Chest
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We undertook systematic reviews to examine key questions (KQs) related to pediatric chronic wet cough. In children with chronic (>4-weeks) wet/productive cough not related to bronchiectasis; (KQ1)-how effective are antibiotics in improving the resolution of cough? If so, what and for how long? and; (KQ2)-when should they be referred for further investigations? ⋯ There is high quality evidence that in children aged ≤14-years with chronic (>4-weeks duration) wet or productive cough, the use of appropriate antibiotics improves cough resolution. There is also high quality evidence that when specific cough pointers (e.g. digital clubbing) are present in children with wet cough, further investigations (e.g. flexible bronchoscopy, chest CTs and immunity tests) should be undertaken. When the wet cough does not improve by 4-weeks of antibiotics, there is moderate quality evidence that children should be referred to a major center for consideration of further investigations to determine whether an underlying lung or other disease are present.
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Multicenter Study
Blastomycosis in Indiana: Clinical and Epidemiologic Patterns of Disease Gleaned from a Multicenter Retrospective Study.
To better understand clinical and epidemiologic patterns of blastomycosis, we report on a large series of blastomycosis in Indiana. ⋯ The incidence of blastomycosis in Central Indiana may be on the rise. Physicians in endemic areas should be aware of the potentially fulminant consequences of the disease.
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Pathophysiologic gaps in the actions of currently available treatments for asthma and COPD include neutrophilic inflammation, airway remodeling, and alveolar destruction. All of these processes can be modulated by cyclic adenosine monophosphate-elevating prostaglandins E2 and I2 (also known as prostacyclin). These prostanoids have long been known to elicit bronchodilation and to protect against bronchoconstriction provoked by a variety of stimuli. ⋯ By contrast, excessive prostanoid production and signaling might contribute to both the increased susceptibility to infections that drive COPD exacerbations and the inadequate alveolar repair that characterizes emphysema. Inhibition of endogenous prostanoid synthesis or signaling, thus, has therapeutic potential for these types of patients. By virtue of their pleiotropic capacity to modulate numerous pathophysiologic processes relevant to the expression and natural history of airway diseases, prostanoids emerge as attractive targets for therapeutic manipulation.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effect of CPAP on Cognition, Brain Function and Structure among Elderly Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea: a Randomized Pilot Study.
Despite the increasing aging population and the high prevalence of OSA in elderly adults, little is known about cognitive effects of OSA and the effectiveness of CPAP treatment. Therefore, this study investigated whether elderly patients with OSA present cognitive deficits and functional and structural alterations of the brain that could be improved by CPAP treatment. ⋯ Elderly patients with severe OSA who present with cognitive difficulties could benefit from CPAP treatment. Moreover, CPAP treatment increases the connectivity of the DMN and attenuates cortical thinning.
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Endotoxin exposure is associated with airway inflammation. Children spend 6 to 8 h/d in school, yet the effect of school-specific endotoxin exposure on asthma morbidity is not well understood. ⋯ Inner-city children with asthma are exposed to high levels of airborne endotoxin at school, resulting in increased asthma symptoms in children with nonatopic asthma. Mitigation of school-related exposures may represent a strategy to decrease asthma morbidity in this population.