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  • Imaging and serum biomarkers in connective tissue disease–associated interstitial lung diseases: correlation between lung ultrasound B-lines and KL-6 levels

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Imaging and serum biomarkers in connective tissue disease–associated interstitial lung diseases: correlation between lung ultrasound B-lines and KL-6 levels
  1. Yukai Wang1,2,
  2. Shaoqi Chen3,
  3. Zhangzhang Lin3,
  4. Guangzhou Du4,
  5. Jianqun Lin1,
  6. Qisheng Lin1,
  7. Huang Xiufeng5,
  8. Guohong Zhang6,
  9. Daniel E Furst7,
  10. Luna Gargani8,
  11. Marco Matucci-Cerinic2
  1. 1 Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Shantou Central Hospital, Shantou, China
  2. 2 Department of Geriatric Medicine, Division of Rheumatology AOUC, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
  3. 3 Department of Ultrasound, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
  4. 4 Department of Radiology, Shantou Central Hospital, Shantou, China
  5. 5 Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shantou Central Hospital, Shantou, China
  6. 6 Department of Pathology, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
  7. 7 Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA
  8. 8 Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Pisa, Italy
  1. Correspondence to Dr Yukai Wang, Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Shantou Central Hospital, Shantou, China; stzxyywyk{at}126.com; Dr Shaoqi Chen, Department of Ultrasound, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China; 1036587183{at}qq.com

https://doi.org/10.1136/annrheumdis-2018-214098

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    B-Lines are a new sonographic hallmark of connective tissue disease–associated interstitial lung diseases (CTD-ILDs). Promising data have shown that B-lines are associated with high-resolution CT (HRCT), pulmonary function test and some clinical variables, expanding the armamentarium for screening of ILDs.1 Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) antigen is a mucin-like, high molecular weight glycoprotein expressed on the surface membrane of alveolar epithelial cells Ⅱ and bronchiolar epithelial cells, and increases following cellular injury and/or regeneration.2 Its role in patients with CTD-ILDs has been studied extensively, indicating KL-6 as a useful biomarker of lung fibrosis and severity of the disease.3 To the best of our knowledge, the correlation between B-lines and serum KL-6 levels in CTD-ILDs has not been reported until now.

    To investigate the relationship between these two markers, 60 Chinese patients with CTD-ILDs were enrolled. Patients with a history of asthma, chronic …

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    Footnotes

    • YW and SC contributed equally.

    • Handling editor Josef S Smolen

    • Contributors YW, SC, LG, DEF and MM-C designed the study and wrote the manuscript. SC and ZL performed lung ultrasound. GD performed chest high-resolution CT. GZ performed KL-6 analyses. XH performed pulmonary function test. JL and QL collected clinical information. All authors have read and contributed to the final text and also approved the submitted version.

    • Competing interests Luna Gargani received speaker honoraria from GE Healthcare and Glaxo-Smith-Kline.

    • Patient consent Obtained.

    • Ethics approval Approved by the Shantou Central Hospital Ethics Committee.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.