Use of Quantitative CT Imaging to Identify Bronchial Thermoplasty Responders.

Background: Bronchial thermoplasty (BT) is a treatment for patients with poorly controlled, severe asthma. However, predictors of treatment response to BT are defined poorly.

Research Question: Do baseline radiographic and clinical characteristics exist that predict response to BT?

Study Design And Methods: We conducted a longitudinal prospective cohort study of participants with severe asthma receiving BT across eight academic medical centers.

Anti-Citrullinated Protein Antibody Titers Are Independently Modulated by Both Disease Activity and Conventional or Biologic Anti-Rheumatic Drugs.

This study aimed to analyze the factors that influence anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) titers in a seropositive early arthritis (EA) population under non-protocolized treatment with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). A total of 130 ACPA-positive patients from the PEARL (Princesa Early Arthritis Longitudinal) study were studied along a 5-year follow-up. Sociodemographic, clinical, and therapeutic variables, along with serum samples, were collected at five visits by protocol.

Implementation of a Longitudinal Critical Care Fellowship Ultrasound Curriculum.

Background: The use of point-of-care ultrasound as a diagnostic and interventional tool is rapidly becoming standard of care in critical care medicine; a standardized training curriculum is needed to ensure provider proficiency.

Objective: This study aimed to describe a longitudinal critical care ultrasound (CCUS) curriculum in a pulmonary critical care medicine (PCCM) fellowship training program. It evaluated the curriculum's impact on fellows' knowledge, skills, and self-reported confidence and retention of these attributes.

Evaluation of PEG--polycarbonates self-assemblies containing azobenzene or coumarin moieties as nanocarriers using paclitaxel as a model hydrophobic drug.

The work assesses the performance of nanocarriers from amphiphilic block copolymers with functional azobenzene or coumarin moieties for delivery of paclitaxel. Placlitaxel was encapsulated by the nanoprecipitation method. Characterisations were performed by DLS, TEM, Zeta potential and HPLC.