Do smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease report their smoking status reliably? A comparison of self-report and bio-chemical validation.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is predominantly caused by cigarette smoking and is considered a worldwide preventable chronic illness. Smoking cessation is considered the primary intervention for disease management and nurses should play a major role in assisting patients to stop smoking. Currently there is a lack of professional consensus on how cessation interventions should be evaluated.

Use of culture and molecular analysis to determine the effect of antibiotic treatment on microbial community diversity and abundance during exacerbation in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Background: Anaerobic bacteria are increasingly regarded as important in cystic fibrosis (CF) pulmonary infection. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of antibiotic treatment on aerobic and anaerobic microbial community diversity and abundance during exacerbations in patients with CF.

Methods: Sputum was collected at the start and completion of antibiotic treatment of exacerbations and when clinically stable.

A20 regulation of nuclear factor-κB: perspectives for inflammatory lung disease.

Persistent activation of NF-κB is central to the pathogenesis of many inflammatory lung disorders, including cystic fibrosis, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A20 is an endogenous negative regulator of NF-κB signaling, which has been widely described in autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, including diabetes and Crohn's disease, but which has received little attention in terms of chronic lung disorders. This review examines the existing body of research on A20 regulation of NF-κB signaling and details the mechanism and regulation of A20 action focusing, where possible, on pulmonary inflammation.

Molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of quinolone resistance-determining regions (QRDRs) of gyrA, gyrB, parC and parE gene loci in viridans group streptococci isolated from adult patients with cystic fibrosis.

Objectives: Ciprofloxacin is the most frequently used member of the fluoroquinolones during initial eradication therapy of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, as well as during acute pulmonary exacerbations. However, its long-term effect on the susceptibility of the commensal flora within the cystic fibrosis (CF) airways has not yet been examined. The aim of this study was therefore to examine the consequence of oral ciprofloxacin usage on the resistance of the commensal viridans group streptococci (VGS), in terms of MICs and mutational analysis of the quinolone resistance-determining regions (QRDRs).

Protein biomarkers in cystic fibrosis research: where next?

Cystic fibrosis is one of the most common life-limiting inherited disorders. Its clinical impact manifests chiefly in the lung, pancreas, gastrointestinal tract and sweat glands, with lung disease typically being most detrimental to health. The median age for survival has increased dramatically over the past decades, largely thanks to advances in understanding of the mechanisms and consequences of disease, leading to the development of better therapies and treatment regimes.

Population structure and characterization of viridans group streptococci (VGS) including Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated from adult patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).

A study was undertaken to examine the population structure of viridans group streptococci (VGS) in the sputum of adult patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Freshly expectorated sputa (n=58) from 45 adult CF patients were examined by selective conventional culture on Mitis-Salivarius agar and yielded 190 isolates of VGS. Sequence analyses of the rpnB and 16-23S rRNA ITS genes identified these isolates to belong to 12 species of VGS and included S.

Non-coding small (micro) RNAs of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from clinical isolates from adult patients with cystic fibrosis.

MicroRNAs are a class of small non-coding RNAs widely reported in eukaryotic multicellular organisms. In this study, a number of small non-coding micro (mi)RNA species in clinical isolates of prokaryote Pseudomonas aeruginosa were obtained from the sputum of adult patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) utilising a DynaExpress miRNA cloning kit, and five miRNAs of 16-47 nucleotides that were smaller than those encountered or described (80-100 nucleotides) previously in bacterial systems were described. This report presents data on these unknown cellular miRNAs cloned from P.

Cardiorespiratory measurements during field tests in CF: use of an ambulatory monitoring system.

Respiratory inductive plethysmography (e.g., LifeShirt) may offer in-depth study of the cardiorespiratory responses during field exercise tests.

Aquagenic wrinkling of the palms in an adult cystic fibrosis population.

Background: Aquagenic wrinkling of the palms (AWP) is a rare condition characterised by the development of oedema and excessive wrinkling of the palms following exposure to water. It has frequently been associated with cystic fibrosis (CF). Early reports of AWP have only been case reports or small case series; there has only been one reported prevalence study of AWP in a CF population.

