Chest
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Once-daily umeclidinium/vilanterol 125/25 mcg in COPD: a randomized, controlled study.
Combination long-acting bronchodilator therapy may be more effective than long-acting bronchodilator monotherapy in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). ⋯ protocol number: DB2113361; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01313637.
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There is increasing interest in the use of telemedicine to assist in the management of chronic diseases. Telemedicine possibilities for patients with COPD include medical consultations, in-home patient monitoring, and remote rehabilitation. Teleconsultations have been used successfully, saving time and travel costs for patients with only a few subsequently requiring face-to-face visits. ⋯ Given the health-care costs and commitment involved in telemonitoring, well-designed longer-term multicenter studies with appropriate follow-up are required prior to its more widespread application. Emerging evidence from preliminary trials of telerehabilitation for the pulmonary patient is encouraging. It may represent a useful tool for increasing access and building capacity, especially in remote areas.
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Clinical Trial
Young "healthy" smokers have functional and inflammatory changes in the nasal and the lower airways.
Smoking is responsible for most COPD. Although people with COPD often have concomitant nasal disease, there are few studies that report physiologic or inflammatory changes in the upper airways in young asymptomatic smokers. We investigated physiologic and inflammatory changes in the nasal and lower airways of young smokers and if these changes were related to smoking history. ⋯ Young adult smokers have functional and inflammatory changes in the nasal and lower airways and these correlate with smoking history. However, in these young smokers, smoking history was not associated with pulmonary function decline, probably because it is unlikely that spirometry detects early physiologic changes in the airways.
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Multicenter Study
Short- and medium-term prognosis in patients hospitalized for COPD exacerbation: The CODEX index.
No valid tools exist for evaluating the prognosis in the short and medium term after hospital discharge of patients with COPD. Our hypothesis was that a new index based on the CODEX (comorbidity, obstruction, dyspnea, and previous severe exacerbations) index can accurately predict mortality, hospital readmission, and their combination for the period from 3 months to 1 year after discharge in patients hospitalized for COPD. ⋯ The CODEX index was a useful predictor of survival and readmission at both 3 months and 1 year after hospital discharge for a COPD exacerbation, with a prognostic capacity superior to other previously published indexes.
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Guidelines recommend mediastinal lymph node sampling as the fi rst invasive diagnostic procedure in patients with suspected lung cancer with mediastinal lymphadenopathy without distant metastases. ⋯ Guideline-consistent care varied regionally and was associated with physician-level factors, suggesting that a lack of effective physician training may be contributing to the quality gaps observed.