American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Dec 2013
Lungs, Bone Marrow and Adipose Tissue: A Network Approach to the Pathobiology of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often suffer other concomitant disorders, such as cardiovascular diseases and metabolic disorders, that influence significantly (and independently of lung function) their health status and prognosis. Thus, COPD is not a single organ condition, and disturbances of a complex network of interorgan connected responses occur and modulate the natural history of the disease. ⋯ According to the model, the development of COPD, and associated multimorbidities (here we focus on cardiovascular disease as an important example), depend on the manner in which the vascular connected network responds, adapts, or fails to adapt (dictated by the genetic and epigenetic background of the individual) to the inhalation of particles and gases, mainly in cigarette smoke. The caveats and limitations of the hypothesis, as well as the experimental and clinical research needed to test and explore the proposed model, are also briefly discussed.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Dec 2013
The Toll-like Receptor 3 L412F Polymorphism and Disease Progression in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal progressive interstitial pneumonia. The innate immune system provides a crucial function in the recognition of tissue injury and infection. Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) is an innate immune system receptor. We investigated the role of a functional TLR3 single-nucleotide polymorphism in IPF. ⋯ This study reveals the crucial role of defective TLR3 function in promoting progressive IPF.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Dec 2013
Sleep Apnea is Associated with Subclinical Myocardial Injury in the Community: The ARIC-SHHS Study.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, although the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. ⋯ In middle-aged to older individuals, OSA severity is independently associated with higher levels of hs-TnT, suggesting that subclinical myocardial injury may play a role in the association between OSA and risk of heart failure. OSA was not associated with NT-proBNP levels after adjusting for multiple possible confounders.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Dec 2013
Air Trapping and Airflow Obstruction in Newborn Cystic Fibrosis Piglets.
Air trapping and airflow obstruction are being increasingly identified in infants with cystic fibrosis. These findings are commonly attributed to airway infection, inflammation, and mucus buildup. ⋯ The presence of air trapping, airflow obstruction, and airway size reduction in newborn piglets with cystic fibrosis before the onset of airway infection, inflammation, and mucus accumulation indicates that cystic fibrosis impacts airway development. Our findings suggest that early airflow obstruction and air trapping in infants with cystic fibrosis might, in part, be caused by congenital airway abnormalities.