Internal Medicine News & Articles

1 Interstitial Pulmonary Fibrosis and Progressive Massive Fibrosis Related to Smoking Methamphetamine With Talc as Filler Respiratory Care, April 30, 2013
Baylor PA et al. - The authors present a case of interstitial pulmonary fibrosis accompanied by radiographic evidence of progressive massive fibrosis in a patient who had a 15–20year history of almost daily recreational inhalation of methamphetamine. Mineralogical analysis confirmed the presence of talc on biopsy of the area of progressive massive fibrosis. The coexistence of interstitial pulmonary fibrosis and progressive massive fibrosis suggests that prolonged recreational inhalation ...

2 Interventions for the eradication of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in people with cystic fibrosis Cochrane Reviews, March 19, 2013
Lo DKH et al. - Cystic fibrosis is an inherited recessive disorder of chloride transport that is characterised by recurrent and persistent pulmonary infections from resistant organisms that result in lung function deterioration and early mortality in sufferers. Clear guidance for the eradication of MRSA in cystic fibrosis, supported by robust evidence from good quality trials, is urgently needed. To evaluate the effectiveness of treatment regimens designed to eradicate MRSA and to ...

3 Non-invasive ventilation for cystic fibrosis Cochrane Reviews, May 14, 2013
Moran F et al. - Non-invasive ventilation may be a means to temporarily reverse or slow the progression of respiratory failure in cystic fibrosis. To compare the effect of non-invasive ventilation versus no non-invasive ventilation in people with cystic fibrosis. Non-invasive ventilation may be a useful adjunct to other airway clearance techniques, particularly in people with cystic fibrosis who have difficulty expectorating sputum. Non-invasive ...

4 Non-invasive measurement of liver and pancreas fibrosis in patients with cystic fibrosis Journal of Cystic Fibrosis, February 7, 2013
Friedrich-Rust M et al. - The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of liver-fibrosis in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) using transient elastography (TE), Acoustic-Radiation-Force-Impulse (ARFI)-imaging and fibrosis blood tests. ARFI-imaging and TE seem to be promising non-invasive methods for detection of liver-fibrosis in patients with CF.

5 Regression of liver fibrosis is progressive after sustained virological response to HCV therapy in patients with hepatitis C and HIV coinfection Journal of Viral Hepatitis, May 8, 2013
Casado JL et al. - There are few data about the long-term histological outcome of HIV-/HCV-coinfected patients after therapy with interferon and ribavirin. This study confirms that the rate of liver fibrosis regression increases during the follow-up after SVR to interferon therapy in HIV-/HCV-coinfected patients. Methods The authors performed an observational study of 216 patients who received therapy against HCV and who had at least three ...

6 Expression of fibrosis-related genes in human renal allografts with interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy Journal of Nephrology, April 30, 2013
Nogare AL et al. - Gene expression analysis of fibrosis-related genes may became useful for the early identification of fibrosis processes. The authors quantitatively assessed messenger RNA transcripts of the CTGF, TGF-β and KIM-1 genes, in biopsy samples from renal transplant recipients with graft dysfunction, to test the hypothesis that in patients with chronic disease of the renal transplant, these molecules could be markers of the development and severity of ...

7 Update on cystic fibrosis-related diabetes Journal of Cystic Fibrosis, April 19, 2013
Kelly A et al. - Diabetes mellitus has emerged as a common comorbidity in cystic fibrosis and is considered a clinical entity (cystic fibrosis-related diabetes, CFRD) distinct from that of type 1 diabetes (T1DM) and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). The relevance of this diagnosis extends not only from its imposition of additional medical burden but its association with worse health outcomes in individuals with CF. This paper will review the 2010 U.S. and other international guidelines for ...

8 Itraconazole and inhaled fluticasone causing hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis suppression in adults with cystic fibrosis Journal of Cystic Fibrosis, February 4, 2013
Gilchrist FJ et al. - Although there have been case reports of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis suppression in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) caused by the combination of oral itraconazole and inhaled fluticasone, to date no study has assessed the incidence of this potentially serious side effect. In this study, all patients receiving itraconazole and inhaled fluticasone had abnormal synacthen test results. The incidence of HPA axis suppression with this treatment ...

9 Iron accumulates in the lavage and explanted lungs of cystic fibrosis patients Journal of Cystic Fibrosis, February 1, 2013
Ghio AJ et al. - The authors tested the hypothesis that iron accumulation and altered expression of iron-related proteins could be demonstrated in both the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and explanted lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis. They conclude that iron homeostasis is disrupted in CF patients with an accumulation of this metal and altered expression of iron-related proteins being evident in the lungs.

10 Characterization of fibrosis-promoting factors and siRNA-mediated therapies in C-protein-induced experimental autoimmune myocarditis Cellular Immunology, February 15, 2013
Matsumoto Y et al. - Due to poor proliferation abilities of cardiomyocytes, the repair process in the heart after insults is often associated with fibrosis formation. In this study, the authors characterized inflammation and/or fibrosis-related molecules in the heart with experimental autoimmune carditis. The findings suggest that in case of diseases characterized by initial inflammation and subsequent fibrosis, immunotherapies should target inflammation, not fibrosis, because the ...