Ashtrays and signage as determinants of a smoke-free legislation's success.

Introduction: Successful smoke-free legislation is dependent on political will, enforcement and societal support. We report the success and pitfalls of a non-enforced nationwide smoke-free legislation in Greece, as well as ways in which compliance and enforcement-related factors, including ashtrays and signage, may impact indoor secondhand smoke (SHS) concentrations.

Methods: A follow-up study of venues (n=150, at baseline, n=75 at 2-year follow-up) in Greece assessed indoor particulate matter with a diameter less than 2.

Five-year trends of second-hand smoke exposure in Greece: a comparison between complete, partial, and prelegislation levels.

Background: Our aim was to assess second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure in hospitality venues after the smoke-free legislation implemented in September 2010 in Greece and to compare with when a partial ban was in place and in 2006 when no ban was in place.

Methods: Hospitality venues were prospectively assessed for their indoor concentrations of particulate matter (PM(2.5)) during the partial ban phase (n=149) and the complete ban phase (n=120, 80% followed up), while overall and matched by venue comparisons were also performed (no ban vs.

Exercise capacity in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: the effect of pulmonary hypertension.

Background And Objective: Increased pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) usually coexists with impaired lung function in IPF. Data on the effect of pulmonary hypertension (PH) on cardiopulmonary responses during exercise in IPF patients is very limited. We sought to investigate the impact of PH on exercise capacity and the correlation between systolic PAP (sPAP) and pulmonary function testing, as well as cardiopulmonary exercise parameters, in patients with IPF and PH.

Diagnostic accuracy of the rapid shallow breathing index to predict a successful spontaneous breathing trial outcome in mechanically ventilated patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of 2 threshold values (105 breaths per minute [bpm]/L and 130 bpm/L) of the rapid shallow breathing index (RSBI) to predict a successful weaning trial outcome in a homogenous group of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods: A consecutive population of patients with COPD who were intubated for hypercapnic respiratory failure during a 2-year period were studied prospectively. RSBI was measured by 2 investigators at minute 5 of the T-piece trial, whereas 2 other physicians evaluated the 30 minute T-piece trial as successful or unsuccessful, according to clinical criteria.

Sarcoidosis-associated pulmonary hypertension: a role for endothelin receptor antagonists?

Data on the treatment of sarcoidosis-associated pulmonary hypertension are scarce, while the variety of underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms are a major limitation in the implementation of a universal therapy. We report a 47-year-old male patient who presented with stage II sarcoidosis and associated severe pulmonary hypertension. Corticosteroid treatment resolved parenchymal lesions of the lung while vascular involvement did not respond, with the patient remaining in poor functional status.

Successful up-front combination therapy in a patient with idiopathic pulmonary hypertension and patent foramen ovale: an alternative to epoprostenol therapy?

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a life-threatening disease of the pulmonary arterioles, which, in the absence of effective therapy, progresses rapidly to right heart failure and death. Opening of a patent foramen ovale (PFO) is common in patients with severe pulmonary hypertension (PH), resulting in resistive hypoxemia. We report the case of a 40-year-old woman with idiopathic pulmonary hypertension (iPAH) in New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III to IV, who was admitted in the intensive care unit with hemodynamic compromise and severe hypoxemia due to right-to-left shunt throughout a PFO.