Chest
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Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) include questionnaires or surveys that ask patients for their perceptions about things like symptoms they are experiencing or quality of life. For incurable, morbid, life-shortening conditions like idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), PROs are particularly germane: They elucidate for clinicians and researchers what it is like for patients to live with such a disease, and they may detect important treatment effects not captured by other metrics (eg, pulmonary physiology). ⋯ When PROs are used as end points in therapeutic trials, analyzing PRO response data can be challenging, but these challenges can be overcome with a transparent, thoughtful, and sophisticated statistical approach. In this article, we discuss some of the basics of PRO assessment, existing knowledge gaps in IPF-related PRO research, and the potential usefulness of using PROs in IPF trials and conclude by offering specific recommendations for an approach to analyzing repeated-measures PRO data from IPF trials.
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Pulmonary disease caused by talc is well described, but previous reports mainly describe lung parenchymal involvement. We describe what is, to our knowledge, the first case in which inhalation of cosmetic talc led to intense endobronchitis and airway stricture. A 70-year-old woman presented with new-onset wheezing and was found to have right upper lobe collapse on chest radiography. ⋯ Bronchial biopsy specimens showed foreign-body granulomatosis encasing birefringent crystalline material. Spectral analysis confirmed the crystals to be consistent with cosmetic talc used by the patient. We hypothesize that the patient inhaled a large amount of talc, which was trapped in the larger airways and resulted in intense foreign-body granulomatosis, leading to an airway stricture.
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Bronchodilators are first-line therapy for COPD. There is some evidence that they may increase the risk of cardiac arrhythmias. ⋯ The new use of bronchodilators, particularly ipratropium and LABAs, may increase the risk of cardiac arrhythmias in patients with COPD. Although these results raise concerns regarding LABAs, they were based on few cases and require confirmation in larger cohorts.
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Bronchiectasis is a potentially serious condition characterized by permanent and abnormal widening of the airways, the prevalence of which is not well described. We sought to describe the trends, associated conditions, and risk factors for bronchiectasis among adults aged ≥ 65 years. ⋯ Bronchiectasis prevalence increased significantly from 2000 to 2007 in the Medicare outpatient setting and varied by age, sex, and race/ethnicity. This increase could be due to a true increase in the condition or an increased recognition of previously undiagnosed cases.
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Silicosis is a progressive, fibrotic, occupational lung disease resulting from inhalation of respirable crystalline silica. This disease is preventable through appropriate workplace practices. We systematically assessed an outbreak of silicosis among patients referred to our center for lung transplant. ⋯ This silicosis outbreak is important because of the worldwide use of this and similar high-silica-content, artificial stone products. Further cases are likely to occur unless effective preventive measures are undertaken and existing safety practices are enforced.