Chest
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The purpose of this article is to provide an update on methods for palliating symptoms in patients with histologically benign and malignant central airway obstruction. We review the published literature within the past decade on postintubation, posttracheostomy, and TB- and transplant-related airway strictures; tracheobronchomalacia; and malignant airway obstruction. We review terminology, classification systems, and parameters that impact treatment decisions. ⋯ Several case series and cohort studies demonstrate that airway stents improve dyspnea, lung function, and quality of life in patients with airway obstruction. Airway stenting, however, is associated with high rates of adverse events and should be used only when curative open surgical interventions are not feasible or are contraindicated.
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Review
The A's have it: Developing Apolipoprotein A-I Mimetic Peptides into a Novel Treatment for Asthma.
New treatments are needed for patients with asthma who are refractory to standard therapies, such as individuals with a phenotype of "type 2-low" inflammation. This important clinical problem could potentially be addressed by the development of apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) mimetic peptides. ApoA-I interacts with its cellular receptor, the ATP-binding cassette subfamily A, member 1 (ABCA1), to facilitate cholesterol efflux out of cells to form nascent high-density lipoprotein particles. ⋯ Higher serum levels of apoA-I have also been associated with less severe airflow obstruction in patients with asthma. Collectively, these results suggest that the apoA-I/ABCA1 pathway may have a protective effect in asthma, and support the concept of advancing inhaled apoA-I mimetic peptides to clinical trials that can assess their safety and effectiveness. Thus, we propose that the development of inhaled apoA-I mimetic peptides as a new treatment could represent a clinical advance for patients with severe asthma who are unresponsive to other therapies.
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Lung transplantation (LTx) has become an accepted treatment for carefully selected patients with end-stage lung disease. Critical care issues have gained importance concerning bridging of candidates by mechanical respiratory support and are involved in the care after transplantation. The nature of respiratory support varies from oxygen supply and noninvasive ventilation, to mechanical respiratory support either by mechanical ventilation and/or extracorporeal life support. ⋯ Primary graft dysfunction and prolonged mechanical ventilation are major obstacles to hospital survival after LTx. Clear evidence is lacking on how to ventilate and optimally manage patients after LTx. Prolonged extracorporeal life support after LTx may improve outcome in selected patients with a primary graft dysfunction.
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Despite the undeniable medical advances achieved in recent decades, cancer remains one of the main causes of mortality. It is thus extremely important to make every effort to discover new risk factors for this disease, particularly ones that can be treated or modified. Various pathophysiologic pathways have been postulated as possible causes of cancer or its increased aggressiveness, and also of greater resistance to antitumoral treatment, in the presence of both intermittent hypoxia and sleep fragmentation (both inherent to sleep apnea). ⋯ Meanwhile, recent human studies drawing on preexisting databases have observed an increase in cancer incidence and mortality in patients with a greater severity of sleep-disordered breathing. However, the methodologic limitations of these studies (which are mostly retrospective and lack any measurement of direct markers of intermittent hypoxia or sleep fragmentation) highlight the need for controlled, prospective studies that would provide stronger scientific evidence regarding the existence of this association and its main characteristics, as well as explore its nature and origin in greater depth. The great epidemiologic impact of both cancer and sleep apnea and the potential for clinical treatment make this field of research an exciting challenge.
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Problems with the use of inhalers by patients were noted shortly after the launch of the metered-dose inhaler (MDI) and persist today. We aimed to assess the most common errors in inhaler use over the past 40 years in patients treated with MDIs or dry powder inhalers (DPIs). ⋯ Incorrect inhaler technique is unacceptably frequent and has not improved over the past 40 years, pointing to an urgent need for new approaches to education and drug delivery.