Annals of the American Thoracic Society
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Adjuvant treatment for elderly patients with early-stage lung cancer treated with limited resection.
Limited resection is commonly used for treating older patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who cannot tolerate lobectomy. However, parenchymal-sparing procedures leave patients at increased risk of recurrence. The role of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) and chemotherapy after limited resection is not established. ⋯ PORT and adjuvant chemotherapy are not beneficial and appear to be associated with increased toxicity and worse survival after limited resection in elderly patients with early-stage NSCLC. Alternative strategies should be explored to improve local control.
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The current oncologic management of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) requires pathologic differentiation between adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Furthermore, novel therapies for adenocarcinoma are clinically available for specific mutation profiles. Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) has been shown to adequately obtain specimens for molecular profiling. However, it remains unclear what quantity of specimens is needed to provide suitable mutational genotyping for adenocarcinoma. The objective of this study was to determine the optimal number of aspirations per EBUS-TBNA procedure required in the presence of rapid on-site cytopathology evaluation (ROSE) for maximal diagnostic yield for molecular mutational analysis. ⋯ With the use of EBUS-TBNA and ROSE, a minimum of four needle passes may provide an adequate amount of specimen for advanced molecular marker analysis.
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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous disease. COPD exacerbations have a major impact on morbidity and mortality. The etiology of COPD exacerbations is largely due to viral and bacterial infections in combination with underlying inflammation that is typically neutrophilic, although it is eosinophilic in 10 to 25% of cases. ⋯ These biomarkers include C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, and peripheral blood eosinophil count, which are readily available. We are therefore at a point of making personalized antibiotic and corticosteroid therapy in COPD exacerbations a reality. Integration of the wealth of emerging data to further define the complexity of exacerbations also promises to identify new targets and biomarkers to treat COPD exacerbations.
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Review
Can intensive care unit delirium be prevented and reduced? Lessons learned and future directions.
Delirium is a form of acute brain injury that occurs in up to 80% of critically ill patients. It is a source of enormous societal and financial burdens due to increased mortality, prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital stays, and long-term neuropsychological and functional deficits in ICU survivors. ⋯ Both patient-centered and ICU-acquired risk factors need to be addressed early in the ICU course to maximize the efficacy of prevention strategies and to improve long-term outcomes of ICU patients. In this article, we review strategies for early detection of patients who are delirious and who are at high risk for developing delirium, and we present a clinically useful ICU delirium prevention and reduction strategy for clinicians to incorporate into their daily practice.