Chest
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Correlation of cough with disease activity and treatment with cyclophosphamide in scleroderma interstitial lung disease: findings from the Scleroderma Lung Study.
Cough is a significant symptom in patients with scleroderma interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD), affecting 73% of the 158 patients enrolled in the Scleroderma Lung Study (SLS), a multicenter randomized trial of oral cyclophosphamide (CYC) vs placebo (PLA) in patients with active interstitial lung disease. ⋯ Cough is a common symptom in SSc-ILD and correlates with the extent of fibrosis. Cough frequency decreases significantly in response to treatment with CYC but returns to baseline 1 year after withdrawal of treatment. Cough may be a symptom of ongoing fibrosis and an independent variable in assessing therapeutic response to CYC.
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Comparative Study
MicroRNA-199a-5p is associated with hypoxia-inducible factor-1α expression in lungs from patients with COPD.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that silence target gene expression posttranscriptionally, and their impact on gene expression has been reported in various diseases. It has been reported that the expression of the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) is reduced and that of p53 is increased in lungs from patients with COPD. However, the role of miRNAs associated with these genes in lungs from patients with COPD is unknown. ⋯ These data suggest that miR-34a and miR-199a-5p contribute to the pathogenesis of COPD, and these miRNAs may also affect the HIF-1α-dependent lung structure maintenance program.
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The aim of this study was to determine the long-term pulmonary outcome of extreme prematurity at a single tertiary-care center from 1997 to 2001 in the postsurfactant era. ⋯ Pulmonary outcome was encouraging at mid-childhood for neurologically intact survivors in the postsurfactant era. Despite mechanical ventilation and oxygen therapy, most had no or mild BPD. Changes found probably reflect the hypoplastic lungs of prematurity.
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Comparative Study
Relationship between lung function impairment and health-related quality of life in COPD and interstitial lung disease.
Health-related quality-of-life (HRQL) measures have been correlated with lung function in patients with COPD and interstitial lung disease (ILD). However, different pathophysiologic mechanisms may influence how these distinct diseases affect HRQL, resulting in differing HRQL by pulmonary diagnosis among patients with similar severity of ventilatory impairment. ⋯ HRQL scores were worse for patients with ILD compared with patients with COPD with similar degrees of ventilatory impairment. Differences in dyspnea mechanism or in the rate of disease progression may account for these differences in HRQL.
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Comparative Study
Sleep-disordered breathing and caffeine consumption: results of a community-based study.
Sleepiness is one of the most burdensome symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). While caffeine is frequently used to avert sleepiness, the association between SDB and caffeine use has not been thoroughly explored. The current study examined whether SDB is associated with caffeine consumption and if factors such as sex, age, and daytime sleepiness explain or modify the association. ⋯ SDB is independently associated with caffeinated soda use in the general community. Identifying excessive caffeine used in SDB has potential significance given the cardiovascular effects of caffeine and untreated SDB.