Search

Study Objectives: Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients prefer exercise to most other forms of therapy, although objective improvement remains controversial. Israeli CF patients have attended a summer program in Switzerland for many years with subjective improvement. However, CF camps worldwide have been cancelled recently, due to fears of cross-infection with resistant organisms. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of attending the camp on pulmonary function, exercise tolerance, and nutritional state in CF patients.Design: Weight, resting pulmonary function, incremental exercise test results, and sputum culture findings were assessed before and after a 4-week intensive summer camp.Setting: Davos, Switzerland (altitude, 1,500 m).Patients: Thirteen Israeli CF patients (seven women and six men) with an age range of 9 to 25 years who had mild-to-moderate lung disease. No patients had Burkholderia cepacia detected in their sputum.Interventions: The program included a high-calorie diet, chest physiotherapy, daily mountain climbing, and indoor activities. Arterial oxygen saturation (SaO(2)) was maintained at > 88% during exertion.Results: Exercise tolerance improved significantly. The peak work capacity increased by 12.7%, the maximal oxygen uptake increased by 10%, and minute ventilation increased by 18.5% (p < 0.0005). Of the calculated parameters, the anaerobic threshold improved by 17%. Ventilation was always the limiting factor during exercise, although it improved. There was no significant change in resting lung function and pulse or in SaO(2) decline at maximal exercise. The mean weight gain was 1 kg. No patient acquired B cepacia.Conclusions: An intensive summer camp improved exercise tolerance and nutrition in CF patients. This may explain improved patient well-being despite unchanged values for resting lung function. The reinstitution of summer camps, with special care to avoid cross-infection, should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Firearm injury-related hospitalizations in the U.S. cost $900 million annually. Before the Affordable Care Act, government insurance programs covered 41% of the costs. This study describes the impact of Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion and state-level firearm legislation on coverage and costs for firearm injuries., Methods: This cross-sectional study included 35,854,586 hospitalizations from 27 states in 2013 and 2016. Data analyses were performed in 2022. Firearm injuries were classified by mechanism: assault, unintentional, self-harm, or undetermined. The impact of the Affordable Care Act expansion was determined using difference-in-differences analysis. Differences in per capita costs between states with stronger and weak firearm legislation were compared using univariable and multivariable analyses., Results: The authors identified 31,451 initial firearm injury-related hospitalizations. In states with weak firearm legislation, hospitalization costs per 100,000 residents were higher from unintentional ($25,834; p=0.04) and self-inflicted ($11,550; p=0.02) injuries; there were no state-level differences in assault or total per capita firearm-related hospitalization costs. Affordable Care Act expansion increased government coverage of costs by 15 percentage points (95% CI=3, 29) and decreased costs to uninsured/self-pay by 14 percentage points (95% CI=6, 21). In 2016, states with weak firearm legislation and no Affordable Care Act expansion had the highest proportion of hospitalization costs attributed to uninsured/self-pay patients (24%, 95% CI=15, 34)., Conclusions: Affordable Care Act expansion increased government coverage of hospitalizations for firearm injuries. Unintentional and self-harm costs were significantly higher for states with weak firearm legislation. States with weak firearm legislation that did not expand Medicaid had the highest proportion of uninsured/self-pay patients., (Copyright © 2023 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To evaluate whether exposure to the United States discriminatory housing practice of redlining, which occurred in over 200 cities in the 1930s, is associated with modern-day, community-level incidence of firearm injury., Background: Firearm violence is a public health epidemic within the United States. Federal policies are crucial in both shaping and reducing the risk of firearm