BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Experimental data suggest a negative interaction between x-ray contrast agents and fibrinolytic efficacy of recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rtPA). We hypothesized that the application of a contrast agent before intravenous thrombolysis with rtPA reduces its clinical efficacy in acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: We retrospectively studied consecutive ischemic ...

To investigate the association between hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins) and mood disturbance. The confirmation that high serum cholesterol levels increase the risk of coronary heart disease has resulted in statins becoming the most widely prescribed drugs in the treatment of hypercholesterolaemia. However, a positive relationship between low serum ...

29 physicians (A1-Group) and 24 physicians (A2-Group) attending the 1st and 2nd "Asian Intensive Reader of Pneumoconiosis" (AIR Pneumo) training course, respectively, and 22 physicians (B-Group) attending the Brazilian training course took the examination of reading the 60-film set. The objective of the study was firstly to investigate the factor ...

Introduction Research shows that only about 25% of people with autism are employed. Method We conducted a systematic review on factors facilitating or hindering work participation of people with autism in longitudinal studies. An extensive search in biomedical and psychological databases yielded 204 articles and 18 satisfied all inclusion criteria. ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Several conservative (i.e., nonpharmacologic, nonsurgical) treatments exist for secondary lymphedema. The optimal treatment is unknown. We examined the effectiveness of conservative treatments for secondary lymphedema, as well as harms related to these treatments. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, AMED, and CINAHL from ...

Objective: This study investigated the impact of an established behavioural dysarthria treatment on acoustic and perceptual measures of speech in two adults with Down syndrome (DS) and dysarthria to obtain preliminary measures of treatment effect, effect size and treatment feasibility. Methods: A single-subject A-B-A experimental design was used to measure ...

29 physicians (A1-Group) and 24 physicians (A2-Group) attending the 1st and 2nd "Asian Intensive Reader of Pneumoconiosis" (AIR Pneumo) training course, respectively, and 22 physicians (B-Group) attending the Brazilian training course took the examination of reading the 60-film set. The objective of the study was firstly to investigate the factor ...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: The purpose of this study was to determine whether sentence intelligibility improves in speakers with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) as a result of Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT). It was hypothesized that all the speakers would improve following treatment, in association with increased vocal loudness, which was the primary ...

Background:  Maternal depression is known to be associated with impairments in child cognitive development, although the effect of timing of exposure to maternal depression is unclear. Methods:  Data collected for the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a longitudinal study beginning in pregnancy, included self-report measures of maternal depression ...

ABSTRACT: The selection of appropriate subjects is a critical element of successful clinical trials. Failure to properly identify, select, and retain subjects in clinical trials of antidepressant medications may affect the ability to show separation from placebo. Little is known about which type of site, academic or nonacademic, is superior ...

This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of acupuncture as a treatment for autism spectrum disorders (ASD). We searched the literature using 15 databases. Eleven randomized clinical trials (RCTs) met our inclusion criteria. Most had significant methodological weaknesses. The studies' statistical and clinical heterogeneity prevented us from conducting a meta-analysis. ...

The immunomodulatory characteristics and topical application of imiquimod (IQ), a toll-like receptor 7 agonist, have lead to extensive off-label therapeutic trials. Off-label use is not uncommon in dermatology. However, clinicians must make informed decisions to ensure safe and effective implementation when standardized protocols are lacking. We present the highest level ...

In an effort to identify four-subtest Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition (WAIS-III) short forms valid for estimating Full-Scale IQ (FSIQ) among individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI), seven tetrad versions of the WAIS-III were evaluated in a convenience sample of patients referred for neuropsychological assessment (n = 176). Estimated FSIQ scores were ...

The association between depression and self-focused language has been found to varying extents across studies. The presence or absence of the association may depend on the communicative context. Based on Beck's depression model, a broad, evaluative self-focused question was predicted more likely to elicit a stronger association than a full ...

The rooting reflex has long been studied by neurologists and developmentalists and is defined as an orientation toward tactile stimulation in the perioral region or visual stimulation near the face. Nearly, all previous reports of the visual rooting reflex (VRR) concern its presence in adults with neurological dysfunction. Previously, the ...

PURPOSE: evaluate the psychomotor evolution of a child with Multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency after treatment with L-carnitine, ubiquinone and riboflavin. METHODS: an assessment of psychomotor development was performed before the start of farmacological treatment using the Assessment Scale of Mental Development Griffiths (GMDS-R, 0-2 years). The same assessment was performed ...

Background  Owing to methodological issues, little research has been conducted to examine quality of life (QoL) as a treatment outcome in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and intellectual disabilities (ID). This study was conducted to combine QoL measures and objective observations of challenging behaviours (CB) in order to evaluate changes over ...

