Use of pulmonary function test demographic data to identify high-risk patients for lung cancer screening.

Lung Cancer is the primary cause of cancer-related death in the United States. We have recognized a need for novel methods of identification and consideration of enrollment into a lung cancer screening program for those at the highest risk of lung cancer. Our primary goal was to determine if pulmonary function test (PFT) demographic data would be useful in identifying patients for lung cancer screening.

Bronchoscopic Removal of a Long-standing Aspirated Iron Pill.

While patients have been known to aspirate pills, they virtually never persist long enough to lead to complications. A spectrum of events, however, may arise especially from iron pill aspiration. If not identified and removed early, cytotoxic damage from local free-radical generation may result in airway damage.

Indoor Air Quality.

Many health care providers are concerned with the role environmental exposures play in the development of respiratory disease. While most individuals understand that outdoor air quality is important to their health status, many are unaware of the detrimental effects indoor air pollution can potentially have on them. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates both outdoor and indoor air quality.

Can We Trust Observational Studies Using Propensity Scores in the Critical Care Literature? A Systematic Comparison With Randomized Clinical Trials.

Objective: To assess the degree of agreement between propensity score studies and randomized clinical trials in critical care research.

Data Sources: Propensity score studies published in highly cited critical care or general medicine journals or included in a previous systematic review; corresponding randomized clinical trials included in Cochrane Systematic Reviews or published in PubMed.

Study Selection: We identified propensity score studies of the effects of therapeutic interventions on short- or long-term mortality.

Foreign body granulomatosis in a patient with a factitious disorder.

A 42-year-old woman was hospitalized with fever and hypoxemia. The workup for fever was unrevealing. A computed tomographic scan of the chest showed centrilobular, small, nodular opacities throughout both the lung fields.

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis soon after therapy with infliximab, a tumor necrosis factor-alpha-neutralizing antibody: a possible healthcare-associated case?

Background: Infliximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody against tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, used for the treatment of Crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Recently, an increased risk of infection due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and rare cases of invasive fungal disease have been reported following infliximab therapy.

Case Report: A 73-year-old woman with chronic rheumatoid arthritis who had been treated with methotrexate, leflunomide, and prednisone was given the first of three doses of infliximab in June 2001.