violence; identifying policies that might have contributed to risks also offers potential solutions. We analyzed whether 1930s exposure to the discriminatory housing practices that occurred in over 200 US cities was associated with the modern-day, community-level incidence of firearm injury., Methods: We performed a nationwide retrospective cohort study between 2014 and 2018. Urban Zip Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) historically exposed to detrimental redlining (grades C and D) were matched to unexposed ZCTAs based on modern-day population-level demographic characteristics (ie, age, Gini index, median income, percentage Black population, and education level). Incidence of firearm injury was derived from the Gun Violence Archive and aggregated to ZCTA level counts. Our primary outcome was the incidence of firearm injury, modeled using zero-inflated negative binomial regression., Results: When controlling for urban firearm risk factors, neighborhoods with detrimental redlining were associated with 2.6 additional firearm incidents annually compared with nonredlined areas with similar modern-day risk factors. Over our study period, this accounts for an additional 23,000 firearm injuries., Conclusions: Historic, discriminatory Federal policies continue to impact modern-day firearm violence. Policies aimed at reversing detrimental redlining may offer an economic means to reduce firearm violence., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflict of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Importance: Firearm injuries are an epidemic in the US; more than 45 000 fatal injuries were recorded in 2020 alone. Gaining a deeper understanding of socioeconomic factors that may contribute to increasing firearm injury rates is critical to prevent future injuries., Objective: To explore whether neighborhood gentrification is associated with firearm injury incidence rates over time., Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study used nationwide, urban US Census tract-level data on gentrification between 2010 and 2019 and firearm injuries data collected between 2014 and 2019. All urban Census tracts, as defined by Rural Urban Commuting Area codes 1 to 3, were included in the analysis, for a total of 59 379 tracts examined from 2014 through 2019. Data were analyzed from January 2022 through April 2023., Exposure: Gentrification, defined to be an area in a central city neighborhood with median housing prices appreciating over the median regional value and a median household income at or below the 40th percentile of the median regional household income and continuing for at least 2 consecutive years., Main Outcomes and Measures: The number of firearm injuries, controlling for Census tract population characteristics., Results: A total of 59 379 urban Census tracts were evaluated for gentrification; of these tracts, 14 125 (23.8%) were identified as gentrifying, involving approximately 57 million residents annually. The firearm injury incidence rate for gentrifying neighborhoods was 62% higher than the incidence rate in nongentrifying neighborhoods with similar sociodemographic characteristics (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 1.62; 95% CI, 1.56-1.69). In a multivariable analysis, firearm injury incidence rates increased by 57% per year for low-income Census tracts that did not gentrify (IRR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.56-1.58), 42% per year for high-income tracts that did not gentrify (IRR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.41-1.43), and 49% per year for gentrifying tracts (IRR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.48-1.50). Neighborhoods undergoing the gentrification process experienced an additional 26% increase in firearm injury incidence above baseline increase experienced in neighborhoods not undergoing gentrification (IRR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.23-1.30)., Conclusions and Relevance: Results of this study suggest that gentrification is associated with an increase in the incidence of firearm injuries within gentrifying neighborhoods. Social disruption and residential displacement associated with gentrification may help explain this finding, although future research is needed to evaluate the underlying mechanisms. These findings support use of targeted firearm prevention interventions in communities experiencing gentrification.

