Articles

Case-finding for alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency in Kazakh patients with COPD

Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is an under-diagnosed condition in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of this study was to screen for AATD in Kazakh patients with COPD us...

Authors: Ardak Zhumagaliyeva, Stefania Ottaviani, Timm Greulich, Marina Gorrini, Claus Vogelmeier, Ludmila Karazhanova, Gulmira Nurgazina, Annalisa DeSilvestri, Victor Kotke, Valentina Barzon, Michele Zorzetto, Angelo Corsico and Ilaria Ferrarotti

Antibiotic therapy, supportive treatment and management of immunomodulation-inflammation response in community acquired pneumonia: review of recommendations

Community-acquired pneumonia is a common and serious disease, with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Management and treatment of community-acquired pneumonia are described in three main documents: the 200...

Authors: Marco Mantero, Paolo Tarsia, Andrea Gramegna, Sonia Henchi, Nicolò Vanoni and Marta Di Pasquale

Second lung malignancy and Richter syndrome in chronic lymphocytic leukemia: case report and literature review

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most frequent lymphoproliferative disease. Transformation into Richter disease and occurrence of second malignancies involving the lungs are rare complications. The ha...

Authors: Ghassen Soussi, Selsabil Daboussi, Samira Mhamdi, Zied Moatemri, Hela Ghedira, Chiraz Aichaouia, Mohsen Khadhraoui, Faouzi El Mezni and Rezaik Cheikh

Effects of combination therapy indacaterol/glycopyrronium versus tiotropium on moderate to severe COPD: evaluation of impulse oscillometry and exacerbation rate

Small airways are considered the major site of airflow limitation in COPD. Impulse oscillometry (IOS) is a forced oscillation technique, which provides passive measurement of lung mechanics. It can differentia...

Authors: Antonio Molino, Francesca Simioli, Anna Agnese Stanziola, Mauro Mormile, Maria Martino and Maria D’Amato

Desmoplastic small round cell tumors of the pleura: a review of the clinical literature

Desmoplastic small round cell tumor of the pleura is a rare malignancy, with only a few cases reported in the scientific literature. The aim of the present review is to discuss the demographic, pathological, c...

Authors: Alessandro Giuseppe Fois, Pietro Pirina, Antonella Arcadu, Francesca Becciu, Sandra Manca, Viviana Marras, Sara Canu, Gaetano Castagna, Giorgio Carlo Ginesu, Angelo Zinellu and Panagiotis Paliogiannis

Could Eosinophilia predict clinical severity in nasal polyps?

Although nasal polyps are one of the most frequent diseases, their etiopathogenesis remains unclear.Since eosinophils are the main inflammatory cells in the substantial proportion of nasal polyp tissues, they ...

Authors: Figen Aslan, Eren Altun, Serpil Paksoy and Gulay Turan

The history and epidemiology of Middle East respiratory syndrome corona virus

Corona viruses cause common cold, and infections caused by corona viruses are generally self-resolving. During the last 4 years, corona viruses have become the most important viruses worldwide because of the o...

Authors: Aisha M. Al-Osail and Marwan J. Al-Wazzah

Implementation of GOLD consensus report in real life: results from the Velletri-Lariano (VELA) cohort

COPD is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Pharmacotherapy improves quality of life and reduces exacerbations although low adherence with prescribed treatments may represent a barrier to opt...

Authors: G. De Filippi, M. Lallini, G. De Riggi, G. Marchetti, C. M. Dimartino, A. M. Russetti, E. Ferrari, R. Pistelli, M. S. Magnoni, M. Riparbelli, A. Rizzi and P. Angeletti

Mutational status predicts the risk of thromboembolic events in lung adenocarcinoma

Precision medicine promises to improve prognosis of patients affected by untreatable diseases. Patients with lung cancer (especially lung adenocarcinoma) bear an increased risk of VTE. Mutations in the EGFR an...

