Search results for "respiratory tract"
showing 10 items of 1170 documents
Children, parents and Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Palermo, Italy: prevention is primary.
2010
A study was conducted to describe the characteristics of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infection cases occurring in the season 2006—7 in Palermo, Italy, and to evaluate the parents’ knowledge and behaviours concerning prevention and control of acute respiratory infections (ARIs). All children aged between 0 and 2 years, admitted for a lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) between October 2006 and May 2007, were enrolled in the study. Data were collected about demographic and household characteristics. Furthermore, their parents were asked to compile a structured questionnaire on transmission, prevention and management of ARIs in children. A total of 198 children with a diagnosis…
High-frequency oscillatory ventilation and an interventional lung assist device to treat hypoxaemia and hypercapnia
2004
A male patient accidentally aspirated paraffin oil when performing as a fire-eater. Severe acute respiratory distress syndrome ( P a 2 / F 2 ratio 10.7 kPa) developed within 24 h. Conventional pressure-controlled ventilation (PCV) with high airway pressures and low tidal volumes failed to improve oxygenation. Hypercapnia ( P a 2 12 kPa) with severe acidosis (pH<7.20) ensued. Treatment with high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) and a higher adjusted airway pressure (35 cm H2O) improved the P a 2 / F 2 ratio within 1 h from 10.7 to 22.9 kPa, but the hypercapnia and acidosis continued. Stepwise reduction of the mean airway pressure (26 cm H2O), and oscillating frequencies (3.5 Hz), as …
Airway epithelial dysfunction and mesenchymal transition in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Role of Oct-4
2021
Abstract The airway epithelium is a dynamic tissue that undergoes slow but constant renewal. Dysregulation of airway epithelial function related to cigarette smoke exposure plays an important role in the pathophysiology of COPD. Oct4 is a transcription factor responsible for maintaining cellular self-renewal and regeneration, and CD146 and CD105/Endoglin are adhesion molecules involved in cell proliferation, differentiation, epithelial-mesenchymal-transition and tissue remodeling. Bronchial biopsy specimens (BBs) were obtained from 7 healthy controls (HC) and 10 COPD and subjected to paraffin embedding; BBs from HC were also used for epithelial cell expansion and pHBEC/ALI (air-liquid inter…
Obesity and craniofacial variables in subjects with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: comparisons of cephalometric values
2007
AbstractBackgroundThe aim of this paper was to determine the most common craniofacial changes in patients suffering Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) with regards to the degree of obesity. Accordingly, cephalometric data reported in the literature was searched and analyzed.MethodsAfter a careful analysis of the literature from 1990 to 2006, 5 papers with similar procedural criteria were selected. Inclusion criteria were: recruitment of Caucasian patients with an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) >10 as grouped in non-obese (Body Mass Index – [BMI] < 30)vs. obese (BMI ≥ 30).ResultsA low position of the hyoid bone was present in both groups. In non-obese patients, an increased value of t…
Electrophysiological brainstem investigations in obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome.
1996
Phasic inspiratory genioglossus activity prevents pharyngeal airway collapse in healthy subjects during sleep and is diminished or absent in obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS), thus leading to pharyngeal obstruction. Case reports of OSAS after pontomedullary lesions indicate that impaired inspiratory genioglossal activity may result from brainstem lesions. We therefore investigated brainstem functions in 18 awake patients with OSAS using brainstem auditory evoked potentials, blink reflex, masseter reflex, masseter inhibitory reflex (in 11 of 18 patients), magnetic evoked potentials of the tongue and electrooculography with vestibular testing. Fifteen of 18 patients showed no electroph…
Airway Responsiveness to Inhaled Acetaldehyde in Subjects with Allergic Rhinitis: Relationship to Methacholine Responsiveness
2002
<i>Background:</i> Asthmatic subjects have an exaggerated airway response to inhaled acetaldehyde, but no information is available on airway responsiveness to this bronchoconstrictor agent in subjects with allergic rhinitis. <i>Objective:</i> The aim of this study was to determine the effect of inhaled acetaldehyde on lung function in nonasthmatic subjects with allergic rhinitis. <i>Methods:</i> A total of 78 adults (43 subjects with allergic rhinitis, 16 asthmatics and 19 healthy subjects) were challenged with increased concentrations of acetaldehyde and methacholine. The response to each bronchoconstrictor agent was measured by the provocative concentra…
Exhaled Nitric Oxide and Bronchial Responsiveness to Adenosine 5′-Monophosphate in Subjects With Allergic Rhinitis
2002
Study objectives: To determine differences in exhaled nitric oxide (ENO) between subjects with allergic rhinitis with and without increased responsiveness to direct and indirect bronchoconstrictor agents. Study design: Cross-sectional study with the order of challenge tests randomized. Setting: Specialist allergy unit in a university hospital. Patients: Thirty-eight subjects without asthma with allergic rhinitis and 10 healthy nonatopic control subjects. Measurements and results: Participants were challenged with increasing concentrations of adenosine 5monophosphate (AMP) and methacholine. ENO was measured with the singleexhalation method. A positive response to both bronchoconstrictor agen…
Baroreflex control of heart rate during sleep in severe obstructive sleep apnoea: effects of acute CPAP
2006
Baroreflex control of heart rate during sleep (baroreflex sensitivity; BRS) has been shown to be depressed in obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), and improved after treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Whether CPAP also acutely affects BRS during sleep in uncomplicated severe OSA is still debatable. Blood pressure was monitored during nocturnal polysomnography in 18 patients at baseline and during first-time CPAP application. Spontaneous BRS was analysed by the sequence method, and estimated as the mean sequence slope. CPAP did not acutely affect mean blood pressure or heart rate but decreased cardiovascular variability during sleep. Mean BRS increased slightly during CPAP…
Adjustable maintenance dosing with budesonide/formoterol in a single inhaler provides effective asthma symptom control at a lower dose than fixed mai…
2004
Asthma guidelines suggest a stepwise approach to maintenance pharmacological treatment of persistent asthma until control is attained, and a 3 month review of the fixed maintenance dosing for step-up or step-down adjustment. This 12-week study compared the efficacy and safety of budesonide/formoterol in a single inhaler (Symbicort Turbuhaler 160/4.5 or 80/4.5 microg) given as adjustable maintenance or fixed maintenance dosing. Patients (n = 2358) were randomised to budesonide/formoterol fixed maintenance dosing (two inhalations bid) or adjustable maintenance dosing (two inhalation bid; stepping up to four inhalations bid if asthma worsened for a maximum of 14 days; stepping down to two inha…
Spontaneous interleukin 2 release of bronchoalveolar lavage cells in sarcoidosis is a codeterminator of prognosis
1996
There is mounting evidence that activated interleukin 2 (IL-2)-releasing lymphocytes play a central role in the immunopathogenesis of sarcoidosis by directing inflammatory reactions and granuloma formation. In the context that a significant proportion of these cells accumulates in the lung and releases mediators, we hypothesized that different immunologically defined stages of sarcoidosis can be identified. A cohort of 89 sarcoidosis patients was allocated to four groups according to the following criteria: stage A, a low number of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) lymphocytes (20%) without IL-2 release (1 unit/ml in BAL cell culture supernatant); stage B, BAL lymphocytes20%, with IL-2 release (…