Although the mechanisms and pathways mediating ARDS have been studied extensively, less attention has been given to the mechanisms and pathways that counteract injury responses. This study found that the apelin-APJ pathway is an endogenous counterinjury mechanism that protects against ARDS.

There is considerable interindividual variability in pulmonary artery pressure among high-altitude (HA) dwellers, but the underlying mechanism is not known. At low altitude, a patent foramen ovale (PFO) is present in about 25% of the general population. Its prevalence is increased in clinical conditions associated with pulmonary hypertension and arterial hypoxemia, and it is thought to aggravate these problems.

The use of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in acute exacerbation of COPD has increased over time. However, little is known about patient factors influencing its use in routine clinical practice.

A multicenter study in the late 1990s demonstrated suboptimal emergency asthma care for pregnant women in US EDs. After a decade, follow-up data are lacking. We aimed to examine changes in emergency asthma care of pregnant women since the 1990s.

There is significant variation between physicians in terms of how they perform therapeutic bronchoscopy, but there are few data on whether these differences impact effectiveness.

Electromagnetic navigation has improved the diagnostic yield of peripheral bronchoscopy for pulmonary nodules. For these procedures, a thin-slice chest CT scan is performed prior to bronchoscopy at full inspiration and is used to create virtual airway reconstructions that are used as a map during bronchoscopy. Movement of the lung occurs with respiratory variation during bronchoscopy, and the location of pulmonary nodules during procedures may differ significantly from their location on the initial planning full-inspiratory chest CT scan. This study was performed to quantify pulmonary nodule movement from full inspiration to end-exhalation during tidal volume breathing in patients undergoing electromagnetic navigation procedures.

COPD is a leading cause of death and disability in the United States. Patients with COPD are at a high risk of nutritional deficiency, which is associated with declines in respiratory function, lean body mass and strength, and immune function. Although oral nutritional supplementation (ONS) has been associated with improvements in some of these domains, the impact of hospital ONS on readmission risk, length of stay (LOS), and cost among hospitalized patients is unknown.

Isolation of Mycobacterium abscessus subspecies abscessus (MAA) is common during Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) lung disease therapy, but there is limited information about the clinical significance of the MAA isolates.

Cigarette smoking is associated with worse symptoms in asthma and abnormal segmental airways in healthy subjects. We tested the hypothesis that current symptom control in smokers with asthma is associated with altered segmental airway dimensions measured by CT scan.

Exacerbations of COPD requiring hospital admission have important clinical and societal implications. We sought to investigate the incidence, recurrence, risk factors, and mortality of patients with COPD exacerbations requiring hospital admission compared with those without hospital admission during 3-year follow-up. Patients with COPD (N = 2,138) were identified from the Evaluation of COPD Longitudinally to Identify Predictive Surrogate Endpoints (ECLIPSE) observational cohort.

Lung cancer screening with a low-dose chest CT scan can result in more benefit than harm when performed in settings committed to developing and maintaining high-quality programs. This project aimed to identify the components of screening that should be a part of all lung cancer screening programs. To do so, committees with expertise in lung cancer screening were assembled by the Thoracic Oncology Network of the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) and the Thoracic Oncology Assembly of the American Thoracic Society (ATS). Lung cancer program components were derived from evidence-based reviews of lung cancer screening and supplemented by expert opinion. This statement was developed and modified based on iterative feedback of the committees. Nine essential components of a lung cancer screening program were identified. Within these components 21 Policy Statements were developed and translated into criteria that could be used to assess the qualification of a program as a screening facility. Two additional Policy Statements related to the need for multisociety governance of lung cancer screening were developed. High-quality lung cancer screening programs can be developed within the presented framework of nine essential program components outlined by our committees. The statement was developed, reviewed, and formally approved by the leadership of CHEST and the ATS. It was subsequently endorsed by the American Association of Throacic Surgery, American Cancer Society, and the American Society of Preventive Oncology.

Ultrasonography has been used for the diagnosis of many kinds of lung conditions, but few studies have investigated ultrasound for the diagnosis of neonatal pulmonary atelectasis (NAP). In this study, we evaluated the usefulness of lung ultrasonography for the diagnosis of NPA.

Although the aerobic profile of the quadriceps muscle is reduced in COPD, there is conflicting evidence regarding whether this leads to reduced quadriceps muscle endurance. We, therefore, performed a systematic review of studies comparing quadriceps endurance in individuals with COPD with that in healthy control subjects.

The potential role of environmental Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the epidemiology of TB remains unknown. We investigated the transmission of M tuberculosis from humans to the environment and the possible transmission of M tuberculosis from the environment to humans.

Acute asthma is a common ED presentation. In a prospective, multicenter cohort study, we determined the frequency and factors associated with asthma relapse following discharge from the ED.

Collection of genetic biospecimens as part of critical illness investigations is increasingly commonplace. Oversight bodies vary in restrictions imposed on genetic research, introducing inconsistencies in study design, potential for sampling bias, and the possibility of being overly prohibitive of this type of research altogether. We undertook this study to better understand whether restrictions on genetic data collection beyond those governing research on cognitively intact subjects reflect the concerns of surrogates for critically ill patients.

Self-management (SM) reduces hospital admissions in patients with stable COPD. However, its role immediately post-acute exacerbation (AE) is unclear. The objectives of this review were to describe SM interventions delivered immediately following an AE of COPD (AECOPD) and to conduct a systematic review with meta-analysis of its impact on health-care utilization and health outcomes.

Poor fetal growth rate is associated with lower respiratory function; however, there is limited understanding of the impact of growth trends and BMI during childhood on adult respiratory function.

Involving family as part of the patient's rehabilitation plan of care might enhance the management of COPD. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the impact of a family-based pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) program on patients and family members' coping strategies to manage COPD.

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a frequent complication of prolonged invasive ventilation. Because VAP is largely preventable, its incidence has been used as an index of quality of care in the ICU. However, the incidence of VAP varies according to which criteria are used to identify it. We compared the incidence of VAP obtained with different sets of criteria.