Chest
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with systemic lupus: results from the French Pulmonary Hypertension Registry.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). ⋯ Patients with SLE-PAH have an overall 5-year survival rate of 83.9% after the PAH diagnosis. Anti-SSA/SSB antibodies may be a risk factor for PAH, and the presence of anti-U1-RNP antibodies appears to be a protective factor regarding survival.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
A Phase II Clinical Trial of Low Dose Inhaled Carbon Monoxide in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.
Preclinical studies have demonstrated that low-dose carbon monoxide (CO) can abrogate experimental lung fibrosis. To test the therapeutic role of inhaled CO, we designed a clinical study in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). ⋯ Inhaled CO is well tolerated and can be safely administered to patients with IPF in the ambulatory setting; however, inhaled CO did not result in significant changes in study end points. Our findings support testing the efficacy of inhaled therapies in future IPF clinical trials.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Hemodynamic assessment of septic shock patients using transpulmonary thermodilution and critical care echocardiography. A comparative study.
To assess the agreement between transpulmonary thermodilution (TPT) and critical care echocardiography (CCE) in ventilated patients with septic shock. ⋯ Agreement between TPT and CCE was moderate when interpreted at bedside and good when adjudicated offline by experts, but without impact on lactate clearance and mortality.
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A substantial proportion of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) cases recur after completion of antibiotic therapy, and antibiotic cure rates diminish with each recurrence of CDI. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is an effective therapy for recurrent FMT, which otherwise requires prolonged or indefinite antibiotic treatment. FMT is performed by introducing the fecal microbial community obtained from a healthy donor or pool of donors into the stomach, small intestine, or colon of a patient with CDI. ⋯ Fourth, insurance reimbursement for FMT usually falls short of FMT administration costs. In the setting of rising C difficile incidence and growing evidence for FMT efficacy, the demand for FMT has increased. However, uncertainty surrounding optimal FMT preparation and administration methods, FDA oversight, and insurance reimbursement presently limits the clinical practice of FMT.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Performance of Low Dose Perfusion Scintigraphy and Computed Tomographic Pulmonary Angiography for Pulmonary Embolism in Pregnancy.
The symptoms of normal pregnancy overlap those of pulmonary embolism (PE). Limited literature suggests that low-dose perfusion scanning (LDQ), which yields lower maternal-fetal radiation exposure than CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA), performs well in excluding PE in pregnant patients. ⋯ PE is an uncommon diagnosis in pregnancy. LDQ and CTPA perform well, with less maternal-fetal radiation exposure with LDQ. Therefore, when available, LDQ is a reasonable first-choice modality for suspected PE in pregnant women with a negative result on chest radiograph.