American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Dec 2014
ReviewRespiratory Complications of Organophosphorus Nerve Agent and Insecticide Poisoning - Implications for Respiratory and Critical Care.
Organophosphorus (OP) compound poisoning is a major global public health problem. Acute OP insecticide self-poisoning kills over 200,000 people every year, the majority from self-harm in rural Asia. Highly toxic OP nerve agents (e.g., sarin) are a significant current terrorist threat, as shown by attacks in Damascus during 2013. ⋯ However, preclinical and clinical research over the last two decades has indicated a more complex picture of respiratory complications after OP insecticide poisoning, including onset of delayed neuromuscular junction dysfunction during the cholinergic syndrome, aspiration causing pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome, and the involvement of solvents in OP toxicity. The treatment of OP poisoning has not changed over the last 50 years. However, a better understanding of the multiple respiratory complications of OP poisoning offers additional therapeutic opportunities.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Dec 2014
Asbestos Exposure, Pleural Plaques and the Risk of Death from Lung Cancer.
Although asbestos is a well-known lung carcinogen, the pleural plaque-lung cancer link remains controversial. ⋯ Pleural plaques may be an independent risk factor for lung cancer death in asbestos-exposed workers and could be used as an additional criterion in the definition of high-risk populations eligible for CT screening.