Pendrin, an anion exchanger on lung epithelial cells, could be a novel target for lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury mice.

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of pendrin in acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and to explore whether pendrin expression existing on alveolar cells.

Methods: ALI C57BL/6 mice model induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was established. The expression of pendrin in lung was analyzed by RT-PCR and western blotting methods, the changes of lung inflammatory parameters and pathology were observed, the cellular distribution of pendrin in the lung was determined using immunofluorescence.

Extracorporeal blood therapy in sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome: the "purifying dream".

Objective: To discuss the rationale, hypothesis, modality of extracorporeal blood purification (EBP) techniques for the critically ill animal models or patients, and to summarize the experimental and clinical studies with inconsistent data which explored the EBP's efficacy in the areas of critical care medicine.

Data Sources: Articles referred in this review were collected from the database of PubMed published in English up to June 2014.

Study Selection: We had done a literature search by using the term "(sepsis OR acute lung injury OR acute respiratory distress syndrome) AND (extracorporeal blood purification OR hemofiltration OR hemoperfusion OR plasma exchange OR plasmapheresis OR adsorpiton)".

Montelukast for prevention and treatment of asthma exacerbations in adults: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

It has proven efficacy in reducing asthma exacerbations, but the effect size of montelukast (a leukotriene receptor antagonist) for varied severity of asthma exacerbations is not systematically assessed. This study was designed to systematically explore the evidence for montelukast, as first-line or add-on therapy, in preventing and treating asthma exacerbations in adult patients with asthma. Randomized controlled trials were searched in PubMed, CENTRAL, Web of Science, Embase, and OVID up to March 2013, where montelukast prevented or treated asthma exacerbations in adults.

The Asthma Control Test and Asthma Control Questionnaire for assessing asthma control: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Currently, the cornerstone of asthma management is the achievement and maintenance of optimal asthma control, but the diagnostic performances of the Asthma Control Test (ACT) and Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) have not been evaluated systematically.

Objective: We explored the diagnostic performances of and statistically compared the ACT and ACQ.

Methods: Studies that examined the accuracy of the ACT, ACQ, or both in the assessment of asthma control were found by searching PubMed, CENTRAL, Web of Science, Ovid, and Embase.