Preschoolers with developmental delay (DD) are at risk for poor fundamental movement skills (FMS), but a paucity of early FMS interventions exist. The purpose of this review was to critically appraise the existing interventions to establish direction for future trials targeting preschoolers with DD. A total of 11 studies met ...

Studies in respiratory diseases other than chronic obstructive pulmonary disease suggest potentially differing responses to medications among patients from different regions. We report a subgroup analysis of patients recruited to Asian centres from a previously reported 4-year COPD trial. Subgroup analysis from a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of tiotropium 18 ...

Background: L-carnitine was proposed as a potential treatment for patients diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder to improve mitochondrial dysfunction, but no prior randomized controlled trials have been conducted.<br /> Material/Methods: Thirty subjects diagnosed with an ASD were randomly assigned to receive a standardized regimen (50 mg L-carnitine/kg bodyweight/day) of ...

Although most smokers diagnosed with lung cancer report that they want to quit smoking, many do not succeed. Smokers who quit when lung cancer is diagnosed have improved treatment efficacy, quality of life, and survival. Effective smoking cessation interventions targeted to thoracic oncology patients are needed. This pilot study examined ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is a common cause of respiratory failure in critically ill patients. Experimental studies suggest that treatment with beta agonists may be helpful in ARDS. The Beta Agonist Lung Injury TrIal (BALTI-2) is a multicentre, pragmatic, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial which aims ...

To describe symptoms experienced by pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) patients and the impact these symptoms have had on their lives. Qualitative descriptive methodology was chosen incorporating semistructured interviews to investigate the symptom experience of ten patients with PAH. All patients were diagnosed with WHO Group 1 PAH and 70% were ...

The Scleroderma Lung Study (SLS) was a 1-year, randomized, controlled trial of oral cyclophosphamide for scleroderma-related pulmonary alveolitis. It concluded that oral cyclophosphamide slowed the decline in the forced vital capacity (% predicted) and had a beneficial effect on dyspnea, skin changes, and several quality of life measures of systemic ...

OBJECTIVES: Tobacco dependence and depression are believed to have a common familial component, most probably genetic, and mood disorders have been reliably associated with failure to stop smoking. Variant genotypes of the Taq1A (DRD2/ANKK1, 32806T, rs1800497) polymorphism have been associated with failure to stop smoking in some studies, but not ...

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients are thought to have limited bronchodilator response, determined by changes in forced expiratory volume in 1s (FEV(1)). In this study, we assessed bronchodilator response in patients with COPD using not only FEV(1) but also changes in lung volume expressed as forced vital capacity ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The long-term efficacy and safety of aclidinium bromide, a novel, long-acting muscarinic antagonist, were investigated in patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: In two double-blind, 52-week studies, ACCLAIM/COPD I (n = 843) and II (n = 804), patients were randomised to inhaled aclidinium ...

High-altitude treatment has been applied for more than a century in the treatment of pulmonary diseases including asthma. Many uncontrolled and controlled studies have shown its beneficial effects in children and adolescents with house dust mite allergic asthma. A recent study also showed an improvement in markers of airway inflammation ...

Triple therapy for COPD consists of a long-acting anti-cholinergic bronchodilator, a long-acting beta-agonist bronchodilator, and an inhaled corticosteroid. Guidelines from the Canadian Thoracic Society advocate triple therapy for some patients with moderate-to-severe COPD. The objective of this review was to evaluate the evidence based clinical efficacy of triple therapy compared ...

BACKGROUND: Investigative bronchoscopy was performed in a subset of participants in the Severe Asthma Research Program to gain insights into the pathobiology of severe disease. We evaluated the safety aspects of this procedure in this cohort with specific focus on patients with severe asthma. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate prospectively changes in ...

This international phase III study of inhaled dry powder mannitol was a randomised double blind 26 week study, followed by a further 26 week open-label extension. 324 subjects were randomised 3:2 to mannitol (400&emsp14;mg bid) or control. The primary efficacy endpoint was to determine the change in FEV1 over the ...

BACKGROUND: There is renewed interest in the chronic respiratory sequelae of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), particularly chronic airflow limitation. A number of South African epidemiological studies have been published, which, although not specifically designed to examine this association, provide useful data on the nature of the relationship.OBJECTIVE: To review population-based and ...

BACKGROUND: In COPD, improvements in lung mechanics following bronchodilator, measured using the forced oscillation technique (FOT), are more sensitive than spirometry at detecting improvement in lung function following bronchodilator. The relationship between these improvements in lung mechanics and improvements in functional outcomes, such as exertional dyspnoea, following bronchodilator, in COPD ...