Importance: Estimates of the total economic cost of firearm violence are important in drawing attention to this public health issue; however, studies that consider violence more broadly are needed to further the understanding of the extent to which such costs can be avoided., Objectives: To estimate the association of firearm assaults with US hospital costs and deaths compared with other assault types., Design, Setting, and Participants: The 2016-2018 US Nationwide Emergency Department Sample and National Inpatient Sample, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project were used in this cross-sectional study of emergency department (ED) and inpatient admissions for assaults involving a firearm, sharp object, blunt object, or bodily force identified using International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification codes. Differences in ED and inpatient costs (2020 US dollars) across mechanisms were estimated using ordinary least-squares regression with and without adjustments for year and hospital, patient, and injury characteristics. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention underlying cause of death data were used to estimate national death rates and hospital case-fatality rates across mechanisms. Cost analysis used a weighted sample. National death rates and hospital case-fatality rates used US resident death certificates, covering 976 million person-years. Hospital case-fatality rates also used nationally weighted ED records covering 2.7 million admissions. Data analysis was conducted from March 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022., Exposure: The primary exposure was the mechanism used in the assault., Main Outcomes and Measures: Emergency department and inpatient costs per record. National death rates and hospital case-fatality rates., Results: Overall, 2.4 million ED visits and 184 040 inpatient admissions for assault were included. Across all mechanisms, the mean age of the population was 32.7 (95% CI, 32.6-32.9) years in the ED and 36.4 (95% CI, 36.2-36.7) years in the inpatient setting; 41.9% (95% CI, 41.2%-42.5%) were female in the ED, and 19.1% (95% CI, 18.6%-19.6%) of inpatients were female. Most assaults recorded in the ED involved publicly insured or uninsured patients and hospitals in the Southern US. Emergency department costs were $678 (95% CI, $657-$699) for bodily force, $861 (95% CI, $813-$910) for blunt object, $996 (95% CI, $925-$1067) for sharp object, and $1388 (95% CI, $1254-$1522) for firearm assaults. Corresponding inpatient costs were $14 702 (95% CI, $14 178-$15 227) for bodily force, $17 906 (95% CI, $16 888-$18 923) for blunt object, $19 265 (95% CI, $18 475-$20 055) for sharp object, and $34 949 (95% CI, $33 654-$36 244) for firearm assaults. National death rates per 100 000 were 0.04 (95% CI, 0.03-0.04) for bodily force, 0.03 (95% CI, 0.03-0.03) for blunt object, 0.54 (95% CI, 0.52-0.55) for sharp object, and 4.40 (95% CI, 4.36-4.44) for firearm assaults. Hospital case fatality rates were 0.01% (95% CI, 0.009%-0.012%) for bodily force, 0.05% (95% CI, 0.04%-0.06%) for blunt object, 1.05% (95% CI, 1.00%-1.09%) for sharp object, and 15.26% (95% CI, 15.04%-15.49%) for firearm assaults. In regression analysis, ED costs for firearm assaults were 59% to 99% higher than costs for nonfirearm assaults, and inpatient costs were 67% to 118% higher., Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this study suggest that it may be useful for policies aimed at reducing the costs of firearm violence to consider violence more broadly to understand the extent to which costs can be avoided.

