Oxidative stress, redox signaling pathways, and autophagy in cachectic muscles of male patients with advanced COPD and lung cancer.

Muscle dysfunction and wasting are predictors of mortality in advanced COPD and malignancies. Redox imbalance and enhanced protein catabolism are underlying mechanisms in COPD. We hypothesized that the expression profile of several biological markers share similarities in patients with cachexia associated with either COPD or lung cancer (LC).

[Short-stay respiratory unit: a new option for inpatient care].

Objective: The current pressure on conventional inpatient care units represents a very serious problem for respiratory medicine departments. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of a new instrument --a short-stay respiratory unit-- on the quality of care delivered by the respiratory medicine department of a tertiary care hospital.

Material And Methods: The short-stay respiratory unit consisted of 4 conventional hospital beds managed by a pulmonologist.

[Activation of satellite cells in the intercostal muscles of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].

Objective: The respiratory muscles of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) display evidence of structural damage in parallel with signs of adaptation. We hypothesized that this can only be explained by the simultaneous activation of satellite cells. The aim of this study was to analyze the number and activation of those cells along with the expression of markers of microstructural damage that are frequently associated with regeneration.

[Prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in patients with sick sinus syndrome].

Introduction And Objectives: Sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (SAHS) has been associated with different cardiovascular diseases. It may even be implicated in the pathophysiology of sick sinus syndrome (SSS). However, the precise relationship between the two syndromes is still unknown.

[Lung cancer at a university hospital: epidemiological and histological characteristics of a recent and a historical series].

Objective: To describe the clinical, histological, and epidemiological characteristics of patients diagnosed with lung cancer in our hospital over a period of 5 years and compare them with those of historical cases treated at the same hospital.

Patients And Methods: The cases of patients diagnosed with lung cancer from January 1998 through December 2002 were studied retrospectively and compared with data published for the period from 1978 through March 1981.

Results: A total of 678 patients (89% men, mean age 67 years) were studied.