Chest
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Data from long-term follow-up studies of patients with well-characterized asthma are limited. We studied all-cause and cause-specific mortality and risk factors in a large cohort of adults with asthma. ⋯ This 25-year prospective study of a large cohort of adults with well-characterized asthma showed an excess mortality compared with matched control subjects, to a large extent explained by death from obstructive lung disease.
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We previously reported the prognostic impact of the number of involved lymph nodes (LNs) on survival in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, it remains unknown whether the total number or anatomic location of involved LNs is a superior prognostic factor. ⋯ A combined anatomically based pN stage classification and numerically based nN stage classification is a more accurate prognostic determinant in patients with NSCLC, especially in the prognostically heterogeneous pN1 and pN2 cases. Further large-scale international cohort validation analyses are warranted.
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Sputum samples from patients with non-multidrug-resistant (non-MDR) pulmonary TB may remain smear-positive for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) at the fifth month of anti-TB treatment. However, its significance remains unknown. ⋯ Positive sputum smears by a concentrated smear method at the fifth month of treatment in patients with non-MDR TB, especially those with a low SCOR index, may be due to nonviable bacilli and NTM. Careful review of the quality of patient supervision, bacteriologic data, and chest radiography is crucial.
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Obese patients are at risk for developing atelectasis and ARDS. Prone position (PP) may reduce atelectasis, and it improves oxygenation and outcome in severe hypoxemic patients with ARDS, but little is known about its effect in obese patients with ARDS. ⋯ PP seems safe in obese patients and may improve oxygenation more than in nonobese patients. Obese patients could be a subgroup of patients with ARDS who may benefit the most of PP.
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The objective of this study was to identify the clinicopathologic factors influencing postrecurrence survival (PRS) in and the effect of postrecurrence therapy (PRT) on patients with completely resected stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). ⋯ PRT, sex, and differentiation were independently associated with PRS. In the patients who underwent any PRT, PRS was related to EGFR-TKIs, chemotherapy, histology, and initial recurrence sites. One challenge for the future will be to create systematic treatment strategies for recurrent NSCLC according to the risk factor status of individual patients.