[More than expectorant: new scientific data on ambroxol in the context of the treatment of bronchopulmonary diseases].

Background: Ambroxol has been established for decades in the treatment of acute and chronic respiratory diseases. In 2015, the European Medicines Agency reassessed the clinical benefit-risk ratio of the drug.

Objective: What new scientific data on ambroxol, which are relevant to the treatment of bronchopulmonary diseases, are available?

Method: The review is based on a systematic literature research in medline with the search term "ambroxol" during the publication period 2006-2015.

Transbronchial biopsy guided by low-dose MDCT: a new approach for assessment of solitary pulmonary nodules.

Objective: The objective of our study was to determine whether transbronchial bronchoscopic biopsy of solitary pulmonary nodules under CT guidance using a low-dose protocol can increase diagnostic yield in patients who had undergone unsuccessful conventional bronchoscopic biopsy.

Subjects And Methods: We included 33 consecutive patients (25 men; mean age +/- SD, 64 +/- 9.6 years) with solitary pulmonary nodules at different sites and with a lesion-to-pleura distance of at least 2 cm who previously underwent conventional bronchoscopy that did not result in histologic diagnosis.

[Improvement of cardiopulmonary exercise capacity in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome under CPAP therapy].

Background And Purpose: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is regarded as a cardiovascular risk factor. Therefore, cardiopulmonary exercise capacity in patients with OSAS before and under treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) was investigated.

Patients And Methods: Cardiopulmonary exercise capacity was investigated in 36 patients with untreated OSAS using spiroergometry.

[Health promotion and inpatient rehabilitation. Long-term effects of education in patients with coronary heart disease].

Background And Purpose: The most important goals in the rehabilitation of patients with a coronary heart disease (CHD) include the diagnosis and treatment of risk factors, health promotion, and education. The knowledge on and awareness of cardiovascular risk factors is an important precondition for a high patient compliance. Former studies on patients in cardiologic departments of hospitals showed no effect of health promotion and education on patients' knowledge on risk factors, presumably because of the setting in acute therapy.