Chest
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Because the prevalence of connective tissue disease (CTD)-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD; CTD-ILD) in China is unknown, we wanted to analyze the clinical characteristics of this disease in Chinese patients. ⋯ Patients with CTD-ILD do not receive an accurate diagnosis at the initial hospital admission possibly because of negative serologic test results for autoantibodies and the absence of obvious extrapulmonary symptoms. Thus, patients with ILD should be examined for extrapulmonary symptoms and tested for autoantibodies at follow-up examinations.
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Review Meta Analysis
Efficacy and Safety of Corticosteroids for Community-Acquired Pneumonia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Corticosteroids are an option in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). However, the benefits and adverse effects of corticosteroids, especially in severe CAP, have not been well assessed. ⋯ Short-term treatment with corticosteroids is safe and may reduce the risk of ARDS, shortening the length of the disease in patients with CAP.
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This article describes the use of smart technology by investigators and patients to facilitate lung disease clinical trials and make them less costly and more efficient. By "smart technology" we include various electronic media, such as computer databases, the Internet, and mobile devices. We first describe the use of electronic health records for identifying potential subjects and then discuss electronic informed consent. ⋯ We discuss examples of new electronic devices that recently have been introduced to collect health data. While use of smart technology in clinical trials is an exciting development, comparison with similar interventions applied in a conventional manner is still in its infancy. We discuss advantages and disadvantages of using this omnipresent, powerful tool in clinical trials, as well as directions for future research.