American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Nov 2013
Brain Activity Associated with Placebo Suppression of the Urge-to-Cough in Humans.
Antitussive therapies are accompanied by a substantial placebo effect, indicating that inhibitory circuits in the brain have a significant capacity to regulate cough neural processing. However, essentially nothing is known about the identity of these inhibitory circuits or how they reduce coughing. Understanding these processes may help develop more effective antitussive therapies in the future. ⋯ Placebo-related decreases in urge-to-cough are accompanied by commensurate decreases in several brain regions activated during capsaicin inhalation, suggesting that beliefs about treatment can modify the central processing of inputs arising from the airways. The prefrontal cortex and posterior parietal cortex are likely to play an active role in the modification of airway sensory processing after administration of a placebo.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Nov 2013
Bronchus-Associated Lymphoid Tissue in Pulmonary Hypertension Produces Pathologic Autoantibodies.
Autoimmunity has long been associated with pulmonary hypertension. Bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue plays important roles in antigen sampling and self-tolerance during infection and inflammation. ⋯ Bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue expands in pulmonary hypertension and is autoimmunologically active. Loss of self-tolerance contributes to pulmonary vascular remodeling and pulmonary hypertension. Lymphoid tissue-directed therapies may be beneficial in treating pulmonary hypertension.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Nov 2013
Observational StudyStatin Exposure is Associated with Decreased Asthma-Related Emergency Department Visits and Oral Corticosteroid Use.
Statins, or HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, may aid in the treatment of asthma through their pleiotropic antiinflammatory effects. ⋯ Among statin users with asthma, statin exposure was associated with decreased odds of asthma-related emergency department visits and oral corticosteroid dispensings.