Acute respiratory disease syndrome

The transcription factor nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is known to control the expression of antioxidant response elements and cytoprotective genes and modulate inflammatory response, helping to ameliorate damage in many diseases. Exactly how Nrf2 regulates innate inflammatory homeostasis remains unclear. In this study, we provide in vitro and in vivo evidence that Nrf2 plays a crucial role in macrophage polarization and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We conducted in vitro experiments using a mouse alveolar macrophage cell line as well as primary cultures of macrophages in which cells were exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or interferon-γ in order to mimic ARDS, in the presence or absence of the Nrf2 activator tert-butylhydroquinone (tBHQ)...

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to get a complete clinical and mycological picture of invasive aspergillosis (IA) in respiratory medicine ICU of a tertiary care hospital. PATIENTS: From the cohort of 235 patients only one had proven IA. Based on AspICU algorithm, 21 had putative IA (8.9%), 12 were colonised (5.1%). RESULTS: Adjusting the confounding factors, significant risk factors for IA were chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), temperature of ≥38°C, pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)...

Guillain-Barré syndrome is the most common cause of acute flaccid paralysis worldwide. Microorganisms such as Campylobacter jejuni, Cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenza and Zika virus have been linked to the disease. The most common clinical variants are acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy and acute motor axonal neuropathy. Plasma exchange and intravenous immunoglobulins are the standard therapy for the disease. Areas covered: research to elucidate the pathophysiology of Guillain-Barré syndrome has led to the development of drugs directed towards new potential therapeutic targets...

Acute chest syndrome is a complication of sickle cell disease and represents the highest cause of mortality in those afflicted with the disorder. Pregnancy represents an increased risk for complications of sickle cell disease in both the mother and fetus. We present a case of a 20-year-old patient with known sickle cell disease who was at 25-week gestation and developed acute chest syndrome refractory to conventional therapies and requiring emergency cesarean section. Following delivery, the patient developed acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)...

Background & objectives: The snakebites are considered to be an occupational hazard in agriculture workers and the snake handlers, resulting in a considerable morbidity, mortality and economical implications. This study was conducted to determine the incidence, clinical presentation, renal injury and clinical outcome in snakebite victims who developed acute kidney injury (AKI). Methods: This hospital-based prospective, observational study was done on 100 cases who were admitted for the management of snakebite and found to develop AKI in a tertiary care hospital at Hyderabad, India...

BACKGROUND: The hallmark of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) disease is the ability to cause major health care-associated nosocomial outbreaks with superspreading events leading to massive numbers of cases and excessive morbidity and mortality. In this report, we describe a patient who presented with acute renal failure requiring hemodialysis and became a MERS-CoV superspreader, igniting a recent multihospital outbreak in Riyadh. MATERIAL AND RESULTS: Between May 31 and June 15, 2017, 44 cases of MERS-CoV infection were reported from 3 simultaneous clusters from 3 health care facilities in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, including 11 fatal cases...

BACKGROUND: Data are sparse on the range of BMI among patients acutely admitted to general hospitals. We investigated BMI values and associated patient characteristics, reasons for hospital admission, and mortality in Denmark. METHODS: We identified all persons with an acute inpatient admission 2011-2014 in Central Denmark Region and assessed BMI measurements recorded in the Clinical Information System. We used cross-sectional and cohort analyses to examine the BMI distribution and its association with demographic characteristics, comorbidities, medication use, tobacco smoking, reasons for admission, and 30-day mortality...

OBJECTIVE: To study the influence of acute pancreatitis in pregnancy (APIP) on pregnancy outcomes and neonates. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for 33 APIP patients and 31 neonates born alive. RESULTS: Of the 33 APIP patients, 26 (79%) developed APIP in the late pregnancy. Fourteen (45%) patients had hyperlipidemic APIP, 13 (42%) had biliary APIP, and 4 (13%) had other types of APIP. According to the severity, 22 (67%) were mild APIP, 5 (15%) were moderate APIP, and 6 were severe APIP...

Aim: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a life-threatening lung disease that usually occurs in patients with the underling risk factors that triggers lung inflammation. We sometimes encounter patients with ARDS lacking common risk factors. Recent studies have indicated the effectiveness of corticosteroids for this cohort. However, the characteristics of survivors with ARDS who lack common risk factors, and who received high-dose methylprednisolone pulse therapy (MPPT), are not known...

Acute chest syndrome (ACS) is a leading complication of sickle cell disease (SCD) with significant morbidity and mortality. ACS is the most common cause of death and the second most common cause of hospitalization in patients with SCD. Delineating the specific cause of ACS is often difficult, and multiple risk factors that precipitate ACS frequently coexist. The prominent risk factors include infection, hypoxia, bronchial hyperresponsiveness, the SCD genotype, and opioid use. The key to the successful treatment of ACS is early recognition and initiation of treatment without delay...

