BMJ : British medical journal
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Asthma-COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS) or asthma-COPD overlap captures the subset of patients with airways disease who have features of both asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Although definitions of ACOS vary, it is generally thought to encompass persistent airflow limitation in a patient older than 40 years of age with either a history of asthma or large bronchodilator reversibility. ⋯ Whether this condition emerges after gradual shifts in airway remodelling and inflammation in a patient with COPD, as the result of noxious exposures in a patient with asthma, or even as a de novo disease with its own pathology is yet to be determined. Nevertheless, using treatments developed for asthma or COPD that target eosinophilic, neutrophilic, or paucigranulocytic airway inflammation may be a helpful approach to these patients until further clinical trials can be performed.
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Review Meta Analysis
Corticosteroids for treatment of sore throat: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised trials.
Objective To estimate the benefits and harms of using corticosteroids as an adjunct treatment for sore throat. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised control trials. Data sources Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), trial registries up to May 2017, reference lists of eligible trials, related reviews. ⋯ Conclusion Single low dose corticosteroids can provide pain relief in patients with sore throat, with no increase in serious adverse effects. Included trials did not assess the potential risks of larger cumulative doses in patients with recurrent episodes of acute sore throat. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42017067808.