American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Dec 2017
High Attenuation Areas on Chest CT and Clinical Respiratory Outcomes in Community-dwelling Adults.
Areas of increased lung attenuation visualized by computed tomography are associated with all-cause mortality in the general population. It is uncertain whether this association is attributable to interstitial lung disease (ILD). ⋯ Areas of increased lung attenuation are a novel risk factor for ILD hospitalization and mortality. Measurement of high-attenuation areas by screening and diagnostic computed tomography may be warranted in at-risk adults.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Dec 2017
Signs of Gas Trapping in Normal Lung Density Regions in Smokers.
A substantial proportion of subjects without overt airflow obstruction have significant respiratory morbidity and structural abnormalities as visualized by computed tomography. Whether regions of the lung that appear normal using traditional computed tomography criteria have mild disease is not known. ⋯ Subthreshold gas trapping representing mild small airway disease is prevalent in normal-appearing lung regions in smokers without airflow obstruction, and it is associated with respiratory morbidity. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT00608764).
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Dec 2017
Practice GuidelineRecommendations for a Standardized Pulmonary Function Report. An Official American Thoracic Society Technical Statement.
The American Thoracic Society committee on Proficiency Standards for Pulmonary Function Laboratories has recognized the need for a standardized reporting format for pulmonary function tests. Although prior documents have offered guidance on the reporting of test data, there is considerable variability in how these results are presented to end users, leading to potential confusion and miscommunication. ⋯ The committee believes that wide adoption of these formats and their underlying principles by equipment manufacturers and pulmonary function laboratories can improve the interpretation, communication, and understanding of test results.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Dec 2017
Mepolizumab Attenuates Airway Eosinophil Numbers, but Not Their Functional Phenotype in Asthma.
Mepolizumab, an IL-5-blocking antibody, reduces exacerbations in patients with severe eosinophilic asthma. Mepolizumab arrests eosinophil maturation; however, the functional phenotype of eosinophils that persist in the blood and airway after administration of IL-5 neutralizing antibodies has not been reported. ⋯ Mepolizumab reduced airway eosinophil numbers but had a limited effect on airway eosinophil activation markers, suggesting that these cells retain functionality. This observation may explain why IL-5 neutralization reduces but does not completely eradicate asthma exacerbations. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT00802438).