Showing papers in "Respiratory Medicine in 2013"

TL;DR: Pulse oximetry has revolutionized the ability to monitor oxygenation in a continuous, accurate, and non-invasive fashion but many providers do not know the basic principles behind its mechanism of function, so this review discusses the various conditions that can cause spurious readings and the mechanisms underlying them.

TL;DR: The correlation between adherence to inhaled pharmacological therapies for asthma and COPD and clinical efficacy is positive, with improved symptom control and lung function shown in most studies of adults, adolescents and children.

TL;DR: COPD and cardiovascular disease was associated with poorer quality of life, higher MRC dyspnea scores, reduced 6MWD, higher BODE index scores, and the comorbidities of heart disease, hypertension and diabetes are associated with increased systemic inflammation.

TL;DR: This review takes forward the challenge of inhaler competence by highlighting the issues and suggesting potential solutions to these problems, as most issues faced by patients have not changed for half a century and this situation should not be allowed to continue any longer.

TL;DR: Once-daily UMEC/VI 62.5/25 mcg was well tolerated and provided clinically-significant improvements in lung function and symptoms in patients with COPD.

TL;DR: Smoking status, availability of social support and markers of disease severity were predictors of attendance and adherence to PR.

TL;DR: In this population-based study, 17.4% of the individuals identified with COPD had an overlap COPD-asthma phenotype, which had more dyspnea, wheezing, exacerbations, worse respiratory-specific quality of life, and reduced levels of physical activity.

TL;DR: The association between obesity and asthma is not straightforward, and further knowledge is clearly needed, as understanding the underlying mechanisms may lead to new therapeutic options for this high-risk part of the asthma population.

TL;DR: The results from eXpeRience indicate that omalizumab was associated with improvements in outcomes in patients with uncontrolled persistent allergic asthma; these improvements were consistent with the results of clinical trials.

TL;DR: Patients with COPD are underserved in terms of palliative care compared to those with other chronic life-limiting diseases.

TL;DR: The 10-week aerobic exercise training intervention resulted in increased physical activity and decreased fatigue in individuals with PAH.

TL;DR: In this paper, the effect of AZD9668, a selective oral inhibitor of NE, was evaluated in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, Phase II, signal-searching study in patients with bronchiectasis.

TL;DR: In this paper, a brief overview of the factors determining lung deposition of aerosols provides background information required by health care providers when instructing patients to use their prescribed inhalers and discusses differences in the optimal inhalation manoeuvres for each type of aerosol generator and the difficulties patients face.

TL;DR: In the presence of dyspnea and exacerbation, depression is the most important contributor to HRQoL impairment measured by SGRQ in COPD subjects, whereas other comorbidities and FEV have only limited impact.

TL;DR: The AFasma study focused on the important outcomes of asthma management, and showed that through the designed intervention, community pharmacists can increase controlled asthma patients compared to usual care.

TL;DR: Both cellular and fibrosing ILD patterns are common among RA-ILD patients who undergo surgical lung biopsy and these patients have a shortened survival when compared to the general population and all-comers with RA.

TL;DR: In COPD, emphysematous patients present worse pulmonary function and greater dyspnea, although there were no differences in the use of hospital health care resources.

TL;DR: The isolation of pathogenic bacteria in stable COPD should be considered as a form of chronic infection rather than colonisation, and this new approach may have important implications for the management of patients with COPD.

TL;DR: IB and PIB accounted for two thirds of cases of bronchiectasis in a general population and are recommended for routine screening for ABPA and total immunoglobulin deficiency but not for other rarer aetiologies.

TL;DR: In patients with PM/DM-ILD related, treatment with CYC, AZA or MMF was associated with stabilization of pulmonary physiology, improved dyspnea, and a reduction of steroid dose.

TL;DR: FF/VI provides rapid and significant sustained improvement in FEV(1) in subjects with moderate-to-severe COPD, which was not influenced by the dose of FF, and suggests that FF/VI may offer clinical efficacy in COPD and warrants additional study.

TL;DR: An evidence based approach is proposed enabling the caregiver to make a rational choice in only a few minutes by just considering the following four simple questions: Who?

TL;DR: The aim of this review is to describe the main pathological, clinical, and imaging aspects of PAM, ranging from its genetic basis to treatment.

TL;DR: QVA149 demonstrated a good safety and tolerability profile, providing rapid and sustained bronchodilation over 52 weeks in patients with moderate-to-severe COPD, and five deaths reported were unrelated to study medication.

TL;DR: The present study doesn't recommend the use of the recent ERS/GLI reference equations to interpret spirometry in North African adult population.

TL;DR: GGOs which persisted for several years showed an indolent course and large lesions with a solid portion and GGOs in male or elderly individuals may be cause for more concern, as these factors were associated with size increase.

TL;DR: The severity of the pulmonary involvement, assessed by HRCT features and lung function parameters, appeared to be associated with PET activity in sarcoidosis.

TL;DR: Pirfenidone was well-tolerated and had beneficial effects in patients with mild-to-severe and/or progressive IPF, and the most frequent adverse event was anorexia.

TL;DR: The use of intravenous magnesium sulfate, in addition to β2-agonists and systemic steroids, in the treatment of acute asthma appears to produce benefits with respect to improved pulmonary function and reduce the number of hospital admissions for children, and only improve pulmonary function for adults.

TL;DR: The frequency of circulating autoantibodies in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is no different compared to healthy controls, but may be associated with longer survival.