Advanced glycation end products in the skin are enhanced in COPD.

Background: Cigarette smoking is the main cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) inducing oxidative stress and local tissue injury, resulting in pulmonary inflammation. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are produced by glycation and oxidation processes and their formation is accelerated in inflammatory conditions. In this study we assessed whether AGE accumulation in the skin is elevated in COPD and associates with disease severity.

Lower corticosteroid skin blanching response is associated with severe COPD.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by chronic airflow limitation caused by ongoing inflammatory and remodeling processes of the airways and lung tissue. Inflammation can be targeted by corticosteroids. However, airway inflammation is generally less responsive to steroids in COPD than in asthma.

Development and validation of a model to predict the risk of exacerbations in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Purpose: Prediction models for exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are scarce. Our aim was to develop and validate a new model to predict exacerbations in patients with COPD.

Patients And Methods: The derivation cohort consisted of patients aged 65 years or over, with a COPD diagnosis, who were followed up over 24 months.

Cardiac arrhythmias in adult patients with asthma.

Objective: The pathogenesis of cardiac arrhythmias in asthma patients has not been fully elucidated. Adverse drug effects, particularly those of β2-mimetics, may play a role. The aim of this study was to determine whether asthma is associated with the risk of cardiac arrhythmias and electrocardiographic characteristics of arrhythmogenicity (ECG) and to explore the role of β2-mimetics.

Impact of different empirical antibiotic treatment regimens for community-acquired pneumonia on the emergence of Clostridium difficile.

Background: Treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) with newer fluoroquinolones may contribute to selection for Clostridium difficile. We studied the prevalence of C. difficile carriage and C.

The impact of concurrent heart failure on prognosis in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Aims: To compare prognosis in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with or without concomitant heart failure.

Methods And Results: Patients aged 65 years or over with a general practitioner (GP)'s diagnosis of COPD but without a prior diagnosis of heart failure underwent an extensive diagnostic work-up including echocardiography and pulmonary function tests in the period 2001-03. An expert panel then confirmed the presence or absence of COPD according to the GOLD criteria and (previously undiagnosed) heart failure according to the criteria of the ESC heart failure guidelines.

Distribution of emphysema in heavy smokers: impact on pulmonary function.

Purpose: To investigate impact of distribution of computed tomography (CT) emphysema on severity of airflow limitation and gas exchange impairment in current and former heavy smokers participating in a lung cancer screening trial.

Materials And Methods: In total 875 current and former heavy smokers underwent baseline low-dose CT (30 mAs) in our center and spirometry and diffusion capacity testing on the same day as part of the Dutch-Belgian Lung Cancer Screening Trial (NELSON). Emphysema was quantified for 872 subjects as the number of voxels with an apparent lowered X-ray attenuation coefficient.

Monitoring of smoking-induced emphysema with CT in a lung cancer screening setting: detection of real increase in extent of emphysema.

Purpose: To retrospectively establish the minimum increase in emphysema score (ES) required for detection of real increased extent of emphysema with 95% confidence by using multi-detector row computed tomography (CT) in a lung cancer screening setting.

Materials And Methods: The study was a substudy of the NELSON project that was approved by the Dutch Ministry of Health and the ethics committee of each participating hospital, with patient informed consent. For this substudy, original approval and informed consent allowed use of data for future research.

Embolotherapy of pulmonary arteriovenous malformations: long-term results in 112 patients.

Purpose: To evaluate the long-term results of embolotherapy of pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVMs) in a large group of patients.

Materials And Methods: Between July 1988 and August 2001, 134 consecutive patients underwent embolotherapy of PAVMs with feeding arteries larger than 3 mm or that had previously caused bleeding or systemic complications. The mean follow-up was 62.

p53 mutation analysis for definite diagnosis of multiple primary lung carcinoma.

Background: The detection of a second tumor in patients with lung carcinoma raises the question whether this lesion is a metastasis or a second primary lung carcinoma. Patients cannot always be categorized satisfactorily according the criteria of multiple lung carcinoma proposed by Martini and Melamed. This may result in an inadequate treatment schedule in individual patients.