Articles: function.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Apr 2014
Conditions Associated with the Cystic Fibrosis Defect Promote Chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection.
Progress has been made in understanding how the cystic fibrosis (CF) basic defect produces lung infection susceptibility. However, it remains unclear why CF exclusively leads to chronic infections that are noninvasive and highly resistant to eradication. Although biofilm formation has been suggested as a mechanism, recent work raises questions about the role of biofilms in CF. ⋯ Our findings suggest that conditions associated with several CF pathogenesis hypotheses could cause the noninvasive and resistant infection phenotype, independently of the bacterial functions needed for biofilm formation.
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Bakers are exposed daily to flour and may be susceptible to immunologic occupational diseases. A 30-year-old, nonsmoking, female baker was referred for progressive dyspnea on exertion, basal crackles on auscultation, restrictive lung function, decreased diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide, ground glass hyperdensities with a mosaic pattern on high-resolution CT scan, 25% lymphocytosis by BAL, and cellular chronic bronchiolitis with peribronchiolar interstitial inflammation by lung biopsy specimen. Cultures from flours isolated nine species, including Aspergillus fumigatus. ⋯ Outcome was favorable with cessation of occupational exposure to flours and transient therapy with prednisone and immunosuppressive agents. To our knowledge, this report is the first of a well-documented case of hypersensitivity pneumonitis due to sensitization to fungi- and mite-contaminated flours. Hypersensitivity pneumonitis--and not only asthma and allergic rhinitis--should be suspected in bakers with respiratory symptoms.
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Lactic acidosis is associated with cardiovascular failure. Buffering with sodium bicarbonate is proposed in severe lactic acidosis. Bicarbonate induces carbon dioxide generation and hypocalcemia, both cardiovascular depressant factors. The authors thus investigated the cardiovascular and metabolic effects of an adapted sodium bicarbonate therapy, including prevention of carbon dioxide increase with hyperventilation and ionized calcium decrease with calcium administration. ⋯ A therapeutic strategy based on alkalinization with sodium bicarbonate along with hyperventilation and calcium administration increases pH and improves cardiovascular function.
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COPD is characterized by chronic inflammation. CD8+ T cells and CD4+ T cells have both been implicated in the inflammatory response. We investigated whether the lymphocyte and T-cell subpopulations in BAL differ between patients with COPD who are current smokers and those who are ex-smokers. ⋯ Current smoking status has a greater impact than airway obstruction on the distribution of T-cell subsets in BAL of patients with mild to moderate COPD. This fact must be considered when the role of T cells in COPD is evaluated. Our results stress the importance of subgrouping patients with COPD in terms of smoking.
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Douglas B. Craig, W.M. Wahba, Hillary Don ⋯ The work of Drs. D. Craig et al. published in the Journal more than 40 years ago was seminal to our understanding of how patient positioning has an important influence on lung volumes and on the age-related relationship between FRC and CV.