A prospective analysis of 184 hemoptysis cases: diagnostic impact of chest X-ray, computed tomography, bronchoscopy.

Background: The clinical presentation of hemoptysis often raises a number of diagnostic possibilities.

Objectives: This study was designed to evaluate the relative frequency of different causes of hemoptysis and the value of chest radiography, computed tomography (CT) scanning and fiber-optic bronchoscopy in the evaluation of a Greek cohort population.

Methods: We prospectively followed a total of 184 consecutive patients (137 males/47 females, 145 smokers/39 nonsmokers) admitted with hemoptysis between January 2001 and December 2003 to the University Hospital of Heraklion.

Nitrosative stress, heme oxygenase-1 expression and airway inflammation during severe exacerbations of COPD.

Study Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between airway inflammation, nitrosative stress, heme-oxygenase expression, and acute severe exacerbations of COPD.

Design: We measured heme oxygenase (HO)-1, inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase expression and nitrotyrosine formation, as well as eosinophilic cationic protein, myeloperoxidase (MPO), interleukin (IL-8), and granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor levels in induced sputum samples from 12 COPD patients (mean +/- SD; FEV1 40 +/- 14% predicted) at the onset of an acute severe exacerbation of COPD requiring hospital admission and 16 weeks after remission.

Results: We demonstrated increased percentages (p = 0.

Changes in sputum T-lymphocyte subpopulations at the onset of severe exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

CD8+ve T-cell responses play a primary role in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but there is little information regarding COPD exacerbations. Sputum induction is a relatively non-invasive and safe method to study airway inflammation. The aim of the study was to investigate changes in airway T-lymphocyte subpopulations at the onset of severe COPD exacerbations via analysis of sputum.

Is there any correlation between the ATS, BTS, ERS and GOLD COPD's severity scales and the frequency of hospital admissions?

Disagreement exists between different COPD guidelines considering classification of severity of the disease. The aim of our study was to determine whether there is any correlation between severity scales of various COPD guidelines (ATS, BTS, ERS and GOLD) and the frequency of hospitalisations for COPD exacerbation. A cohort of 67 COPD patients (65 male 2 female, 45 ex-smokers, 22 current smokers, aged (69.

Induced sputum CD8+ T-lymphocyte subpopulations in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Previous studies have shown that the inflammatory response to cigarette smoking differs between smokers who develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and those who do not and that the CD8+ T-lymphocytes have been identified as a key player in this process. The aim of this study was to investigate further the role of CD8+ cells and their subtypes in sputum cells.

Methods: Sputum induction was performed in 36 COPD patients, 25 smokers without COPD and 10 non-smoking healthy controls.