1,720,978 research outputs found
INDUCED SPUTUM - TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS
No full textDuring the last 15 years the use of sputum induction by inhalation of hypertonic saline solution to study the cellular and biochemical composition of the airways has been increased significantly. The induced sputum technique, which is inexpensive and does not require complex instruments, allows a relatively non-invasive sampling of airway content. Thus, adequate samples of lower airway secretions can be collected even from patients who are not able to produce sputum spontaneously and the features of airway inflammation in asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other respiratory diseases can be investigated.
The method of induced sputum induction has been shown to be reproducible, sensitive and valid
SPUTUM AND EXHALED BREATH ANALYSIS
No full textRecently noninvasive techniques such as induced sputum and exhaled breath analysis have been successfully established to leveal an inflammatory status and to find oxidative stress indicators in the airways involved in the pathogenesis of lung diseases. These techniques allow longitudinal sampling of various lung biomarkers of inflammation in the same individual, providing a possibility to monitor the lung damage process and evaluate treatment strategies in patients with respiratory diseases, including children
Five-year survival of stage IIIA-IIIB (non-N3) non-small cell lung cancer patients after platinum/gemcitabine induction chemotherapy and surgery.
No full textThe 5-year survival rate of marginally resectable nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated by platinum/gemcitabine induction chemotherapy and surgery is not well documented. We studied 47 consecutive patients with NSCLC stage IIIA-IIIb (non-N3) treated with platinum/gemcitabine induction chemotherapy (median: 3 cycles) and evaluated the objective response, resectability, surgical morbidity/mortality and long-term survival rate. The induction chemotherapy was completed by 45/47 patients. Objective response was: 36% partial, 32% stable disease, 28% progression, 0% complete; two patients (4%) died during induction chemotherapy. Tumor resectability was 74%, postoperative morbidity 34%, mortality nil. 26% of patients were unresectable. in the whole cohort the 5-year survival was 25% (95%CI, 17%-32%) and the median survival was 22 months (28 months in resected patients; 7 months in unresectable).In conclusion, in the intention-to-treat population undergoing platinum/gemcitabine induction chemotherapy, resectability was high (74%) and the 5-year survival rate was 25%. Median survival in resected cases was three-fold greater than in the unresected
Validity and reproducibility of morphologic analysis of nasal secretions obtained using ultrasonic nebulization of hypertonic solution.
No full textBACKGROUND:
Collection of nasal secretions is important for the evaluation of upper airways inflammation in many nasal disorders.
OBJECTIVE:
To study the validity and reproducibility of nasal secretion cellularity induced by nebulization of hypertonic solution in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR), patients with nonallergic rhinitis with eosinophilia syndrome (NARES), and control subjects.
METHODS:
Sixty-eight individuals (29 with AR [mean +/- SD age, 33.3 +/- 16.9 years], 23 with NARES [mean +/- SD age, 46.4 +/- 16.6 years], and 16 controls [mean +/- SD age, 42.1 +/- 15.1 years]) underwent ultrasonic nebulization of hypertonic (4.5%) saline solution on 2 different occasions to study the validity and reproducibility of total and differential cell counts of nasal secretions.
RESULTS:
The mean +/- SD percentage of eosinophils was significantly higher in samples from patients with AR (20.8% +/- 23.1%) and NARES (18.7% +/- 22.8%) than in samples from controls (0.6% +/- 0.6%; P < .001 for both). There was a significant correlation between 2 samples of nasal secretions obtained on 2 different occasions for percentages of macrophages, neutrophils, eosinophils, and epithelial cells.
CONCLUSIONS:
The analysis of nasal secretions obtained using ultrasonic nebulization of hypertonic solution can distinguish patients with AR and NARES from controls. The reproducibility of this technique is good for macrophages, neutrophils, eosinophils, and epithelial cells. This method could be used to detect nasal airway inflammation in clinical settings
The extracellular matrix of the lung and airway responsiveness in asthma.
No full textAbstract
The extracellular matrix is the main determinant of the structure and of mechanical behaviour of the lung. The extracellular matrix is also responsible for the mechanical interdependence between airway and parenchyma due to the alveolar attachments to the airways. Asthma is characterized by bronchial hyperresponsiveness, airway remodelling and inflammation, and an altered extracellular matrix may play a role in all these functional and structural abnormalities. The excessive airway narrowing observed in asthma may be related to the altered viscoelastic properties of lung parenchyma and airway wall, determining a decrease in the mechanical load opposing the airways' smooth muscle contraction. Indeed, an altered extracellular matrix deposition in asthma in humans, has been demonstrated. In addition, in the asthmatic lung, the matrix seems to contribute to airway inflammation, airway remodelling, and to those alterations of the smooth muscle function of the airway and morphology typical of asthma
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Validity and reproducibility of morphologic analysis of nasal secretions obtained using ultrasonic nebulization of hypertonic solution.
No full textBackground: Collection of nasal secretions is important for the evaluation of upper airways inflammation in many nasal disorders. Objective: To study the validity and reproducibility of nasal secretion cellularity induced by nebulization of hypertonic solution in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR), patients with nonallergic rhinitis with eosinophilia syndrome (NARES), and control subjects. Methods: Sixty-eight individuals (29 with AR [mean +/- SD age, 33.3 +/- 16.9 years], 23 with NARES [mean SD age, 46.4 +/- 16.6 years], and 16 controls [mean +/- SD age, 42.1 +/- 15.1 years]) underwent ultrasonic nebulization of hypertonic (4.5%) saline solution on 2 different occasions to study the validity and reproducibility of total and differential cell counts of nasal secretions. Results: The mean SD percentage of eosinophils was significantly higher in samples from patients with AR (20.8% +/- 23.1%) and NARES (18.7% +/- 22.8%) than in samples from controls (0.6% +/- 0.6%; P <.001 for both). There was a significant correlation between 2 samples of nasal secretions obtained on 2 different occasions for percentages of macrophages, neutrophils, eosinophils, and epithelial cells. Conclusions: The analysis of nasal secretions obtained using ultrasonic nebulization of hypertonic solution can distinguish patients with AR and NARES from controls. The reproducibility of this technique is good for macrophages, neutrophils, eosinophils, and epithelial cells. This method could be used to detect nasal airway inflammation in clinical settings
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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