Pulmonary pharmacology & therapeutics
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Invasive fungal infections have increase worldwide and represent a threat for immunocompromised patients including HIV-infected, recipients of solid organ and stem cell transplants, and patients receiving immunosuppressive therapies. High mortality rates and difficulties in early diagnosis characterize pulmonary fungal infections. Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis has been reviewed focussing on therapeutic management. Although new compounds have become available in the past years (i.e., amphotericin B lipid formulations, last-generation azoles, and echinocandines), new diagnostic tools and careful therapeutic management are mandatory to assure an early appropriate targeted treatment that represents the key factor for a successful conservative approach in respiratory fungal infections.
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Pulm Pharmacol Ther · Jun 2015
The impact of treatment with indacaterol in patients with COPD: A post-hoc analysis according to GOLD 2011 categories A to D.
Indacaterol is an inhaled, once-daily, ultra-long-acting β2-agonist for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We report on the effectiveness of indacaterol and other bronchodilators compared with placebo in patients across the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 2011 categories A to D. ⋯ Treatment selection according to patient's symptoms as well as lung function is an important consideration in maintenance treatment of COPD. Indacaterol 150 and 300 μg effectively improved lung function and symptoms in patients across all GOLD 2011 categories.
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Pulm Pharmacol Ther · Apr 2015
ReviewOmalizumab for severe allergic asthma in clinical trials and real-life studies: what we know and what we should address.
Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) are the gold standard for the assessment of any therapeutic intervention. Real-life (R-L) studies are needed to verify the provided results beyond the experimental setting. ⋯ Though some similarities between RCTs and R-L studies strengthen omalizumab efficacy and safety outcomes, significant differences concerning study population features, follow-up duration, local adverse events and drop-out rate for treatment inefficacy emerge between the two study categories. Furthermore the comparative analysis between RCTs and R-L studies highlights the need for further research, concerning in particular long-term effects of omalizumab and its impact on asthma comorbidities.
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Pulm Pharmacol Ther · Apr 2015
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyCompare the efficacy of inhaled budesonide and systemic methylprednisolone on systemic inflammation of AECOPD.
Corticosteroids have been shown to improve the outcome of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). However, whether inhaled corticosteroids (IC) alone have similar effects with systemic corticosteroid (SCS) is still unclear. ⋯ Inhaled budesonide and systemic methylprednisolone have the same effects on systemic inflammation of AECOPD. Inhaled corticosteroid alone could instead systemic corticosteroid in AECOPD treatment.
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Pulm Pharmacol Ther · Apr 2015
Randomized Controlled TrialThe impact of harmfulness information on citric acid induced cough and urge-to-cough.
The cough reflex is an automatic protective reflex, which can be modulated by conscious effort or other forms of top-down control. In this experiment, we investigated whether information about harmfulness of a cough-inducing substance would augment cough reflex sensitivity and associated urge-to-cough. ⋯ Our findings show that harmfulness information influences urge-to-cough, corroborating the role of cortical mechanisms in modulating the urge-to-cough and suggesting that cognitive manipulations may contribute to cough treatment.