Authors: Elsa Davidsson, Nicola Murgia, Cristian Ortiz-Villalón, Emil Wiklundh, Magnus Sköld, Karl Gustav Kölbeck and Giovanni Ferrara

Novel aspects in diagnostic approach to respiratory patients: is it the time for a new semiotics?

Medical approach to patients is a fundamental step to get the correct diagnosis. The aim of this paper is to analyze some aspects of the reasoning process inherent in medical diagnosis in our era. Pathologic s...

Authors: Gino Soldati, Andrea Smargiassi, Alberto A. Mariani and Riccardo Inchingolo

Erratum to: Recent advances in capsule-based dry powder inhaler technology

Authors: Federico Lavorini, Massimo Pistolesi and Omar S. Usmani

Instant velocity and consistency of emitted cloud change by the different levels of canister filling with Metered Dose Inhalers (MDIs), but not with Soft Mist Inhalers (SMIs): a bench study

Inhalation is the preferred route for respiratory drug delivery, but several factors contribute to the variability of the respirable dose fraction. Instant velocity and the dynamic characteristics of the dropl...

Authors: Roberto W. Dal Negro, Pietro Longo, Orestepaolo Villanis Ziani, Luca Bonadiman and Paola Turco

Erratum to: The evidence on tiotropium bromide in asthma: from the rationale to the bedside

Authors: Dejan Radovanovic, Pierachille Santus, Francesco Blasi and Marco Mantero

Recent advances in capsule-based dry powder inhaler technology

Pulmonary drug delivery is currently the focus of accelerated research and development because of the potential to produce maximum therapeutic benefit to patients by directly targeting drug to the site of path...

Authors: Federico Lavorini, Massimo Pistolesi and Omar S. Usmani

Using PaCO2 values to grade obesity-hypoventilation syndrome severity: a retrospective study

To date, an important aspect that has still not been clarified is the assessment of OHS severity. The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate whether grading OHS severity according to PaCO₂ values may...

Authors: Mario Francesco Damiani, Vito Antonio Falcone, Pierluigi Carratù, Cristina Scoditti, Elioda Bega, Silvano Dragonieri, Alfredo Scoditti and Onofrio Resta

Clinico- pathologic presentation of hypersensitivity pneumonitis in Egyptian patients: a multidisciplinary study

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is a common diffuse parenchymal lung disease in Egypt which can be difficult to recognize due to the dynamic symptoms & associated environmental factors.

Authors: Dalia Abd El-Kareem, Yosri M. Akl, Gina A. Nakhla, Ali A. Elhindawi and Mahmoud A. Eltorky

The evidence on tiotropium bromide in asthma: from the rationale to the bedside

Severe and poorly controlled asthma still accounts for a great portion of the patients affected. Disease control and future risk management have been identified by international guidelines as the main goals in...

Authors: Dejan Radovanovic, Pierachille Santus, Francesco Blasi and Marco Mantero

Tele-medicine in respiratory diseases

Information and Communication Technologies applied to health care and advances in sensor and data transmission technology allowed tele-medicine based programs of care also for patients with respiratory diseases.

Authors: Nicolino Ambrosino, Dewi Nurul Makhabah and Yusup Subagio Sutanto

Longitudinal assessment of bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis by Micro-CT correlates with histological evaluation in mice

The intratracheal instillation of bleomycin in mice induces early damage to alveolar epithelial cells and development of inflammation followed by fibrotic tissue changes and represents the most widely used mod...

Authors: Francesca Ruscitti, Francesca Ravanetti, Jeroen Essers, Yanto Ridwan, Sasha Belenkov, Wim Vos, Francisca Ferreira, Alex KleinJan, Paula van Heijningen, Cedric Van Holsbeke, Antonio Cacchioli, Gino Villetti and Franco Fabio Stellari

A reappraisal of the mucoactive activity and clinical efficacy of bromhexine

Since its introduction to the market in 1963, bromhexine, an over-the-counter drug, has been investigated for its activity in animal models and in humans with diverse respiratory conditions. Bromhexine is a de...

