Chest
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Multicenter Study
IMPORTANCE OF LEGIONELLA PNEUMOPHILA IN THE ETIOLOGY OF SEVERE COMMUNITY-ACQUIRED PNEUMONIA IN SANTIAGO, CHILE.
In US and European literature, Legionella pneumophila is reported as an important etiologic agent of severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), but in Chile this information is lacking. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence and identify predictors of severe CAP caused by L pneumophila in Santiago, Chile. ⋯ We found that in Santiago, L pneumophila was second to S pneumoniae as the etiologic agent of severe CAP. Severe hyponatremia at admission appears to be an indicator for L pneumophila etiology in severe CAP.
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Comparative Study
Obstructive Lung Disease in Mexican-Americans and non-Hispanic Whites: an Analysis of Diagnosis and Survival in the NHANES III Follow-up Study.
Although obstructive lung disease (OLD), which includes COPD, affects all the populations, Hispanics seem to be protected against COPD development and progression. Whether this advantage translates into a survival benefit for this population is unknown. We aimed to determine the risk for OLD in Mexican Americans, the largest US Hispanic subgroup, compared with non-Hispanic whites and to assess all-cause mortality in subjects with OLD. ⋯ Although Mexican Americans appear to have lower risk for OLD, subjects of this ethnicity with OLD do not seem to have a survival advantage.
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Pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis (PCH) is a rare disease of capillary proliferation of unknown cause and with a high mortality. Families with multiple affected individuals with PCH suggest a heritable cause although the genetic etiology remains unknown. ⋯ Mutations in EIF2AK4 are likely to cause autosomal-recessive PCH in familial and some nonfamilial cases.
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The diagnosis of COPD is made by objectively demonstrating nonreversible airflow obstruction of the lungs. Despite this, rates of pulmonary function testing (PFT) for diagnosis remain low. It is still not known why testing is underused. ⋯ Only about one-third of individuals with COPD in Ontario, Canada, received PFT to confirm their diagnosis; age, comorbidity, and physician factors appear to influence its use. Targeted strategies that address these factors could increase the rate of appropriate testing of people with suspected COPD and improve quality of COPD care.