Chest
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Comparative Study
The effect of end-of-life discussions on perceived quality of care and health status among patients with COPD.
Despite strong preferences for discussions about end-of-life care, patients with COPD do not often have these discussions with their providers. Our objective was to determine whether patients who reported having end-of-life discussions also reported higher perceived markers of quality of care and health status. ⋯ Patients who reported having end-of-life care discussions with their physicians had higher perceived quality of care and satisfaction with their physicians. Discussing end-of-life care with patients who have COPD may improve their perceived overall quality of and satisfaction with care.
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The role of systemic inflammation in asthma is unclear. The aim of this study was to compare systemic inflammation in subjects with stable asthma, categorized by airway inflammatory phenotype, with healthy control subjects. ⋯ Systemic inflammation is increased in patients with asthma with neutrophilic airway inflammation and associated with worse clinical outcomes. Systemic inflammation may contribute to the pathophysiology of neutrophilic asthma.
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The tumor microenvironment, of which cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are the major cellular components, plays an important role in tumor progression. This study evaluated the significance of podoplanin-positive CAFs and CD204-positive TAMs, which may reflect tumor-promoting CAFs and TAMs, as risk factors for recurrence in patients with stage I lung adenocarcinoma. ⋯ Podoplanin-positive CAFs were the most powerful independent risk factor for recurrence in patients with stage I lung adenocarcinoma. Podoplanin-positive CAFs may be useful for identifying patients with a high risk of recurrence who might benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy.
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We describe the case of a 40-year-old female patient who developed severe pulmonary hypertension and life-threatening right-sided heart failure in association with dietary scurvy and iron deficiency. Supplementation with oral vitamin C and iron very likely contributed to her complete cure. ⋯ HIF coordinates the body's responses to hypoxia, and its activity is regulated by oxygen-dependent prolyl hydroxylases, which need vitamin C and iron as cofactors. Deficiency of these cofactors could lead to uncontrolled HIF activity and pulmonary vasoconstriction responsive to vitamin C and iron administration.
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Clinical data with use of serial interferon-γ release assay (IGRA) testing in US health-care workers (HCWs) are limited. ⋯ Clinical significance of most QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube conversions in serial testing remains a challenging task for clinicians. The use of a single cutoff point criterion for IGRA may lead to overdiagnosis of new TB infections. Clinical assessment and evaluation may help to prevent unnecessary therapy in these cases. The criteria for defining conversions and reversions by establishing new cutoffs needs to be evaluated further, especially in HCWs.