Chest
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Oxygen with cold bubble humidification is no better than dry oxygen in preventing mucus dehydration, decreased mucociliary clearance, and decline in pulmonary function.
Little is known about the effects of long-term nasal low-flow oxygen (NLFO) on mucus and symptoms and how this variable is affected by dry or cold humidified gas. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of dry-NLFO and cold bubble humidified-NLFO on nasal mucociliary clearance (MCC), mucus properties, inflammation, and symptoms in subjects with chronic hypoxemia requiring long-term domiciliary oxygen therapy. ⋯ In subjects receiving chronic NLFO, cold bubble humidification does not adequately humidify inspired oxygen to prevent deterioration of MCC, mucus hydration, and pulmonary function. The unheated bubble humidification performed no better than no humidification.
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Despite the undeniable medical advances achieved in recent decades, cancer remains one of the main causes of mortality. It is thus extremely important to make every effort to discover new risk factors for this disease, particularly ones that can be treated or modified. Various pathophysiologic pathways have been postulated as possible causes of cancer or its increased aggressiveness, and also of greater resistance to antitumoral treatment, in the presence of both intermittent hypoxia and sleep fragmentation (both inherent to sleep apnea). ⋯ Meanwhile, recent human studies drawing on preexisting databases have observed an increase in cancer incidence and mortality in patients with a greater severity of sleep-disordered breathing. However, the methodologic limitations of these studies (which are mostly retrospective and lack any measurement of direct markers of intermittent hypoxia or sleep fragmentation) highlight the need for controlled, prospective studies that would provide stronger scientific evidence regarding the existence of this association and its main characteristics, as well as explore its nature and origin in greater depth. The great epidemiologic impact of both cancer and sleep apnea and the potential for clinical treatment make this field of research an exciting challenge.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Motivational enhancement for increasing adherence to CPAP: A randomized controlled trial.
Motivational enhancement (ME) shows promise as a means of increasing adherence to CPAP for OSA. ⋯ ME delivered during brief appointments and phone calls resulted in a clinically significant increase in CPAP adherence. This strategy may represent a feasible approach for optimizing management of OSA.
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Integrating newly developed tests and treatments for severe pulmonary embolism (PE) into clinical care requires coordinated multispecialty collaboration. To meet this need, we developed a new paradigm: a multidisciplinary Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT). In this report, we provide the first longitudinal analysis of patients treated by a PERT. ⋯ We report our initial 30-month experience with a novel multidisciplinary PERT that rapidly engages multiple specialists to deliver efficient, organized, and evidence-based care to patients with high-risk PE. The PERT paradigm was rapidly adopted and may become a new standard of care for patients with PE.
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Observational Study
Community-Acquired Pneumonia due to Multidrug and non-Multidrug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is not a frequent pathogen in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). However, in patients with severe CAP, P aeruginosa can be the etiology in 1.8% to 8.3% of patients, with a case-fatality rate of 50% to 100%. We describe the prevalence, clinical characteristics, outcomes, and risk factors associated with CAP resulting from multidrug-resistant (MDR) and non-MDR P aeruginosa. ⋯ P aeruginosa is an individual risk factor associated with mortality in CAP. The risk factors described can help clinicians to suspect P aeruginosa and MDR P aeruginosa.