Combined effects of smoking and HIV infection on the occurrence of aging-related manifestations.

Both HIV-1 infection and smoking may contribute to the development of ageing-related manifestations affecting the prognosis of people living with HIV, but it is unclear whether HIV and smoking exert their effects independently or interact by potentiating each other. We conducted a cross-sectional study in 192 people living with HIV aged- and gender-matched with 192 HIV-uninfected controls, assessing the relative effect of HIV-1/smoking status on lung function (FEV1), bone mineral density (BMD), appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI), aortic pulse-wave velocity (PWV), insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and renal function. In both unadjusted and adjusted analyses, FEV1, BMD and ASMI significantly differed according to smoking/HIV status, with the worst parameters found in HIV-1 infected patients currently smoking, and BMD and ASMI decreased to a lesser extent in HIV-1 infected patients formerly smoking (> 10 pack-years).

Covid-19 outbreak: does the use of a surgical mask impact the sense of smell?

Background: The current context of Covid-19 pandemic has broadened mask use.

Objectives: Evaluate the impact of wearing a surgical mask on sense of smell by comparing the results of sniffin' sticks test (SST) with and without a surgical mask and evaluate the feasibility of practicing SST with a mask.

Material And Methods: A crossover prospective comparative study between two groups of volunteers.

Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis: follow-up of pulmonary function after remission.

Background: Acute-stage specific bronchial epithelial detachment has been described in 27% of patients with Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN).

Objectives: To assess the pulmonary function of patients with SJS/TEN after remission.

Methods: Analysis of pulmonary function tests (PFTs) performed during the usual follow-up of patients with SJS/TEN managed in a referral centre from April 2007 to January 2010.

Effects of polycythemia on systemic endothelial function in chronic hypoxic lung disease.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Polycythemia, a common complication of hypoxic COPD, may affect systemic vascular function by altering blood viscosity, vessel wall shear stress (WSS), and endothelium-derived nitric oxide (NO) release. Here, we evaluated the effects of hypoxia-related polycythemia on systemic endothelial function in patients with COPD.