Prevalence and Impact of Atrial Fibrillation on Intra-Hospital Mortality in Patients Aged ≥75 Years.

It is unclear whether the association between atrial fibrillation (AF) and intra-hospital mortality in patients aged 75 years and older is causal or not. This study aims (1) to describe the prevalence and clinical characteristics of AF in ≥75-year-old inpatients and (2) to study the association between AF and length of stay (LOS) and intra-hospital mortality. This retrospective cohort study includes consecutive patients aged ≥75 years admitted between January 2017 and December 2019 to a Belgian secondary hospital.

Pulmonary gas exchange in life-long nonsmoking patients with diabetes mellitus.

In a companion paper, we have found that the alveolar epithelial basal lamina, endothelial basal lamina and both fused were significantly thicker in 6 autopsied diabetics than in 6 control subjects. The purpose of the present work was to assess whether these lesions have detrimental effects on gas exchange. We investigated 20 life-long nonsmoking subjects: 10 healthy subjects and 10 insulin-dependent diabetics.

Hypoxic hepatitis caused by acute exacerbation of chronic respiratory failure: a case-controlled, hemodynamic study of 17 consecutive cases.

Out of a prospective series of 142 consecutive episodes of hypoxic (ischemic) hepatitis (HH), we identified 17 episodes associated with an acute exacerbation of chronic respiratory failure (CRF) without left cardiac failure. In the aim to evaluate the role of arterial hypoxemia in the pathogenesis of HH associated with respiratory failure, these 17 episodes of HH (study group) were hemodynamically compared with a control group of 17 episodes of HH associated with congestive heart failure (CHF) (control group 1) and a group of 16 episodes of acute respiratory failure (ARF) not complicated by HH (control group 2). Arterial hypoxemia was significantly more severe in the study group (arterial blood tension in O2 [PaO2], 34 mm Hg) than in control group 1 (PaO2, 70 mm Hg; P <.

Biomarker assessments in asbestos-exposed workers as indicators for selective prevention of mesothelioma or bronchogenic carcinoma: rationale and practical implementations.

In the first part of this study we have shown how the serum levels of four selected tumour markers, namely tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA), carcino-embryonic antigen (CEA), hyaluronic acid (HA) and ferritin, display patterns characteristic of mesothelioma (M) or bronchogenic carcinoma (BC) in asbestos-exposed workers, and we hypothesize that the differences in marker patterns correspond to differences in carcinogenesis mechanisms. In a preliminary study, we found these specific marker patterns in 5/19 exposed workers of whom only one demonstrated any radiological signs of disease. Thus these specific marker patterns may be early events, occurring long (possibly years) before the classical radiological signs of exposure to asbestos.

Biomarker assessments in asbestos-exposed workers as indicators for selective prevention of mesothelioma or bronchogenic carcinoma: rationale and practical implementations.

Asbestos-associated malignancies are one of the major industrial hazards of recent decades and will continue to be so until beyond the end of the century. It has been estimated that, in the United States alone, there will be 131,200 cancer deaths as a result of asbestos exposure. At present the early lesions are detected radiologically, by which time intervention is no longer effective.

Muscarinic receptor subtypes in lung. Clinical implications.

Several subtypes of muscarinic receptors have been identified in airways and lung parenchyma of different species, including humans. M1 receptors may be present in parasympathetic ganglia where they appear to facilitate ganglionic neurotransmission. M2 receptors seem to be located on cholinergic nerve endings where they function as "autoreceptors," inhibiting acetylcholine release.

A muscarinic agonist inhibits reflex bronchoconstriction in normal but not in asthmatic subjects.

Muscarinic receptors of the M2 subtype, which inhibit acetylcholine release from cholinergic nerves (autoreceptors), have been described in animal and human bronchi in vitro. We investigated whether these receptors may be involved in feedback inhibition of cholinergic reflex bronchoconstriction induced by sulfur dioxide (SO2) in seven nonasthmatic atopic subjects and in six mild asthmatic subjects. In a control experiment, total respiratory resistance (Rrs) was increased by 30 +/- 5% in nonasthmatic and by 60 +/- 18% in asthmatic subjects.

Capsaicin-induced bronchodilation in mild asthmatic subjects: possible role of nonadrenergic inhibitory system.

We investigated whether stimulation of vagal afferent nerve fibers with inhaled capsaicin could induce a nonadrenergic inhibitory reflex in nine mild asthmatic subjects. Changes in total respiratory resistance (Rrs) were measured with a forced oscillation technique. First we induced a rise of 71 +/- 15% in Rrs (P less than 0.

