Thorax
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Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is the most important clinical infection with a high long-term mortality rate. The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of biomarkers for the prediction of short-term and long-term mortality in CAP. ⋯ MR-proANP and CT-proAVP are powerful tools for the prediction of short-term and long-term risk stratification of patients with CAP.
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Multicenter Study
Diagnostic importance of pulmonary interleukin-1beta and interleukin-8 in ventilator-associated pneumonia.
Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is the most commonly fatal nosocomial infection. Clinical diagnosis of VAP remains notoriously inaccurate. The hypothesis was tested that significantly augmented inflammatory markers distinguish VAP from conditions closely mimicking VAP. ⋯ BALF IL-1beta and IL-8 are amongst the strongest markers yet identified for accurately demarcating VAP within the larger population of patients with suspected VAP. These findings have potential implications for reduction in unnecessary antibiotic use but require further validation in larger populations.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of inspiratory and expiratory resistance and reactance in patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The usual analysis of forced oscillometry measures respiratory resistance (Rrs) and reactance (Xrs) averaged over several tidal breaths (whole-breath analysis). Recent within-breath analyses have separated Rrs and Xrs into their mean inspiratory and mean expiratory components (inspiratory-expiratory breath analysis) but these have not been used to compare patients with asthma and those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Large inspiratory-expiratory variations in Xrs at 5 Hz (DeltaX5) in an individual have been used as a surrogate marker of expiratory flow limitation. ⋯ Whole-breath impulse oscillation system analysis failed to discriminate between patients with asthma and those with COPD. Inspiratory-expiratory X5 analysis differentiated patients with asthma from those with COPD presumably reflecting enhanced dynamic airway narrowing on expiration in COPD. Further studies are needed to confirm these differences and investigate their cause.
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Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with many chronic illnesses, but little is known about its relationship with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). ⋯ Vitamin D deficiency occurs frequently in COPD and correlates with severity of COPD. The data warrant vitamin D supplementation in patients with severe COPD, especially in those carrying at-risk rs7041 variants.
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Maternal smoking in pregnancy is associated with reduced birth weight and childhood lung function. This study determined when maternal smoking first influences fetal growth and how this relates to childhood respiratory outcomes. ⋯ Maternal smoking is associated with reduced fetal measurements in the second and third trimesters but not in the first trimester. Mothers who do not quit smoking during the first trimester deliver smaller infants who go on to have adverse respiratory outcomes in childhood.