Respiratory medicine
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Respiratory medicine · Apr 2012
Ethnic and racial differences in the presence of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis at death.
In studies of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), whites makeup the vast majority of subjects. Whether ethnic/racial differences in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis occur in the general population is unknown. ⋯ From 1989 to 2007, black decedents were less-and Hispanics were more-likely than whites to die of/with IPF. Research is needed to determine if genetic differences between ethnic/racial groups explain these findings.
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Respiratory medicine · Apr 2012
Lung capillary blood volume and membrane diffusion in idiopathic interstitial pneumonia.
Diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) is a good marker of disease severity in patients with idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP). The combined diffusing capacity of nitric oxide (DLNO) and DLCO determines the two components of diffusion: membrane conductance (Dm, CO) and pulmonary capillary blood volume (Vc). ⋯ Our main results indicate that Dm, CO and Vc contribute almost equally to DLCO reduction in IIP. Dm, CO and Vc are related to functional indicators of disease severity and to sPAP in agreement with the concept of vascular involvement in IIP.
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Respiratory medicine · Apr 2012
S100A9 in BALF is a candidate biomarker of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a specific form of chronic, progressive fibrosing interstitial pneumonia of unknown cause, and the prognosis remains poor. On the other hand, other fibrotic interstitial pneumonias such as idiopathic nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (I-NSIP) and collagen vascular disease-associated interstitial pneumonia (CVD-IP) resemble IPF, but they respond to therapy and the prognosis is better. We searched for biomarkers to distinguish IPF from other fibrotic interstitial pneumonias and investigated whether S100A9 could be useful for discriminating types of fibrotic interstitial pneumonia based on our preliminary proteomic findings. ⋯ S100A9 in BALF might serve as a candidate biomarker to discriminate between IPF and other fibrotic interstitial pneumonias.
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Respiratory medicine · Mar 2012
Multicenter StudyGuideline adherence and macrolides reduced mortality in outpatients with pneumonia.
For outpatients with pneumonia, guidelines recommend empiric antibiotics and some suggest macrolides are preferred agents. We hypothesized that both guideline-concordant antibiotics and macrolides would be associated with reduced mortality. ⋯ In outpatients with pneumonia, treatment with guideline-concordant antibiotics and macrolides were both associated with mortality reduction.
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Respiratory medicine · Mar 2012
ReviewAcute exacerbation of IPF following diagnostic bronchoalveolar lavage procedures.
Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is generally regarded as a safe diagnostic procedure. However, acute exacerbation after BAL is increasingly recognized as a specific complication for patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). So far little is known about the correlation between BAL and acute exacerbation of IPF (AE-IPF). ⋯ These results suggest that IPF patients should be carefully monitored after BAL, especially those with functional impairment or active inflammation.