Chest
-
Comparative Study
Poor symptom control is associated with reduced CT segmental airway lumen area in asthmatic smokers.
Cigarette smoking is associated with worse symptoms in asthma and abnormal segmental airways in healthy subjects. We tested the hypothesis that current symptom control in smokers with asthma is associated with altered segmental airway dimensions measured by CT scan. ⋯ The CT scan segmental airway lumen area is reduced in smokers with asthma compared with never smokers with asthma, particularly in severe disease, and is associated with worse current symptom control and small airway dysfunction.
-
Platelets are believed to be critical in pulmonary-origin ARDS as mediators of endothelial damage through their interactions with fibrinogen and multiple signal transduction pathways. A prior meta-analysis identified five loci for platelet count (PLT): BAD, LRRC16A, CD36, JMJD1C, and SLMO2. This study aims to validate the quantitative trait loci (QTLs) of PLT within BAD, LRRC16A, CD36, JMJD1C, and SLMO2 among critically ill patients and to investigate the associations of these QTLs with ARDS risk that may be mediated through PLT. ⋯ Our findings support the role of LRRC16A in platelet formation and suggest the importance of LRRC16A in ARDS pathophysiology by interacting with, and being mediated through, platelets.
-
Elevated cardiac troponin levels have been shown to be associated with adverse outcomes in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE). However, few data address the management implications of undetectable cardiac troponin I (cTnI) using a highly sensitive assay. We hypothesized that undetectable cTnI predicts very low in-hospital adverse event rates. ⋯ Highly sensitive cTnI assay provides an excellent prognostic negative predictive value; thus, it plays a role in identifying candidates for out-of-hospital treatment of acute PE.
-
A 62-year-old man developed a scalp rash 2 months ago, followed by bilateral eyelid swelling. The nonpruritic rash then spread to involve most of his skin. ⋯ He had no other symptoms. He had a 50 pack-year history of smoking and drank two to three shots of alcohol daily.
-
Cilia line the surface of the respiratory tract and beat in a coordinated wave to protect the lungs against infection. Bardet Biedl Syndrome (BBS) is a rare condition attributed to cilia dysfunction. Murine models of BBS suggest a respiratory phenotype; however, no reports have studied the translation of these findings in patients. ⋯ In conclusion, motile ciliary structure and function are essentially normal in patients with BBS.