Indoor Radon Exposure and COPD, Synergic Association? A Multicentric, Hospital-Based Case-Control Study in a Radon-Prone Area.

Background: COPD is a multifactorial disease which causes considerable mortality and morbidity worldwide. Previous studies assessing the possible relationship between indoor radon exposure and COPD have shown inconclusive results.

Methods: A multicentric, hospital-based, case-control study was conducted in a Spanish radon-prone area.

Risk factors for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in never-smokers: A systematic review.

Introduction: Relatively little is known about the risk factors for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in never-smokers, and these factors have not yet been fully characterised. This study therefore sought to analyse COPD risk factors in never-smokers by conducting a systematic review of the literature on the topic.

Materials And Methods: We performed a search in PubMed (Medline) and Embase from 2000 onwards, to locate studies on COPD in never-smokers.

Residential radon and characteristics of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

It is not known whether residential radon exposure may be linked to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and/or have an influence on the functional characteristics or exacerbations of COPD. The aim of this study was therefore to ascertain whether there might be an association between residential radon concentrations and certain characteristics of COPD. We analyzed COPD cases drawn from a case-control study conducted in an area of high radon exposure.

Indoor Radon Exposure and COPD, Synergic Association? A Multicentric, Hospital-Based Case-Control Study in a Radon-Prone Area.

Background: COPD is a multifactorial disease which causes considerable mortality and morbidity worldwide. Previous studies assessing the possible relationship between indoor radon exposure and COPD have shown inconclusive results.

Methods: A multicentric, hospital-based, case-control study was conducted in a Spanish radon-prone area.

Chromatin regulation by Histone H4 acetylation at Lysine 16 during cell death and differentiation in the myeloid compartment.

Histone H4 acetylation at Lysine 16 (H4K16ac) is a key epigenetic mark involved in gene regulation, DNA repair and chromatin remodeling, and though it is known to be essential for embryonic development, its role during adult life is still poorly understood. Here we show that this lysine is massively hyperacetylated in peripheral neutrophils. Genome-wide mapping of H4K16ac in terminally differentiated blood cells, along with functional experiments, supported a role for this histone post-translational modification in the regulation of cell differentiation and apoptosis in the hematopoietic system.

Cost of Hospitalizations due to Exacerbation in Patients with Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis.

Background: Knowing the cost of hospitalizations for exacerbation in bronchiectasis patients is essential to perform cost-effectiveness studies of treatments that aim to reduce exacerbations in these patients.

Objectives: To find out the mean cost of hospitalizations due to exacerbations in bronchiectasis patients, and to identify factors associated with higher costs.

Methods: Prospective, observational, multicenter study in adult bronchiectasis patients hospitalized due to exacerbation.

Transbronchial cryobiopsy in interstitial lung disease: experience in 106 cases - how to do it.

Transbronchial biopsy using forceps (TBB) is the first diagnostic technique performed on patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD). However, the small size of the samples and the presence of artefacts in the tissue obtained make the yield variable. Our objectives were 1) to attempt to reproduce transbronchial cryobiopsy under the same conditions with which we performed conventional TBB, that is, in the bronchoscopy unit without intubating the patient and without fluoroscopy or general anaesthesia; 2) to describe the method used for its execution; and 3) to analyse the diagnostic yield and its complications.

Community-Acquired Moraxella catarrhalis Bacteremic Pneumonia: Two Case Reports and Review of the Literature.

Moraxella (formerly Branhamella) catarrhalis was discovered at the end of the nineteenth century, and for many decades it was considered to be a harmless commensal of the upper respiratory tract. It is a Gram-negative, aerobic diplococcus considered to be the third most common pathogen isolated in childhood sinusitis and otitis media and in adult chronic lower respiratory disease, as well as an etiological agent of pneumonia in immunosuppressed patients or those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Moraxella catarrhalis pneumonia is rarely associated with bacteremia.

Poncet's disease mimicking rheumatoid arthritis in a patient with suspected Crohn's disease.