A randomized clinical trial of hydroxymethylglutaryl- coenzyme a reductase inhibition for acute lung injury (The HARP Study).

Rationale: There is no effective pharmacological treatment for acute lung injury (ALI). Statins are a potential new therapy because they modify many of the underlying processes important in ALI.

Objectives: To test whether simvastatin improves physiological and biological outcomes in ALI.

Travelling with cystic fibrosis: recommendations for patients and care team members.

There are no European Guidelines on issues specifically related to travel for people with cystic fibrosis (CF). The contributors to these recommendations included 30 members of the ECORN-CF project. The document is endorsed by the European Cystic Fibrosis Society and sponsored by the Executive Agency of Health and Consumers of the European Union and the Christiane Herzog Foundation.

'It's not worth stopping now': why do smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease continue to smoke? A qualitative study.

Aim: This study aims to explore the experience of cigarette smokers with Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who have received smoking cessation support and describe their personal decision-making processes regarding their smoking behaviour.

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated poor smoking cessation rates in people with COPD, despite this being the primary intervention for disease management. There is limited research exploring the reasons why this population continues to smoke.

Respiratory muscle pressures in non-CF bronchiectasis: repeatability and reliability.

Background: Respiratory muscle strength is used diagnostically in clinical practice and as an outcome measure in clinical trials in various chronic lung diseases. There is limited data on its repeatability in people with non-CF bronchiectasis. The aim of the present study was to assess the repeatability of maximal inspiratory (P( I)max) and expiratory pressures (P(E)max) in a group of patients with stable, moderate-to-severe non-CF bronchiectasis.

Aztreonam lysine: a novel inhalational antibiotic for cystic fibrosis.

Acquisition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the most prevalent organism isolated from cystic fibrosis (CF) airways, is associated with an accelerated clinical deterioration and reduced survival. Strategies to chronically suppress P. aeruginosa infections in individuals with CF have evolved over the last four decades and now largely focus on regular administration of aerosolized antibiotics.

Association of airway cathepsin B and S with inflammation in cystic fibrosis.

Irreversible tissue damage within the cystic fibrosis (CF) lung is mediated by proteolytic enzymes during an inflammatory response. Serine proteinases, in particular neutrophil elastase (NE), have been implicated however, members of the cysteine proteinase family may also be involved. The aim of this study was to determine cathepsin B and S levels in cystic fibrosis (CF) sputum and to assess any relationship to recognized markers of inflammation such as sputum NE, interleukin-8 (IL-8), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), urine TNF receptor 1 (TNFr1), plasma IL-6, and serum C-reactive protein (CRP).

Newer antibacterial agents and their potential role in cystic fibrosis pulmonary exacerbation management.

Pulmonary exacerbations in cystic fibrosis (CF) are frequent events and account for a substantial proportion of the burden of morbidity and mortality in this disease. Antibacterial therapies to treat pulmonary exacerbations are instituted empirically and are individualized based on both patient factors (severity of exacerbation, frequency of exacerbation, recent courses of anti-infectives) and pathogen factors (previously isolated pathogens and in vitro predicted susceptibilities). However, the epidemiology of pathogens infecting CF airways is changing, with increased incidence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other Gram-negative non-fermenters such as Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Achromobacter xylosoxidans.

British thoracic society winter meeting 2008.

The 26th annual British Thoracic Society Winter Meeting was held in London from 2 to 5 December 2008. It was attended by over 2000 participants from around the world. The program presented to attendees topics of interest across respiratory clinical and scientific fields.

Raman microscopy in the diagnosis and prognosis of surgically resected nonsmall cell lung cancer.

The main curative therapy for patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer is surgery. Despite this, the survival rate is only 50%, therefore it is important to more efficiently diagnose and predict prognosis for lung cancer patients. Raman spectroscopy is useful in the diagnosis of malignant and premalignant lesions.

Optimal airway antimicrobial therapy for cystic fibrosis: the role of inhaled aztreonam lysine.

Importance Of The Field: Chronic endobronchial infection in cystic fibrosis (CF) leads to progressive lung function loss and respiratory failure. Most adult CF patients are infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an important predictor of mortality. Suppressing chronic P.