Human transport of thirdhand tobacco #smoke: A prominent source of hazardous air pollutants into indoor nonsmoking environments

The contamination of indoor nonsmoking environments with thirdhand smoke (THS) is an important, poorly understood public health concern. Real-time THS off-gassing from smokers into a nonsmoking movie theater was observed with online and offline high-resolution mass spectrometry. Prominent emission events of THS tracers (e.g., 2,5-dimethylfuran, 2-methylfuran, and acetonitrile) and other tobacco-related volatile organic compounds (VOCs)… Continue reading Human transport of thirdhand tobacco #smoke: A prominent source of hazardous air pollutants into indoor nonsmoking environments

Pharmacologic Therapies in Patients With Exacerbation of Chronic #Obstructive #Pulmonary Disease: A Systematic Review With Meta-analysis

..Compared with placebo or management without antibiotics, antibiotics given for 3 to 14 days were associated with increased exacerbation resolution at the end of the intervention (odds ratio [OR], 2.03 [95% CI, 1.47 to 2.80]; moderate SOE) and less treatment failure at the end of the intervention (OR, 0.54 [CI, 0.34 to 0.86]; moderate SOE),… Continue reading Pharmacologic Therapies in Patients With Exacerbation of Chronic #Obstructive #Pulmonary Disease: A Systematic Review With Meta-analysis

Lung #MRI as a Potential Complementary Diagnostic Tool for Early #COPD

Many knowledge gaps in the nature of early chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) still exist, mainly because COPD has always been considered a disease of the elderly. Little attention has been paid to the pathologic changes in the lungs of young adults with risk factors for COPD, such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia. One major limitation is… Continue reading Lung #MRI as a Potential Complementary Diagnostic Tool for Early #COPD

Empirical Anti-#MRSA vs Standard Antibiotic Therapy and Risk of 30-Day Mortality in Patients Hospitalized for #Pneumonia

..Compared with standard therapy alone, in weighted propensity score analysis, empirical anti-MRSA therapy plus standard therapy was significantly associated with an increased adjusted risk of death (adjusted risk ratio [aRR], 1.4 [95% CI, 1.3-1.5]), kidney injury (aRR, 1.4 [95% CI, 1.3-1.5]), and secondary C difficile infections (aRR, 1.6 [95% CI, 1.3-1.9]), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus spp infections… Continue reading Empirical Anti-#MRSA vs Standard Antibiotic Therapy and Risk of 30-Day Mortality in Patients Hospitalized for #Pneumonia

Persistent #Asthma is Associated with Increased Risk for Incident Atrial #Fibrillation in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

Asthma and atrial fibrillation (AF) share an underlying inflammatory pathophysiology. We hypothesized that persistent asthmatics are at higher risk for developing AF and that this association would be attenuated by adjustment for baseline markers of systemic inflammation. ..Persistent asthma was defined as asthma requiring use of controller medications. Intermittent asthma was defined as asthma without… Continue reading Persistent #Asthma is Associated with Increased Risk for Incident Atrial #Fibrillation in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

FDA Authorizes Marketing of First Cardiac #Ultrasound Software That Uses Artificial #Intelligence to Guide User

..the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized marketing of software to assist medical professionals in the acquisition of cardiac ultrasound, or echocardiography, images. The software, called Caption Guidance, is an accessory to compatible diagnostic ultrasound systems and uses artificial intelligence to help the user capture images of a patient’s heart that are of acceptable diagnostic… Continue reading FDA Authorizes Marketing of First Cardiac #Ultrasound Software That Uses Artificial #Intelligence to Guide User

Sex Steroid #Hormones and #Asthma in a Nationwide Study of U.S. Adults

Women have a higher burden of asthma than men. Although sex hormones may explain sex differences in asthma, their role is unclear.. ..Free testosterone levels in the fourth quartile were associated with lower odds of current asthma in women (odds ratio [OR] for the fourth quartile [Q4] vs. Q1, 0.56; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.39–0.80).… Continue reading Sex Steroid #Hormones and #Asthma in a Nationwide Study of U.S. Adults

Electronic-#cigarette smoke induces #lung adenocarcinoma and #bladder urothelial hyperplasia in mice

Electronic-cigarettes (E-cigs) are marketed as a safe alternative to tobacco to deliver the stimulant nicotine, and their use is gaining in popularity, particularly among the younger population. We recently showed that mice exposed to short-term (12 wk) E-cig smoke (ECS) sustained extensive DNA damage in lungs, heart, and bladder mucosa and diminished DNA repair in… Continue reading Electronic-#cigarette smoke induces #lung adenocarcinoma and #bladder urothelial hyperplasia in mice

#C-reactive protein mediates the association between leisure-time physical #activity and #lung function in middle-aged and older adults

Although previous studies have reported the benefits of physical activity (PA) to lung function in middle-aged and older adults, the biological mechanisms are still unclear.. ..Multiple linear regression models suggested that higher PA was associated with lower levels of CRP (β = − 0.048, P = 0.002 for moderate PA; β = − 0.108, P < 0.001 for high PA). CRP negatively correlated with FEV1… Continue reading #C-reactive protein mediates the association between leisure-time physical #activity and #lung function in middle-aged and older adults