0000000000170738
AUTHOR
Andrea Koch
β-Blockers in COPD
Background Cardiovascular disease is a frequent comorbidity in patients with COPD. Many physicians, particularly pulmonologists, are reluctant to use β-adrenoceptor blocking agents (β-blockers) in patients with COPD, despite their proven effectiveness in preventing cardiovascular events. Methods The large (5,162 patients) phase III TONADO 1 and 2 studies assessed lung function and patient-reported outcomes in patients with moderate to very severe COPD receiving long-acting bronchodilator treatment across 1 year. This post hoc analysis characterized lung-function changes, patient-reported outcomes, and safety in the subgroup of patients receiving β-blockers in the studies. Results In total, …
Patients with allergic and eosinophilic asthma in the German severe asthma registry
Targeted treatment strategies for asthma require a precise diagnosis of phenotypes. 308 adult patients (age mean±SD: 50.3±13.5yrs) with severe asthma from the German Severe Asthma Registry (www.german-asthma-net.de) were evaluated based on history of allergy symptoms, results of skin prick tests, total/specific IgE, and blood cell differentials. 121 patients (39%) showed typical signs of allergic asthma including allergic symptoms and a positive skin prick test and/or specific IgE with no elevated blood eosinophils (median total IgE: 222 (range 4-4023) IU/ml, eosinophils: 128 (0-295)/µl, FeNO: 23 (7-300) ppb). 53 (43.8%) of these patients were treated with omalizumab. 50 patients (16%) had …
Recurrent bacteraemia by 2 different Bacillus cereus strains related to 2 distinct central venous catheters.
A 14-y-old girl with osteosarcoma developed 3 episodes of catheter-related bacteraemia by Bacillus cereus. After removal of the first and insertion of a second Hickman catheter, further episodes of B. cereus bacteraemia occurred. PFGE analysis revealed that bacteraemic episodes related to each catheter were caused by a distinct B. cereus strain.
Combination Therapy with Oral Treprostinil for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension:A Double-Blind Placebo-controlled Clinical Trial
Rationale: Oral treprostinil improves exercise capacity in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), but the effect on clinical outcomes was unknown.\ud \ud Objectives: To evaluate the effect of oral treprostinil compared with placebo on time to first adjudicated clinical worsening event in participants with PAH who recently began approved oral monotherapy.\ud \ud Methods: In this event-driven, double-blind study, we randomly allocated 690 participants (1:1 ratio) with PAH to receive placebo or oral treprostinil extended-release tablets three times daily. Eligible participants were using approved oral monotherapy for over 30 days before randomization and had a 6-minute-walk dista…