Chest
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Once-daily umeclidinium/vilanterol 125/25 mcg in COPD: a randomized, controlled study.
Combination long-acting bronchodilator therapy may be more effective than long-acting bronchodilator monotherapy in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). ⋯ protocol number: DB2113361; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01313637.
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The respiratory tract of human subjects is constantly exposed to harmful microbes and air pollutants. The immune system responds to these offenders to protect the host, but an unbalanced inflammatory response itself may promote tissue damage and ultimately lead to acute and chronic respiratory diseases. ⋯ Assembly of these intracellular danger sensors in cells of the respiratory mucosa and alveolar compartment triggers a proinflammatory cell death mode termed pyroptosis and leads to secretion of bioactive IL-1β and IL-18. Here, we summarize and review the inflammasome and its downstream effectors as therapeutic targets for the treatment of respiratory diseases.
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Multicenter Study
Impact of Macrolide Therapy in Patients Hospitalized with Pseudomonas aeruginosa Community-Acquired Pneumonia.
Several studies have described a clinical benefit of macrolides due to their immunomodulatory properties in various respiratory diseases. We aimed to assess the effect of macrolide therapy on mortality in patients hospitalized for Pseudomonas aeruginosa community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). ⋯ Macrolide therapy in the first 48 h of admission is not associated with decreased 30-day mortality, ICU admission, need for mechanical ventilation, and LOS in hospitalized patients with P aeruginosa CAP. Larger cohort studies should address the benefit of macrolides as immunomodulators in patients with P aeruginosa CAP.
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Clinical Trial
Young "healthy" smokers have functional and inflammatory changes in the nasal and the lower airways.
Smoking is responsible for most COPD. Although people with COPD often have concomitant nasal disease, there are few studies that report physiologic or inflammatory changes in the upper airways in young asymptomatic smokers. We investigated physiologic and inflammatory changes in the nasal and lower airways of young smokers and if these changes were related to smoking history. ⋯ Young adult smokers have functional and inflammatory changes in the nasal and lower airways and these correlate with smoking history. However, in these young smokers, smoking history was not associated with pulmonary function decline, probably because it is unlikely that spirometry detects early physiologic changes in the airways.
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Guidelines recommend mediastinal lymph node sampling as the fi rst invasive diagnostic procedure in patients with suspected lung cancer with mediastinal lymphadenopathy without distant metastases. ⋯ Guideline-consistent care varied regionally and was associated with physician-level factors, suggesting that a lack of effective physician training may be contributing to the quality gaps observed.