Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Infections in a French Hospital: A 12-Year Retrospective Study.

Background: Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are environmental organisms associated with a range of infections. Reports of NTM epidemiology are mainly focused on pulmonary infections and isolations, and extrapulmonary infections are less frequently described.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of NTM infections at the Bordeaux University Hospital, France, between January 2002 and December 2013.

Role of YKL-40 in bronchial smooth muscle remodeling in asthma.

Rationale: Bronchial remodeling, including increased bronchial smooth muscle (BSM) mass, contributes to bronchial obstruction in asthma. However, its mechanisms are complex and remain controversial. Recently, a role of the chitinase 3-like 1 protein (YKL-40) has been evoked in asthma.

Airway remodeling in asthma: new mechanisms and potential for pharmacological intervention.

The chronic inflammatory response within the airways of asthmatics is associated with structural changes termed airway remodeling. This remodeling process is a key feature of severe asthma. The 5-10% of patients with a severe form of the disease account for the higher morbidity and health costs related to asthma.

Control maintenance can be predicted by exhaled NO monitoring in asthmatic patients.

Background: Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (F(E)NO) is a marker of airway inflammation in asthma. Monitoring of such inflammation is currently not included in asthma guidelines and remains controversial. The hypothesis underlying the present study was that, F(E)NO could help assessing asthma control and, therefore, improve its management, by predicting loss of control in asthmatics.

Bronchial measurements in patients with asthma: comparison of quantitative thin-section CT findings with those in healthy subjects and correlation with pathologic findings.

Purpose: To analyze and compare computed tomographic (CT) bronchial measurements in patients with asthma and healthy subjects and to correlate bronchial morphometric parameters with functional data and immunohistologic markers of airway remodeling and inflammation.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study was approved by the institutional review board; patient informed consent was not required. CT and pulmonary function tests were performed in 27 patients separated into two groups: 15 patients with asthma (three men; mean age, 43.

Bronchial morphometry in smokers: comparison with healthy subjects by using 3D CT.

The assessment of airway dimensions in patients with airway disease by using computed tomography (CT) has been limited by the obliquity of bronchi, the ability to identify the bronchial generation, and the limited number of bronchial measurements. The aims of the present study were (i) to analyze cross-sectional bronchial dimensions after automatic orthogonal reconstruction of all visible bronchi on CT images, and (ii) to compare bronchial morphometry between smokers and nonsmokers. CT and pulmonary function tests were performed in 18 males separated into two groups: 9 nonsmokers and 9 smokers.

Bronchial smooth muscle remodeling involves calcium-dependent enhanced mitochondrial biogenesis in asthma.

Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are characterized by different patterns of airway remodeling, which all include an increased mass of bronchial smooth muscle (BSM). A remaining major question concerns the mechanisms underlying such a remodeling of BSM. Because mitochondria play a major role in both cell proliferation and apoptosis, we hypothesized that mitochondrial activation in BSM could play a role in this remodeling.

[Allergy and refractory asthma: new etiological and treatment pathways].

Severe asthma is often refractory to standard treatments and presents real problems of management. It necessitates rigorous clinical procedures to identify the aggravating factors. Allergic factors probably play an important role but are often ignored; atopy is more often associated with mild or moderate asthma.

Air trapping in mild and moderate asthma: effect of inhaled corticosteroids.

Background: Air trapping reflects small airway obstruction in asthma and can be assessed quantitatively by high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). Hydrofluoroalkane-beclomethasone dipropionate (HFA-BDP) is deposited across all sizes of airways, including the small ones. However, its long-term effect on air trapping remains unknown in uncontrolled asthma.

Bronchial measurement with three-dimensional quantitative thin-section CT in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Purpose: To prospectively compare bronchial measurements obtained with three-dimensional quantitative thin-section computed tomography (CT) with those obtained with thin-section CT scores in the assessment of the severity of pulmonary cystic fibrosis (CF).

Materials And Methods: Ethics committee approval was obtained. Sixteen patients with CF (mean age, 26.

Assessment of airways with three-dimensional quantitative thin-section CT: in vitro and in vivo validation.

Purpose: To prospectively validate the ability of customized three-dimensional (3D) software to enable bronchial tree skeletonization, orthogonal reconstruction of the main bronchial axis, and measurement of cross-sectional wall area (WA) and lumen area (LA) of any visible bronchus on thin-section computed tomographic (CT) images.

Materials And Methods: Institutional review board approval and patient agreement and informed consent were obtained. Software was validated in a phantom that consisted of seven tubes and an excised human lung obtained and used according to institutional guidelines.

Airway wall thickness in cigarette smokers: quantitative thin-section CT assessment.

Purpose: To design and validate a dedicated software tool to measure airway dimensions on thin-section computed tomographic (CT) images and to use the tool to prospectively compare airway wall thickness in nonsmokers with normal lung function with that in smokers with and without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Materials And Methods: All subjects gave written informed consent. The study was approved by local ethics committee.