Eosinophilic lung diseases are a diverse group of pulmonary disorders associated with peripheral or tissue eosinophilia. They are classified as eosinophilic lung diseases of unknown cause (simple pulmonary eosinophilia [SPE], acute eosinophilic pneumonia [AEP], chronic eosinophilic pneumonia [CEP], idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome [IHS]), eosinophilic lung diseases of known cause (allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis [ABPA], bronchocentric granulomatosis [BG], parasitic infections, drug reactions), and eosinophilic vasculitis (allergic angiitis, granulomatosis [Churg-Strauss syndrome]). The percentages of eosinophils in peripheral blood and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid are essential parts of the evaluation. Chest computed tomography (CT) demonstrates a more characteristic pattern and distribution of parenchymal opacities than does conventional chest radiography. At CT, SPE and IHS are characterized by single or multiple nodules with a surrounding ground-glass-opacity halo, AEP mimics radiologically hydrostatic pulmonary edema, and CEP is characterized by nonsegmental airspace consolidations with peripheral predominance. ABPA manifests with bilateral central bronchiectasis with or without mucoid impaction. The CT manifestations of BG are nonspecific and consist of a focal mass or lobar consolidation with atelectasis. The most common CT findings in Churg-Strauss syndrome include sub-pleural consolidation with lobular distribution, centrilobular nodules, bronchial wall thickening, and interlobular septal thickening. The integration of clinical, radiologic, and pathologic findings facilitates the initial and differential diagnoses of various eosinophilic lung diseases.

Thoracic paragangliomas comprise only 1-2% of all paragangliomas, including the adrenal pheochromocytomas, and these tumors are mostly found in the mediastinal compartments (1). To the best of our knowledge, there is only one case report in the pathology literature of endobronchial involvement by a primary pulmonary paraganglioma (2). We report here on the CT and bronchoscopic findings of a case of pathologically proven endobronchial paraganglioma in a 37-year-old woman. In our case, bronchoscopy and CT demonstrated an endobronchial hypervascular mass, which indicated the presence of carcinoid or hypervascular metastasis based on the known incidence of such tumors.

Serotonin antagonist reuptake inhibitor (SARI) drugs that block both 5-HT(2) receptors and the serotonin transporters have been developed. The human 5-HT(2A/2C) receptor has been implicated in several neurological conditions, and potent selective 5-HT(2A/2C) ligands may have therapeutic potential for treatment of CNS diseases such as depression. An imidazole moiety usually provides good pharmacokinetic properties as a drug substance, and thus considerable efforts have been devoted to develop imidazole derivatives into drug candidates. The imidazole series of compounds was evaluated against 5-HT(2A/2C) and serotonin reuptake inhibition. A few of the compounds in the series showed promising IC(50) values and antidepressant-like effect in in vivo forced swimming test (FST). On the basis of these results, further lead optimization studies resulted in identifying promising compounds potentially for therapeutic use.

A percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy is a common procedure in the practice of pulmonology. An air embolism is a rare but potentially fatal complication of a percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy. We report four cases of a cerebral air embolism that developed after a percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy. Early diagnosis and the rapid application of hyperbaric oxygen therapy is the mainstay of therapy for an embolism. Prevention is the best course and it is essential that possible risk factors be avoided.

Radiologic findings of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), a novel coronavirus infection, have been rarely reported. We report a 30-year-old male presented with fever, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, who was diagnosed with MERS. A chest computed tomographic scan revealed rapidly developed multifocal nodular consolidations with ground-glass opacity halo and mixed consolidation, mainly in the dependent and peripheral areas. After treatment, follow-up imaging showed that these abnormalities markedly decreased but fibrotic changes developed.