Thorax
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Decreased bronchodilating effect of salbutamol in relieving methacholine induced moderate to severe bronchoconstriction during high dose treatment with long acting beta2 agonists.
In vitro the long acting beta2 agonist salmeterol can, in contrast to formoterol, behave as a partial agonist and become a partial antagonist to other beta2 agonists. To study this in vivo, the bronchodilating effect of salbutamol was measured during methacholine induced moderate to severe bronchoconstriction in patients receiving maintenance treatment with high dose long acting beta2 agonists. ⋯ Formoterol has a greater intrinsic activity than salmeterol as a bronchoprotective agent, indicating that salmeterol is a partial agonist compared with formoterol in contracted human airways in vivo. Irrespective of this, prior long term treatment with both long acting beta2 agonists reduced the bronchodilating effect of an additional single dose of salbutamol equally, indicating that the development of tolerance or high receptor occupancy overshadowed any possible partial antagonistic activity of salmeterol. Patients on regular treatment with long acting beta2 agonists should be made aware that an additional single dose of a short acting beta2 agonist may become less effective.
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Currently the best prognostic index for operable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the TNM staging system. Molecular biology holds the promise of predicting outcome for the individual patient and identifying novel therapeutic targets. Angiogenesis, matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-2 and -9, and the erb/HER type I tyrosine kinase receptors are all implicated in the pathogenesis of NSCLC. ⋯ Angiogenesis, EGFR, and MMP-9 expression provide prognostic information independent of TNM stage, allowing a more accurate outcome prediction for the individual patient. The development of novel anti-angiogenic agents, EGFR targeted therapies, and MMP inhibitors suggests that target specific adjuvant treatments may become a therapeutic option in patients with resected NSCLC.
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The relation between home dampness and respiratory symptoms among adults is well confirmed, but data on specific allergic diseases and respiratory infections is more limited. Individual factors that may enhance susceptibility to the effects of home dampness are mainly unknown. ⋯ The risk of current asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis was higher in damp homes. Of the respiratory infections, the risk of common colds was most clearly increased.
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It has been suggested that cough effectiveness can be improved by assisted techniques. The effects of manually assisted cough and mechanical insufflation on cough flow physiology are reported in this study. ⋯ Manually assisted cough and mechanical insufflation should be considered to assist expectoration of secretions in patients with RMW without scoliosis but not in those with scoliosis.
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In Italy, respiratory intensive care units (RICUs) provide an intermediate level of care between the intensive care unit (ICU) and the general ward for patients with single organ respiratory failure. Because of the lack of official epidemiological data in these units, a two phase study was performed with the aim of describing the work profile in Italian RICUs. ⋯ Italian RICUs are specialised units mainly devoted to the monitoring and treatment of acute on chronic respiratory failure by non-invasive ventilation, but also to weaning from invasive mechanical ventilation. The results of this study provide a useful insight into an increasingly important field of respiratory medicine.