Thorax
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Underweight adults have higher rates of respiratory death than the normal weight but it is unclear whether this association is causal or reflects illness-induced weight loss (reverse causality). Evidence from a 45-year follow-up of underweight participants for respiratory mortality in the Whitehall study (N=18 823; 2139 respiratory deaths) suggests that excess risk among the underweight is attributable to reverse causality. The age-adjusted and smoking-adjusted risk was 1.55-fold (95% CI 1.32 to 1.83) higher among underweight compared with normal weight participants, but attenuated in a stepwise manner to 1.14 (95% CI 0.76 to 1.71) after serial exclusions of deaths during the first 5-35 years of follow-up (P(trend)<0.001).
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Second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure has been linked to the development of and morbidity from lung disease. We sought to advance understanding of the impact of SHS on health-related outcomes in individuals with COPD. ⋯ Individuals with COPD, including active smokers, have significant SHS exposure, associated with worse outcomes and airway wall thickness. Active smokers and obese individuals may have worse outcomes associated with SHS.
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Hospitalisation for acute exacerbations of COPD is associated with high risk of readmission. However, no tool has been validated to stratify patients at discharge for risk of readmission. ⋯ The 4MGS, a surrogate marker of physical frailty, independently predicts the risk of readmission in older patients hospitalised for acute exacerbation of COPD.
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Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is characterised by accumulation of fibroblasts and myofibroblasts and deposition of extracellular matrix proteins. Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) signalling plays a critical role in pulmonary fibrosis. ⋯ These studies suggest that S1PL is a novel endogenous suppressor of pulmonary fibrosis in human IPF and animal models.
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During the last decade it has been clarified that the inhalation of indium compounds can evoke alveolar proteinosis, cholesterol granuloma, pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the characteristics and time course of pulmonary disorders among indium workers using comprehensive pulmonary examinations at an indium-processing factory. ⋯ The present findings suggest that the sIn, SP-D, KL-6 levels and radiological interstitial changes can be reduced in indium workers by alleviating exposure to indium, whereas emphysematous lesions can progress among those with a history of heavy exposure.