Background In patients with prednisone-dependent asthma the dose of oral corticosteroids should be adjusted to the lowest possible level to reduce long-term adverse effects. However, the optimal strategy for tapering oral corticosteroids is unknown. Objective To investigate whether an internet-based management tool including home monitoring of symptoms, lung function and ...

RATIONALE: A previous trial of bosentan in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) showed a trend to delayed IPF worsening or death. Also, improvements in some measures of dyspnea and health-related quality of life were observed. OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate that bosentan delays IPF worsening or death. METHODS: Prospective, randomized (2:1), double-blind, placebo-controlled, ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The immune modulating properties of statins may benefit smokers with asthma. We tested the hypothesis that short-term treatment with atorvastatin improves lung function or indices of asthma control in smokers with asthma. METHODS: Seventy one smokers with mild to moderate asthma were recruited to a randomized double-blind parallel ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: During the past decade exacerbations of asthma have increasingly been recognized a as primary outcome parameter in clinical research. However, comparison of results is hampered by the use of different definitions for asthma exacerbations in published reports. The purpose of this review is to describe the consequences ...

Sildenafil has been found to improve exercise capacity and haemodynamic parameters in patients with various pulmonary disorders. This study was undertaken to evaluate its efficacy in severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In this double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled study, 37 patients with severe COPD received either sildenafil or placebo for 12 ...

Background: Chronic sputum production is a significant but variable complaint in COPD; its effect on symptom burden has not been comprehensively described. We sought to characterize the daily burden of chronic sputum production in severe COPD and the phenotype of those with chronic sputum symptoms. Methods: We studied 50 outpatients ...

The important domains of emotional intelligence (EI) are self-awareness and control of emotions, motivating oneself, and empathy. These are necessary to handle any relationship. This study aims to (i) assess emotional intelligence focusing specifically on empathy; (ii) to study the level of anger; and (iii) correlating level of anger with ...

Abstract BACKGROUND: Anxiety and depression are prevalent comorbidities in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and related to worse course of disease. The present study examined the impact of anxiety and depression on functional performance, dyspnea and quality of life in patients with COPD at start and end of an outpatient ...

Aims:  Diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia in newborns is challenging because of ease of colonisation, non-specific chest radiograph changes and lack of a consensus definition. The aims of this study were to review treatment decisions in neonates with culture-positive endotracheal aspirate and to assess impact on respiratory outcomes using blinded review ...

BACKGROUND: Previous aztreonam for inhalation solution (AZLI) studies included patients with cystic fibrosis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) airway infection, and forced expiratory volume in 1s (FEV(1)) 25% to 75% predicted. This double-blind, multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled trial enrolled patients (≥6years) with FEV(1)>75% predicted. METHODS: AZLI 75mg (n=76) or placebo (n=81) was administered ...

We investigated the effects of salbutamol on the markers of epithelial function in a murine model of chronic allergic pulmonary inflammation by recording the ciliary beat frequency (CBF) and the transepithelial potential difference (PD) in vivo. Mice were sensitized and received four challenges of ovalbumin (OVA group) or 0.9%saline (control ...

OBJECTIVES: Fungi have been suspected of contributing to the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis. A previous intervention study demonstrated an improvement in the clinical condition in 15 out of 18 patients with a long-term history of sarcoidosis when antifungal medication was added to corticosteroids. The present study was performed to compare the ...

Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS) is a rare disorder of oculocutaneous albinism, platelet dysfunction, and in some subtypes, fatal pulmonary fibrosis. There is no effective treatment for the pulmonary fibrosis except lung transplantation, but an initial trial using pirfenidone, an anti-fibrotic agent, showed promising results. The current, randomized, placebo-controlled, prospective, double-blind trial ...

Introduction: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive and usually lethal lung disorder of unknown etiology. The disease is characterized by alveolar epithelial cell injury, formation of activated fibroblasts/myofibroblasts foci and finally by the exaggerated accumulation of extracellular matrix with the subsequent destruction of the lung architecture. The long-term ...

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a progressive, cystic lung disease in women; it is associated with inappropriate activation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling, which regulates cellular growth and lymphangiogenesis. Sirolimus (also called rapamycin) inhibits mTOR and has shown promise in phase 1-2 trials involving patients with LAM. We conducted a ...

Background The COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) assessment test (CAT) is a recently introduced, simple to use patient-completed quality of life instrument that contains eight questions covering the impact of symptoms in COPD. It is not known how the CAT score performs in the context of clinical pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) ...

RATIONALE: Although the phosphodiesterase type-5 (PDE5) inhibitors sildenafil and tadalafil have demonstrated efficacy in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), monotherapy with these agents has not been conclusively shown to reduce clinical worsening events. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the PDE5 inhibitor vardenafil in Chinese patients with ...