Chest
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Pleural effusions are present in 15% to 44% of hospitalized patients with pneumonia. It is unknown whether effusions at first presentation to the ED influence outcomes or should be managed differently. ⋯ Patients with pneumonia and pleural effusions at ED presentation in this study were more likely to die, be admitted, and had longer hospital stays. Why parapneumonic effusions are associated with adverse outcomes, and whether different management of these patients might improve outcome, needs urgent investigation.
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Lung transplantation is now an established treatment for a broad spectrum of end-stage pulmonary diseases. According to the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation Registry, more than 50,000 lung transplants have been performed worldwide, with nearly 11,000 lung transplant recipients alive in the United States. With the increasing application of lung transplantation, pulmonologists must be cognizant of common complications unique to the postlung transplant period and the associated radiologic findings. The aim of this review is to describe clinical manifestations and prototypical radiographic features of both common and rare complications encountered in lung transplant recipients.
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The aim of this study was to analyze the spectral features of the radiofrequency of lymph nodes during endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) and to determine its diagnostic value for detecting metastatic nodes in patients with lung cancer. ⋯ Metastatic lymph nodes possess unique ultrasonic spectrum features, and spectrum analysis can be used as a novel diagnostic tool for differentiating between benign and malignant nodes in patients with lung cancer.
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Cough is recognized as an important troublesome symptom in the diagnosis and monitoring of asthma. Asthma control is thought to be determined by the degree of airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness but how these factors relate to cough frequency is unclear. The goal of this study was to investigate the relationships between objective cough frequency, disease control, airflow obstruction, and airway inflammation in asthma. ⋯ Ambulatory cough frequency monitoring provides an objective assessment of asthma symptoms that correlates with standard measures of asthma control but not airflow obstruction or airway inflammation. Moreover, cough frequency and airflow obstruction represent independent dimensions of asthma control.