Related Articles

Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis.

Mycoses. 2013 Dec 2;

Authors: Schweer KE, Bangard C, Hekmat K, Cornely OA

Abstract
Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) is a group of consuming diseases usually presenting with prolonged and relapsing cough, dyspnoea and weight loss. Acute symptoms such as haemoptysis and bronchial or pulmonary haemorrhage may occasionally occur. CPA affects patients with underlying pulmonary conditions, for example, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or mycobacteriosis or common immunosuppressive conditions such as diabetes. Precise epidemiology is unknown, and while prevalence is considered low the chronic and relapsing nature of the disease challenges the treating physician. Diagnostics largely rely on serologic Aspergillus precipitins and findings on thoracic computed tomography. The latter are manifold comprising cavity formation, pleural involvement and sometimes aspergilloma. Other markers for aspergillosis are less helpful, in part due to the non- or semi-invasive nature of these forms of Aspergillus infection. Various antifungals were shown to be effective in CPA treatment. Azoles are the most frequently applied antifungals in the outpatient setting, but are now compromised by findings of Aspergillus resistance. Long-term prognosis is not fully elucidated and may be driven by the underlying morbidities. Prospective registry-type studies may be suitable to systematically broaden our CPA knowledge base. This article gives an overview of the available literature and proposes a clinical working algorithm for CPA management.

PMID: 24299422 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Related Articles

How can we bring high drug doses to the lung?

Eur J Pharm Biopharm. 2013 Nov 30;

Authors: Claus S, Weiler C, Schiewe J, Friess W

Abstract
In the last decades, dry powder inhalation has become a very attractive option for pulmonary drug delivery to treat lung diseases like cystic fibroses and lung infections. In contrast to the traditional pulmonary application of drugs for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, these therapies require higher lung doses to be administered. The developments and improvements towards high dose powder pulmonary drug delivery are summarized and discussed in this chapter. These include the invention and improvement of novel inhaler devices as well as the further development of formulation principles and new powder engineering methods. The implementation of these strategies is subsequently described for some prototypes and formulations in research and development stage as well as for already marketed dry powder products. Finally, possible adverse effects which can occur after inhalation of high powder doses are shortly addressed.

PMID: 24300444 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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FeNO levels in children with asthma and other diseases of the lung.

Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2013 Nov;17(22):3078-82

Authors: Kelekçi S, Sen V, Yolbas I, Uluca U, Tan I, Gürkan MF

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Prolonged cough in children is one of the major complaints seen in hospitals. It is difficult to make a proper diagnosis and start the appropriate treatment. Fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) measurement is a valuable non-invasive diagnostic tool in determining the cause of prolonged cough in children. Although there are several studies on asthma and COPD, there is a lack of them on other lung diseases such as tuberculosis, bronchiectasia, bronchiolitis obliterans (BO), and pneumonia.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this study, pre-treatment FeNO levels of patients with various lung diseases were measured and results from the sick patient groups were compared with the results from the control group.
RESULTS: Pre-treatment FeNO levels in BO, asthma, and tuberculosis patient groups were higher than in the control group (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference between the acute bacterial pneumonia and bronchiectasia groups, and the control group (p > 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: FeNO measurement is a highly important guiding tool in diagnosis and treatment of various lung diseases.

PMID: 24302190 [PubMed - in process]

DOHA/LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have found cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in camels in Qatar, health officials said on Thursday, fuelling speculation that camels might be the animal reservoir that allowed the virus to infect and kill humans. (Source: Reuters: Health)