Cysteine-Rich Angiogenic Inducer 61 Improves Prognostic Accuracy of GRACE (Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events) 2.0 Risk Score in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndromes.

Background It remains unclear whether the novel biomarker cysteine-rich angiogenic inducer 61 (CCN1) adds incremental prognostic value to the GRACE 2.0 (Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events) risk score and biomarkers high-sensitivity Troponin T, hsCRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein), and NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide) in patients with acute coronary syndromes. Methods and Results Patients referred for coronary angiography with a primary diagnosis of acute coronary syndromes were enrolled in the Special Program University Medicine - Acute Coronary Syndromes and Inflammation cohort.

Pleuroparenchymal Fibroelastosis: A Review of Histopathologic Features and the Relationship Between Histologic Parameters and Survival.

Pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis (PPFE) is now a defined clinicopathologic entity in the updated 2013 ATS/ERS classification of idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIPs), which has led to a significant increase in cases being diagnosed at our institution. We have therefore reviewed 43 PPFE cases (58 biopsies in total) to assess whether any clinical or histopathologic features provide prognostic information. A semiquantatitive grading system was used to assess extent of fibroblastic foci, intra-alveolar fibroelastosis, visceral pleural fibrosis, chronic inflammation in areas of fibrosis, vascular fibrointimal thickening, and presence of granulomas.

The European Survey on Adverse Systemic Reactions in Allergen Immunotherapy (EASSI): A paediatric assessment.

Background: Safety data on 'real-life' allergen immunotherapy (AIT) in children and adolescents is usually extrapolated from studies in adults.

Methods: Patients aged 18 or under initiating aeroallergen AIT were evaluated in a prospective European survey. Patient profiles and systemic reactions (SRs) were recorded.

Welding, longitudinal lung function decline and chronic respiratory symptoms: a systematic review of cohort studies.

While the acute respiratory risks of welding are well characterised, more chronic effects, including those on lung function, are less clear. We carried out a systematic review of published longitudinal studies of lung function decline in welders. Original cohort studies documenting two or more sequential measurements of lung function were reviewed.

Idiopathic interstitial pneumonias: the role of environmental triggers.

Idiopathic--or cryptogenic--fibrosing alveolitis is defined by a cluster of clinical, radiological, functional, and pathological features as well as by the exclusion of a recognized "cause.'' The processes by which clinicians assign causes to nonspecific diseases are complex and often subjective. Furthermore, the disease is comparatively rare and is generally diagnosed only after the use of specialized techniques.

Domestic aeroallergen exposures among infants in an English town.

A multicentre, prospective cohort study of childhood asthma was established in three European countries; the purpose of the project is the examination of factors which modify the relationship between allergen exposure in infant life and subsequent atopy and asthma. Dust samples were collected from the homes of 643 infants in a single town in the UK (the first cohort) and assayed for house dust mites (Der p 1) and cat allergen (Fel d 1) concentrations by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A questionnaire with potential relevance to the development of atopy and asthma was completed.

Ventilatory response to exercise correlates with impaired heart rate variability in patients with chronic congestive heart failure.

In chronic congestive heart failure (CHF) an overactivity of muscle ergoreceptors and peripheral chemoreceptors may lead to an increased ventilatory response to exercise and contribute to the autonomic imbalance. The analysis of heart rate variability (HRV), which is a reliable method of studying autonomic regulations within the cardiovascular system, showed depressed HRV indexes in CHF, but predictors of abnormal HRV pattern in CHF remain controversial. Considering a common mechanism involved in generation of both abnormal ventilation and autonomic dysfunction in CHF, we hypothesized that impaired ventilation may be better than other variables of CHF severity in determining HRV parameters.

Clinical responses to ingested fungal alpha-amylase and hemicellulase in persons sensitized to Aspergillus fumigatus?

alpha-Amylase and hemicellulase, derived from culture of Aspergillus species, are commonly added to flour as improvers during baking. Two cases of women occupationally sensitized to alpha-amylase who developed allergic symptoms after eating baked bread have been reported. With a randomized, controlled study design, we have investigated whether similar responses occur in those sensitized to Aspergillus species.

Respiratory morbidity 10 years after the Union Carbide gas leak at Bhopal: a cross sectional survey. The International Medical Commission on Bhopal.

Objective: To examine the role of exposure to the 1984 Bhopal gas leak in the development of persistent obstructive airways disease.

Design: Cross sectional survey.

Setting: Bhopal, India.