Filia Diamantea

A prospective study on bacterial and atypical etiology of acute exacerbation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

AIMnThe bacterial and atypical etiology of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was investigated and the diagnostic techniques used were compared among 92 hospitalized patients.nnnMATERIALS & METHODSnSputum specimens were investigated using culture and PCR, serological status evaluation was performed and the inflammatory profile was associated with the microbiological results.nnnRESULTS & CONCLUSIONnThe majority of the patients (65.2%) had very severe airway obstruction. The most common bacteria were Haemophilus influenzae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (23.9 and 14.1%, respectively). Acinetobacter baumannii- and P. aeruginosa-positive cultures were associated with prolonged hospitalization and severe airway obstruction (p = 0.03 and 0.031, respectively). Chlamydia pneumoniae or Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection was diagnosed in four and two patients, respectively. Discrepant results were detected between PCR and serology, especially regarding C. pneumoniae.

Collateral Damage: Depressive Symptoms in the Partners of COPD Patients

BackgroundDepression is a frequent comorbidity in COPD patients and is associated with greater physical impairment, increased health-care utilization, and worse outcomes. The presence of depressive symptoms in the partners of COPD patients has not been evaluated.MethodsWe evaluated the partners of 230 consecutive COPD patients included in a prospective study. Depressive symptoms were evaluated using Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI) on the first day of admission for COPD exacerbation. Patients were followed-up for 1xa0year.ResultsSignificant depressive symptoms were present in 39.6xa0% of the COPD patients and in 40.9xa0% of their partners. Beck scores were higher in the partners of patients with severe airflow obstruction and in those with ≥2 exacerbations and ≥1 hospitalizations for COPD exacerbation during the 1-year follow-up. The BDI score of the patients’ partners was significantly correlated with the BDI score of the COPD patients (rsxa0=xa00.422). In multivariate analysis, depressive symptoms in the COPD patients were an independent predictor of depressive symptoms in their partners (OR 4.136, 95xa0% CI 1.991–8.594; pxa0<xa00.001).ConclusionsA large proportion of the partners of COPD patients present significant depressive symptoms. The identification of those patients and their partners represents a possible target for intervention.

25-hydroxyvitamin D in malignant pleural disease: a prospective cohort study

Growing evidence suggests a role of vitamin D in various cancers but the significance of vitamin D in malignant pleural disease remains unexplored. We sought to investigate the concentration and diagnostic role of 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) in malignant pleural effusions.