Chest
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Comparative Study
LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF A PROGRAM TO INCREASE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN SMOKERS.
Programs aimed at increasing physical activity in daily life (PADL) have generated growing interest to prevent the deleterious effects of physical inactivity. Recent literature has shown that a short-term protocol using pedometers increased PADL in smokers with normal lung function. However, the long-term effects of such a protocol were not yet studied. The objective of this study was to evaluate the results of 1-year follow-up after a program aimed at increasing PADL in smokers with normal lung function. ⋯ In smokers with normal lung function, improvements in daily physical activity, exercise capacity, anxiety, and depression obtained through a 5-month program aimed at increasing physical activity are sustained 1 year after completion of the program. Furthermore, such a program can contribute to smoking cessation in this population.
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Critical care practitioners must frequently make decisions about their patients' ability to swallow food, liquids, and pills. These decisions can be particularly difficult given the incompletely defined epidemiology, diagnostic criteria, and prognostic features of swallowing disorders in critically ill patients. Furthermore, the consequences of improper decisions-namely, aspiration, malnutrition, hunger, and thirst-can be devastating to patients and their families. ⋯ Next, we describe the different diagnostic tests for swallowing dysfunction and describe a general approach to the initial assessment for swallowing disorders. Finally, we explore the existing treatments for swallowing dysfunction. Given the burden of swallowing dysfunction in patients recovering from critical illness, enabling critical care practitioners to manage these disorders, while stimulating new investigation into their pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management, will enhance our care of critically ill patients.
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Review Historical Article
Did We Finally Slay the Evil Dragon of Cigarette Smoking in the Late 20th Century?: Unfortunately, the Answer Is No-the Dragon Is Still Alive and Well in the 21st Century and Living in the Third World. Shame on Us!
If cigarettes were introduced as a new consumer product today, it is unlikely they would receive government regulatory approval. Cigarettes have proven biologic toxicities (carcinogenesis, atherogenesis, teratogenesis) and well-established causal links to human disease. Things were very different in 1913 when the R. ⋯ There is some good news. The 2003 Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, supported strongly by the American College of Chest Physicians, is the first global public health treaty of the new millennium. Many developed societies have begun planning to rid their countries of cigarettes in what is called the Endgame Strategy, and now is the time for the international medical community to help change tobacco policy to a worldwide endgame approach to rid all humanity of smoking-related diseases.
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Cell-free hemoglobin (CFH) is a potent nitric oxide scavenger associated with poor outcomes in several diseases. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by reduced nitric oxide availability. We hypothesized that CFH would be elevated in PAH and would associate with hemodynamics and clinical outcomes. ⋯ CFH is elevated in patients with PAH and BMPR2 carriers compared with healthy subjects and patients with PVH. Elevated CFH levels are independently associated with an increased risk of hospitalization. Further study is required to understand the mechanism of CFH elevation and the potential pathologic contribution of CFH in PAH.
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Comparative Study
Increased risk of radiographic emphysema in HIV is associated with elevated soluble CD14 and nadir CD4.
The association between HIV and emphysema remains incompletely understood. We sought to determine whether HIV is an independent risk factor for emphysema severity and whether markers of HIV severity and systemic biomarkers of inflammation (IL-6), altered coagulation (D-dimer), and immune activation (soluble CD14) are associated with emphysema. ⋯ HIV is an independent risk factor for radiographic emphysema. Emphysema severity was significantly greater among participants with HIV infection. Among those with HIV, nadir CD4 < 200 cells/μL and elevated soluble CD14 level were associated with emphysema, highlighting potential mechanisms linking HIV with emphysema.