Background: Firearm injuries are a costly, national public health emergency, and government-sponsored programs frequently pay these hospital costs. Understanding regional differences in firearm injury burden may be useful for crafting appropriate policies, especially with widely varying state gun laws., Objective: To estimate the volume of, and hospital costs for, fatal and non-fatal firearm injuries from 2005 to 2015 for each region of the United States and analyze the proportionate cost by payer status., Methods: We used the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Sample to identify patients admitted for firearm-related injuries from 2005 to 2015. We converted hospitalization charges to costs, which were inflation-adjusted to 2015 dollars. We used survey weights to create regional estimates. We used the Brady Gun Law to determine significance between firearm restrictiveness and firearm hospitalizations by region., Results: There were a total of 317 479 firearm related admissions over the study period: 52 829 (16.66%), 66 671 (21.0%), 134 008 (42.2%), and 63 972 (20.2%) for the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West respectively, demonstrating high regional variability. In the Northeast, hospital costs were $1.98 billion (13.9% of total), of which 56.0% was covered by government payers; for the Midwest, costs were $153 billion (19.7% of total), 40.4% of which was covered by government payers; in the South costs were highest at $3.2 billion (41.4% of total), but government payers only covered 34.3%; and costs for the West were $1.94 billion (25.0% of total), with government programs covering 41.6% of the cost burden., Conclusions: Hospital admissions and costs for firearm injuries demonstrated wide variation by region, suggesting opportunities for financial savings. As government insurance programs cover 41.5% of costs, tax dollars heavily subsidize the financial burden of firearm injuries and cost recovery options for treating residents injured by firearms should be considered. Injury control strategies have not been well applied to this national public health crisis., Level of Evidence: Level II, Economic and Value Based Evaluation., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Despite the widespread institution of modern massive transfusion protocols with balanced blood product ratios, survival for patients with traumatic hemorrhage receiving ultramassive transfusion (UMT) (defined as ≥20 U of packed red blood cells [RBCs]) in 24 hours) remains low and resource consumption remains high. Therefore, we aimed to identify factors associated with mortality in trauma patients receiving UMT in the modern resuscitation era., Methods: An Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma multicenter retrospective study of 461 trauma patients from 17 trauma centers who received ≥20 U of RBCs in 24 hours was performed (2014-2019). Multivariable logistic regression and Classification and Regression Tree analysis were used to identify clinical characteristics associated with mortality., Results: The 461 patients were young (median age, 35 years), male (82%), severely injured (median Injury Severity Score, 33), in shock (median shock index, 1.2; base excess, -9), and transfused a median of 29 U of RBCs, 22 U of fresh frozen plasma (FFP), and 24 U of platelets (PLT). Mortality was 46% at 24 hours and 65% at discharge. Transfusion of RBC/FFP ≥1.5:1 or RBC/PLT ≥1.5:1 was significantly associated with mortality, most pronounced for the 18% of patients who received both RBC/PLT and RBC/FFP ≥1.5:1 (odds ratios, 3.11 and 2.81 for mortality at 24 hours and discharge; both p < 0.01). Classification and Regression Tree identified that age older than 50 years, low initial Glasgow Coma Scale, thrombocytopenia, and resuscitative thoracotomy were associated with low likelihood of survival (14-26%), while absence of these factors was associated with the highest survival (71%)., Conclusion: Despite modern massive transfusion protocols, one half of trauma patients receiving UMT are transfused with either RBC/FFP or RBC/PLT in unbalanced ratios ≥1.5:1, with increased associated mortality. Maintaining focus on balanced ratios during UMT is critical, and consideration of advanced age, poor initial mental status, thrombocytopenia, and resuscitative thoracotomy can aid in prognostication., Level of Evidence: Prognostic, level III., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Importance: Little is known about nonfatal firearm injuries in the United States, and national estimates based on emergency department samples may not be accurate., Objective: To describe the incidence and distribution of nonfatal firearm injuries and estimate case fatality ratios (CFRs) for firearm injuries by external cause of injury code within California overall and by race/ethnicity, including an assessment of trends over time and geographic variation within the state., Design, Setting, and Participants: This serial cross-sectional study used complete statewide data for firearm-related mortality, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations among California residents from January 1, 2005, through December 31, 2015, to analyze incidence, distribution, and CFRs of firearm injury. Data were analyzed from 2018 to 2019., Exposures: All individuals in California with a firearm injury based on International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision or International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision codes were included., Main Outcomes and Measures: Counts and rates of nonfatal firearm injuries overall and stratified by external cause, sex, and race/ethnicity; total and clinical CFRs. Clinical CFR was calculated based on individuals treated in emergency departments or hospitals., Results: Over the study period, there were 81 085 firearm-related emergency department visits and hospitalizations among individuals with a mean (SD) age of 27.5 (11.9) years, 72 567 (89.6%) of whom were men. Nonfatal firearm injuries in California decreased by 38.1% between 2005 and 2015, driven by a 46.4% decrease in assaultive injuries. Self-inflicted injuries and unintentional injuries remained relatively stable. The overall CFR for firearm injuries increased from 27.6% in 2005 to 32.2% in 2015 for a relative increase of 20.7%, while the clinical CFR remained stable between 7.0% and 9.0%., Conclusions and Relevance: These findings suggest that although the number of firearm injuries has decreased in California, the lethality of these injuries has not. Similar studies from other states could provide more information about these trends nationwide.