The role of pirenzepine-sensitive (M1) muscarinic receptors in vagally mediated bronchoconstriction in humans.

In a double-blind randomized study, we compared the effects of the M1-selective muscarinic receptor antagonists pirenzepine and the nonselective antagonist ipratropium bromide on bronchoconstriction induced by inhaled sulfur dioxide (SO2) and methacholine in atopic volunteers. Both inhaled pirenzepine (70 micrograms) and ipratropium bromide (7 micrograms) significantly inhibited vagally mediated bronchoconstriction by SO2 to the same extent (p less than 0.02).

Muscarinic receptor subtypes mediating vasodilation in the pulmonary artery.

Binding studies in several species have demonstrated a high proportion of M1 muscarinic receptors in the lung but their localization is uncertain. Using [3H]quinuclidinyl benzylate we have confirmed that binding sites with high affinity for pirenzepine account for 50% of muscarinic receptors in the rat lung. Our functional studies using the muscarinic antagonists 4-diphenylacetoxy-N-methylpiperidine (4-DAMP), methoctramine and pirenzepine have demonstrated that the muscarinic receptor on the rat pulmonary artery endothelium which mediates vasodilation is of the M3 subtype and cannot account for the high proportion of M1 receptors identified in lung homogenates.

Prejunctional inhibitory muscarinic receptors on cholinergic nerves in human and guinea pig airways.

We have investigated whether prejunctional inhibitory muscarinic receptors ("autoreceptors") exist on cholinergic nerves in human airways in vitro and whether guinea pig trachea provides a good model for further pharmacological characterization of these receptors. Pilocarpine was used as a selective agonist and gallamine as a selective antagonist of these autoreceptors. Acetylcholine (ACh) release from postganglionic cholinergic nerves was elicited by electrical field stimulation (EFS) (40 V, 0.

Ketotifen inhibits the cutaneous but not the airway responses to platelet-activating factor in man.

We studied the effect of ketotifen, an oral antiallergic and antihistaminic drug, on the airway and cutaneous responses to platelet-activating factor (PAF) in a double-blind, randomized, and crossover study in six normal subjects. Ketotifen (three doses of 2 mg taken during a 14-hour period before PAF) did not alter PAF-induced bronchoconstriction and did not prevent the accompanying flushing and coughing. The transient neutropenia (74.

Nonadrenergic bronchodilator mechanisms in normal human subjects in vivo.

In seven normal subjects we investigated whether a nonadrenergic bronchodilator nervous system is demonstrable in humans in vivo. After inhalation of leukotriene D4 (LTD4), respiratory resistance (Rrs) increased by 115 +/- 11% (SE). Subsequent inhalation of 2 nmol of capsaicin induced coughing and a fall in Rrs of 22.

Comparison of blood glucose profile and glycemic control in type 1 diabetic patients treated with Actrapid-Monotard or Actrapid Protaphane (NPH) human insulins.

The aim of this study is to compare the blood glucose profile and the glycemic control in Type 1 diabetic patients under two conventional semi-synthetic human insulin regimens (2 daily injections) combining regular (Actrapid) and intermediate acting insulins (Monotard or Protaphane). Actrapid-Monotard (scheme A) and Actrapid-Protaphane (scheme B) were administered during 3 months each, in a randomized order, to 18 outpatients. The glycemic control was evaluated by home glucose monitoring, as well as by the monthly measurements of HbA1.

Cerebrovascular circulation "steal" syndrome secondary to a voluminous retrotracheal goiter.

A case of recurrent transient ischaemic attacks in the brain resolved after removal of a voluminous retrotracheal goiter is presented. The presence of congenital atretic left vertebral artery, associated with impairment of left carotid artery blood flow by a very large inferior thyroid artery, probably caused the episodes to transient ischaemic attack.

Bronchodilating and density dependence effects of fenoterol, ipratropium bromide and Duovent in reversible chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The bronchodilating effect of Duovent (0.2 mg fenoterol +0.8 mg ipratropium bromide) was compared with that of each of its components at the same doses.

Validity of air-helium DVmax measurements in trials of bronchodilators.

The authors studied the intraindividual variability of DVmax50 He-air in a large homogeneous group of 57 young healthy subjects. They found a 95% confidence interval for a true change between two repeated measurements of DVmax50 of +/- 28%. They compared the discriminant power of FEV1, Vmax50 and DVmax50 in 27 asthmatic young males and 12 normal controls, challenged on different days with fenoterol and ipratropium bromide aerosols given in random order under standardized conditions.