Respiratory medicine
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Respiratory medicine · Nov 2012
Clinical TrialMonitoring free serum IgE in severe asthma patients treated with omalizumab.
Benefit of treatment with the monoclonal anti-IgE-antibody omalizumab in severe IgE-dependent asthma requires a significant reduction of serum free IgE concentrations. It is unclear if monitoring free serum IgE is clinically meaningful once omalizumab treatment is initiated. ⋯ Monitoring free IgE and omalizumab serum concentrations in patients treated with omalizumab does not predict clinical response nor does it add to the decision to continue or stop treatment. However, routine measurements of free IgE may be clinically relevant to demonstrate an adequate reduction in free IgE in patients not responding to omalizumab therapy.
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This study took advantage of a large population-based database of the Taiwan National Health Insurance (NHI) to investigate the epidemiology of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in Taiwan. ⋯ In Taiwan, elderly men were the major group suffering from IPF. Survival time was short after IPF diagnosis, and the poor survival was largely attributable to quick IPF progression after diagnosis.
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Respiratory medicine · Nov 2012
Non-invasive ventilation in immunosuppressed patients with pneumonia and extrapulmonary sepsis.
International guidelines recommend the use of noninvasive ventilation in immunocompromised patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF). We analyzed failure rates and risk factors for NIV failure in immunocompromised patients. ⋯ Almost 50% of the immunocompromised patients treated with NIV did not require intubation independent of the etiology of ARF. High APACHE II scores and severity of oxygenation failure were associated with NIV failure.
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Respiratory medicine · Oct 2012
Comparative StudyAsynchronies and sleep disruption in neuromuscular patients under home noninvasive ventilation.
Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) may improve quality of sleep but patient-ventilator asynchronies (PVA) may affect sleep structure. Possible changes in ventilation quality after hospital discharge are poorly known. ⋯ Most kinds of PVA are often associated with arousals. Polygraphic monitoring may help to improve ventilator setting. However, air leaks and autotriggerings may increase in unassisted environments. Therefore, it may be useful to extend control of NIV effects at home.
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Respiratory medicine · Oct 2012
Prevalence of airway and parenchymal abnormalities in newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis.
Pulmonary disease is a well recognised and important extra-articular manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of airway and parenchymal abnormalities in newly diagnosed patients with RA and to correlate these with clinical measures of RA severity and laboratory tests. ⋯ Patients with newly diagnosed RA have a moderate prevalence of airway and parenchymal abnormalities on HRCT and lower than predicted lung function parameters which cannot entirely be explained by smoking. These data suggest that pulmonary involvement is present early in the disease course in RA.