Canadian respiratory journal : journal of the Canadian Thoracic Society
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The therapeutic response to endobronchial tuberculosis is usually evaluated by bronchoscopy. Currently, there are no published studies investigating the use of computed tomography for the evaluation of therapeutic response in endobronchial tuberculosis. ⋯ The results suggest that follow-up computed tomography is useful for the evaluation of therapeutic response and complications associated with endobronchial tuberculosis, and may replace bronchoscopy.
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The prediction rules for the evaluation of the acid-base status in patients with chronic respiratory acidosis, derived primarily from an experimental canine model, suggest that complete compensation should not occur. This appears to contradict frequent observations of normal or near-normal pH levels in patients with chronic hypercapnia. ⋯ In patients with chronic stable hypercapnia, acid-base compensatory mechanisms appear to be more effective than would be predicted using the classic rules.
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To determine whether outcomes of pneumonia among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive persons differed from those among HIV-negative persons. ⋯ The outcomes for community-acquired pneumonia were worse for those with HIV (non-AIDS) and HIV (AIDS)compared with non-HIV hospitalized patients matched for age and sex, and controlling for severity of illness and comorbidity. In-hospital and one-year mortality rates for patients with HIV (AIDS)showed a marked decline over the study period.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
The BC Community Pharmacy Asthma Study: A study of clinical, economic and holistic outcomes influenced by an asthma care protocol provided by specially trained community pharmacists in British Columbia.
Despite advances in recent years, asthma morbidity and mortality have been noted to be on the increase in the past decade. The present study examined the failures and recommendations of past studies and introduced a new milieu for asthma care--the community pharmacy. The study incorporated a care protocol with the important ingredients of asthma education on medications, triggers, self-monitoring and an asthma plan, with pharmacists taking responsibility for outcomes, assessment of a patient's readiness to change and tailoring education to that readiness, compliance monitoring and physician consultation to achieve asthma prescribing guidelines. ⋯ Specially trained community pharmacists in Canada, using a pharmaceutical care-based protocol, can produce impressive improvements in clinical, economic and humanistic outcome measures in asthma patients. The health care system needs to produce incentives for such care.