Search results for "PULMONARY"

Sputum metalloproteinase-9/tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 ratio correlates with airflow obstruction in asthma and chronic bronchitis

1998

Asthma and chronic bronchitis are inflammatory diseases with extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling and collagen deposition. Collagen homeostasis is controlled by metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). We evaluated MMP and TIMP balance in induced sputum of 10 control, 31 untreated asthmatic, and 16 chronic bronchitic subjects. We first performed zymographic analysis to identify the profile of MMPs. Zymography revealed a similar MMPs profile in all populations studied and that MMP-9 was the major enzyme released. We then measured, using enzyme immunoassay, the concentrations of MMP-9 and of its inhibitor TIMP-1 and evaluated whether airflow limitation m…

A case of visceral leishmaniasis and pulmonary tuberculosis in a post-partum woman

2015

AbstractVisceral leishmaniasis due to Leishmania infantum is a vector-borne zoonotic disease transmitted by sand fly bites endemic in rural or periurban areas of the Mediterranean basin. Pregnancy is accompanied by changes in immune response, mainly a decrease in cellular immunity and a proportional increase in humoral immunity. These physiological events result in increased risk of infection by pathogens whose immunity is based on a T-helper 1 predominant response. We describe a case of visceral leishmaniasis and pulmonary tuberculosis diagnosed in a post-partum woman four days after delivery. The diagnosis of leishmaniasis should be considered in pregnant women with fever and haematologic…

Maximal degree of airway narrowing induced by methacholine and adenosine monophosphate: relationship with the decrease in forced vital capacity.

2010

Background Changes in forced vital capacity (FVC) may represent an indirect method for the detection of plateau in response to inhaled bronchoconstrictor agents. Objective To determine the relationship between the level of plateau obtained with either methacholine or adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and the decrease in FVC induced by each bronchoconstrictor agent. Methods Airway responsiveness to high concentrations of methacholine and AMP was determined in patients with intermittent asthma (n = 41) or allergic rhinitis (n = 26). Furthermore, allergen-induced changes in the response to each bronchoconstrictor agent were investigated in 18 pollen-sensitive patients. Concentration-response curve…

Lung microenvironments and disease progression in fibrotic hypersensitivity pneumonitis

2022

Rationale: Fibrotic hypersensitivity pneumonitis (fHP) is an interstitial lung disease caused by sensitization to an inhaled allergen. Objectives: To identify the molecular determinants associated with progression of fibrosis. Methods: Nine fHP explant lungs and six unused donor lungs (as controls) were systematically sampled (4 samples/lung). According to microcomputed tomography measures, fHP cores were clustered into mild, moderate, and severe fibrosis groups. Gene expression profiles were assessed using weighted gene co-expression network analysis, xCell, gene ontology, and structure enrichment analysis. Gene expression of the prevailing molecular traits was also compared with idiopathi…

Acute cardio-respiratory effects in rats of PS4α, an antineoplastic peptidoglycan from Mycobacterium vaccae

2001

Abstract PS4α is a high molecular weight peptidoglycan extracted from Mycobacterium vaccae, which has demonstrated considerable antineoplastic activity in-vivo without apparent toxicity. Available for testing in only small quantities, a sensitive in-vivo method for measuring pulse and breathing rates in cannulated rats was applied to this compound at doses of 5, 50 and 500 μg kg−1. Various parameters (mean arterial pressure, maximum transpulmonary pressure, compliance, heart rate, minute volume, respiratory rate and tidal volume) were followed for up to 1 h and demonstrated no significant deviation in the baseline values obtained before injection. This compound at doses up to 500 μg kg−1 ha…

Uniportal thoracoscopy combined with laparoscopy as minimally invasive treatment of esophageal cancer

2018

A 67-year-old man was referred to our attention for management of esophageal adenocarcinoma, localized at the level of the esophagogastric junction and obstructed the 1/3 of the esophageal lumen. Due to the extension of the disease (T3N1M0-Stage IIIA), the patient underwent neo-adjuvant chemo-radiation therapy and he was then scheduled for a minimally invasive surgical procedure including laparoscopic gastroplasty, uniportal thoracoscopic esophageal dissection and intrathoracic end-to-end esophago-gastric anastomosis. No intraoperative and post-operative complications were seen. The patient was discharged in post-operative day 9. Pathological study confirmed the diagnosis of adenocarcinoma …

Bronchial responsiveness and airway inflammation in trained subjects [9]

2008

Improving the solid-phase extraction of “quat” pesticides from water samples

1998

A novel strategy, based on the addition of a cationic surfactant, for preventing the interferences associated with a diminution in the efficacy of solid-phase extraction (SPE) with silica cartridges of diquat, paraquat and difenzoquat in water is developed. Conditions for extraction are optimised with respect to pH, cationic surfactant and its concentration. Humic acids, anionic surfactants, inorganic salts and other organic contaminants like pesticides, phenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls produce the studied interferences. The best performance is shown in the improvement of the "quats" recovery from waters with high levels of humic acids and anionic surf…

Patients Suffering from a Chronic, Irreversible Illness: A Novel Study on the Psychological Intervention out of the Hospital

2020

Objective: Patients with chronic, untreatable diseases have emotional needs that are often unaddressed by conventional care services within the healthcare systems. The situation of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is paradigmatic as there are few, if any, studies focusing on psychological interventions for these patients. This chapter describes a study that identifies and quantifies emotional distress, quality of life, spirituality, and key dimensions of health-related well-being after brief psychotherapy treatments at an outpatient clinic.

Novel technologies to detect atelectotrauma in the injured lung

2010

ABSTRACTCyclical recruitment and derecruitment of lung parenchyma (R/D) remains a serious problem in ALI/ARDS patients, defined as atelectotrauma. Detection of cyclical R/D to titrate the optimal respiratory settings is of high clinical importance. Image-based technologies that are capable of detecting changes of lung ventilation within a respiratory cycle include dynamic computed tomography (dCT), synchrotron radiation computed tomography (SRCT), and electrical impedance tomography (EIT). Time-dependent intra-arterial oxygen tension monitoring represents an alternative approach to detect cyclical R/D, as cyclical R/D can result in oscillations of PaO2 within a respiratory cycle. Continuous…