Resp Care
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To determine the utility of soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (sTREM-1) levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and exhaled breath condensate (EBC) samples from patients who underwent bronchoscopy for a clinical suspicion of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), to categorize patients as VAP positive and VAP negative, when compared to quantitative culture results of BALF. ⋯ EBC and BALF sTREM-1 levels did not effectively categorize patients as VAP positive or VAP negative when using direct bronchoscopic quantitative culture samples as the comparison standard.
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The aim of this retrospective long-term follow-up study was to assess 5-year outcomes after combined uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) and midline glossectomy surgery for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). ⋯ These findings suggest that combined midline glossectomy and UPPP can be an effective treatment for subjects with Friedman stage II or III OSAHS and substantial stenosis around the base of the tongue.
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Oxidative stress has been known for having a key role in pathogenesis of many diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the oxidative stress and also the relationship between antioxidant system statuses and lung function in patients with COPD and smokers and non-smokers subjects. ⋯ Decreased total antioxidant capacity in plasma of subjects with COPD and smokers suggests an increased oxidative stress in this group. However, no relationship was found between lung function and antioxidant systems status in COPD subjects.
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This was an evaluation of intra-individual variation of the cuff-leak test (ΔCLT) immediately post-intubation and pre-extubation, as a predictor of post-extubation stridor. ⋯ The intra-individual variation of CLT immediately post-intubation and pre-extubation does not improve the accuracy of a standard pre-extubation CLT to predict post-extubation stridor. Moreover, the standard pre-extubation CLT did not appear in our study to be an ideal test to detect post-extubation stridor. Larger studies should be performed before generalizing these preliminary results.