-
A 50-year-old woman presented with fatigue and shortness of breath. One week before presentation, she experienced the gradual onset of dyspnea after moderate exertion, profound malaise, and a non-productive cough. In the 48 hours before admission, her shortness of breath worsened, such that she was dyspneic while at rest...
New England Journal of Medicine (Pneumology) - Tue, 10 January 2012
http://www.nejm.org
-
According to observational trials, among the various negative effects of vitamin D deficiency, also a greater easiness towards respiratory infections has been described. Since during the long winter in Arctic countries vitamin D deficiency is a usual occurrence, some researchers in Finland have arranged a strict, blind trial, administrating vitamin D to healthy adults and controlling the working days lost because of respiratory infections.
MedNews (Pneumology) - Mon, 5 December 2011
http://mn.medsurfnews.com/
-
According to post-mortem results, it has been seen that the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism, even in cases of important extension, is often not performed, so researchers have wondered whether pulmonary embolism screening should be performed in patients with deep venous thrombosis (DVT), even in the absence of respiratory symptoms. A systematic review has been performed on 28 prospective trials to verify the prevalence of pulmonary embolism in patients with DVP.
MedNews (Pneumology) - Mon, 14 November 2011
http://mn.medsurfnews.com/
-
A study evaluating the correlation between breathlessness during daily activities and airflow limitation or static hyperinflation in COPD, showed that both static hyperinflation and airflow limitation contributed greatly to dyspnea in COPD patients.
Respiratory Research (Pneumology) - Tue, 11 October 2011
http://respiratory-research.com
-
Even if the use of an antibiotic is not always indicated in COPD exacerbations, no doubt in a patient with severe symptoms or requiring a hospitalization in an intensive care unit, the use of an antibiotic is an imperative. Researchers have wondered which is the best choice in these cases. With a blinded trial, some researchers in Tunisia have randomized 170 adults affected by acute COPD exacerbation with respiratory failure to receive ciproflaxicin or Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) for 10 days, beside the usual standard therapies given in the intensive care unit.
MedNews (Pneumology) - Mon, 3 October 2011
http://mn.medsurfnews.com/
-
Epinephrine inhalers, marketed by Armstrong Pharmaceutical Inc. as Primatene Mist, are the only FDA-approved inhalers for the temporary relief of occasional symptoms of mild asthma that are sold over-the-counter in retail stores without a prescription. The product uses CFCs to propel the medicine out of the inhaler so that consumers can breathe it into their lungs. However, Primatene Mist will no longer be available by year’s end because no CFC-containing epinephrine inhalers can be made or sold after Dec. 31, 2011, to comply with obligations made under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. This is an international agreement signed by the United States, in which countries agreed to phase-out substances that deplete the ozone layer, including CFCs, after certain dates.
Food and Drug Administration (Pneumology) - Tue, 27 September 2011
http://www.fda.gov
-
Inhaled glucocorticoids are used every day by millions of patients with asthma. As with all asthma-controller treatments, there is marked patient-to-patient variability in the therapeutic response. It would be advantageous if we could identify, in advance, patients who would respond to such treatment: Tantisira and colleagues appear to have made progress toward reaching this goal with the identification of a genetic variant associated with the response to inhaled glucocorticoids in the treatment of asthma.
New England Journal of Medicine (Pneumology) - Tue, 27 September 2011
http://www.nejm.org
-
In a randomized trial, asthma exacerbations during pregnancy were significantly reduced with a validated treatment algorithm using fraction of exhaled nitric oxide.
Medscape (Pneumology) - Mon, 12 September 2011
http://www.medscape.com
-
A 62-year-old woman presented with a 2-year history of progressive vocal hoarseness. She had undergone mitral-valve replacement for rheumatic mitral stenosis 21 years earlier, but her severe pulmonary hypertension had not resolved, and progressive clinical manifestations of right-sided heart failure, including peripheral edema, ascites, and exertional dyspnea, had developed. Chest radiography revealed...
New England Journal of Medicine (Pneumology) - Mon, 12 September 2011
http://www.nejm.org
-
Circulating cell-free DNA (cf-DNA) mainly comes from apoptotic cells and can reflect the extent of cellular damage. Increased plasma levels of cf-DNA have been found in many acute disorders, including septic and clinically ill patients, and usually correlate well with clinical outcome. A study reported that levels of cf-DNA in plasma can be a prognostic marker in patients needing mechanical ventilation...
Critical Care (Pneumology) - Mon, 12 September 2011
http://ccforum.com