Mesothelioma, an aggressive and rare form of cancer that attacks the lining of the vital organs in the body such as the lungs, heart and abdomen has been directly linked to asbestos exposure. Despite being banned in 52 countries, asbestos is still currently used around the world and an estimated 125 million people are exposed to asbestos while at work each year. “The Case for a Global Ban on Asbestos,” a 2010 study, showed that even if workers were exposed to the acceptable limit for asbestos, seven out of every 1,000 workers would die from an asbestos-related disease in their lifetime.

The scientific community is in overwhelming agreement as well, stating that there is no safe level of asbestos exposure. The study discussed the exponential increase in the mortality rate from pleural c...

Although noninvasive ventilation (NIV) use in severe acute exacerbation of COPD has substantially reduced the need for intubation, an important number of COPD patients still are mechanically ventilated through a tracheal tube in the ICU. Intubation is a major risk factor for lower respiratory tract colonization (LRTC) in ICU patients.

Other risk factors for LRTC include colonization of the oral cavity, nasopharynx, and gastric content. Aspiration of contaminated oropharyngeal secretions is increased by supine position, underinflation of tracheal cuff, coma, and sedation. Tracheal tube biofilm formation plays an important role as a reservoir for microorganisms. Reduced cough reflex, altered mucocilliary clearance, hypersecretion and retention of mucus are frequent in COPD patients. In addition, malnutrition and corticosteroid use are common in this population resulting in altered cellular, and humoral immunity and higher risk for LRTC.

Incidence of LRTC varies from 22-95% of intubated patients. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the most frequently isolated microorganism at day 3 after intubation in COPD patients. LRTC is a major risk factor for ventilator-associated pneumonia, which is associated with increased mortality and morbidity in ICU patients. Several measures could be suggested to reduce LRTC in critically ill COPD patients. NIV use in severe acute exacerbations reduces the need for intubation. In addition, the early use of NIV averts respiratory failure after extubation and could reduce the duration of invasive mechanical ventilation.

Other measures might be efficient in preventing LRTC such as semirecumbent position, avoidance of gastric distension, polyurethane-cuffed tracheal tubes, silver-coated tracheal tubes, subglottic aspiration, and continuous control of cuff pressure. Further studies should determine the impact of preventive measures aiming at preventing LRTC on outcome of COPD patients requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation in the ICU.

Obesity rates are increasing in the general population and are also prevalent in intensive care units (ICUs).

Patients are sometimes admitted to ICUs for hypercapnic respiratory failure or cor pulmonale, but more often, they are admitted for pneumonia, excessive daytime sleepiness, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma attacks or pulmonary embolism, and hypercapnic respiratory failure is coincidentally noticed during this period. The optimal noninvasive mechanical ventilation strategy is often not used during ICU treatment.

The aim of this study was to assess the differences between non-invasive ventilation (NIV) strategies and the outcomes of obese and non-obese patients with acute hypercapnic respiratory failure.

Profilins are ubiquitous proteins, present in all eukaryotic cells and identified as allergens in pollen, latex and plant foods. The highly conserved structure justifies the cross-reactive nature of IgE antibodies against plant profilins and their designation as pan-allergens.

Primary sensitization to profilin seems to arise from pollen sensitization with later development of cross-reactive IgE antibodies against plant food (and possibly latex) profilins. The role of profilin in inducing allergic symptoms needs to be evaluated and raises important issues in allergy diagnosis due to cross-reactivity. IgE cross-reactivity among profilins is associated with multiple pollen sensitization and with various pollen-food syndromes. In respiratory allergy, sensitization to pollen to which the patient has virtually no environmental exposure has been identified as a manifestation of profilin sensitization. As a food allergen, profilin usually elicits mild reactions, such as oral allergy syndrome, is not modified by processing and is especially important in allergy to some fruits, such as melon, watermelon, banana, tomato, citrus fruit and persimmon. Purified natural and recombinant profilins for in vitro and in vivo allergy tests are helpful in the diagnostic work-up. Herein we review the current state of knowledge about the allergen profilin and its implications in the diagnosis and treatment of allergic diseases.

We conclude that, although its role in triggering allergic symptoms is still controversial, profilin is undoubtedly a relevant allergen. As a pan-allergen, profilin is associated with multiple pollen sensitization and pollen-food-latex syndromes that the allergist has to be aware of in order to accomplish an accurate diagnosis and successful treatment of allergic diseases.

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