Conclusions  Pulmonary function decreased after RFA. RFA-induced severe pleuritis and ablation of a large volume of marginal parenchyma were associated with impaired pulmonary function. Content Type Journal ArticlePages 1-8DOI 10.1007/s00270-011-0221-zAuthors Akihiro Tada, Department of Radiology, Okayama University Medical School, 2-5-1 Kitaku Shikatacho, Okayama, 700-8558 JapanTakao Hiraki, Department of Radiology, Okayama University Medical School, 2-5-1 Kitaku Shikatacho, Okayama, 700-8558 JapanToshihiro Iguchi, Department of Radiology, Fukuyama City Hospital, Fukuyama, 721-8511 JapanHideo Gobara, Department of Radiology, Okayama University Medical School, 2-5-1 Kitaku Shikatacho, Okayama, 700-8558 JapanHidefumi Mimura, Department of Radiology, Okayama University ...

Conclusions:Patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome can generally switch between nasal and oronasal masks without changing machine pressure, although there are individual differences that may be clinically significant. Measured leak is greater with the oronasal mask. Most patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome prefer a nasal mask as the interface for initiation of CPAP.Clinical Trial Registration:Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR). ACTRN: ACTRN12611000243910. URL: http://www.ANZCTR.org.au/ACTRN12611000243910.aspxCitation:Teo M; Amis T; Lee S; Falland K; Lambert S; Wheatley J. Equivalence of nasal and oronasal masks during initial CPAP titration for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. SLEEP 2011;34(7):951-955. (Source: Sleep)

Infection with the gastric bacterium Helicobacter pylori provides reliable protection against allergy-induced asthma, immunologists from the University of Zurich have demonstrated in an animal model together with allergy specialists from the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. Their results published in the prestigious Journal of Clinical Investigation confirm the hypothesis recently put forward that the dramatic increase in allergic diseases in industrial societies is linked to the rapid disappearance of specific micro-organisms that populate the human body... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

ABSTRACT Background: Asthma is difficult to diagnose in children and at times misdiagnosis of an infection can occur. However, little is known about the magnitude and patterns of antibiotic consumption in children with asthma relative to those without asthma. Methods: Using population-based data, 128,872 children were identified with at least 6 years of follow-up. The adjusted rate-ratio (RR) of antibiotics dispensed to asthmatic as compared to non-asthmatic children was determined. Results: At age six, the RR of antibiotic consumption for asthmatics compared to non-asthmatics varied between, 1.66 to 2.32, depending on the year of asthma diagnosis. Of the 18,864 children with asthma at ages 2-8, 52% (n = 9,841) had antibiotics dispensed in the 6 months prior to their index date of asthma diagnosis. The RR of antibiotic consumption in the 1 month prior to asthma diagnosis compared to 5 months prior was 1.66 (95% CI 1.60-1.71). The RR was lower in males compared to females (1.58 vs 1.77), and lower in those who received antibiotics in the first year of life relative to those that did not (1.60 vs. 1.76). Conclusions: There is higher antibiotic consumption in children with asthma compared to those without asthma. The pattern of antibiotic use suggests that diagnosis guidelines are difficult to follow in young children leading to misdiagnosis and over treatment with antibiotics.