Chest
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Risk factors for chronic cough in the general population have not been described systematically. We identified and ranked chronic cough risk factors at the individual and community level using data from 14,669 individuals from the Copenhagen General Population Study. ⋯ Risk factors for chronic cough differ at the level of the individual and community, and by smoking status. Strategies to prevent and treat modifiable chronic cough risk factors should be tailored accordingly.
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Case Reports
Intravenous immunoglobulin for treatment of severe refractory heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.
Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) complicated by severe thrombocytopenia and thrombosis can pose significant treatment challenges. Use of alternative anticoagulants in this setting may increase bleeding risks, especially in patients who have a protracted disease course. Additional therapies are lacking in this severely affected patient population. ⋯ These studies suggest that IVIg treatment should be considered in patients with HIT who have severe disease that is refractory to standard therapies.
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The ability of specific histopathologic features to predict mortality or lung transplantation in patients with chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is unknown. ⋯ Histopathologic patterns of c-NSIP and PI-PFG had a better transplant-free survival than did patterns of UIP, f-NSIP, and BF. The presence of fibroblast foci or dense collagen fibrosis correlated with progression to death or lung transplantation. Identification of fibroblast foci on biopsy samples, regardless of the underlying histopathologic pattern, may be a clinically useful predictor of survival in patients with HP.
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Statins are widely used to lower cholesterol levels and cardiovascular risk. Further, studies have shown that statins may decrease the risks of infectious diseases and infection-related mortality; however, the association between statin use and active TB disease remains unclear. ⋯ Statin use associates with a lower risk of incident TB disease.
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OSA results from the collapse of different pharyngeal structures (soft palate, tongue, lateral walls, and epiglottis). The structure involved in collapse has been shown to impact non-CPAP OSA treatment. Different inspiratory airflow shapes are also observed among patients with OSA. We hypothesized that inspiratory flow shape reflects the underlying pharyngeal structure involved in airway collapse. ⋯ Inspiratory flow shape is influenced by the pharyngeal structure causing collapse. Flow shape analysis may be used as a noninvasive tool to help determine the pharyngeal structure causing collapse.