OBJECTIVES:The present study aimed to investigate the trends in changes in pulmonary function and the risk factors for pulmonary function deterioration in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis after completing treatment.INTRODUCTION:Patients usually have pulmonary function abnormalities after completing treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis. The time course for changes in pulmonary function and the risk factors for deterioration have not been well studied.METHODS:A total of 115 patients with 162 pulmonary function results were analyzed. We retrieved demographic and clinical data, radiographic scores, bacteriological data, and pulmonary function data. A generalized additive model with a locally weighted scatterplot smoothing technique was used to evaluate the trends in changes in pulmonary function. A generalized estimating equation model was used to determine the risk factors associated with deterioration of pulmonary function.RESULTS:The median interval between the end of anti-tuberculosis treatment and the pulmonary function test was 16 months (range: 0 to 112 months). The nadir of pulmonary function occurred approximately 18 months after the completion of the treatment. The risk factors associated with pulmonary function deterioration included smear-positive disease, extensive pulmonary involvement prior to anti-tuberculosis treatment, prolonged anti-tuberculosis treatment, and reduced radiographic improvement after treatment.CONCLUSIONS:After the completion of anti-tuberculosis TB treatment, several risk factors predicted pulmonary function deterioration. For patients with significant respiratory symptoms and multiple risk factors, the pulmonary function test should be followed up to monitor the progression of functional impairment, especially within the first 18 months after the completion of anti-tuberculosis treatment.

BackgroundScabies is a common parasitic infectious disease, and COPD is a major pulmonary disease. However, there have been no previous studies that have investigated the relationship between scabies and COPD.Materials and methodsThis nationwide population-based study included a total of 3,568 patients with scabies as the study group and 14,255 patients as a control group. We followed up patients in both groups for a 5-year period to identify any new diagnoses of COPD. We then followed them up for an additional 2-year period to determine the severity of any newly diagnosed cases of COPD as indicated by acute respiratory events. Cox proportional hazard regression analyses were performed to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) of COPD during the 5-year follow-up period and COPD complication during the additional 2-year follow-up period.ResultsOf the 17,823 patients in the study, 2,765 (15.5%) were newly diagnosed with COPD during the 5-year follow-up period; 904 (32.7%) were from the scabies group; and 1,861 (67.3%) were from the control group. Compared to the patients without scabies, the adjusted HR (aHR) for COPD for the subjects with scabies was 1.72 (95% CI: 1.59–1.87) during the 5-year follow-up period. For those newly diagnosed with COPD, the aHR for COPD with acute exacerbation was 1.85 (95% CI: 1.67–2.06), the aHR for COPD with pneumonia was 3.29 (95% CI: 2.77–3.92), the aHR for COPD with acute respiratory failure was 4.00 (95% CI: 3.08–5.19), and the aHR for COPD with cardiopulmonary arrest was 3.95 (95% CI: 2.25–6.95) during the additional 2-year follow-up period.ConclusionThe results of this study indicate a 72% increased risk for COPD among patients with scabies. The results also reveal an increased risk of severe COPD complications such as acute respiratory failure, cardiopulmonary arrest, pneumonia, and acute exacerbation among patients with scabies. This useful information may help physicians in treating scabies and remaining alert to the potential development of COPD and its severe complications.

Aim S‐1 combined with cisplatin is known to be noninferior to taxanes plus platinum as the first‐line treatment for patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the Japanese population. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety profiles of oral S‐1 plus cisplatin (SP) in Taiwanese patients. Methods Patients with previously untreated stage IIIB or IV NSCLC were prospectively recruited to receive 40‐60 mg of S‐1 twice daily on days 1‐21 plus 60 mg/m2 of cisplatin on day 8 in a 5‐week cycle for up to six cycles. Results A total of 55 patients from five cancer centers in Taiwan were enrolled. Among the 46 evaluable patients, those administered with SP achieved disease control rate of 69.6% (partial response, 19.6%; stable disease, 50.0%), with median overall survival and progression‐free survival (PFS) of 15.1 and 5.7 months, respectively. Moreover, a better survival trend was observed in epidermal growth factor receptor mutation‐positive patients versus mutation‐negative patients treated with SP (PFS, 8.6 vs 5.6 months). The most commonly observed treatment‐related adverse events (AEs) were nausea (41.8%), followed by decreased appetite, anemia, and diarrhea. Grade of ≥3 AEs related to the study treatment occurred in 11 patients (20.0%). No febrile neutropenia or treatment‐related death was found in this study. Conclusions This study demonstrated that SP is an effective and safe first‐line regimen for Taiwanese patients with advanced NSCLC.

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