Adaptive servo-ventilation for the treatment of intrathecal baclofen-induced central sleep apnea: A case report.

Baclofen is a common muscle relaxant agent used in a number of neurological disorders acting at central level and potentially causing adverse respiratory events, still largely unknown at therapeutic doses. We present the case of a young woman with spastic tetraparesis secondary to perinatal asphyxia treated with a standard dose of intrathecal baclofen who developed nocturnal symptoms, somnolence and memory loss during the day. Nocturnal cardio-respiratory sleep monitoring showed a high number of central sleep apneas (CSA).

Pulmonary Progressive Fibrosis in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Primary Sjogren Syndrome: Similarities and Differences.

Progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) has been associated with a worse prognosis, even when interstitial lung disease (ILD) is related to rheumatic diseases. Since many differences are detectable among rheumatic diseases in prevalence and features of ILD, we aimed to investigate features of PPF in different rheumatic diseases, namely rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS). In an Italian multicentre cross-sectional study, consecutive pSS or RA patients with a diagnosis of ILD from at least two years were enrolled.

Long-Term High-Flow Nasal Therapy in Patients with Bronchiectasis of Different Severity: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

: High-flow nasal therapy (HFNT) has been shown to reduce exacerbations of COPD and some evidence displays benefits in non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFB) patients. The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of 12 months of home HFNT on the annual exacerbation rate between mild/moderate and severe NCFB patients, classified by the bronchiectasis severity index (BSI). Secondary outcomes were the evaluation of the dyspnea, pulmonary function, and sputum cultures in both groups.

Clinical characteristics, use and switch of drugs for obstructive airway diseases among patients with COPD experiencing an exacerbation: a retrospective analysis of Italian administrative healthcare data.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) represents an important health challenge, despite being preventable and manageable thanks to up-to-date recommendations. In Italy, the pharmaceutical care of COPD patients is still ill-timed and inaccurate. This study aimed to describe the treatment of COPD patients in Italy and possible switches following an exacerbation.

Eosinophilic Bronchiectasis: Prevalence, Severity, and Associated Features-A Cohort Study.

Bronchiectasis (BE) has been traditionally associated with neutrophilic inflammation, but eosinophilic bronchiectasis (EB) has recently emerged. Data about prevalence, clinical features, and disease severity are lacking. This study aimed to assess the EB prevalence, compare EB with non-EB, evaluate the Type-2 (T2) high endotype in BE (T2-high EB) versus non-T2-high EB, and identify EB predictors.

Highlights on Future Treatments of IPF: Clues and Pitfalls.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is an interstitial lung disease characterized by irreversible scarring of lung tissue, leading to death. Despite recent advancements in understanding its pathophysiology, IPF remains elusive, and therapeutic options are limited and non-curative. This review aims to synthesize the latest research developments, focusing on the molecular mechanisms driving the disease and on the related emerging treatments.

Prevalence of Progressive Fibrosing Interstitial Lung Disease in Patients with Primary Sjogren Syndrome.

Background: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) represents a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality in primary Sjogren syndrome (pSS). However, the prevalence and behavior of pSS-ILD remains incomplete, largely based on retrospective heterogeneous studies.

Aim Of The Study: To investigate the prevalence of progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) in a multicentric cohort of patients with pSS-ILD.

Effects of high-flow nasal therapy on swallowing function: a scoping review.

Background: High-flow nasal therapy is widely used in patients with respiratory failure in different clinical settings, but the effect of high-flow nasal therapy on respiratory-swallow coordination is unknown. Understanding this relationship is crucial, considering the necessity for patients to maintain adequate nutrition during daytime high-flow nasal therapy. This scoping review aims to synthesise available data on the effects of high-flow nasal therapy flow rates on swallowing function and the possible risk of aspiration during treatment, focusing on knowledge and evidence gaps.

Asthma remission one, none and one-hundred thousand: the relevance of the patient's view.

Objective: Achieving remission in severe asthma holds paramount importance in elevating patient quality of life and reducing both individual and societal burdens associated with this chronic condition. This study centers on identifying pivotal patient-relevant endpoints through standardized, reproducible methods, while also developing a patient-centric definition of remission, essential for effective disease management.

