Chest
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Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) causes progressive dyspnea, hypoxemia, and death within a few years. Little is known about the effect of air pollution on disease exacerbations. ⋯ Our findings suggest that acute increases in air pollution are a risk factor for hospitalization of patients with a primary diagnosis of IPF.
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Chitinase activity is an important innate immune defence mechanism against infection that includes fungi. The 2 human chitinases: chitotriosidase (CHIT1) and acidic mammalian chitinase are associated to allergy, asthma, and COPD; however, their role in bronchiectasis and bronchiectasis-COPD overlap (BCO) is unknown. ⋯ Systemic CHIT1 activity may represent a useful clinical tool for the identification of fungal-driven "frequent exacerbators" with bronchiectasis in South-East Asian populations.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Observational Study
Change in clinical practice associated with a large randomised controlled trial comparing red cell transfusion strategies.
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Prematurity is a risk factor for impaired lung function. We sought to assess the long-term effect of palivizumab immunization and extreme prematurity (<29 weeks gestation) on respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function in adolescence. ⋯ Palivizumab did not provide any discernable long-term protective effect. Nevertheless, adolescent survivors of extreme prematurity showed good clinical and physiologic outcomes, except for mildly raised lung clearance index in patients with bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Airway hyperreactivity detected at primary school age, decreased by adolescence.