Authors: Alessandro Zanasi, Massimiliano Mazzolini and Ahmad Kantar

Characteristics of an optimized patient information material for elderly patients with obstructive pulmonary diseases based on patients’ and experts’ assessment

Life-long regular use of drugs is necessary in chronic diseases like asthma and COPD. There are several methods to improve adherence including patient information and education; however, their effectiveness on...

Authors: Gábor Tomisa, Alpár Horváth, Brigitta Dombai and Lilla Tamási

Ventilator associated pneumonia or ventilator induced pneumonia

Ventilator associated pneumonia currently in vogue seems to have some pitfalls as far as the nomenclature is concerned and thus it imparts an erroneous impression to the reader. As the driving force is in fact...

Authors: Zahid Hussain Khan, Piero Ceriana and Claudio F. Donner

Each day is a new beginning

Authors: Francesco Blasi and Claudio M. Sanguinetti

The physiological basis and clinical significance of lung volume measurements

From a physiological standpoint, the lung volumes are either dynamic or static. Both subclasses are measured at different degrees of inspiration or expiration; however, dynamic lung volumes are characteristica...

Authors: Mohamed Faisal Lutfi

Once daily aerosolised tobramycin in adult patients with cystic fibrosis in the management of Pseudomonas aeruginosa chronic infection

It is estimated that about 60–70% of Cystic Fibrosis patients develop Pseudomonas aeruginosa chronic infection, with progressive loss of lung function, as well as increased antibiotic resistance and mortality.

Authors: Marco Mantero, Andrea Gramegna, Giovanna Pizzamiglio, Alice D’Adda, Paolo Tarsia and Francesco Blasi

Pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with interferon therapy: a population-based study

Isolated cases of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) with interferon α or β therapy have been reported, but no population-based estimates of the incidence of the disease after interferon exposure are availa...

Authors: Ravikanth Papani, Alexander G. Duarte, Yu-li Lin, Yong-Fang Kuo and Gulshan Sharma

Bibliometric analysis of worldwide publications on multi-, extensively, and totally drug – resistant tuberculosis (2006–2015)

The year 2015 marked the end of United Nations Millennium Development Goals which was aimed at halting and reversing worldwide tuberculosis (TB). The emergence of drug resistance is a major challenge for world...

Authors: Waleed M. Sweileh, Adham S. AbuTaha, Ansam F. Sawalha, Suleiman Al-Khalil, Samah W. Al-Jabi and Sa’ed H. Zyoud

Cost of persistent asthma in Italy

Asthma is a common disease of the airways with a significant burden for the society and for patients’ quality of life. The Social Impact of Respiratory Integrated Outcomes (SIRIO) study estimated a mean cost o...

Authors: Roberto W. Dal Negro, Chiara Distante, Luca Bonadiman, Paola Turco and Sergio Iannazzo

DNA damage and repair capacity in lymphocyte of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases patients during physical exercise with oxygen supplementation

We hypothesized that the use of oxygen supplementation during aerobic exercise induces less DNA damage than exercise alone.

Authors: Andréa Lúcia Gonçalves da Silva, Thaís Evelyn Karnopp, Augusto Ferreira Weber, Cassia da Luz Goulart, Paloma de Borba Scheneiders, Dannuey Machado Cardoso, Lisiane Lisboa Carvalho, Joel Henrique Ellwanger, Lia Gonçalves Possuelo and Andréia Rosane de Moura Valim

Personality and unachieved treatment goals related to poor adherence to asthma medication in a newly developed adherence questionnaire – a population-based study

Health-care professionals have a responsibility to be attentive to patients’ adherence behavior but it could be difficult to identify poor adherence in the context of clinical practice. Assessment of personali...

Authors: Malin Axelsson, Linda Ekerljung, Bo Lundbäck and Jan Lötvall

Hemothorax following lung transplantation: incidence, risk factors, and effect on morbidity and mortality

Hemothorax after lung transplantation may result in increased post-operative morbidity and mortality. Risk factors for developing hemothorax and the outcomes of patients who develop hemothorax have not been we...

