Background: Streptococcus pneumoniae is one of the primary cause of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) worldwide. However, scant data are available on the prevalence of etiological organisms for CAP in adolescent and adult Indian population.
Objective: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the contribution of S. pneumoniae in the causation of CAP in Indian patients aged 12 years or above.
Methodology: We performed a systematic search of both indexed and non-indexed publications using PubMed, databases of National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources (NISCAIR), Annotated Bibliography of Indian Medicine (ABIM), Google Scholar, and hand search including cross-references using key terms 'community acquired pneumonia AND India'. All studies, published between January 1990 and January 2017, that evaluated Indian patients aged above 12 years with a confirmed diagnosis of CAP were eligible for inclusion. Our search retrieved a total of 182 studies, of which only 17 and 12 qualified for inclusion in the systematic review of all etiological organisms, and meta-analysis of S. pneumonia, respectively.
Results: A total of 1435 patients met the inclusion criteria. The pooled proportion of patients with S. pneumoniae infection was 19% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 12%-26%; I2 = 94.5% where I2 represents heterogeneity, P < .01). Other major etiological agents are Mycoplasma pneumoniae (15.5% [1.1%-35.5%]), Klebsiella pneumoniae (10.5% [1.6%-24.0%]), and Legionella pneumophila (7.3% [2.5%-23.8%]).
Conclusions: Analysis found approximately a one-fifth proportion of adult Indian patients of CAP with S. pneumoniae infection, suggesting it as a leading organism for causing CAP compared with other etiological organisms.
Background: The emphysema interventional treatment involves mainly lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) and endobronchial valve (EBV) implantation. Few institutes discuss these cases at a dedicated emphysema multidisciplinary team (MDT) meeting.
Objectives: To investigate the impact of a newly established dedicated emphysema MDT meeting on the interventional treatment of such patients.
Methods: During a study period of 4 years, the outcome of 44 patients who underwent intervention according to the proposal of the emphysema MDT (group A) was compared with the outcome of 44 propensity score matched patients (group B) treated without the emphysema MDT proposal.
Results: More LVRS and less EBV insertions were performed in group A (P = .009). In group B, the interventions were performed sooner than in group A (P = .003). Postoperative overall morbidity and length of in-hospital stay were similar in the 2 groups (P = .918 and .758, respectively). Improvement of breathing ability was reported in more patients from group A (P = .012). In group B, the total number of re-interventions was higher (P = .001) and the time to re-intervention had the tendency to be less (P = .069). Survival was similar between the 2 groups (P = .884). Intervention without discussion at the MDT and EBV as initial intervention was an independent predictor of re-intervention.
Conclusions: Interventional treatment for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) after discussion at a dedicated MDT involved more LVRS performed, required fewer interventions for their disease, and had longer re-intervention-free intervals and better breathing improvement.
Risky behaviours are prevalent within the cystic fibrosis (CF) population; however, there is a lack of research which has investigated risky behaviour engagement among adolescents with CF, with reasons for initiation currently being unknown, as no qualitative studies have been conducted. This research therefore examines knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs towards risky behaviours at an age commonly associated with initiation. Ten paediatric participants were recruited. Thematic analysis illustrated several psychological factors associated with risky behaviours. A desire for normalcy was evident, with this been associated with a desire to engage in normalised risky behaviours. Evidence of a life-orientated illness perspective was also prevalent, with participants believing that many individuals engage in risky behaviours for fun. Overall, there was a reported lack of knowledge on consequences of risky behaviours, with many participants not being informed of these by health care professionals (HCPs). This research provides insight into an area of CF paediatric care which could be improved on, with the provision of awareness regarding risky behaviours not being embedded within paediatric CF care. Consequently, this research demonstrates the need for interventions to be integrated into paediatric CF care for the prevention and reduction of risky behaviours.
Clinical manifestations of respiratory fungal diseases in adult cystic fibrosis (CF) patients are very heterogeneous, ranging from asymptomatic colonization to chronic infections, allergic disorders, or invasive diseases in immunosuppressed CF patients after lung transplantation. In this narrative review, mainly addressed to clinicians without expertise in CF who may nonetheless encounter adult CF patients presenting with acute and chronic respiratory syndromes, we briefly summarize the most representative clinical aspects of respiratory fungal diseases in adult CF patients.
Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) develop pulmonary disease secondary to airway infection and dysregulated inflammation. Therapeutic innovations such as nebulized antimicrobial therapy targeting specific pathogens have resulted in improvements in quality of life and life expectancy. Aztreonam lysine for inhalation (AZLI) solution was initially approved to improve respiratory symptoms in CF patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) in 2010 by the Food and Drug Administration. Since then, research broadening labeling and clinical application has been developed. In this review, we analyze published and ongoing research regarding AZLI therapy in CF. A search of the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and the PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov databases was conducted to identify publications about AZLI. Three pre-approval studies were identified and assessed. Two are Phase 3, placebo-controlled trials, assessing a variety of safety and efficacy endpoints, leading to FDA approval. The third is an open-label extension of the two previous trials. An additional seven post-approval, completed trials were identified and are included in this review. They represent a variety of study designs including safety and efficacy in patients with mild lung disease and young patients, an active comparator trial vs inhaled tobramycin, an eradication study, a study among patients with Burkholderia cepacia, and a study assessing continuous alternating antibiotic therapy. Finally, five ongoing clinical trials are discussed. Overall, studies demonstrated that inhaled aztreonam is a safe and effective antimicrobial treatment for the eradication of newly acquired P. aeruginosa and long-term suppressive therapy of chronic endobronchial infection among people with cystic fibrosis.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive lung disease which results in thickening and scarring of the interstitial tissue. As the only 2 Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications on the market, it is valuable to compare the impact of nintedanib and pirfenidone on clinical outcomes. Records of patients who started nintedanib or pirfenidone between calendar years 2015 and 2016 at a national specialty pharmacy were retrospectively reviewed. Data collection was derived from patient management applications and statistical data analysis was completed in SAS (SAS Institute Inc®). The nintedanib population contained 2605 patients and of the population completing clinical assessment surveys (n = 1343), 46% of respondents (n = 612) reported no adverse events, with the remaining 54% reporting at least 1 adverse event. Average proportion of days covered (PDC) was 84.2% (SD = 17.0). Average final monthly copay for this group was $235. The pirfenidone population had 1322 patients, and of the surveyed population (n = 764), 58% of respondents (n = 445) reported no adverse events, with the remaining 42% reporting at least 1 adverse event. Average PDC was 83.4% (SD = 17.3). Average final monthly copay for this group was $339. Outcomes in the studied IPF population were similar for nintedanib and pirfenidone.
Although parathyroid ectopy in the mediastinum has been the subject of several publications, its location in the posterior mediastinum is very rarely reported. We report a case of a 69-year-old patient who presented with clinical symptoms of malignant hypercalcemia due to a retrotracheal mediastinal parathyroid adenoma. The surgical excision leads to a quick normalisation of the phosphocalcic balance with improvement of the clinical symptoms. Ectopic hypersecreting parathyroid adenoma with life-threatening hypercalcemia should prompt radiological assessment and appropriate surgical management to prevent further clinical complications.