Impact of a Preinterview Dinner on Candidate Perception of a Fellowship Training Program.

Background: The interview visit is an important component of residency and fellowship recruitment that requires a substantial expenditure of time and resources for both training programs and candidates.

Objective: Survey aimed to study the impact of a preinterview dinner on fellowship program candidates.

Methods: A single center preintervention and postintervention comparison study was conducted using an electronic survey distributed to all Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship candidates over 3 years (2013-2015).

Primary spontaneous pneumothorax due to high bleb burden.

Primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) occurs most frequently in young, tall, lean, male smokers without any known underlying lung disease. It is an important diagnosis to make promptly in order to prevent progression to obstructive shock. We present a case report of a young, male, former-smoker and polysubstance abuser with no prior lung history that developed acute dyspnea at rest and was found to have a large right pneumothorax on chest x-ray.

Patients With Fibrotic Interstitial Lung Disease Hospitalized for Acute Respiratory Worsening: A Large Cohort Analysis.

Background: Acute respiratory worsening (ARW) requiring hospitalization in patients with fibrotic interstitial lung disease (f-ILD) is common. Little is known about the frequency and implications of ARW in IPF and non-IPF ILD patients hospitalized for acute exacerbation (AE) vs known causes of ARW.

Methods: All consecutive patients with f-ILD hospitalized with ARW at our institution from 2000 to 2014 were reviewed.

Self-management and quality of life in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): The mediating effects of positive affect.

Objective: This study aimed to increase our understanding of general self-management (SM) abilities in COPD by determining if SM can predict disease specific quality of life (QoL), by investigating whether specific SM domains are significant in COPD and by exploring the mediating effect of the positive/negative affect in the association between SM and QoL.

Methods: Cross-sectional study based on 292 patients with COPD. Measures included demographics, lung function, gait speed, health care utilization, positive/negative affect, SM abilities, breathlessness and disease specific QoL.

Forecasting COPD hospitalization in the clinic: optimizing the chronic respiratory questionnaire.

Purpose: Forecasting hospitalization in patients with COPD has gained significant interest in the field of COPD care. There is a need to find simple tools that can help clinicians to stratify the risk of hospitalization in these patients at the time of care. The perception of quality of life has been reported to be independently associated with hospitalizations, but questionnaires are impractical for daily clinical use.

Emotional Intelligence: A Novel Outcome Associated with Wellbeing and Self-Management in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Rationale: Individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often struggle with diminished autonomy and quality of life. Emotional factors play a crucial role in the well-being of patients with COPD; they are independently associated with critical outcomes such as dyspnea, quality of life, and health care use. Emotional intelligence is the capacity to understand and manage personal thoughts and feelings, as well as to positively influence interpersonal communication and social well-being.

Cognitive function and living situation in COPD: is there a relationship with self-management and quality of life?

Background: Cognitive impairment is increasingly being found to be a common comorbidity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study sought to understand the relationship of comprehensively measured cognitive function with COPD severity, quality of life, living situation, health care utilization, and self-management abilities.

Methods: Subjects with COPD were recruited from the outpatient pulmonary clinic.

The efficacy of resiliency training programs: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials.

Importance: Poor mental health places a burden on individuals and populations. Resilient persons are able to adapt to life's challenges and maintain high quality of life and function. Finding effective strategies to bolster resilience in individuals and populations is of interest to many stakeholders.

Ultrasound for internal medicine physicians: the future of the physical examination.

Objectives: With the advent of compact ultrasound (US) devices, it is easier for physicians to enhance their physical examinations through the use of US. However, although this new tool is widely available, few internal medicine physicians have US training. This study sought to understand physicians' baseline knowledge and skill, provide education in US principles, and demonstrate that proper use of compact US devices is a skill that can be quickly learned.

The efficacy of resilience training programs: a systematic review protocol.

Background: Resilience has been defined as the ability of individuals to manage and adapt to stress and life challenges. Training programs that develop and/or enhance resilience may have efficacy in improving health, well-being, and quality of life. Because patients with chronic conditions must reliably self-manage their health, strategies to bolster resilience in this population may be of particular value.

Lung involvement in hypereosinophilic syndromes.

Background: Hypereosinophilic syndromes (HES) are a heterogeneous group of conditions that are characterized by tissue-associated eosinophilic inflammation and peripheral eosinophilia. Although clinical and radiologic features associated with most forms of eosinophilic lung diseases are relatively well-described, there is little known regarding lung involvement in HES. The aims of the present study were to ascertain the frequency of pulmonary involvement in HES and define associated clinical and radiologic features.