Annals of the American Thoracic Society
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The surgical patient population is increasingly elderly and comorbid and poses challenges to perioperative physicians. Accurate preoperative risk stratification is important to direct perioperative care. Reduced aerobic fitness is associated with increased postoperative morbidity and mortality. ⋯ Prospective cohort studies are needed to improve the precision of risk estimates for different patient groups and to clarify the best combination of variables to predict outcome. Early data suggest that preoperative exercise training improves fitness, reduces the debilitating effects of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and may improve clinical outcomes. Further research is required to identify the most effective type of training and the minimum duration required for a positive effect.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effect of 4-Aminopyridine on Genioglossus Muscle Activity during Sleep in Healthy Adults.
The reduction in upper airway muscle activity from wakefulness to sleep plays a key role in the development of obstructive sleep apnea. Potassium (K+) channels have been recently identified as the downstream mechanisms through which hypoglossal motoneuron membrane excitability is reduced both in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and REM sleep. In animal models, the administration of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP), a voltage-gated K+ channel blocker, increased genioglossus activity during wakefulness and across all sleep stages. ⋯ A single dose of 4-AP 10 mg extended release showed only a small increase in tonic EMGGG during REM sleep in this group of healthy subjects. We speculate that a higher dose of 4-AP may further increase EMGGG. However, given the potentially severe, dose-related adverse effects of this drug, including seizures, the administration of 4-AP does not appear to be an effective strategy to increase genioglossus activity during sleep in humans. Clinical Trial registered with clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02656160).
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Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) has transformed mediastinal staging in lung cancer. A systematic approach, beginning with lymph nodes contralateral to the primary tumor (N3), is considered superior to selective sampling of radiographically abnormal nodes. However, the extent to which this recommendation is followed in practice remains unknown. ⋯ General pulmonologists and pulmonary fellows were less likely than interventional pulmonologists to perform appropriate EBUS staging. In addition, the lack of concordance between self-confidence and appropriate staging performance among noninterventionists signals a need for improved dissemination of guidelines for EBUS-guided mediastinal staging.