Clinical application of autologous technetium-99m-labelled eosinophils to detect focal eosinophilic inflammation in the lung.

This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from the BMJ Group via http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/thoraxjnl-2015-207156The detection of focal eosinophilic inflammation by non-invasive means may aid the diagnosis and follow-up of a variety of pulmonary pathologies. All current methods of detection involve invasive sampling, which may be contraindicated or too high-risk to be performed safely. The use of injected autologous technetium-99m (Tc-99m)-labelled eosinophils coupled to single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) has been demonstrated to localise eosinophilic inflammation in the lungs of a patient with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-positive vasculitis. Here, we report on the utility of this technique to detect active eosinophilic inflammation in a patient with focal lung inflammation where a biopsy was contraindicated.The authors thank all the staff at the Department of Nuclear Medicine at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility, Cambridge; Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre Core Biochemistry Assay Laboratory; and the National Institute for Health Research, through the Comprehensive Clinical Research Network. This work was supported by Asthma-UK [08/11], the Medical Research Council [grant number MR/J00345X/1], the Wellcome Trust [grant number 098351/Z/12/Z], and Cambridge NIHR Biomedical Research Centre. Written informed consent was obtained in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The study was approved by Cambridgeshire Research Ethics Committee (09/H0308/119) and the Administration of Radioactive Substances Advisory Committee of the United Kingdom (83/3130/25000)

Specialist Respiratory Outreach : a case-finding initiative for identifying undiagnosed COPD in primary care

Acknowledgments This report is independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research Wessex ARC. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the National Institute for Health Research or the Department of Health and Social Care. We are very grateful to Optimum Patient care and their team for their help and support with the data extraction and application of the case-finding risk score. We would also like to thank: The participants, Mark Stafford-Watson (PPI) in memorial, Colin Newell, Dr Fiona McKenna, Dr Andy Powell, Dr Helen Myers, Dr Stuart McKinnes, Dr Mark Williams, Dr Louisa Egbe, Dr Richard Baxter, Dr Sarah A’Court, Dr Elisabeth Willows, Dr Gareth Morris, Dr Ford, Dr Kate Lippiett, Wessex Clinical Research Network, West Hampshire CCG and Southampton City CCGPeer reviewedPublisher PD

Clinical characteristics, multiorgan dysfunction and outcomes of patients with COVID-19: a prospective case series

BACKGROUND: Characterizing the multiorgan manifestations and outcomes of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 will inform resource requirements to address the long-term burden of this disease. We conducted a descriptive analysis using prospectively collected data to describe the clinical characteristics and spectrum of organ dysfunction, and in-hospital and longer-term clinical outcomes of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic at a Canadian centre. METHODS: We conducted a prospective case series involving adult patients (aged ≥ 18 yr) with COVID-19 admitted to 1 of 2 hospitals in London, Ontario, from Mar. 17 to June 18, 2020, during the first wave of the pandemic. We recorded patients\u27 baseline characteristics, physiologic parameters, measures of organ function and therapies administered during hospitalization among patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) and in non-ICU settings, and compared the characteristics of hospital survivors and nonsurvivors. Finally, we recorded follow-up thoracic computed tomography (CT) and echocardiographic findings after hospital discharge. RESULTS: We enrolled 100 consecutive patients (47 women) hospitalized with COVID-19, including 32 patients who received ICU care and 68 who received treatment in non-ICU settings. Respiratory sequelae were common: 23.0% received high-flow oxygen by nasal cannula, 9.0% received noninvasive ventilation, 24.0% received invasive mechanical ventilation and 2.0% received venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Overall, 9.0% of patients had cerebrovascular events (3.0% ischemic stroke, 6.0% intracranial hemorrhage), and 6.0% had pulmonary embolism. After discharge, 11 of 19 patients had persistent abnormalities on CT thorax, and 6 of 15 had persistent cardiac dysfunction on echocardiography. INTERPRETATION: This study provides further evidence that COVID-19 is a multisystem disease involving neurologic, cardiac and thrombotic dysfunction, without evidence of hepatic dysfunction. Patients have persistent organ dysfunction after hospital discharge, underscoring the need for research on long-term outcomes of COVID-19 survivors

Australia\u27s health 1994 : the fourth biennial report of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

Australia\u27s Health is the most comprehensive and authoritative source of national information on health in Australia. Australia\u27s Health is published mid-year in even-numbered years and provides national statistics and related information that form a record of health status, service provision and expenditure in Australia

The Sheffield Type 1 Diabetes Policy Model

The Sheffield Type 1 Diabetes Policy Model is a patient-level simulation model of type 1 diabetes and its associated complications, which was developed as part of the National Institute for Health Research Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating (DAFNE) research programme. The aim of this paper is to describe the conceptual modelling, model implementation, and model validation phases of the Sheffield Type 1 Diabetes Model development process. The model is highly flexible and has broad potential application to evaluate DAFNE, other diabetes structured education programmes, and other interventions for type 1 diabetes

Nurses views regarding the end-of-life at a New Zealand hospital

Nurses can play a pivotal role in patients’ end-of-life decisions. But how do nurses view their role in such decisions? A small research study at Dunedin Hospital set about finding out