BACKGROUND: Adult-onset Still disease (AOSD) is a rare systemic inflammatory disorder. A few patients develop organ complications that can be life-threatening. Our objectives were to describe the disease course and phenotype of life-threatening AOSD, including response to therapy and long-term outcome. METHODS: A multicenter case series of intensive care medicine (ICU) patients with life-threatening AOSD and a systematic literature review. RESULTS: Twenty patients were included...

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is historically known for causing respiratory illness in young children, but the appreciation of its impact on older adults is growing. Studies have shown that hospitalization for respiratory illness due to RSV is complicated by cardiovascular events in 14% to 22% of adult patients, including worsening congestive heart failure, acute coronary syndrome, and arrhythmias. Additionally, underlying cardiovascular disease is associated with hospitalization in 45% to 63% of adults with confirmed RSV...

BACKGROUND: Severe infection is a main cause of mortality. We aim to describe risk factors for long-term mortality among inpatients with severe infection. METHODS: Prospective cohort study in a 600-bed university hospital in Portugal including all patients with severe infection admitted into intensive care, medical, surgical, hematology and nephrology wards over one-year period. The outcome of interest was 5-year mortality following infection. Variables of patient background and infectious episode were studied in association with the main outcome through multiple logistic regression...

Inflammation of epithelial and endothelial cells accelerates the progress of acute lung injury (ALI), and pulmonary fibrosis is the leading cause of mortality in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Interleukin‑6 (IL‑6) is a pleiotropic cytokine implicated in the pathogenesis of a number of immune‑mediated disorders, and is involved in pulmonary fibrosis. Prohibitin (PHB) is a highly conserved protein implicated in various cellular functions, including proliferation, apoptosis, tumor suppression, transcription and mitochondrial protein folding...

Cross-species transmission of viruses from wildlife animal reservoirs poses a marked threat to human and animal health1 . Bats have been recognized as one of the most important reservoirs for emerging viruses and the transmission of a coronavirus that originated in bats to humans via intermediate hosts was responsible for the high-impact emerging zoonosis, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)2-10 . Here we provide virological, epidemiological, evolutionary and experimental evidence that a novel HKU2-related bat coronavirus, swine acute diarrhoea syndrome coronavirus (SADS-CoV), is the aetiological agent that was responsible for a large-scale outbreak of fatal disease in pigs in China that has caused the death of 24,693 piglets across four farms...

BACKGROUND: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) occurs as a result of irreversible damage to cardiac myocytes secondary to lack of blood supply. Cardiogenic shock complicating AMI has significant associated morbidity and mortality, and data on postdischarge outcomes are limited. METHODS AND RESULTS: We derived the study cohort of patients with AMI and cardiogenic shock from the 2013 to 2014 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project National Readmission Database. Incidence, predictors, and causes of 30-day readmissions were analyzed...

The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) is a network of individuals, organizations, and public health officials that was established to disseminate information about the care of patients with asthma and to improve asthma care. The GINA ("Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention") report has been updated annually since 2002. Due to new knowledge and therapeutic development in the field, the Swiss Respiratory Society felt the need to provide a new document that is based on both the available literature and the recommendations of the 2016 GINA report...

In critically ill patients, correct diagnosis of lung disease is essential for successful therapy. Therefore, this study investigated whether new multi-frequency electrical impedance tomography (mfEIT) can detect, monitor and differentiate between pathologies associated with the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). For this pilot study, 12 pigs were randomized into an ARDS (bronchoalveolar lavage) group (n=7) and a healthy control group (n=5). Animals were monitored by means of mfEIT. In addition to functional images, a new impaired-ventilation (rImpVent) index was developed and frequency-difference images were computed and analyzed...

BACKGROUND: Post-traumatic acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is associated with prolonged mechanical ventilation and longer hospitalizations. The relationship between post-traumatic ARDS severity and financial burden has not been previously studied. We hypothesized that increasing severity is associated with incrementally higher health care costs. METHODS: Adults arriving as the highest level of trauma activation were enrolled in an ongoing prospective cohort study...

BACKGROUND: Although Plasmodium ovale is considered the cause of only mild malaria, a case of severe malaria due to P. ovale with acute respiratory distress syndrome is reported. CASE PRESENTATION: A 37-year old Caucasian man returning home from Angola was admitted for ovale malaria to the National Institute for Infectious Diseases Lazzaro Spallanzani in Rome, Italy. Two days after initiation of oral chloroquine treatment, an acute respiratory distress syndrome was diagnosed through chest X-ray and chest CT scan with intravenous contrast...