Smoking History and Nicotine Dependence Alter Sleep Features in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea-Hypopnea Syndrome.

There are many aspects in the relationship between smoking and sleep that have not been investigated thoroughly yet, especially in regards to obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). In this cross-sectional study, 2359 participants, who have visited the sleep clinic of our hospital during a 13-year period and were former or current smokers, were included. Their smoking history, measured in packyears of smoking, and their nicotine dependence, measured with the Fagerström scale, were correlated with various epidemiological and sleep-related variables.

Two Cases of Testicular Tuberculosis and Review of the Recent Literature.

In this review, two cases of testicular tuberculosis (TB) are presented, and another 58 cases published in PubMed between January 1, 2012, and July 31, 2023, are reviewed. Testicular TB remains a disease mainly of the developing world, with one notable exception - the infections caused as a result of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin infusion immunotherapy for bladder cancer. Its clinical course is subacute; however, it might get disseminated and become life-threatening; therefore, prompt diagnosis is very important.

The Interactions between Smoking and Sleep.

Smoking a cigarette before bed or first thing in the morning is a common habit. In this review, the relationship between smoking and sleep is investigated based on the existing literature. Out of 6504 unique items that were identified via a PubMed search related to smoking and sleep, 151 were included in this review.

COVID-19 Presenting as Encephalitis and Myopericarditis: A Report of a Rare Case.

COVID-19 might present with a wide range of clinical manifestations, from mild respiratory distress to severe multi-organ dysfunction. We present a unique case of complex COVID-19 presentation in a 45-year-old female who initially developed general symptoms such as fever, cough, headache, and weakness, which escalated to coma, requiring intubation and ICU admission. A brain MRI revealed lesions compatible with encephalitis, the cause of which remained unexplained after an in-depth clinical, laboratory, and imaging investigation.

Is there a correlation between the changes in airway inflammation and the changes in respiratory mechanics after vaping in patients with asthma?

Background: Electronic cigarettes (ECs) have been promoted as alternatives to traditional cigarettes.

Aim: To investigate ECs' effects on respiratory system, especially in patients with respiratory diseases.

Methods: We randomly selected 25 smokers with stable moderate asthma and matched them with 25 healthy smokers.

Open and Closed Triple Inhaler Therapy in Patients with Uncontrolled Asthma.

Long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMAs) are a class of inhalers that has recently been included as add-on therapy in the GINA guidelines, either in a single inhaler device with inhaled corticosteroids plus long-acting β2-agonists (ICS + LABA) (closed triple inhaler therapy) or in a separate one (open triple inhaler therapy). This review summarizes the existing evidence on the addition of LAMAs in patients with persistently uncontrolled asthma despite ICS + LABA treatment based on clinical efficacy in the reduction of asthma symptoms and exacerbations, the improvement in lung function, and its safety profile.

NREM Sleep Parasomnias Commencing in Childhood: Trauma and Atopy as Perpetuating Factors.

Objective/Background: Phenotyping of non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) parasomnias is currently poorly undertaken. This study aimed to determine whether there are differences phenotypically among childhood-, adolescent-, and adult-onset NREM parasomnias continuing into and presenting in adulthood. Patients/Methods: A retrospective, cohort study of patients presenting with NREM parasomnia between 2008 and 2019 (n = 307) was conducted.

Sleep During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Purpose Of Review: We reviewed current evidence on the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on sleep of different populations.

Recent Findings: Several studies demonstrated that sleep deprivation may cause immune system dysregulation, which deteriorates the course of COVID-19. The increased prevalence of sleep disorders among COVID-19 patients has been associated with more severe disease and worse clinical outcomes.

Pulmonary medication adherence among children and adults with cystic fibrosis: Is there an association with disease severity?

Background: Adherence to pulmonary medication is pivotal in delaying the progression of lung disease in cystic fibrosis (CF). Further exploring the consequences of poor adherence and its impact on disease severity may be valuable to personalize CF treatment strategy.

Aim: To evaluate indicators of disease severity among children and adults with CF and investigate which of them are related to pulmonary medication adherence.

Omalizumab: An Optimal Choice for Patients with Severe Allergic Asthma.

Omalizumab is the first monoclonal antibody that was globally approved as a personalized treatment option for patients with moderate-to-severe allergic asthma. This review summarizes the knowledge of almost two decades of use of omalizumab to answer some important everyday clinical practice questions, concerning its efficacy and safety and its association with other asthma-related and drug-related parameters. Evidence suggests that omalizumab improves asthma control and reduces the incidence and frequency of exacerbations in patients with severe allergic asthma.

Detection of squawks in respiratory sounds of mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients.

Mechanically ventilated patients typically exhibit abnormal respiratory sounds. Squawks are short inspiratory adventitious sounds that may occur in patients with pneumonia, such as COVID-19 patients. In this work we devised a method for squawk detection in mechanically ventilated patients by developing algorithms for respiratory cycle estimation, squawk candidate identification, feature extraction, and clustering.