Chest
-
Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) is a common cause of respiratory infection and morbidity. Pseudomonas elastase is an important virulence factor regulated by the lasR gene. Whether PA elastase activity is associated with worse clinical outcomes in ICU patients is unknown. ⋯ Elastase activity is associated with 30-day ICU mortality. A high elastase producing clinical isolate confers increased lung tissue inflammation compared with a low elastase producer in vivo.
-
Case Reports
A 31-Year-Old Pregnant Woman With Asthma, Presenting With Worsening Dyspnea, Wheeze, and Hoarseness.
A 31-year-old woman (gravida 3 and para 1-0-1-1 at 20 weeks gestation) was admitted to the hospital for a presumed acute asthma exacerbation. She had a history of severe persistent asthma since childhood. She described her symptoms as progressively worsening since the beginning of her pregnancy. ⋯ She had a social history of alcohol dependence but had been sober for 9 months. She was a former one-pack-per-day smoker but quit 20 weeks before admission and used marijuana occasionally. She had no known occupational or inhalation exposures.