Minerva medica
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Growing evidence demonstrates that a number of clinical disorders may be related to genetic defects in telomere replication and extension. Overall, these syndromes are referred to as "telomeropathies" or "telomere disorders/syndromes"; they are increasingly being identified. In adulthood, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most common symptom of telomeropathy. ⋯ In a cohort of patients addressed to lung transplantation, authors were able to demonstrate that subclinical bone marrow and liver abnormalities can be seen in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) and short telomeres, in some cases in the absence of clinically significant abnormalities in peripheral blood count and liver function tests. This observation sustains the rationale for further studies aimed to validate telomere length testing as a useful parameter as part of the evaluation for transplant candidacy. A deeper clarification of the complex link between IPF and short telomeres and telomeropathies is required for a new ILD classification, aimed to a fully personalized approach to the disease.
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Asthma is the most commonly occurring respiratory complication during pregnancy, and is associated with a wide range of adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes. However, there is strong evidence that an adequate control of asthma can improve the health of both mothers and their babies. Despite the well-known risks of poorly-controlled asthma during pregnancy, a large proportion of women have sub-optimal asthma control, due to concerns surrounding risks related to pharmacological agents and uncertainties regarding the effectiveness and safety of different management strategies. ⋯ These results are consistent with asthma management guidelines and provide scientific evidence to help physicians and mothers make evidence-based treatment decisions during pregnancy, particularly when stepping up to higher doses of ICS or addition of a LABA are required. These reassuring results should encourage women to continue their asthma medications when required to control their asthma during pregnancy and increase the likelihood of healthy pregnancies and newborns. This commentary focuses on some critical issues of this recent work and to the need of future study to evaluate the safety during pregnancy of novel molecules recently introduced for asthma treatment.
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Asthma is a serious global health problem affecting all age groups, with global prevalence. Although controller medications are usually highly-effective asthma treatments, patient adherence remains poor, and under-use is associated with greater health resource use, morbidity, and mortality. ⋯ The results suggested that inhaler reminders may represent an effective strategy for improving adherence in primary care compared with a behavioral intervention or usual care, although this may not be reflected in differences in levels of asthma control. Studies in larger population are needed in order to test the efficacy of available technology on asthma outcomes in all age stages.