Thorax
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Comparative Study
Role of aberrant WNT signalling in the airway epithelial response to cigarette smoke in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
WNT signalling is activated during lung tissue damage and inflammation. We investigated whether lung epithelial expression of WNT ligands, receptors (frizzled; FZD) or target genes is dysregulated on cigarette smoking and/or in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). ⋯ WNT-4 mRNA and protein levels are higher in PBEC from COPD patients than control (non-)smokers, while cigarette smoke downregulates airway epithelial WNT-4 mRNA, but not protein expression. As WNT-4 further increases CSE-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine release in bronchial epithelium, we propose that higher epithelial WNT-4 levels in combination with cigarette smoking may have important implications for the development of airway inflammation in COPD.
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Review
Summary of the British Thoracic Society guideline for diagnostic flexible bronchoscopy in adults.
Flexible bronchoscopy is an essential, established and expanding tool in respiratory medicine. Its practice, however, needs to be safe, effective and for the right indications to maximise clinical utility. This guideline is based on the best available evidence and is a revised update of the British Thoracic Society guideline on diagnostic flexible bronchoscopy.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Efficacy and safety of the oral p38 inhibitor PH-797804 in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a randomised clinical trial.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common lung disease leading to progressive decline in lung function. Inhibition of release of inflammatory mediators by p38 inhibitors may be a useful treatment for chronic inflammation of the airways thought to underlie the pathogenesis of the disease. ⋯ PH-797804 demonstrated improvements over placebo in lung function parameters and dyspnoea in patients with moderate to severe COPD.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Long-term multicentre randomised controlled study of high frequency chest wall oscillation versus positive expiratory pressure mask in cystic fibrosis.
Positive expiratory pressure (PEP) is the most commonly used method of airway clearance (AC) in Canada for patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) whereas, in some countries, high frequency chest wall oscillation (HFCWO) is the preferred form of AC. There have been no long-term studies comparing the efficacy of HFCWO and PEP in the CF population. ⋯ NCT00817180.
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As a result of advances in perinatal care, more small preterm infants survive. There are concerns that preterm birth and its treatments may harm pulmonary development and thereby lead to chronic airway obstruction in adulthood. ⋯ Airway obstruction was present from mid-childhood to adulthood after extreme preterm birth, most evident after neonatal BPD. Lung function indices were tracking similarly in the preterm and term-born groups.