Deaths and injuries from firearms are significant public health problems, and clinicians are in a unique position to identify risk among their patients and discuss the importance of safe firearm practices. Although clinicians may be ill-prepared to engage in such discussions, an adequate body of evidence is available for support, and patients are generally receptive to this type of discussion with their physician. Here, we provide an overview of existing research and recommended strategies for counseling and intervention to reduce firearm-related death and injury.

Background: In 2015 there were 36,252 firearm-related deaths and 84,997 nonfatal injuries in the United States. The longitudinal burden of these injuries through readmissions is currently underestimated. We aimed to determine the 6-month readmission risk and hospital costs for patients injured by firearms., Methods: We used the Nationwide Readmission Database 2010-2015 to assess the frequency of readmissions at 6 months, and hospital costs associated with readmissions for patients with firearm-related injuries. We produced nationally representative estimates of readmission risks and costs., Results: Of patients discharged following a firearm injury, 15.6% were readmitted within 6 months. The average annual cost of inpatient hospitalizations for firearm injury was over $911 million, 9.5% of which was due to readmissions. Medicare and Medicaid covered 45.2% of total costs for the 5 years, and uninsured patients were responsible for 20.1%., Conclusions: From 2010-2015, the average total cost of hospitalization for firearm injuries per patient was $32,700, almost 10% of which was due to readmissions within 6 months. Government insurance programs and the uninsured shouldered most of this., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Objectives: To quantify the inflation-adjusted costs associated with initial hospitalizations for firearm-related injuries in the United States., Methods: We used the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Sample to identify patients admitted for firearm-related injuries from 2006 to 2014. We converted charges from hospitalization to costs, which we inflation-adjusted to 2014 dollars. We used survey weights to create national estimates., Results: Costs for the initial inpatient hospitalization totaled $6.61 billion. The largest proportion was for patients with governmental insurance coverage, totaling $2.70 billion (40.8%) and was divided between Medicaid ($2.30 billion) and Medicare ($0.40 billion). Self-pay individuals accounted for $1.56 billion (23.6%) in costs., Conclusions: From 2006 to 2014, the cost of initial hospitalizations for firearm-related injuries averaged $734.6 million per year. Medicaid paid one third and self-pay patients one quarter of the financial burden. These figures substantially underestimate true health care costs. Public health implications. Firearm-related injuries are costly to the US health care system and are particularly burdensome to government insurance and the self-paying poor.

Female mosquitoes are major vectors of human disease and the most dangerous are those that preferentially bite humans. A 'domestic' form of the mosquito Aedes aegypti has evolved to specialize in biting humans and is the main worldwide vector of dengue, yellow fever, and chikungunya viruses. The domestic form coexists with an ancestral, 'forest' form that prefers to bite non-human animals and is found along the coast of Kenya. We collected the two forms, established laboratory colonies, and document striking divergence in preference for human versus non-human animal odour. We further show that the evolution of preference for human odour in domestic mosquitoes is tightly linked to increases in the expression and ligand-sensitivity of the odorant receptor AaegOr4, which we found recognizes a compound present at high levels in human odour. Our results provide a rare example of a gene contributing to behavioural evolution and provide insight into how disease-vectoring mosquitoes came to specialize on humans.

Background: Theophylline is a well known bronchodilator which has been used for more than 50 years in the treatment of obstructive pulmonary diseases. In patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease whose cardiopulmonary performance is limited by their ventilatory capacity the administration of theophylline may improve exercise performance., Methods: A randomised, placebo controlled, double blind, crossover trial was conducted in 22 patients with severe but stable disease. The patients (mean age 68 years) were studied before and after one month of placebo and one month of treatment with a sustained release preparation of theophylline administered orally. The theophylline dose was adjusted until a blood level above 55.5 mumol/l was achieved. The two treatments were administered in random order and separated by a two week washout period. After theophylline was administered for one month a mean level of 68.2 mumol/l was achieved. Pulmonary function tests, arterial blood gas measurements, maximal voluntary ventilation (MVV), and an incremental exercise test were performed before (baseline) and at the end of the first and second month of treatment., Results: Pulmonary function tests showed no improvement in the flow parameters but showed an improvement in MVV after treatment with theophylline. Pulmonary gas exchange was improved after theophylline (resting arterial PO2 8.91 v 8.59 kPa, PCO2 5.38 v 5.56 kPa). The incremental exercise study showed improvement in maximal work rate (86.5 v 75.0 watts) and maximal ventilation (VEmax) (46.7 v 43.01/min). The dyspnoea index on maximal effort (VEmax/MVV), anaerobic threshold, and oxygen pulse remained unchanged. Resting and exercise heart rate were higher after theophylline., Conclusions: Theophylline improved cardiorespiratory performance in these patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease mainly by increasing the ventilatory capacity.

