American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Oct 2015
Observational StudyThe Utility of Preoperative Six-Minute Walk Distance in Lung Transplantation.
The use of 6-minute-walk distance (6MWD) as an indicator of exercise capacity to predict postoperative survival in lung transplantation has not previously been well studied. ⋯ 6MWD is significantly associated with post-transplant survival and is best incorporated into transplant evaluations on a continuous basis given limited ability of a single, dichotomous value to predict outcomes.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Oct 2015
Observational StudyBedside Assessment of Quadriceps Muscle Using Ultrasound Following Admission for Acute Exacerbations of Chronic Respiratory Disease.
Hospitalization represents a major event for the patient with chronic respiratory disease. There is a high risk of readmission, which over the longer term may be related more closely to the underlying condition of the patient, such as skeletal muscle dysfunction. ⋯ Smaller quadriceps muscle size, as measured by ultrasound in the acute care setting, is an independent risk factor for unscheduled readmission or death, which may have value both in clinical practice and for risk stratification.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Oct 2015
BMPR-II Deficiency Promotes Pulmonary Hypertension via Increased Inflammatory Cytokine Production.
Mutations in bone morphogenetic protein receptor type II (BMPR-II) underlie most cases of heritable pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). However, disease penetrance is only 20-30%, suggesting a requirement for additional triggers. Inflammation is emerging as a key disease-related factor in PAH, but to date there is no clear mechanism linking BMPR-II deficiency and inflammation. ⋯ This study demonstrates that BMPR-II deficiency promotes an exaggerated inflammatory response in vitro and in vivo, which can instigate development of pulmonary hypertension.