American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Apr 2012
Comparative StudySpurious inferences about long-term outcomes: the case of severe sepsis and geriatric conditions.
Survivors of critical illness suffer significant limitations and disabilities. ⋯ Geriatric conditions are common after severe sepsis. However, severe sepsis is associated with increased rates of only a subset of geriatric conditions, not all. In studying outcomes after acute illness, failing to measure and control for both preillness levels and trajectories may result in erroneous conclusions.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Apr 2012
Comparative StudyPrevalence of nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease in U.S. Medicare beneficiaries.
Pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacteria (PNTM) are an important cause of morbidity among older adults in the United States, but national prevalence estimates are lacking. ⋯ The prevalence of PNTM is increasing across all regions of the United States and among both men and women. Significant racial/ethnic and geographic differences suggest important gene-environment interactions.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Apr 2012
Breastfeeding and lung function at school age: does maternal asthma modify the effect?
The evidence for an effect of breastfeeding on lung function is conflicting, in particular whether the effect is modified by maternal asthma. ⋯ In this cohort, breastfeeding for more than 4 months was associated with increased FEF(50) and, in children of mothers with asthma, with increased FEV(1) and FVC. It seems that the effect is not mediated via avoidance of early infections or atopy but rather through a direct effect on lung growth.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Apr 2012
Comparative StudyAn association between neutrophils and immunoglobulin free light chains in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Neutrophils are key players in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and increased numbers of neutrophils are present in sputum and lung tissue of patients with COPD. Interestingly, immunoglobulin free light chains (IgLC) are able to prolong the life of neutrophils; therefore, IgLC may contribute to the chronic state of inflammation. ⋯ This study describes for the first time an association between neutrophils and IgLC in the pathophysiology of COPD, which could open new avenues to targeted treatment of this chronic disease.