The New England journal of medicine
-
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major public health problem associated with long-term exposure to toxic gases and particles. We examined the evolution of the pathological effects of airway obstruction in patients with COPD. ⋯ Progression of COPD is associated with the accumulation of inflammatory mucous exudates in the lumen and infiltration of the wall by innate and adaptive inflammatory immune cells that form lymphoid follicles. These changes are coupled to a repair or remodeling process that thickens the walls of these airways.
-
Although renal-replacement therapy for children with end-stage renal disease has been used for several decades, data on patients' long-term survival are sparse. ⋯ Despite improvement in long-term survival, mortality rates among children requiring renal-replacement therapy remain substantially higher than those among children without end-stage renal disease. Increasing the proportion of children treated with renal transplantation rather than with dialysis can improve survival further.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Efficacy of B-cell-targeted therapy with rituximab in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
An open-label study indicated that selective depletion of B cells with the use of rituximab led to sustained clinical improvements for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. To confirm these observations, we conducted a randomized, double-blind, controlled study. ⋯ In patients with active rheumatoid arthritis despite methotrexate treatment, a single course of two infusions of rituximab, alone or in combination with either cyclophosphamide or continued methotrexate, provided significant improvement in disease symptoms at both weeks 24 and 48.