BMC pulmonary medicine
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BMC pulmonary medicine · Jan 2015
Change in forced vital capacity and associated subsequent outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a rare and serious disease characterized by progressive lung-function loss. Limited evidence has been published on the impact of lung-function loss on subsequent patient outcomes. This study examined change in forced vital capacity (FVC) across IPF patients in the 6 months after diagnosis and its association with clinical and healthcare resource utilization (HRU) outcomes in a real-world setting in the U.S. ⋯ These findings suggest that nearly half of IPF patients experienced decline in FVC% within ~6 months following IPF diagnosis. Greater FVC% decline was associated with an increased risk of further IPF progression, suspected AEx, mortality, and higher rate of HRU. Management options that slow FVC decline may help improve future health outcomes in IPF.
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BMC pulmonary medicine · Jan 2015
Prognostic value of extravascular lung water assessed with lung ultrasound score by chest sonography in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.
The prognostic value of extravascular lung water indices (EVLWI) has been widely investigated, which is determined by lung ultrasound B-lines. However, the clinical value of lung ultrasound B-lines for determining prognosis/intensive care unit (ICU) outcomes in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has been rarely reported. ⋯ Lung ultrasonography is a non-invasive, economic, simple, user-friendly, and radiation-free bedside method for predicting the prognosis of ARDS patients. Early measurement of LUS is a better prognostic indicator in patients with ARDS.
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BMC pulmonary medicine · Jan 2015
Study protocol: the effects of air pollution exposure and chronic respiratory disease on pneumonia risk in urban Malawian adults--the Acute Infection of the Respiratory Tract Study (The AIR Study).
Pneumonia is the 2nd leading cause of years of life lost worldwide and is a common cause of adult admissions to hospital in sub-Saharan Africa. Risk factors for adult pneumonia are well characterised in developed countries, but are less well described in sub-Saharan Africa where HIV is a major contributing factor. Exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollution is high, and tobacco smoking prevalence is increasing in sub-Saharan Africa, yet the contribution of these factors to the burden of chronic respiratory diseases in sub-Saharan Africa remains poorly understood. Furthermore, the extent to which the presence of chronic respiratory diseases and exposure to air pollution contribute to the burden of pneumonia is not known. ⋯ The AIR Study is the first study of radiologically confirmed pneumonia in which air pollution exposure measurements have been undertaken in this setting, and will contribute important new information about exposure to air pollution in urban SSA. Through identification of preventable risk factors, the AIR Study aims to facilitate future research and implementation of targeted interventions to reduce the high burden of pneumonia in SSA.
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BMC pulmonary medicine · Dec 2014
Occupational exposures, smoking and airway inflammation in refractory asthma.
The influence of occupation and ex/passive smoking on inflammatory phenotype is not well understood. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between occupation, past smoking and current passive smoking and airway inflammation in a population of adults with refractory asthma. ⋯ Sputum neutrophils are elevated in refractory asthma with exposure to occupational asthmagens. In addition to older age, exposure to both environmental and occupational particulate matter may contribute to the presence of neutrophilic asthma. This may help explain asthma heterogeneity and geographical variations in airway inflammatory phenotypes in asthma.
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BMC pulmonary medicine · Dec 2014
Distinct compartmentalization of SP-A and SP-D in the vasculature and lungs of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Surfactant proteins SP-A and SP-D are useful biomarkers in diagnosis, monitoring, and prognosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Despite their high structural homology, their serum concentrations often vary in IPF patients. This retrospective study aimed to investigate distinct compartmentalization of SP-A and SP-D in the vasculature and lungs by bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF)/serum analysis, hydrophilicity and immunohistochemistry. ⋯ The current study investigated distinct compartmentalization of SP-A and SP-D in the vasculature and lungs. Our results suggest that serum levels of SP-D could reflect pathological changes of the IPF lungs more incisively than those of SP-A.