The Lymphapress, a pneumatic sequential intermittent device is recognized as one of the most effective conservative treatments for lymphoedema, due to its effective 'milking mechanism'. This led us to hypothesize that accelerated removal of fatigue-causing metabolites by mechanical massage could improve an athlete's performance capacity. We conducted trials with 11 men who exercised at a constant workload, on a cycle ergometer, until exhaustion. During a 20-min recovery period a new modified pneumatic sequential intermittent device (the MISPD) was applied to the subjects' legs. The men then performed a second constant load exercise bout. Cardiorespiratory parameters were measured during exercise and blood was withdrawn during recovery for the determination of lactate, pyruvate, ammonia, bicarbonate and pH. No difference was found in the blood levels of the 'fatigue causing metabolites' during passive recovery (PR) and recovery with the MISPD (MR). However, the MISPD effected a 45% improvement in the subjects' ability to perform the subsequent exercise bout. The accumulation of fluid in the interstitial space after exercise and its disappearance after the use of the MISPD offers one possible explanation for these results, although psychological effects cannot be discounted.

We studied the effect of external high-frequency oscillation using an oscillator (Hayek oscillator [HO]) on 20 patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Of the 20 patients, 10 were eucapnic and 10 were hypercapnic. The HO generated frequencies from 60 to 140 cycles/min at an amplitude of 36 cm H2O (-26 to +10) and at an inspiratory/expiratory (I/E) ratio of 1:1. The results show that the HO is a powerful ventilator, reducing end-tidal PCO2 (PETCO2) by 6.7 to 9.1 mm Hg in eucapnic patients and by 6.1 to 7.9 mm Hg in hypercapnic patients. The oxygen saturation increased by 2 to 2.87 percent in the eucapnic patients and by 2.6 to 3.7 percent in the hypercapnic group in the various frequencies. The rate of elimination of CO2 and the levels of PETCO2 achieved within a short time were superior to those reported with other external ventilators. We conclude that the HO can be effectively used in severe COPD and respiratory failure for (1) assisting ventilation, thus replacing intubation and conventional mechanical ventilation, and (2) relieving muscle fatigue in short sessions.

A suture granuloma was resected which developed after segmentectomy of a squamous cell carcinoma of the lung and radiologically mimicked a neoplasm. This report emphasises that although the appearance of the lesion may be typical for malignancy, the possibility of a benign suture granuloma should be considered, especially if the lesion appears shortly after surgery.

Physical fitness in a group of 49 stable asthmatic children was determined by an incremental exercise test. Thirty-one normal children served as a control group. The asthmatic children were divided into three groups. Group 1 was comprised of 16 children who actively participated in organized sports, Group 2 of 16 children who did not participate in organized sports but who engaged in free-play, and Group 3 of 17 children with a sedentary life-style who avoided even free-play. The results of cardiopulmonary evaluation before and after maximal incremental exercise testing have shown that Groups 1 and 2 behaved like the control group and their physical fitness was similar. Group 3 whose life-style was sedentary had poor physical fitness as compared to the other asthmatics and to the control group. This was the result of poor cardiovascular conditioning and was unrelated to the respiratory limitation. We conclude that poor physical fitness in asthmatic children is the result of a sedentary life-style and can be potentially normalized.

In order to obtain objective information on physical fitness of asthmatic patients, mainly those with severe chronic airway obstruction, an incremental exercise test was carried out in 50 asthmatics. A control group of 48 healthy subjects had similar anthropometric characteristics. The 2 groups achieved similar maximal heart rates: 96.1 +/- 8 of predicted rate in the asthmatics as compared to 98.4 +/- 4 in the controls. Maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max), anaerobic threshold and oxygen pulse (VO2/hr) were significantly lower in the asthmatics. While in mild and moderate cases performance was limited by the cardiovascular system, in severe asthmatics the limitation was respiratory. There was no correlation between severity of airway obstruction and cardiac parameters such as oxygen pulse, anaerobic threshold and VO2max. On the other hand, there was good correlation between FEV1% and the dyspnea index (Ve/MVV%). The latter was less than 60% in all asthmatics when measured during exercise testing at 75% of maximal predicted heart rate. It is thus possible for an asthmatic to engage in physical activity of the intensity that can potentially improve his physical fitness. We assume that reduction in cardiac parameters is a result of poor physical fitness related to prolonged inactivity, quite common in asthmatics as a result of inappropriate physical education.

