Chest
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The interaction between obesity and OSA is complex. Although it is often assumed that obesity is the major cause of OSA, and that treatment of the OSA might mitigate further weight gain, new evidence is emerging that suggests this may not be the case. Obesity explains about 60% of the variance of the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) definition of OSA, mainly in those < 50 years and less so in the elderly. ⋯ The slight fall in the overall AHI with weight loss, however, may be associated with a larger drop in the nonsupine AHI, thus converting some patients from nonpositional to positional (ie, supine only) OSA. Importantly, patients undergoing surgical weight loss need close monitoring to prevent complications. Finally, in patients with moderate to severe obesity-related OSA, the combination of weight loss with CPAP appears more beneficial than either treatment in isolation.
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Pulmonary disease caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is steadily increasing worldwide. ⋯ As a sustained microbiological response without surgery is unsatisfactory in treating M abscessus, MX, and M malmoense, functional and quality of life aspects should be given more emphasis in the individual evaluation of treatment outcome. Further, properly planned studies with sufficient power are needed, as are new drugs or better-tolerated application of current antibiotics, or both.
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Pulmonary disease caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is steadily increasing worldwide. ⋯ As a sustained microbiological response without surgery is unsatisfactory in treating M abscessus, MX, and M malmoense, functional and quality of life aspects should be given more emphasis in the individual evaluation of treatment outcome. Further, properly planned studies with sufficient power are needed, as are new drugs or better-tolerated application of current antibiotics, or both.
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There is growing interest in the interaction between type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and TB, but many research questions remain unanswered. Epidemiologists, basic scientists, and clinical experts recently convened and identified priorities. This is the first of two reviews on this topic, summarizing priority areas of research regarding epidemiology, clinical management, and public health. ⋯ Third, from a public health and health systems point of view, the population health impact and cost-effectiveness of different interventions to prevent or treat DM and TB in high-burden populations should be examined, and health-system interventions should be developed for routine TB-DM screening, management of DM after completion of TB treatment, and better access to DM services worldwide. Studies are needed across different ethnicities and settings given the heterogeneity of metabolic perturbations, inflammatory responses, medications, and access to health care. Finally, studies should address interactions between TB, DM, and HIV because of the convergence of epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa and some other parts of the world.
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ARDS is associated with poor clinical outcomes, with a pooled mortality rate of approximately 40% despite best standards of care. Current therapeutic strategies are based on improving oxygenation and pulmonary compliance while minimizing ventilator-induced lung injury. It has been demonstrated that relative hypoxemia can be well tolerated, and improvements in oxygenation do not necessarily translate into survival benefit. ⋯ It might be expected that early diagnosis of RVD would be of benefit; however, echocardiographic markers (qualitative and quantitative) used to prospectively evaluate the right ventricle in ARDS have not been tested in adequately powered studies. In this review, we examine the prognostic implications and pathophysiology of RVD in ARDS and discuss available diagnostic modalities and treatment options. We aim to identify gaps in knowledge and directions for future research that could potentially improve clinical outcomes in this patient population.