOC profiles in the exhaled breath. This review summarizes current knowledge on breath analysis by the electronic nose and its potential for the detection of respiratory diseases with and without infection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lung Diseases and Infections in the New Era 2.0)

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19 pages, 728 KiB

Open AccessReview

Airway Microbiota as a Modulator of Lung Cancer

by Taichiro Goto

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(9), 3044; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21093044 - 26 Apr 2020

Cited by 34 | Viewed by 4045

Abstract

Recent research on cancer-associated microbial communities has elucidated the interplay between bacteria, immune cells, and tumor cells; the bacterial pathways involved in the induction of carcinogenesis; and their clinical significance. Although accumulating evidence shows that a dysbiotic condition is associated with lung carcinogenesis, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Microorganisms possibly trigger tumor initiation and progression, presumably via the production of bacterial toxins and other pro-inflammatory factors. The purpose of this review is to discuss the basic role of the airway microbiome in carcinogenesis and the underlying molecular mechanisms, with the aim of developing anticancer strategies involving the airway microbiota. In addition, the mechanisms via which the microbiome acts as a modulator of immunotherapies in lung cancer are summarized. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lung Diseases and Infections in the New Era 2.0)

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