Authors: Aria Hong, Christopher S. King, A. Whitney Walter Brown, Shahzad Ahmad, Oksana A. Shlobin, Sandeep Khandhar, Linda Bogar, Anthony Rongione and Steven D. Nathan

Respiratory illness and air pollution from the steel industry: the case of Piquiá de Baixo, Brazil (Preliminary report)

This report is based on an independent study carried out by medical professionals of the Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori (National Cancer Institute) in Milan, Italy, and  aimed to assess the inc...

Authors: Carla Valenti, Paolo Pozzi, Alessandra Busia, Roberto Mazza, Paolo Bossi, Cinzia De Marco, Ario Alberto Ruprecht, Alessandro Borgini and Roberto Boffi

Efficacy of recombinant human soluble thrombomodulin for the treatment of acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a single arm, non-randomized prospective clinical trial

Coagulation abnormalities are involved in the pathogenesis of acute exacerbations of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (AE-IPF). The administration of recombinant human soluble thrombomodulin (rhTM), which has bot...

Authors: Sho Hayakawa, Yasuo Matsuzawa, Tamako Irie, Hagino Rikitake, Noriaki Okada and Yasuo Suzuki

Cost comparison of asthma treatments in 12-week study: caution about matching and short observational follow-up

In the absence of randomisation, observational studies must take extra care to create treatment groups that are comparable in terms of key characteristics. Various matching methods exist which can create sound...

Authors: David B. Price, Job F. M. van Boven, Lisa M. Law, Alessandra Cifra and R. Brett McQueen

Asthma-related deaths

Despite major advances in the treatment of asthma and the development of several asthma guidelines, people still die of asthma currently. According to WHO estimates, approximately 250,000 people die prematurel...

Authors: Gennaro D’Amato, Carolina Vitale, Antonio Molino, Anna Stanziola, Alessandro Sanduzzi, Alessandro Vatrella, Mauro Mormile, Maurizia Lanza, Giovanna Calabrese, Leonardo Antonicelli and Maria D’Amato

The effect of positive airway pressure therapy on neurocognitive functions, depression and anxiety in obesity hypoventilation syndrome

The aim of this study is to evaluate the presence of neurocognitive dysfunctions, depression and anxiety and the effect of positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy on these alterations in Obesity Hypoventilation...

Authors: Serap Argun Baris, Dilek Tuncel, Cigdem Ozerdem, Huseyin Kutlu, Tugba Onyilmaz, Ilknur Basyigit, Hasim Boyaci and Fusun Yildiz

Preliminary study on the assessment of visceral adipose tissue using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) was shown to be increased in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) compared to control subjects with comparable body mass index (BMI). Our aim was to determin...

Authors: Francesca De Blasio, Erica P. A. Rutten, Emiel F. M. Wouters, Luca Scalfi, Francesco De Blasio, Marco A. Akkermans, Martijn A. Spruit and Frits M. E. Franssen

Cough: impact, beliefs, and expectations from a national survey

Cough is one of the most common discomforts affecting general population, which can disrupt subjects’ quality of life due to its physical, social, and psychological effects. Aim of the study was to investigate...

Authors: Roberto W. Dal Negro, Massimiliano Mazzolini, Paola Turco and Alessandro Zanasi

Lung disease recalling paraseptal emphysema in a patient with Goltz syndrome

Goltz syndrome is a rare, genetic disorder mainly occurring in female patients.

Authors: Rosaria Cortese, Salvatore Savasta, Silvia Di Stasi, Tiziana Boggini, Chiara Trabatti, Roberto Dore and Giulia Maria Stella

Dry-powder inhalers in patients with persistent airflow limitation: usability and preference

Inhalation devices represent per sé critical factors because they can affect the therapeutic outcomes independently of the drug used. The role of patients’ usability and preference (PUP) for Dry Powder Inhalers (...

Authors: Roberto W. Dal Negro and Massimiliano Povero

Cultural and linguistic validation of the NHQ-2 Questionnaire: a specific instrument for assessing patient’s usability of inhalation devices

An increasing number of inhalation devices are presently available in the market. They are differently characterized in terms of their handling and usability, both factors which may affect the outcomes of resp...

