BMC pulmonary medicine
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BMC pulmonary medicine · Aug 2020
Efficacy of benralizumab for patients with severe eosinophilic asthma: a retrospective, real-life study.
Benralizumab, an anti-interleukin-5 (IL-5) receptor α monoclonal antibody, significantly reduces the number of annual exacerbations and oral corticosteroid (OCS) maintenance doses for patients with severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA). However, few studies on the efficacy of this biologic in real life are available. The aim was to elucidate the efficacy of benralizumab by evaluating changes in clinical parameters after benralizumab treatment in patients with SEA. ⋯ Benralizumab treatment improved and controlled asthma symptoms based on the GETE score.
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BMC pulmonary medicine · Jul 2020
SARS-CoV-2 specific serological pattern in healthcare workers of an Italian COVID-19 forefront hospital.
COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). The immunopathogenesis of the infection is currently unknown. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at highest risk of infection and disease. Aim of the study was to assess the sero-prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in an Italian cohort of HCWs exposed to COVID-19 patients. ⋯ The present study did show a low prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgM in Italian HCWs. New studies are needed to assess the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in HCWs exposed to COVID-19 patients, as well the role of neutralizing antibodies.
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BMC pulmonary medicine · Jul 2020
Observational StudyTreatment patterns, healthcare resource utilization, and costs among patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis treated with antifibrotic medications in US-based commercial and Medicare Supplemental claims databases: a retrospective cohort study.
Pirfenidone and nintedanib are antifibrotic therapies which slow disease progression in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), an irreversible, progressive lung disease with poor prognosis. We compared adherence, persistence, and healthcare costs between patients initiating one of the two therapies. ⋯ Pirfenidone use was associated with longer time to discontinuation/switch, lower antifibrotic drug costs, and lower respiratory-related total costs compared to nintedanib use.
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BMC pulmonary medicine · Jun 2020
Procalcitonin and C-reactive protein perform better than the neutrophil/lymphocyte count ratio in evaluating hospital acquired pneumonia.
The relationship between biomarkers and hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) is understudied, especially in severe cases admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Compared with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), HAP might have different traits regarding biomarkers due to the previous history in hospitals. ⋯ NLCR was not comparable to conventional single biomarkers, such as CRP and PCT, for diagnosing or evaluating the severity of HAP. Composite biomarkers that have good accessibility, especially the combination of NLCR, CRP and WBC, could help with early diagnosis and severity evaluation.
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BMC pulmonary medicine · Jun 2020
Observational StudyChanges in REVEAL risk score in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension treated with macitentan in clinical practice: results from the PRACMA study.
Macitentan is a dual endothelin receptor antagonist indicated for the long-term treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). We evaluated the change over time in REVEAL risk score in incident and prevalent patients receiving macitentan for the first time. ⋯ In this study, treatment with macitentan improved the REVEAL risk strata and score in both incident and prevalent PAH patients, and in all patients regardless of the therapy strategy. Macitentan significantly improved some of REVEAL components including WHO FC, BNP/NT-proBNP, PVR, and 6-min walk test after at least 6-month follow-up.