Thorax
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Multicenter Study
Role of atmospheric pollution on the natural history of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has an unpredictable course corresponding to various profiles: stability, physiological disease progression and rapid decline. A minority of patients experience acute exacerbations (AEs). A recent study suggested that ozone and nitrogen dioxide might contribute to the occurrence of AE. We hypothesised that outdoor air pollution might influence the natural history of IPF. ⋯ This study suggests that air pollution has a negative impact on IPF outcomes, corroborating the role of ozone on AEs and establishing, for the first time, the potential role of long-term exposure to PM10 and PM2.5 on overall mortality.
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Delayed return to work is common after acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), but has undergone little detailed evaluation. We examined factors associated with the timing of return to work after ARDS, along with lost earnings and shifts in healthcare coverage. ⋯ Across 5-year follow-up, nearly one-third of previously employed ARDS survivors never returned to work. Delayed return to work was associated with patient-related and intensive care unit/hospital-related factors, substantial lost earnings and a marked rise in government-funded healthcare coverage. These important consequences emphasise the need to design and evaluate vocation-based interventions to assist ARDS survivors return to work.
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Editorial Comment
Air pollution exposure and IPF: prevention when there is no cure.
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There is heterogeneity among the outcomes evaluated in studies of survivors of acute respiratory failure (ARF). ⋯ Patient, family and researcher groups supported inclusion of outcome domains that fit within the PICS framework. Patients and family members also supported many additional domains, emphasising the importance of including patients/family, along with researchers, in consensus processes to select core outcome domains for future research studies.
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In infants and young children with cystic fibrosis, lower airway infection and inflammation are associated with adverse respiratory outcomes. However, the role of lower airway microbiota in the pathogenesis of early cystic fibrosis lung disease remains uncertain. ⋯ In infants with cystic fibrosis, the lower airway microbiota is dynamic. Dominance of the microbiota by recognised cystic fibrosis bacterial pathogens is associated with increased lower airway inflammation, however early microbial diversity is not associated with pulmonary function at 6 years of age.