Thorax
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Results of a phase IIa study of VX-809, an investigational CFTR corrector compound, in subjects with cystic fibrosis homozygous for the F508del-CFTR mutation.
VX-809, a cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulator, has been shown to increase the cell surface density of functional F508del-CFTR in vitro. ⋯ NCT00865904.
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It is difficult to determine the impact of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in Europe, because precise data are scarce. Mortality attributable to CAP varies widely between European countries and with the site of patient management. This review analysed the clinical and economic burden, aetiology and resistance patterns of CAP in European adults. ⋯ CAP was associated with high rates of hospitalisation and length of hospital stay. The review showed that the clinical and economic burden of CAP in Europe is high. CAP has considerable long-term effects on quality of life, and long-term prognosis is worse in patients with pneumococcal pneumonia.
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In the last few years, there has been considerable debate on the use of threshold criteria for the diagnosis of obstructive lung disease based on FEV(1) and FEV(1)/FVC ratio. It has been argued that a fixed ratio and fixed percentage criterion result in misclassification. ⋯ The author argues for a new interpretative approach for the use of lung function data in clinical practice based on prognostic equations analogous to the Framingham cardiovascular risk factor equations. These interpretative equations should be based on data from cohort studies and randomised controlled trials, rather than cross-sectional studies, and if properly formulated, will prove to be valuable aids to clinical decision making.
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Comparative Study
Downregulation of the serum response factor/miR-1 axis in the quadriceps of patients with COPD.
Muscle atrophy confers a poor prognosis in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), yet the molecular pathways responsible are poorly characterised. Muscle-specific microRNAs and serum response factor (SRF) are important regulators of muscle phenotype that contribute to a feedback system to regulate muscle gene expression. The role of these factors in the skeletal muscle dysfunction that accompanies COPD is unknown. ⋯ Downregulation of the activity of the MRTF-SRF axis and the expression of muscle-specific microRNAs, particularly miR-1, may contribute to COPD-associated skeletal muscle dysfunction.