老年慢性阻塞性肺疾病患者和坠积性肺炎患者肺内病原菌比较及感染影响因素分析

目的对比老年慢性阻塞性肺疾病(chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,COPD)患者和坠积性肺炎患者肺内一般病原菌和多重耐药菌的分布,同时分析COPD患者和坠积性肺炎患者多重耐药菌感染的影响因素。方法对入选COPD患者和坠积性肺炎患者下呼吸道痰标本进行培养和鉴定,对比两组患者病原菌以及多重耐药菌的检出率,同时比较两组患者性别、年龄、住院时间、糖尿病病史、有创机械通气治疗和留置尿管等因素对多重耐药菌感染的影响。结果 COPD患者革兰阴性菌的检出率(48.39%)显著低于坠积性肺炎患者(66.13%),COPD患者真菌的检出率(11.06%)显著高于坠积性肺炎患者(2.42%)。两组患者检出的多重耐药菌均以产超广谱β-内酰胺酶肠杆菌科细菌、耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌和多重耐药/泛耐药铜绿假单胞菌为主。COPD患者中感染多重耐药菌患者的年龄和住院时间显著高于非感染患者;坠积性肺炎患者中感染多重耐药菌患者的住院时间、机械通气治疗率和留置尿管使用率显著高于非感染患者。结论影响老年COPD患者和坠积性肺炎患者多重耐药菌感染的因素有区别,应有针对性地应用抗生素以减少多重耐药菌的感染。     

肺部微生物组通过炎症反应介导慢性阻塞性肺疾病转化为肺癌的研究进展

肺部微生物组存在于呼吸道和实质组织中,通过菌群紊乱、代谢产物、炎症反应、免疫反应、基因毒性等方面介导肺部损伤。随着肺部微生物组的深入研究,发现肺部微生物组的相关活动与慢性阻塞性肺疾病(chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD)和肺癌息息相关,能够促使COPD向肺癌的转变。本文主要介绍了肺部微生物组稳态及其通过炎症反应导致COPD和肺癌,重点探讨了肺部微生物组如何通过炎症反应介导COPD转化为肺癌,以期为COPD和肺癌的临床预防、优化治疗以及新型药物设计提供新的理论依据。     

Preliminary simulation model toward the study of the effects caused by different mandibular advancement devices in OSAS treatment

Abstract

The paper aims to evaluate the effects caused by a Mandibular Advancement Device (MAD) for Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Syndrome (OSAS) treatment. This study is based on Finite Element Method (FEM) for evaluating the load distribution on temporomandibular joint, especially on the mandibular condyle and disc, and on periodontal ligaments. The stress values on condyle and periodontal ligaments lead authors to consider MAD a safe procedure even for a long period. The obtained results also show the relationship between MAD material and load distribution at the periodontal ligaments. The paper is a step toward future analyses for studying and comparing the effects of MAD features, such as material, shape and dimensions, in order to allow the clinician prescribing the most fitting device.     

The Shift-Work Accident Rate is More Related to the Shift Type than to Shift Rotation

The current study investigated the accident rates across morning, late, and night shifts in rotating shift-workers employed in two different shift rotations at the same steel work factory. A retrospective analysis has been performed of accident data (N = 578) over a 5-year period (2003 through 2007) of 730 male shift-workers employed in either a clockwise (mean age of the workers 38.1 ± SD 9.8 years) or counterclockwise rotation (mean age 38.0 ± SD 10.1 years) with comparable work conditions. The overall accident rate across the 24-h day was not significantly different between clockwise and counterclockwise shift rotation. In both shift-work rotations, morning shifts as opposed to night shifts exhibited a significantly higher accident rate. There was no significant difference between late shifts and morning or night shifts in either shift rotation. The increased accident rate in the morning shift at this steel factory could be related to the early starting time of the shift and to this shift being more labor intensive in both shift rotations. These findings suggest that work-related factors must be considered in addition to shift-work schedules when investigating accident rates in rotating shift-workers.     

Cortactin mediates elevated shear stress-induced mucin hypersecretion via actin polymerization in human airway epithelial cells

Mucus hypersecretion is a remarkable pathophysiological manifestation in airway obstructive diseases. These diseases are usually accompanied with elevated shear stress due to bronchoconstriction. Previous studies have reported that shear stress induces mucin5AC (MUC5AC) secretion via actin polymerization in cultured nasal epithelial cells. Furthermore, it is well known that cortactin, an actin binding protein, is a central mediator of actin polymerization. Therefore, we hypothesized that cortactin participates in MUC5AC hypersecretion induced by elevated shear stress via actin polymerization in cultured human airway epithelial cells. Compared with the relevant control groups, Src phosphorylation, cortactin phosphorylation, actin polymerization and MUC5AC secretion were significantly increased after exposure to elevated shear stress. Similar effects were found when pretreating the cells with jasplakinolide, and transfecting with wild-type cortactin. However, these effects were significantly attenuated by pretreating with Src inhibitor, cytochalasin D or transfecting cells with the specific small interfering RNA of cortactin. Collectively, these results suggest that elevated shear stress induces MUC5AC hypersecretion via tyrosine-phosphorylated cortactin-associated actin polymerization in cultured human airway epithelial cells.     

Identification of exacerbations in obstructive lung disease through biomarkers

Inflammation has been identified as an important factor for disease exacerbation in obstructive lung disease. In this study, we used neutrophil and eosinophil counts as biomarkers for exacerbation in obstructive lung disease. We conducted a case–control study within a cohort of patients frequenting an outpatient clinic of Respiratory Medicine using data from the Utrecht Patient Oriented Database (UPOD). Cases were patients with a hospital admission for obstructive lung disease in 2005. For each case, one control patient was sampled from the same study base. We identified 143 cases (118 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and 25 asthma patients) and 143 controls. Admission was associated with both neutrophilia (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 4.3; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.2–8.5), and eosinophilia (adjusted OR 2.6; 95% CI 1.1–6.2). The association with eosinophilia was only seen in asthma patients. In conclusion, neutrophil and eosinophil counts seem to be useful biomarkers for identifying exacerbations in pharmacoepidemiological studies on obstructive lung disease.