Increased mortality in African Americans with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) is a progressive disorder that usually culminates in right ventricular failure and death without treatment.

Objective: To assess mortality trends by race and gender for idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension in the United States from 1994-1998.

Methods: The U.

Aerosolized amikacin for treatment of pulmonary Mycobacterium avium infections: an observational case series.

Background: Current systemic therapy for nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary infection is limited by poor clinical response rates, drug toxicities and side effects. The addition of aerosolized amikacin to standard oral therapy for nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary infection may improve treatment efficacy without producing systemic toxicity. This study was undertaken to assess the safety, tolerability and preliminary clinical benefits of the addition of aerosolized amikacin to a standard macrolide-based oral treatment regimen.

Thoracic lymphatic disorders.

Thoracic complications of lymphatic disorders can culminate in respiratory failure and death and should be considered in any patient with a lymphatic disease and clinical or radiographic evidence of chest disease. Congenital lymphatic disorders are being increasingly recognized in the adult population. The spectrum of thoracic manifestations of lymphatic disorders ranges from incidental radiographic findings to diffuse lymphatic disease with respiratory failure.