Chest
-
Comparative Study
Epidemiology of asthma hospitalizations among American Indian and Alaska Native people and the general United States population.
Asthma, a common chronic disease among adults and children in the United States, results in nearly one-half million hospitalizations annually. There has been no evaluation of asthma hospitalizations for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people since a previous study using data for 1988-2002. In this study, we describe the epidemiology and trends for asthma hospitalizations among AI/AN people and the general US population for 2003-2011. ⋯ Asthma hospitalization rates are decreasing for AI/AN people and the general US population despite increasing prevalence rates. AI/AN people experienced a substantially lower age-adjusted asthma hospitalization rate compared with the general US population. Although the rates for AI/AN infants and children 1 to 4 years of age have declined substantially, they remain higher compared with other age groups. Improved disease management and awareness should help to further decrease asthma hospitalizations, particularly among young children.
-
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) causes respiratory compromise that is difficult to assess in young children. The forced oscillation technique (FOT) is commercially available for children as young as 2 years of age and is nonvolitional. The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of FOT in young children with SMA. ⋯ FOT is feasible in young children with SMA, with abnormal values of reactance and resistance on grouped data, worsening over 12 months. Xrs8 is related to respiratory tests used to monitor progress in SMA (FVC, PCF, AHI). Further research on the value of FOT in managing individuals is warranted.
-
Observational Study
Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients with Lung Transplantation Requiring Admission to the Medical Intensive Care Unit.
There are few data on characteristics and outcomes among patients with lung transplantation (LT) requiring admission to the medical ICU (MICU) beyond the perioperative period. ⋯ Acute rejection is an infrequent cause of decompensation among patients with LT requiring MICU admission. For patients admitted to the MICU, 6-month survival is modest. Functional status at the time of discharge is an independent predictor of survival at 6 months.
-
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Surgical removal of the tumor at an early stage can be curative. However, lung cancer diagnosis at an early stage remains challenging. There is evidence that free fatty acids play a role in cancer development. ⋯ Serum fatty acids and their metabolites demonstrate good sensitivity and specificity for the identification of adenocarcinoma of the lung.
-
Pulmonary TB remains a leading global health issue, but the current Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine fails to control it effectively. Much effort has gone into developing safe and effective boost vaccine candidates for use after the BCG prime vaccination. ⋯ The next few years will determine whether parenteral boosting with some of the lead vaccine candidates, particularly the protein-based vaccines, improves protection in humans over that by BCG. Much effort is needed to develop respiratory mucosal boost vaccines and to identify the reliable immune protective correlates in humans.