Chest
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A 57-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for an abnormal chest shadow found during routine chest radiography. She had no respiratory symptoms. Her medical history included dyslipidemia, and her surgical history included conization for cervical cancer at age 38 years. She was a social drinker and ex-smoker of approximately 10 cigarettes per day (from ages 20 to 30 years); she denied recreational drug use.
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Competence in ultrasonography is essential for pulmonary and critical care medicine (PCCM) fellows, but little is known about fellow-reported barriers to acquiring this crucial skill during fellowship training. ⋯ Significant barriers to ultrasound training during PCCM fellowship exist, and future educational efforts should address these barriers at both program and institutional levels.
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Case Reports
Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation in the Treatment of Pulmonary Light Chain Deposition Disease.
Light chain deposition disease is a rare condition that results in the deposition of light chains in organs and their subsequent dysfunction. It is often the consequence of unchecked light chain production by a plasma cell clone. ⋯ This therapy included a novel successful treatment with an autologous stem cell transplantation. To date, it is among the first such documented successful bone marrow transplantations in treatment of isolated pulmonary light chain deposition disease.
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A 75-year-old woman was referred to the pulmonary office in January 2020 for cough and progressive worsening of shortness of breath over the years. Her medical history was significant for asthma that was diagnosed approximately 10 years earlier, when she first developed dyspnea. A pre-bronchodilator spirometry at that time showed severe airflow obstruction (Fig 1). ⋯ She was unable to walk more than 20 feet at a time. She had no pets at home and did not travel outside the United States. Her only home medications were multivitamins and low-dose aspirin.