Parenchymal and airway diseases caused by asbestos.

Purpose Of Review: The extensive industrial use of asbestos for many decades has been linked to development of benign and malignant pleuropulmonary disease. This review summarizes newer evidence and ongoing controversies that exist in the literature regarding asbestos-related parenchymal and airway diseases.

Recent Findings: Asbestosis represents a significant respiratory problem despite the improvement in the workplace hygiene and a decrease in use of asbestos.

Patient satisfaction with physician-patient communication during telemedicine.

The quality of physician-patient communication is a critical factor in treatment outcomes and patient satisfaction with care. To date, few studies have specifically conducted an in-depth evaluation of the effect of telemedicine (TM) on physician-patient communication in a medical setting. Our objective was to determine whether physical separation and technology used during TM have a negative effect on physician-patient communication.

An evaluation of patient-physician communication style during telemedicine consultations.

Background: The quality of physician-patient communication is a critical factor influencing treatment outcomes and patient satisfaction with care. To date, there is little research to document the effect of telemedicine (TM) on physician-patient communication.

Objective: The objectives of this study are to measure and describe verbal and nonverbal communication during clinical TM consultations and to compare TM with in-person (IP) consultations in terms of the quality of physician-patient communication.

Pulmonary telemedicine--a model to access the subspecialist services in underserved rural areas.

Background: To describe the use of videoconference telemedicine for providing outpatient pulmonary consultation to a remote, underserved clinic site.

Methods: Analysis of data from the Milwaukee Veteran Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) pulmonary telemedicine clinic. Pulmonary physicians at the Milwaukee VAMC provide outpatient consultations with the use of videoconference technology to patients located at the Iron Mountain VAMC in Iron Mountain, MI (346 km or 215 miles from Milwaukee).

The effect of inhaled nitric oxide and oxygen on the hydroxylation of salicylate in rat lungs.

Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) is used as a selective pulmonary vasodilator, and often under conditions when a high fraction of inspired oxygen is indicated. However, little is known about the potential toxicity of iNO therapy with or without concomitant oxygen therapy. NO can combine with superoxide (O2-) to form peroxynitrite (ONOO-), which can in turn decompose to form hydroxyl radical (OH.

Effects of ozone on lung function and lung diseases.

Ozone (O3) is an air pollutant produced by sunlight-driven reactions involving the oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds. The population of many large metropolitan areas in the US is exposed to high levels of O3, particularly in the summer months. Individuals exposed to O3 levels in human experiments at higher than common ambient levels develop reversible reductions in lung function often associated with symptoms, such as airway hyperreactivity and lung inflammation.

Cost effectiveness of telemedicine for the delivery of outpatient pulmonary care to a rural population.

The objective of this study was to determine the cost effectiveness of outpatient pulmonary subspecialty consultations via telemedicine. A decision-analytic model was used to compare the cost effectiveness of providing outpatient telemedicine pulmonary consultations with alternative treatment methods. Model options included: (1) telemedicine, (2) routine care (patients travel from a remote site to the hub site to receive care), and (3) on-site care (patients receive care at the remote site).

L-Arginine uptake and metabolism following in vivo silica exposure in rat lungs.

Pulmonary inflammation increases nitric oxide (NO) production via inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). This study was performed to determine some of the factors that affect the availability of the NOS substrate, L-arginine (L-arg), in the intact lung subjected to silica-induced inflammation. Nitrate production, as an index of NO production, was significantly greater in silica-exposed lungs (53.

Vocal cord closure pressure during volitional swallow and other voluntary tasks.

Our goal was to determine and compare vocal cord (VC) closure pressure and its associated intratracheal pressure during several physiological events such as swallowing, coughing, straining, and phonation. We studied 11 healthy subjects (age 41 +/- 2 years) with no current or previous history of laryngeal or pulmonary diseases. VC closure pressure during the above-mentioned tasks was studied using a concurrent manometric and endoscopic technique.