Brazilian guidelines for the pharmacological treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Official document of the Brazilian Thoracic Association based on the GRADE methodology.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a form of chronic interstitial lung disease of unknown cause, which predominantly affects elderly men who are current or former smokers. Even though it is an uncommon disease, it is of great importance because of its severity and poor prognosis. In recent decades, several pharmacological treatment modalities have been investigated for the treatment of this disease, and the classic concepts have therefore been revised.

Translation and cultural adaptation of the King's Brief Interstitial Lung Disease health status questionnaire for use in Brazil.

Objective: To translate the King's Brief Interstitial Lung Disease (K-BILD) questionnaire to Portuguese and culturally adapt it for use in Brazil. The K-BILD quantifies the health status of patients with ILD.

Methods: The process involved the following steps: authorization from the author of the original (English-language) questionnaire; translation of the questionnaire to Portuguese by three translators, working independently; merging of the translations by a committee of specialists; back-translation of the questionnaire to English; revision and readjustment of the back-translation by the committee of specialists; evaluation by the original author; revision of the back-translation; cognitive debriefing (verification of the clarity and acceptability of the Portuguese-language version in the target population-i.

Prevalence of smoking and reasons for continuing to smoke: a population-based study.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of smoking and the reasons for continuing to smoke among adults in Brazil.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional, population-based study including 1,054 individuals ≥ 40 years of age, residents of the city of Florianopolis, Brazil, of whom 183 were smokers. All of the smokers completed the University of São Paulo Reasons for Smoking Scale (USP-RSS).

How does the GINA definition of control correlate with quality of life and sputum cellularity?

Since 2014, the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) has stated that asthma control should be measured using four questions concerning diurnal and nocturnal symptoms, activity limitation, and rescue medication use. We assessed how asthma control by this definition correlates with airway inflammation and quality of life. 113 asthmatic subjects consecutively recruited from their routine clinical appointment underwent spirometry, sputum induction and answered the Standardised Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ(S)) during a single visit.

Translation and cultural adaptation of a specific instrument for measuring asthma control and asthma status: the Asthma Control and Communication Instrument.

Objective: To translate the Asthma Control and Communication Instrument (ACCI) to Portuguese and adapt it for use in Brazil.

Methods: The ACCI was translated to Portuguese and adapted for use in Brazil in accordance with internationally accepted guidelines. The protocol included the following steps: permission and rights of use granted by the original author; translation of the ACCI from English to Portuguese; reconciliation; back-translation; review and harmonization of the back-translation; approval from the original author; review of the Portuguese version of the ACCI by an expert panel; cognitive debriefing (the clarity, understandability, and acceptability of the translated version being tested in a sample of the target population); and reconciliation and preparation of the final version.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation in the intensive care unit: clinical, functional and quality of life at discharge and 3 months of follow up.

Objective:: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical/functional aspects and quality of life of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients who were discharged after an intensive care unit admission for acute respiratory failure.

Methods:: This prospective study included chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients who were admitted to two intensive care units between December of 2010 and August of 2011 and evaluated over three visits after discharge. Thirty patients were included, and 20 patients completed the three-month follow up.

Reliability of a rapid hematology stain for sputum cytology.

Objective: To determine the reliability of a rapid hematology stain for the cytological analysis of induced sputum samples.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study comparing the standard technique (May-Grünwald-Giemsa stain) with a rapid hematology stain (Diff-Quik). Of the 50 subjects included in the study, 21 had asthma, 19 had COPD, and 10 were healthy (controls).

Hospitalized patients with COPD: analysis of prior treatment.

Objective: Although COPD is a prevalent disease, it is undertreated, and there are no available data regarding previous treatment of COPD in Brazil. This study aimed to determine the appropriateness of maintenance treatment in COPD patients prior to their hospitalization and to identify variables associated with inappropriate treatment.

Methods: This was an observational, cross-sectional, analytical study involving 50 inpatients with COPD at two hospitals in the city of Florianópolis, Brazil.

Leicester Cough Questionnaire: translation to Portuguese and cross-cultural adaptation for use in Brazil.

Objective: To translate the Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ) to Portuguese and adapt it for use in Brazil.

Methods: Cross-cultural adaptation of a quality of life questionnaire requires a translated version that is conceptually equivalent to the original version and culturally acceptable in the target country. The protocol used consisted of the translation of the LCQ to Portuguese by three Brazilian translators who were fluent in English and its back-translation to English by another translator who was a native speaker of English and fluent in Portuguese.

Highlights of the Brazilian Thoracic Association guidelines for interstitial lung diseases.

Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) are heterogeneous disorders, involving a large number of conditions, the approach to which continues to pose an enormous challenge for pulmonologists. The 2012 Brazilian Thoracic Association ILD Guidelines were established in order to provide Brazilian pulmonologists with an instrument that can facilitate the management of patients with ILDs, standardizing the criteria used for the diagnosis of different conditions and offering guidance on the best treatment in various situations. The objective of this article was to briefly describe the highlights of those guidelines.

Smoking among patients hospitalized at a university hospital in the south of Brazil: prevalence, degree of nicotine dependence, and motivational stage of change.

Objective: To determine the prevalence and profile of smoking among hospitalized patients at a university hospital in the south of Brazil.

Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study involving patients over 18 years of age hospitalized for over 24 h at the Federal University of Santa Catarina University Hospital, located in the city of Florianópolis, Brazil. The patients were interviewed on two distinct occasions.

Cellular composition of induced sputum in healthy adults.

Objective: To establish reference values for cellularity in induced sputum samples collected from healthy adults.

Methods: Induced sputum samples were obtained from 88 healthy adult never-smokers (39 males). The mean age was 36 years (range, 18-68 years).

The Asthma Control Scoring System: translation and cross-cultural adaptation for use in Brazil.

Objective: The translation and cross-cultural adaptation of a specific scoring instrument for the comprehensive control of asthma, the Asthma Control Scoring System (ACSS), for use in Brazil.

Methods: The protocol included ten steps: acquisition of written permission from the author of the ACSS; translation of the instrument to Brazilian Portuguese, carried out by three separate translators; analysis and comparison of the three versions by a review committee; literal back-translation to English; review and harmonization of the back-translation; acquisition of the approval of the original author; review of the translation by specialists; cognitive debriefing: test of clarity to, understanding by, and acceptance of the target population (evaluation of the translation by 10 health care workers); second cognitive debriefing: review of the revised version by a second group of health care workers; and reconciliation and preparation of the final version by the review committee.

Results: The Brazilian Portuguese-language version of the ACSS showed clarity, understandability, and acceptability.

Determination of the inflammatory component of airway diseases by induced sputum cell counts: use in clinical practice.

Objective: To evaluate the usefulness of determining the inflammatory component of airway diseases (inflammometry) by induced sputum cell counts, as well as its influence on treatment decisions in a tertiary facility for the treatment of respiratory diseases.

Methods: We analyzed 151 sputum samples from 132 consecutive patients referred for clinical sputum induction by five pulmonologists between July of 2006 and February of 2007. A structured questionnaire related to the reasons for requesting the test and to the therapeutic decision making based on test results was completed by each attending physician upon receiving the test results.