Methods: A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was conducted to assess patients' perceptions on the four primary criteria for defining severe asthma remission, as outlined by the SANI survey.

Pharmacological treatment in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: current issues and future perspectives.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) represents a fibrotic interstitial lung disease characterized by uncertain etiology and poor prognosis. Over the years, the path to effective treatments has been marked by a series of advances and setbacks. The introduction of approved antifibrotic drugs, pirfenidone and nintedanib, marked a pivotal moment in the management of IPF.

An RNA-seq study in Friedreich ataxia patients identified hsa-miR-148a-3p as a putative prognostic biomarker of the disease.

Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) is a life-threatening hereditary ataxia; its incidence is 1:50,000 individuals in the Caucasian population. A unique therapeutic drug for FRDA, the antioxidant Omaveloxolone, has been recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FRDA is a multi-systemic neurodegenerative disease; in addition to a progressive neurodegeneration, FRDA is characterized by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, diabetes mellitus and musculoskeletal deformities.

Melatonin Enhances Neural Differentiation of Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) are adult multipotent stem cells, able to differentiate toward neural elements other than cells of mesodermal lineage. The aim of this research was to test ASC neural differentiation using melatonin combined with conditioned media (CM) from glial cells. Isolated from the lipoaspirate of healthy donors, ASCs were expanded in a basal growth medium before undergoing neural differentiation procedures.

Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis and biological agents: the ARIA-ITALY Survey.

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is an inflammatory disease that affects the nasal mucosa and the paranasal sinuses. CRS can be associated by nasal polyposis (CRSwNP phenotype) in up to 30% of patients and it is frequently associated with bronchial asthma. CRSwNP shows predominantly an underlying activation of type 2 inflammatory pathways with the involvement of eosinophils, IgE, interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5 and IL-13.

Distance follow-up by a remote medical care centre improves adherence to CPAP in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea over the short and long term.

Background: Adherence to continuous positive air pressure (CPAP) in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) has remained invariably low over the last decades. Remote monitoring of the nocturnal CPAP treatment, within telemedicine (TM)-based follow-up programs, in these patients has been suggested as a potential tool to improve adherence and release the workload of sleep units. The aim of this study was therefore to assess whether a follow-up program carried out by a Remote Medical Care Centre (RMCC), outside the sleep unit, improves adherence to CPAP in the short and long term in patients with OSA.

Diagnostic delay in bronchiectasis: an Italian perspective.

https://bit.ly/46XMWAz.

Gastrointestinal pirfenidone adverse events in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis depending on diet: the MADIET clinical trial.

https://bit.ly/3LuzAUJ

Effect of Nintedanib in Patients with Progressive Pulmonary Fibrosis in Subgroups with Differing Baseline Characteristics.

Introduction: In the INBUILD trial in patients with progressive pulmonary fibrosis other than idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), nintedanib slowed the rate of decline in forced vital capacity (FVC; mL/year) over 52 weeks compared with placebo. We assessed the efficacy of nintedanib across subgroups in the INBUILD trial by baseline characteristics.

Methods: We assessed the rate of decline in FVC over 52 weeks and time to progression of interstitial lung disease (ILD) (absolute decline from baseline in FVC % predicted > 10%) or death over the whole trial in subgroups based on sex, age, race, body mass index (BMI), time since diagnosis of ILD, FVC % predicted, diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLco) % predicted, composite physiologic index (CPI), GAP (gender, age, lung physiology) stage, use of anti-acid therapy and use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) at baseline.

Clinical and Prognostic Significance of p-ANCA Positivity in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: A Retrospective Observational Study.

Perinuclear Anti Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody (p-ANCA) is a serological marker of Microscopic Polyangiitis (MPA), a vasculitis associated with lung involvement potentially mimicking Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). In this study, we evaluated the role of p-ANCA in predicting clinical evolution and prognosis in a cohort of IPF patients. In this observational, retrospective, case-control study, we compared 18 patients with an IPF diagnosis and p-ANCA positivity with 36 patients with seronegative IPF, matched for age and sex.