Poncet's disease is a rarely reported entity with an unknown pathogenesis. However, because it has a very favorable prognosis with antituberculosis drugs, we believe it should be considered as a differential diagnosis for patients with fever and polyarthritis of unknown cause, particularly if active tuberculosis is suspected.

Desmoplastic small round cell tumor of the lung: A case report and literature review.

Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is a rare, aggressive and malignant tumor that is characterized by nests of small tumor cells surrounded by a cellular and vascular collagenous stroma and predominantly affects young adolescent males. This tumor most commonly originates in the abdomen; however, in rare cases, DSRCT can originate in other body regions. The main manifestations of DSRCT are chest pain and respiratory symptoms, and patients' average survival after diagnosis is less than two years.

Community-Acquired Pneumonia and Empyema Caused by Citrobacter koseri in an Immunocompetent Patient.

Citrobacter species, belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae, are environmental organisms commonly found in soil, water, and the intestinal tracts of animals and humans. Citrobacter koseri is known to be an uncommon but serious cause of both sporadic and epidemic septicemia and meningitis in neonates and young infants. Most cases reported have occurred in immunocompromised hosts.

Community-acquired bacteremic Streptomyces atratus pneumonia in animmunocompetent adult: a case report.

Introduction: Streptomyces spp. are aerobic, Gram-positive bacteria of the order Actinomycetales, known for their ability to produce antimicrobial molecules such as streptomycin. Pneumonia due to Streptomyces is considered to be rare and limited to immunocompromised patients.

From cytology to histology: diagnosis of a relapsed mediastinal lymphoma by endobronchial ultrasound transbronchial histological needle.

Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is highly accurate in diagnosing mediastinal lymphadenopathies of lung cancer and benign disorders, with the advantage that it is a minimally invasive technique, unlike open surgery and mediastinoscopy. However, the diagnostic accuracy of EBUS-TBNA for the diagnosis of lymphoma in patients with mediastinal lymphadenopathy is not well defined. The lack of tissue architecture obtained by cytological needles decreases the diagnostic accuracy for diagnosis and subtyping of de novo and relapsed mediastinal lymphomas.

Air embolism: a complication of computed tomography-guided transthoracic needle biopsy.

Air embolism is a pathological condition caused by the entry of gas into vascular structures. It is a rare but feared complication due to its serious morbidity. We report two male patients who were diagnosed with air embolism as a complication of computed tomography-guided transthoracic needle biopsy.

Impact of the Xpert(®) MTB/RIF molecular test on the late diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis.

We analysed the impact of the Xpert(®) MTB/RIF molecular test on health-care diagnostic delay among tuberculosis patients. Diagnostic delay was 17.2 days (standard deviation 23.

Pleural effusion Due to Streptococcus milleri: Case descriptions.

In this study we analyzed the characteristics of patients with pleural effusion secondary to Streptococcus milleri studied retrospectively between January and March 2013 and found seven patients with a mean age of 60 years, 43% of which were smokers and 57% with a drinking habit. The most common associated factors were alcoholism, previous pneumonia and diabetes. Other bacteria were identified as Enterobacter aerogenes, Bacteroides and Prevotella intermedia capillosus in two patients.

T-cell profiling and the immunodiagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Background: Factors associated with performance of interferon-γ release assays (IGRA) and the tuberculin skin test (TST) in screening for latent tuberculosis infection in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are still poorly understood. The influence of peripheral T-cell subset counts on the results also remain unclear.

Methods: Prospective single-center study in 205 patients with IBD.

Pneumothorax as atypical presentation of bronchial carcinoid.

We present a case of pneumothorax associated with an endobronchial carcinoid tumor in a 18-year-old man with dyspnea and chest pain. Additional tests were done, identifying in the chest roentgenogram a complete left pneumothorax with persistent leak, which was confirmed by computed tomography of the chest, and also finding an endobronchial lesion that limited the complete reexpansion of the left lung. Surgical excision was performed, and the lesion was identified as a typical bronchial carcinoid, with satisfactory outcome after the intervention.