Do Patients with Bronchiectasis Have an Increased Risk of Developing Lung Cancer? A Systematic Review

Background: Initial evidence supports the hypothesis that patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFB) have a higher risk of lung cancer. We systematically reviewed the available literature to define the characteristics of lung malignancies in patients with bronchiectasis and the characteristics of patients who develop bronchiectasis-associated lung cancer. Method: This study was performed based on the PRISMA guidelines. The review protocol was registered in PROSPERO. Results: The frequency rates of lung cancer in patients with NCFB ranged from 0.93% to 8.0%. The incidence rate was 3.96. Cancer more frequently occurred in the elderly and males. Three studies found an overall higher risk of developing lung cancer in the NCFB population compared to the non-bronchiectasis one, and adenocarcinoma was the most frequently reported histological type. The effect of the co-existence of NCFB and COPD was unclear. Conclusions: NCFB is associated with a higher risk of developing lung cancer than individuals without NCFB. This risk is higher for males, the elderly, and smokers, whereas concomitant COPD’s effect is unclear

Endoscopic Technologies for Peripheral Pulmonary Lesions: From Diagnosis to Therapy

Peripheral pulmonary lesions (PPLs) are frequent incidental findings in subjects when performing chest radiographs or chest computed tomography (CT) scans. When a PPL is identified, it is necessary to proceed with a risk stratification based on the patient profile and the characteristics found on chest CT. In order to proceed with a diagnostic procedure, the first-line examination is often a bronchoscopy with tissue sampling. Many guidance technologies have recently been developed to facilitate PPLs sampling. Through bronchoscopy, it is currently possible to ascertain the PPL’s benign or malignant nature, delaying the therapy’s second phase with radical, supportive, or palliative intent. In this review, we describe all the new tools available: from the innovation of bronchoscopic instrumentation (e.g., ultrathin bronchoscopy and robotic bronchoscopy) to the advances in navigation technology (e.g., radial-probe endobronchial ultrasound, virtual navigation, electromagnetic navigation, shape-sensing navigation, cone-beam computed tomography). In addition, we summarize all the PPLs ablation techniques currently under experimentation. Interventional pulmonology may be a discipline aiming at adopting increasingly innovative and disruptive technologies

Composição mineral do resíduo salino sólido de tanques aquícolas abastecidos com resíduo da dessalinização.

O objetivo dessa pesquisa foi avaliar a composição mineral do resíduo salino sólido (RSS) proveniente de dez tanques aquícolas, colhendo-se três amostras por tanque. Foram determinados os teores de N, K, Ca, Mg, S, B, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Na, Cl, P, Ni, Pb, Cd, Cr. O RSS apresentou grande diversidade de elementos minerais, baixa concentração dos principais minerais presentes nos suplementos comerciais como o Ca e o P e heterogeneidade em suas composições com relação aos diferentes tanques. Foi ainda observada a presença de metais pesados, em que para o Pb e Cd os valores médios estão acima da faixa considerada normal, porém, em alguns dos tanques amostrados os valores são inferiores a faixa limite

Increased functional coupling of the left amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex during the perception of communicative point-light stimuli

Interpersonal predictive coding (IPPC) describes the behavioral phenomenon whereby seeing a communicative rather than an individual action helps to discern a masked second agent. As little is known, yet, about the neural correlates of IPPC, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging study in a group of 27 healthy participants using point-light displays of moving agents embedded in distractors. We discovered that seeing communicative compared to individual actions was associated with higher activation of right superior frontal gyrus, whereas the reversed contrast elicited increased neural activation in an action observation network that was activated during all trials. Our findings, therefore, potentially indicate the formation of action predictions and a reduced demand for executive control in response to communicative actions. Further, in a regression analysis, we revealed that increased perceptual sensitivity was associated with a deactivation of the left amygdala during the perceptual task. A consecutive psychophysiological interaction analysis showed increased connectivity of the amygdala with medial prefrontal cortex in the context of communicative compared to individual actions. Thus, whereas increased amygdala signaling might interfere with task-relevant processes, increased co-activation of the amygdala and the medial prefrontal cortex in a communicative context might represent the integration of mentalizing computations

Desempenho produtivo e características de carcaça de cabritos alimentados com diferentes proporções de concentrado.

O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar o desempenho produtivo e as características da carcaça de cabritos alimentados com quatro relações de concentrado e volumoso nas rações, tendo como volumoso o capim Elefante in natura picado. As proporções avaliadas foram: 80:20%; 60:40%; 40:60% e 20:80% de con-centrado e volumoso na matéria seca das rações. Foram utilizados 28 caprinos, machos, não castrados, da raça Saanen com peso corporal inicial médio de 9,3 kg distribuídos em quatro lotes de sete animais mantidos em baias coletivas. O delineamento experimental adotado foi o inteiramente casualizado com sete repetições. O aumento nas proporções de concentrado das rações proporcionou maiores pesos corporais finais, os ganhos de peso totais. Além disso, também foram obtidos maiores pesos e rendimentos de carcaça com as maiores doses de concentrado. Assim, tecnicamente é viável o uso de rações com elevado teor de concentrado para caprinos visando a terminação dos mesmos, porém a dose a ser utilizada deverá ser condicionada também em função do desempenho bioeconômico promovido pela suplementação

Composição química da carne de cabritos Saanen arraçoados com diferentes proporções de concentrado e volumoso.

O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar a composição química da carne de cabritos da raça Saanen submetidos a quatro relações de concentrado e volumoso (C:V) (80:20; 60:40; 40:60 e 20:80% de C:V) na matéria seca de rações, tendo o capim Elefante in natura picado como volumoso base. Foram utilizados 28 caprinos, machos, distribuídos em quatro grupos, em baias coletivas, sendo que, cada baia continha sete animais. O delineamento experimental adotado foi o inteiramente casualizado com sete repetições por tratamento. As variáveis analisadas foram os teores de matéria seca, proteína bruta, extrato etéreo e cinzas. Foram observados maiores teores de matéria seca (P0,05) pelas doses de concentrado. Assim, o incremento na proporção de concentrado nas rações elevou os teores de matéria seca da carne caprina

Halo Mass Functions in Early Dark Energy Cosmologies

We examine the linear density contrast at collapse time, $\delta_c$ for large-scale structure in dynamical dark energy cosmologies, including models with early dark energy. Contrary to previous results, we find that as long as dark energy is homogeneous on small scales, $\delta_c$ is insensitive to dark energy properties for parameter values fitting current data, including the case of early dark energy. This is significant since using the correct $\delta_c$ is crucial for accurate Press-Schechter prediction of the halo mass function. Previous results have found an apparent failing of the extended Press-Schechter approach (Sheth-Tormen) for early dark energy. Our calculations demonstrate that with the correct $\delta_c$ the accuracy of this approach is restored. We discuss the significance of this result for the halo mass function and examine what dark energy physics would be needed to cause significant change in $\delta_c$, and the observational signatures this would leave.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures. Accepted for MNRAS Letter