Authors: Roberto W. Dal Negro and Massimiliano Povero

Perimenstrual asthma: from pathophysiology to treatment strategies

The prevalence of asthma is about 9,7 % in women and 5,5 % in men.

Authors: Alessandra Graziottin and Audrey Serafini

Obesity: systemic and pulmonary complications, biochemical abnormalities, and impairment of lung function

Obesity is currently one of the major epidemics of this millennium and affects individuals throughout the world. It causes multiple systemic complications, some of which result in severe impairment of organs a...

Authors: Thiago Thomaz Mafort, Rogério Rufino, Cláudia Henrique Costa and Agnaldo José Lopes

High bacterial load of indoor air in hospital wards: the case of University of Gondar teaching hospital, Northwest Ethiopia

The air inhaled by people is abundantly populated with microorganisms which also are called bioaerosols. Bioaerosols is a colloidal suspension, formed by liquid droplets and particles of solid matter in the ai...

Authors: Zemichael Gizaw, Mulat Gebrehiwot and Chalachew Yenew

Most Italians attending a congress on health of elderly people do not know and do not recognize respiratory diseases

The present study reports the results of a survey jointly carried out by three Italian respiratory scientific associations (AIMAR, AIPO, SIMeR) together with an important Federation of elderly patients (FederA...

Authors: Nicola Ciancio, Claudio M. Sanguinetti, Franco Falcone, Claudio Taranto, Roberto Fasani, Fernando De Benedetto, Onofrio Resta, Fausto De Michele, Roberto Messina, Andrea Rossi, Stefano Nardini and Giuseppe Di Maria

Sarcoidosis with prevalent and severe joint localization: a case report

Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disease of unknown origin, characterized by the formation of granulomas without central necrosis. Each organ and tissue can be affected by the disease, but in most cases...

Authors: Livio G. Moccia, Sabrina Castaldo, Emanuela Sirignano, Maddalena Napolitano, Enrica Barra and Alessandro Sanduzzi

Evaluation of the rapid immunochromatographic ODK0501 assay for Streptococcus pneumoniae antigen detection with nasopharyngeal swabs: preliminary report

Early identification and control of pathogenic bacteria are important in the treatment of pneumonia. Currently, two rapid antigen detection kits for pneumococcal pneumonia are available: one uses urine samples...

Authors: Shoji Suzuki, Naoki Nishimura, Torahiko Jinta, Yasuhiko Yamano, Genta Ishikawa, Yutaka Tomishima, Noboru Uchiyama and Naohiko Chohnabayashi

Prospective study of the efficacy of antibiotics versus antitussive drugs for the management of URTI-related acute cough in children

Acute cough is one of the most frequent symptoms prompting a visit to a health care provider, usually following a viral upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). The disproportionate use of antibiotics in chil...

Authors: Alessandro Zanasi, Luigi Lanata, Federico Saibene, Giovanni Fontana, Peter V. Dicpinigaitis, Valentina Venier and Francesco De Blasio

Need of education for dry powder inhaler storage and retention – a patient-reported survey

Dry powder inhalers (DPIs) are the most commonly used devices in asthma treatment in the Nordic countries. As new DPIs become available, patients are likely to be exposed to more than one type of device, with ...

Authors: Birger Norderud Lærum, Gunilla Telg and Georgios Stratelis

Fluticasone furoate/Vilanterol 92/22 μg once-a-day vs Beclomethasone dipropionate/ Formoterol 100/6 μg b.i.d.: a 12-week cost analysis in mild-to-moderate asthma

Asthma is a disease with high cost for the National Health Service. Two of the most recent LABA/ICS combinations for persistent bronchial asthma are Beclomethasone dipropionate/Formoterol (B/F) delivered via t...

Authors: Roberto W. Dal Negro, Chiara Distante, Luca Bonadiman, Paola Turco and Sergio Iannazzo