Proceedings of the American Thoracic Society
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The clinical course of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is variable; however, the long-term survival in IPF is poor. Prednisone has been the mainstay of therapy since its release for clinical use in 1948. Recently, prednisone combined with azathioprine or cyclophosphamide has been used. ⋯ Thus, there is no good evidence to support the routine use of any specific therapy in the management of IPF. Additional large clinical trials are needed to confirm the potential usefulness of the newer agents (e.g., IFN-gamma1b, pirfenidone, N-acetylcysteine, coumadin, bosentan, or etanercept). This article examines the body of evidence supporting the current therapies and reviews the newer agents being tested in patients with IPF.
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Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) describe their breathlessness as related to the work and effort associated with breathing. Current evidence suggests that the perception of dyspnea is due to a "mismatch" between the outgoing motor command from the central nervous system and the corresponding afferent information from chemoreceptors and/or mechanoreceptors. To measure the severity of dyspnea the principles of psychophysics (stimulus --> response relationship) can be applied. ⋯ A computerized system has been developed whereby the person can report ratings spontaneously and continuously by moving a computer mouse that adjusts a vertical bar adjacent to 0-10 category-ratio scale positioned on a monitor. With this continuous method the patient reports twice the number of dyspnea ratings during exercise compared with discrete ratings each minute. Patient-reported dyspnea based on activities of daily living and exercise testing provides distinct but complimentary information.
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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is not only an established major cause of mortality and morbidity but is increasing in worldwide prevalence despite current medical interventions. The natural history of COPD is punctuated by periods of acute symptomatic, physiologic, and functional deterioration or exacerbations. ⋯ Although pharmacologic therapies may improve clinical outcomes, these benefits must be optimized by prompt diagnosis and delivery. This will require improved understanding of this complex disease by physicians and patients alike.
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Expiratory flow limitation is the pathophysiologic hallmark of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but dyspnea (breathlessness) is its most prominent and distressing symptom. Acute dynamic lung hyperinflation, which refers to the temporary increase in operating lung volumes above their resting value, is a key mechanistic consequence of expiratory flow limitation, and has serious mechanical and sensory repercussions. It is associated with excessive loading and functional weakness of inspiratory muscles, and with restriction of normal VT expansion during exercise. ⋯ In flow-limited patients, bronchodilators act by improving dynamic airway function, thus enhancing lung emptying and reducing lung hyperinflation. Long-acting bronchodilators have recently been shown to reduce hyperinflation during both rest and exercise in moderate to severe COPD. This lung deflation allows greater Vt expansion for a given inspiratory effort during exercise with consequent improvement in dyspnea and exercise endurance.
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Over the last decade, there have been changes in the epidemiology of fungal infections as well as dramatic improvements in the antifungal armamentarium. Candida species are an increasingly important cause of infection among patients in intensive care units. Mold infections continue to occur predominantly among highly immunosuppressed patients, such as those who have acute leukemia and those undergoing hematopoietic stem cell or solid organ transplantation. ⋯ This agent has a very broad spectrum of activity, is available in both oral and intravenous formulations, and is approved for treatment of aspergillosis, other molds, and candidiasis. The major drawbacks with voriconazole are the number of drug-drug interactions and side effects, including rash, hepatitis, and visual disturbances. Treatment with amphotericin B, long the mainstay of antifungal therapy despite its inherent toxicity, is required much less often since the introduction of these new antifungal agents.