Notes

Precisely what does a great explanted PASCAL unit appear like?
Peroxiredoxin 2 (PRDX2), a member of the peroxiredoxin family of antioxidant enzymes, has been revealed to be an important player in cancer progression. However, the biological role of PRDX2 in the progression of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is poor reported. In the present study, the loss-of-function experiments were performed to investigate the specific role of PRDX2 in the growth and invasion of NSCLC. The results revealed that knockdown of PRDX2 by siRNA interference significantly suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of A549 and H1299 cells, as well as diminished the activity of MMP9. Additionally, the decrease in PRDX2 expression significantly promoted apoptosis in NSCLC cells by downregulating expression of Bcl-2 and upregulating the expression of Bax, cleaved caspase 3 and cleaved caspase 9, but had no significant effect on the apoptosis of normal lung epithelial cells BEAS-2B. Moreover, PRDX2 inhibitor also inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of A549 cells and promoted apoptosis. Further, our data demonstrated that silencing of PRDX2 markedly reduced the phosphorylation of Akt and mTOR and expression of downstream proteins Cyclin D1 and p70S6k. In conclusion, our findings indicate that PRDX2 exerts a prooncogenic role in the progression of NSCLC and might be a potential therapeutic target for NSCLC treatment. Copyright © 2020 Xu Jing et al.Background This study was aimed at investigating the effectiveness of the implementation of a comprehensive quality improvement programme (QIP) for reducing the repair rate of the fibreoptic bronchoscope (FOB). Methods A three-stage improvement strategy was implemented between January 2013 and December 2016. Stage one is the acquisition of information on violations of practice guidelines, repair rate, cost of repair, and incidence of unavailability of FOB during anaesthesia induction of the previous year through auditing. Stage two is the implementation of a quality improvement campaign (QIC) based on the results of stage one. Stage three is the programme perpetuation through monitoring compliance with policy on FOB use by regular internal audits. The effectiveness was retrospectively analyzed on a yearly basis. Results The annual repair rate, repair cost, and incidence of FOB unavailability before the QIP implementation were 1%, 18,757 USD, and 1.4%, respectively. After QIC, the repair rate in 2013 dropped by 81% (from 1% in 2012 to 0.19% in 2013, p less then 0.05). The annual repair cost fell by 32% from 18,758 USD (2012) to 12,820 USD (2013). Besides, the incidence of FOB unavailability plummeted by 71% from 1.4% to 0.4% during the same period. The annual repair rates and incidence of FOB unavailability remained lower in subsequent three years than those before QIP implementation. Conclusion Implementation of a quality improvement programme was effective for reducing the rate and cost of FOB repair as well as unavailability rate, highlighting its beneficial impact on cost-effectiveness and patient safety in a tertiary referral center setting. Copyright © 2020 Hsiao-Feng Lu et al.This study demonstrates that initiation of the CFTR modulator ivacaftor in people with cystic fibrosis and susceptible CFTR mutations causes an acute reduction in blood monocyte sensitivity to the key proinflammatory cytokine IFN-γ http//bit.ly/2TeI6LG. Copyright ©ERS 2020.Thirdhand exposure to e-cigarette residue is likely to have harmful effects in children http//bit.ly/38a2umw. Copyright ©ERS 2020.Objective We aimed to assess adherence to the Australian national guideline (COPD-X) against audited practice, and to document the outcomes of patients hospitalised with an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at discharge and 28 days after. Methods A prospective clinical audit of COPD hospital admission from five tertiary care hospitals in five states of Australia was conducted. Post-discharge follow-up was conducted via telephone to assess for readmission and health status. Results There were 207 admissions for acute exacerbation (171 patients; mean 70.2 years old; 50.3% males). Readmission rates at 28 days were 25.4%, with one (0.6%) death during admission and eight (6.1%) post-discharge within 28 days. Concordance to the COPD-X guidance was variable; 22.7% performed spirometry, 81.1% had blood gases collected when forced expiratory volume in 1 s was less then 1 L, 99.5% had chest radiography performed, 95.1% were prescribed systemic corticosteroids and 95% were prescribed antibiotic therapy. There were 89.1% given oxygen therapy and 92.6% when arterial oxygen tension was less then 80 mmHg; 65.6% were given ventilatory assistance when pH was less then 7.35. Only 32.4% were referred to pulmonary rehabilitation but 76.8% had general practitioner follow-up arranged. Conclusion When compared against clinical practice guidelines, we found important gaps in management of patients admitted with COPD throughout tertiary care centres in Australia. Strategies to improve guideline uptake are needed to optimise care. Valproicacid Copyright ©ERS 2020.Recent advances in cough research suggest a more widespread use of cough-provocation tests to demonstrate the hypersensitivity of the cough reflex arc. Cough-provocation tests with capsaicin or acidic aerosols have been used for decades in scientific studies. Several factors have hindered their use in everyday clinical work i.e. lack of standardisation, the need for special equipment and the limited clinical importance of the response. Cough-provocation tests with hypertonic aerosols (CPTHAs) involve provocations with hypertonic saline, hypertonic histamine, mannitol and hyperpnoea. They probably act via different mechanisms than capsaicin and acidic aerosols. They are safe and well tolerated and the response is repeatable. CPTHAs can assess not only the sensitivity of the cough reflex arc but also the tendency of the airway smooth muscles to constrict (airway hyper-responsiveness). They can differentiate between subjects with asthma or chronic cough and healthy subjects. The responsiveness to CPTHAs correlates with the cough-related quality of life among asthmatic subjects.
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