Twenty patients with bronchial asthma, on long-term oral therapy with theophylline, demonstrated an increased number of suppressor T-cells and impaired graft vs host reaction. Ten asthmatics on other therapy, not including theophylline, as well as ten normal healthy controls, failed to show similar findings. Elimination of suppressor T-cells corrected the above immunological abnormalities in the theophylline-treated patients, while addition of serum from theophylline-treated asthmatic patients to lymphocytes from normal healthy controls, affected the graft vs host reaction of these lymphocytes. We conclude that theophylline induces quantitative as well as qualitative immunological alterations by increasing the number and activity of suppressor T-cells, which most probably secrete a serum factor, responsible for some of the abnormalities observed.

The efficacy of nedocromil sodium (4 mg twice daily by inhalation) in treating bronchial asthma was assessed by double-blind, placebo-controlled group comparison in 69 adults from three centers. The patients (34 active, 35 placebo) had a history of bronchial asthma with at least 15 percent reversibility. Inhaled corticosteroids, used by 22 and 24 subjects in the active and placebo groups respectively, were discontinued before the study, in which a two-week baseline was followed by six weeks of treatment. Two-weekly clinic assessments of lung function, symptoms and final opinions of treatment were significantly (p less than 0.05 p less than 0.001) in favor of nedocromil sodium. Daily diary cards showed a similar trend with significant drug effects seen after the third week. Blood and urine samples showed no abnormalities and the majority of patient withdrawals (five from nedocromil sodium and six from placebo treatment) were due to worsening asthma. Overall, we found nedocromil sodium to be well tolerated and effective in the management of bronchial asthma.

Tests for autoimmune antibodies (AA) were carried out in 70 patients suffering from chronic obstructive disease of the airways and in 18 healthy subjects, who served as a control group. AA were found in 55% of the patients with intrinsic asthma as compared to 21% of those with extrinsic asthma, 25% of the patients with bronchitis and 16% of the healthy controls. The difference between the intrinsic and the other groups was found to be statistically significant (p less than 0.05 - less than 0.02).

Two patients with an intraluminal carcinoid tumour obstructing the right main bronchus in one, and the left main bronchus in the other, resulting in unilateral increased transradiancy from hypoperfusion of the lung, are described. Resection of the tumours and reconstruction of bronchial continuity was followed by return of perfusion to normal between three and 18 months after the operation. The patient in whom the diagnosis was delayed showed a much slower rate of return of perfusion and a small lung resulted. The finding of increased transradiancy of lung even in an asymptomatic patient should be an indication for bronchoscopy.

The frequency of pulmonary involvement in a group of 20 patients with Sjögren's syndrome or the sicca complex was evaluated with pulmonary function studies. In 12 patients pulmonary functional abnormalities were demonstrated. The most common abnormality was airway obstruction. Nine out of 13 patients with the limited variant of the disease (sicca complex) and three out of seven patients with the complete syndrome had abnormal pulmonary function.

Trephine drill biopsy of the pleura was utilized to establish the diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma in a patient with a thickened pleura without pleural effusion.

Beclomethasone dipropionate aerosol at a dose of 100 mug four times a day was administered to 32 patients suffering from chronic perennial asthma. Twenty-three of these patients had previously received prolonged treatment with corticosteroids, causing various degrees of adrenal suppression in some patients. Almost complete recovery of adrenal function was observed within a period of six months in most patients. Treatment with beclomethasone dipropionate did not affect the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in the other nine asthmatic patients who had not received prolonged corticosteroid therapy previously and who served as a control group.

High oxygen affinity hemoglobinopathy, as an eventual cause for polycythemia of undetermined etiology, was investigated in 40 unclassifiable polycythemia subjects. The determination of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate and P50 in the polycythemic and in the control groups has not demonstrated any sigificant difference between them. The routine search of this condition in similar patients does not seem to be warranted.

An asymptomatic patient presented with a chest roentgenogram showing bilateral hilar enlargement compatible with stage II sarcoidosis. However, evaluation revealed double primary bronchogenic carcinoma. A possible pitfall in the non-pathologic diagnosis of sarcoidosis and the implications of double primary bronchogenic carcinoma are discussed.