Related Articles

DNA microarrays for the diagnosis of infectious diseases.

Med Mal Infect. 2012 Oct 8;

Authors: Donatin E, Drancourt M

Abstract
The diagnosis of bacterial infections relies on isolation of the bacterium, which is rarely achieved when needed for patient management. Furthermore, culture is poorly suited to the diagnosis of polymicrobial infections. Finally, a syndromic approach should target both bacteria and viruses causing the same syndrome. The detection of specific DNA sequences in clinical specimen, using DNA microarrays, is an alternative. Microarrays were first used as a diagnostic tool in 1993, to identify a hantavirus associated with an outbreak of acute respiratory diseases. The main advantage of microarrays is multiplexing, enabling exploration of the microbiota and pathogen detection in bacteremia, respiratory infections, and digestive infections: circumstance in which DNA arrays may lack sensitivity and provide false negatives. Enrichment of sampling can increase sensitivity. Furthermore, chips allow typing Streptococcus pneumoniae and detecting resistance in Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (rifampicin, isoniazid, fluoroquinolones). However, the cost and high technical requirements remain a problem for routine use of this bacterial infection diagnostic technology.

PMID: 23058632 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

The Air Quality Health Index and Asthma Morbidity: A Population-Based Study.

Environ Health Perspect. 2012 Oct 10;

Authors: To T, Shen S, Atenafu EG, Guan J, McLimont S, Stocks B, Licskai C

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Exposure to air pollution has been linked to the exacerbation of respiratory diseases. The Air Quality Health Index (AQHI), developed in Canada, is a new health risk scale for reporting air quality and advising risk reduction actions. OBJECTIVE: We used the AQHI to estimate the impact of air quality on asthma morbidity adjusting for potential confounders. METHODS: Daily air pollutant measures were obtained from 14 regional monitoring stations in Ontario. Daily counts of asthma-attributed hospitalizations, emergency department (ED) visits, and outpatient visits were obtained from a provincial registry of 1.5 million individuals with asthma. Poisson regression was used to estimate health services rate ratios (RR) as a measure of association between the AQHI or individual pollutants and health services use. We adjusted for age, sex, season, year, and region of residence. RESULTS: The AQHI was significantly associated with increased use of asthma health services on the same day and on the two following days, depending on the specific outcome assessed. A unit increase in the AQHI was associated with a 5.6% increase in asthma outpatient visits (RR=1.056; 95% CI: 1.053, 1.058) and a 2.1% increase in the rate of hospitalization (RR=1.021; 95% CI: 1.014, 1.028) on the same day, and with a 1.3% increase in the rate of ED visits (RR=1.013; 95% CI: 1.010, 1.017) after a 2-day lag. CONCLUSIONS: The AQHI was significantly associated with the use of asthma-related health services. Timely AQHI health risk advisories with integrated risk reduction messages may reduce morbidity associated with air pollution in individuals with asthma.

PMID: 23060364 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Success of inhaled corticosteroids in the treatment of non-asthmatic respiratory diseases.

Antiinflamm Antiallergy Agents Med Chem. 2012 Oct 3;

Authors: Cobanoglu N

Abstract
Systemic corticosteroids (SCSs) have been widely used to treat various inflammatory respiratory diseases for many years despite the serious complications associated with them. Inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) have been developed to reduce the harmful adverse effects of SCSs. Since their first introduction, ICSs have been used primarily for the treatment of asthma. However, certain individuals including those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or croup may respond to the beneficial effects of ICSs. In this review, we discuss the effectiveness of ICSs in the treatment of non-asthmatic inflammatory respiratory diseases in paediatric and adult populations.

PMID: 23061611 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Related Articles

Novel Therapeutic Approaches to Preserve the Right Ventricle.

Curr Heart Fail Rep. 2012 Oct 16;

Authors: Farha S, Lundgrin EL, Erzurum SC

Abstract
The right ventricle (RV) is increasingly recognized for its role in heart disease. In fact, RV function is a strong predictor of outcome in patients with cardiovascular disease. Although the focus in heart failure has been on the left ventricle (LV), recently the spotlight has been shifting to include the RV. The RV and LV have different embryological origins and respond differently to stressors and to therapies. Newer therapies targeting the RV have been investigated in an attempt to improve right-ventricular adaptation to cardiovascular diseases. In this review, we summarize the differences between the RV and LV and focus on novel therapies that target the RV.

PMID: 23065390 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]