Current Respiratory Medicine Reviews - Volume 12, Issue 3, 2016

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive, chronic, irreversible form of fibrotic interstitial lung disease, with an estimated median survival of 3-5 years. Its prevalence has been estimated to be 0.7-63.0 per 100,000 with an incidence of 0.6-17.4 per 100,000 per year. Recent research has begun to clarify the pathophysiology of IPF. While chronic inflammation was originally thought to be the underlying cause of this dise Read More

Malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive form of cancer affecting the pleura and the serous membranes. Asbestos exposure has been shown to be the most important factor contributing to the development of malignant mesothelioma. The current guidelines suggest that investigations and management of patients with mesothelioma require multidisciplinary teamwork, which allows for imple-mentation of structured diagnos Read More

Human rhinoviruses (HRVs) are responsible for most cases of the common cold. In healthy people, the consequences of HRV infections are usually minor. However, this innocuous virus can have serious consequences in certain individuals, with HRV infections linked to the onset of asthma in young children, and to potentially life threatening exacerbations in those with established asthma. Understanding the pathogenesis of H Read More

Several pulmonary conditions were proven to be fatal in athletes. One of these conditions is pulmonary edema in athletes which requires differential diagnosis and often management in the ICU. Pulmonary edema in athletes can develop due to different sport activities including swimming, diving, running, cycling, mountain biking and the etiology and pathophysiology of these conditions may be different. This und Read More

There has been an increase in understanding molecular biology of malignant pleural mesothelioma. This resulted in more clinical trials of novel therapeutic approaches. The more conventional systemic treatments for malignant mesothelioma are based on the use of Cisplatin and Pemetrexed. The newer agents such as vorinostat an Histone deacetylase inhibitor, focal adhesion kinase inhibitor Defactinib, mTOR inhi Read More

Malignant melanoma is an aggressive, therapy-resistant malignancy of melanocytes. Although there is an increase in the worldwide incidences of melanoma, the recent data indicates that rates are declining among those younger than 50 years of age. We present the case of a 50-year-old Hispanic gentleman with metastatic malignant pleural melanoma, with tumor cells strongly positive for Melan-A, HMB-45, and S-100. Ple Read More