Over the last few years, there has been a renewed interest in patients with characteristics of both asthma and COPD. Although the precise definition of asthma-COPD overlap (ACO) is still controversial, patients with overlapping features are frequently encountered in clinical practice, and may indeed have worse clinical outcomes and increased health-care utilization than those with asthma or COPD. Therefore, there is a critical need to set a framework for the therapeutic approach of such patients. There are key distinctions in the therapy between asthma and COPD, particularly regarding the initial choice of therapy. However, there is considerable overlap in the use of existing medications for both diseases. Furthermore, novel therapies approved for asthma, such as monoclonal antibodies, may have a role in patients with COPD and ACO. The use of biomarkers, such as peripheral blood eosinophils, exhaled nitric oxide, and serum IgE, may help in selecting appropriate therapies for ACO. In this review, we provide an overview of available treatments for both asthma and COPD and explore their potential role in the treatment of patients with ACO.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a multiorgan, genetic disease resulting from dysfunction of the CF transmembrane conductance regulator. The primary clinical manifestations are bronchiectasis, chronic pulmonary infections with recurrent exacerbations, and pancreatic insufficiency. Advances in CF care have led to improved survival, with more than one-half of those affected being adults. As a result, adult pulmonary and critical care physicians increasingly will be involved in the care of these patients. Patients with CF are at risk for numerous conditions that require ICU admission, including respiratory failure, massive hemoptysis, pneumothorax, hepatic failure, and bowel obstruction. Multiple aspects of the care of patients with CF benefit from specialized knowledge, including pancreatic enzyme replacement and nutritional support; airway clearance modalities; treatment of multiply resistant, polymicrobial infections, and unique drug metabolism. In extreme cases, patients may benefit from advanced therapies, including extracorporeal support and organ transplant. Optimal care of patients with CF requires a multidisciplinary care team that includes respiratory therapists, dieticians, social workers, psychologists, pharmacists, and physicians who have expertise in the treatment of this complex, multisystem disorder.

Tracheobronchial injury is a rare but a potentially high-impact event with significant morbidity and mortality. Common etiologies include blunt or penetrating trauma and iatrogenic injury that might occur during surgery, endotracheal intubation, or bronchoscopy. Early recognition of clinical signs and symptoms can help risk-stratify patients and guide management. In recent years, there has been a paradigm shift in the management of tracheal injury towards minimally invasive modalities, such as endobronchial stent placement. Although there are still some definitive indications for surgery, selected patients who meet traditional surgical criteria as well as those patients who were deemed to be poor surgical candidates can now be managed successfully using minimally invasive techniques. This paradigm shift from surgical to nonsurgical management is promising and should be considered prior to making final management decisions.

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) has been associated with a greater incidence and mortality of cancer, although such findings are inconsistent. However, no large studies are currently available to investigate this association in patients with a specific type of cancer. This study seeks to assess potential relationships between SDB severity and aggressiveness markers of cutaneous melanoma.

In advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), small biopsy specimens from endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) are often the only available material from cancer tissue for the analysis of programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression. We aim to assess the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of PD-L1 expression at ≥ 1% and ≥ 50% on EBUS-TBNA samples compared with their corresponding surgically resected tumor.

Chronic pain has been associated with sleep disturbances in a bidirectional manner, with pain disrupting sleep, and sleep deprivation or disturbance increasing pain. This conventional view began to be reassessed with data from longitudinal and microlongitudinal studies investigating the causal relationship. In this review, we examine the current thinking on the temporal associations between sleep and pain, focusing on studies that considered whether sleep disturbances could predispose individuals to pain conditions. The evidence suggests that insomnia predisposes individuals to chronic pain or to the worsening of painful conditions. A limited number of studies are available that explore this outcome in relation to some of the most prevalent sleep disturbances, such as short sleep duration, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and sleep bruxism conditions. Despite consistent data showing that sleep and pain are related, there are still few longitudinal studies investigating sleep disturbances as a possible pathogenic condition of chronic pain. Because of the effect of pain and sleep problems on quality of life, investigating how sleep and pain are associated is key to improving health outcomes through better treatments and prevention strategies.

Low-dose CT scan reduces lung cancer mortality in high-risk patients fit to undergo surgical resection. Racial disparities in resection of lung cancer in nonscreening populations are well described. We describe surgical resection patterns of patients with early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) and examine whether racial disparities exist among blacks.

Bronchiectasis is an increasingly common chronic inflammatory airway disease. There is an urgent need to understand the epidemiology of bronchiectasis in older adults. We describe the prevalence and characteristics of patients with bronchiectasis within the US Medicare population.

A 56-year-old man with a history of common variable immunodeficiency (CVID), in addition to recurrent bronchitis and pneumonia, presented with progressively worsening shortness of breath over a period of a few months. He was able to conduct his activities of daily living at baseline; however, his condition declined over a period of months to the point of shortness of breath with climbing a flight of stairs. The patient also developed a frequent dry cough and wheezing. He denied fever, chest pain, weight loss, and hemoptysis. He had been diagnosed with CVID in 1968, at 7 years of age, after recurrent episodes of bronchitis and pneumonia, and was treated with IV immunoglobulin monthly for decades. The patient was a lifelong nonsmoker and had no significant environmental or occupational exposures. He was referred to our hospital for further management.