Current Respiratory Medicine Reviews - Volume 2, Issue 1, 2006

Centuries of scientific enquiry have produced improved preventive and therapeutic interventions through basic and clinical research. The history of modern medicine appears to be the story of the never-ending struggle of physicians to apply the newest scientific medical wonders to the care of their patients. Discussions of p values, clinical trials, and statistical methodology are currently common in the halls of medicine. Journals Read More

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is a frequently life-threatening fungal infection that complicates acute leukemia patients following conventional chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation. The mortality rate reaches 50% in leukemic patients during chemotherapy-induced neutropenia and can exceed 90% in bone marrow transplantation patients. Despite advances in antimicrobial therapy and supportive ca Read More

The signaling mechanisms defining the role of protein kinases in pulmonary vascular physiology regulation is an area of great interest. Normally, signaling mechanisms which elevate cyclic AMP (cAMP) and cyclic GMP (cGMP) maintain the pulmonary vasculature in a relaxed state. Modulation of large-conductance, calcium- and voltage-activated potassium (BKCa) channels is important in the regulation of pulmonary arterial pr Read More

Oxidized phospholipids (OxPL) appear in the lung circulation as a result of increased oxidative stress that accompanies pathological conditions such as acute lung injury, lung inflammation, adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI), systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and sepsis. Under these conditions, lung vascular barrier function is largely compromised. The severity of vas Read More

Neutrophils play a crucial role in acute lung injury as well as of chronic pulmonary diseases, e.g. pulmonary fibrosis or COPD. The sticking of neutrophils in the pulmonary microvasculature is regarded as an initial event of acute lung injury. Activated neutrophils may affect the surrounding tissue via several pathogenic mechanisms, including the release of proteolytic lysosomal enzymes, the generation of prostanoids and th Read More

Multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) is defined as resistance to isoniazid and rifampicin. The recent Global Project on drug-resistant TB confirmed that multidrug-resistant TB was found in all regions of the world. Misdiagnosis of MDR tuberculosis due to laboratory related errors has been reported recently and hence susceptibility results alone should not dictate treatment and careful clinical correlation is necessary. D Read More

Lung cancer is one of the commonest malignancies worldwide and the incidence continues to increase. Small cell lung cancer accounts for approximately 15% of all lung cancer cases although incidence of this subtype appears to be falling. It is an aggressive malignancy but responds well to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The prognosis for untreated small cell lung cancer is less than 3 months. Small cell lung carcino Read More

In the pathogenesis of asthma, chronic inflammation within the airways plays a major role. Corticosteroids (or glucocorticosteroids) have beneficial anti-inflammatory effects and are recommended in all international guidelines for treating asthmatic inflammation. However, control remains difficult for almost 5% of asthmatics despite high doses of inhaled corticosteroids. Several classes of difficult asthma have been describe Read More

Pneumonia is the fourth overall leading cause of death and is the leading infectious cause of death in the elderly. Half of all pneumonia cases are reported in those 65 years of age and older. The increased frequency and severity of pneumonia in this age group is attributed to the aging of organ systems and the increased frequency of debilitating comorbidities. Risk factors include aspiration, alcoholism, heart disease, maln Read More

The increasing occurrence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens influences the treatment approach to respiratory tract infections and complicates the selection of the anti-infectious drug and dosing regimen. Pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) characteristics both influence dosing regimens of antimicrobials. PK (the overall disposition of the drug in the body) is reflected by the serum concentration profile over time. Read More