Chest
-
Meta Analysis
Allergen immunotherapy in allergic respiratory diseases: from mechanisms to meta-analyses.
Allergen-specific immunotherapy (SIT) involves the repeated administration of allergenic extracts to atopic individuals over a period of 3 to 5 years either subcutaneously (SCIT) or sublingually (SLIT) for the treatment of allergic respiratory diseases, including asthma and allergic rhinitis (AR). In studies, SCIT and SLIT have been shown to improve existing symptoms of asthma and AR and to also have the capability to cause disease-modifying changes of the underlying atopic condition so as to prevent new allergic sensitization as well as arrest progression of AR to asthma. Recent evidence suggests that immunotherapy brings about these effects through actions that use T-regulatory cells and blocking antibodies such as IgG(4) and IgA(2,) which can then result in an "immune deviation" from a T-helper (Th) 2 cell pattern to a Th1 cell pattern. ⋯ Significant adverse reactions can occur with immunotherapy, including anaphylaxis and, very rarely, death. A primary factor in considering SIT is its potential to provide long-lasting effects that are able to be sustained well after its discontinuation. Given the significant burden these allergic diseases impose on the health-care system, SIT appears to be a cost-effective adjunctive treatment in modifying the existing disease state.
-
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States and around the world. There are > 90 million current and ex-smokers in the United States who are at increased risk of lung cancer. ⋯ However, to implement this program nationwide using the NLST inclusion and exclusion criteria would be extremely expensive, with CT scan costs alone > $2 billion per annum. In this article, we offer a possible low-cost strategy to risk-stratify smokers on the basis of spirometry measurements and emphysema scoring by radiologists on CT scans.
-
Despite regular use of drugs for critically ill patients, overall data are limited regarding the impact of critical illness on pharmacokinetics (PK). Designing safe and effective drug regimens for patients with critical illness requires an understanding of PK. This article reviews general principles of PK, including absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination, and how critical illness can influence these parameters. ⋯ With drug metabolism, we discuss hepatic enzyme activity, protein binding, and hepatic blood flow. Finally, we review drug elimination in the critically ill patient and discuss the impact of augmented renal clearance and acute kidney injury on drug therapies. In each section, we highlight select literature reviewing the PK impact of these conditions on a drug PK profile and, where appropriate, provide general suggestions for clinicians on how to modify drug regimens to manage PK challenges.
-
Comparative Study
Reversed halo sign: high-resolution CT scan findings in 79 patients.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the high-resolution CT (HRCT) scan findings of patients with the reversed halo sign (RHS) and to identify distinguishing features among the various causes. ⋯ The presence of nodular walls or nodules inside the halo of the RHS is highly suggestive of granulomatous diseases.
-
Acute eosinophilic pneumonia (AEP) is an idiopathic disease characterized by pulmonary eosinophilia. Because the fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (Feno) is a surrogate of eosinophilic inflammation, we evaluated the levels, changed treatments, and the diagnostic role of Feno in patients with AEP. ⋯ The Feno level was significantly higher in patients with AEP than in those without AEP. Feno measurement can be used as a diagnostic tool to differentiate patients with AEP from those without AEP.