Publications

Introduction: There is currently no accepted way to risk-stratify hospitalised exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We hypothesised that the revised UK National Early Warning Score (NEWS2) calculated at admission would predict inpatient mortality, need for non-invasive ventilation (NIV) and length-of-stay.

Dear Editor We undertook an evaluation of former TB patients for pulmonary rehabilitation. Our diagnostic evaluation aimed to implement clinical standards for post-TB lung disease (PTLD) using operational research. 1 Nightingale et al. also issued a clinical statement, addressing diverse post-TB morbidities such as social, economic, neurological, cardiovascular, PTLD and psychiatric impairments. 2 In low-and middle-income African countries (such as Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya), only 4 in 10 clinicians can diagnose PTLD, contributing to an underestimation of its burden.

In their published article, Alif et al report the findings from a carefully conducted longitudinal study showing the effects of occupational exposures on lung function decline between the ages of 45 and 50 years.

Silicosis due to artificial stone (AS) has emerged over the last decade as an increasing global issue. We report the first eight UK cases. All were men; median age was 34 years (range 27–56) and median stone dust exposure was 12.5 years (range 4–40) but in 4 cases was 4–8 years. One is deceased; two were referred for lung transplant assessment. All cases were dry cutting and polishing AS worktops with inadequate safety measures. Clinical features of silicosis can closely mimic sarcoidosis.

Purpose of review There is an unmet need for better immunological tests in cases of suspected occupational asthma to many workplace chemicals; here we consider the basophil activation test (BAT), a potential alternative to the detection of specific IgE antibodies.

Recent findings BAT is fairly widely used in general allergy services; and there is increasing experience of its use in the diagnosis of occupational allergy to low molecular weight agents and chemicals including wood dusts, persulphates, antibiotics and latex.

We report a 23 year old female with biallelic truncating variants in the ITCH (Itchy E3 Ubiquitin protein ligase, mouse homolog of; OMIM60649) gene associated with marked short stature, severe early onset chronic lung disease resembling asthma, dysmorphic facial features, and symmetrical camptodactyly of the fingers but normal intellect.