Search results for "respiratory tract"
showing 10 items of 1170 documents
Correlation of Clinical and Immunologic Parameters of the Inflammatory Activity of Pulmonary Sarcoidosis
1991
The evaluation of activation markers such as T4/T8 ratio and HLA-DR expression of lymphocytes of bronchoalveolar lavage (L-BAL) is an important clinical approach for the staging of sarcoidosis. However, it is not known to what extent this is paralleled by an exaggerated lymphocyte function. We investigated the dependence of L-BAL activation markers on the production of interleukin-2 (IL-2) by L-BAL and on the soluble IL-2 receptor serum level (sIL-2R) in 116 patients with sarcoidosis. In none of the combinations tested was a correlation between the two groups of parameters found; r less than 0.5, upper 90% confidence limit of r less than 0.8. Interestingly, IL-2 production is independent of…
Determinants of Dyspnea in Patients with Different Grades of Stable Asthma
2003
Dyspnea is a main feature of symptomatology in asthma, and its perception does not necessarily correlates well with airway obstruction. The aim of this study was twofold: (1) to identify factors determining the subjective degree of dyspnea in patients with different grades of stable bronchial asthma and (2) to compare various clinical methods existing for grading dyspnea. The investigation comprised 153 outpatients with stable asthma. The parameters studied were the following: demographic characteristic of subjects, baseline dyspnea score by means of three clinical instruments (baseline dyspnea index [BDI], Medical Research Council [MRC] scale, and modified Borg scale), asthma severity, sta…
What proportion of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease outpatients is eligible for inclusion in randomized clinical trials?
2013
<b><i>Background and Objective:</i></b> We aimed to explore to what extent an unselected population of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) outpatients would be eligible for inclusion in randomized clinical trials (RCTs). <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Retrospective analysis of the clinical records of outpatient subjects with an ascertained diagnosis of COPD. COPD outpatients were assessed against the following inclusion criteria: 40 < age < 80 years, current or former smokers, forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV<sub>1</sub>) <70% predicted, no long-term oxygen therapy, no other concomitant lung diseases and …
HRCT and scleroderma: semiquantitative evaluation of lung damage and functional abnormalities.
2007
This study sought to validate the Warrick score in the assessment of lung involvement in systemic sclerosis (SSc) and correlate the results with functional abnormalities. In addition, we propose the use of high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) indices of alveolitis and fibrosis to discriminate between different stages of the disease.Thirty-one patients with SSc (16 with the diffuse form and 15 with the limited form) underwent functional and HRCT evaluations of the lung. The semiquantitative evaluation of radiological involvement, as proposed by Warrick, provides a score for each lesion based on the severity and the extent of the pulmonary damage. In addition to the total score, indices…
B-Lines for the assessment of extravascular lung water: Just focused or semi-quantitative?
2020
BACKGROUND B-lines as typical artefacts of lung ultrasound are considered as surrogate measurement for extravascular lung water. However, B-lines develop in the sub-pleural space and do not allow assessment of the whole lung. Here, we present data from the first observational multi-centre study focusing on the correlation between a B-lines score and extravascular lung water in critically ill patients suffering from a variety of diseases. PATIENTS AND METHODS In 184 adult patients, 443 measurements were obtained. B-lines were counted and expressed in a score which was compared to extravascular lung water, measured by single-indicator transpulmonary thermodilution. Appropriate correlation coe…
Tralokinumab did not demonstrate oral corticosteroid-sparing effects in severe asthma
2018
Long-term oral corticosteroid (OCS) use in patients with severe asthma is associated with significant adverse effects.This 40-week, randomised, double-blind trial evaluated the OCS-sparing potential of tralokinumab in patients with severe, uncontrolled asthma requiring maintenance OCS treatment plus inhaled corticosteroids/long-acting β2-agonists. Overall, 140 patients were randomised to tralokinumab 300 mg or placebo (n=70 in each group) administered subcutaneously every 2 weeks. The primary end-point was percentage change from baseline in average OCS dose at week 40, while maintaining asthma control. Secondary end-points included proportion of patients with a prescribed maintenance OCS do…
A risk-adapted approach to treating respiratory syncytial virus and human parainfluenza virus in allogeneic stem cell transplantation recipients with…
2017
Here we report the applicability of a protocol based on clinical conditions and risk factors (RFs) for managing 35 allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) recipients who developed a total of 52 episodes of respiratory viral infections (RVIs) caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV; n=19), human parainfluenza virus (HPIV; n=29), or both (n=4) over a 2-year study period. Risk categories were classified as high risk (cat-1) when the immunodeficiency scoring index was >= 3 and/or >= 3 RFs and/or >= 1 co-infective virus(es) were present; the remaining cases were classified as low risk (cat-0). The presence of two or more signs or symptoms including fever (T>38 degrees C…
Effects of allergen exposure on methacholine and AMP-induced air trapping in pollen-sensitive subjects
2011
Summary Background The effect of pro-inflammatory stimuli on bronchoconstrictor-induced air trapping has not been studied. Objective To determine the effect of natural allergen exposure, a pro-inflammatory stimulus, on methacholine- and adenosine 5′-monophospate (AMP)-induced air trapping. Methods Airway responsiveness to methacholine and AMP before and during the pollen season was obtained in 25 subjects with pollen allergy and in 10 healthy controls. The response was expressed by the sensitivity (PC 20 value) and by the slope and intercept of the FVC values recorded at each step of the challenge against the corresponding FEV 1 values. Results The slope and intercept FVC versus FEV 1 value…
Effects of aging on sensation of dyspnea and health-related quality of life in elderly asthmatics
2005
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: As the awareness of sensory stimuli is often impaired in older subjects, it has been hypothesized that the aging process may influence the perception of dyspnea. This study aimed at evaluating the aging-related difference in perception of spontaneously occurring dyspnea in adult asthmatics and at whether any such aging-related differences have an effect on the health-related quality of life (HRQOL). METHODS: 18 elderly asthmatics (EA) aged >65 years and 20 young asthmatics (YA) (age range 16-44 years) were recruited. In all subjects, 12-month asthma symptom score and respiratory function were recorded. Dyspnea was measured at rest by the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and HR…
No evidence for a correlation of glutathione S-tranferase polymorphisms and chronic rhinosinusitis.
2011
OBJECTIVE: Cellular detoxification mechanisms are mandatory for cellular protection against oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species. One major group of antioxidative active enzymes involved in cellular detoxification are the Glutathione S-Transferases (GST). Multiple subtypes like GSTM1, GSTP1, and GSTT1 and variants of them are known, arising from allelic variations of the GST loci. Moreover, functional variants occur in high percentages and have been associated with diseases like bronchial asthma and bronchial hyperresponsiveness. The interplay of oxidative stress, detoxifying genes like GSTs and the genesis of respiratory tract illness is under contradictory debate. In this study, w…