Respiratory symptoms among HIV-seropositive individuals.

Study Objectives: Recent evidence suggests that chronic or latent viral infection may be an important predisposing factor in the development of COPD among smokers. As such, understanding if HIV-seropositive smokers are at heightened risk for respiratory symptoms may have relevance with regard to COPD pathogenesis. The current study was done to systematically identify the prevalence of respiratory symptoms among an HIV-seropositive population and to identify associated clinical features.

Effect of enteral feeding with eicosapentaenoic acid, gamma-linolenic acid, and antioxidants on antioxidant status in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Background: We previously showed that enteral feeding of a diet containing eicosapentaenoic acid, gamma-linolenic acid, and elevated antioxidants improved clinical outcomes compared with a control diet in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients. It has been suggested that oxidative stress may overwhelm endogenous antioxidant levels and allow free radicals to further damage lung tissue. Therefore, we determined whether these ARDS patients were under oxidative stress and whether the experimental diet could improve antioxidant status.

Enteral nutrition with eicosapentaenoic acid, gamma-linolenic acid, and antioxidants reduces alveolar inflammatory mediators and protein influx in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Objective: Previously, we showed that acute respiratory distress syndrome patients fed an enteral diet containing eicosapentaenoic acid and gamma-linolenic acid and elevated antioxidants (EPA+GLA; Oxepa) had significantly reduced pulmonary inflammation, increased oxygenation, and improved clinical outcomes. In a subset of acute respiratory distress syndrome patients from this trial, we performed a preliminary examination of the potential mechanisms underlying these clinical improvements by retrospectively testing the hypothesis that enteral feeding with EPA+GLA could reduce alveolar-capillary membrane protein permeability and the production of interleukin (IL)-8, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and leukotriene B4 that are responsible, in part, for pulmonary inflammation.

Design: Prospective, randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial.