Exhaled pH, exhaled nitric oxide, and induced sputum cellularity in obese patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

Airway inflammation plays an important role in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome as well as in obesity. Increasingly, researchers are studying airway inflammation noninvasively and are studying the new markers of airways inflammation.The aim of this study was to measure pH in the exhaled breath condensate (EBC), the exhaled nitric oxide (NO), and the inflammatory cell profile in the induced sputum of obese patients with and without obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). The pH in EBC, the exhaled NO, and the induced sputum cells were measured in 30 obese patients with OSAS (OOs), in 20 obese patients without OSAS (ONOs), and in 10 healthy patients (HPs). Levels of pH in EBC were lower in OOs and in ONOs than in HPs. Furthermore, the concentrations of exhaled NO and the percentages of neutrophils in the induced sputum were greater in OOs and in ONOs than in HPs. No significant differences were found between OO and ONO for other measurements of airway inflammation. This study shows the presence of airway's inflammation in obese patients with and without OSAS and indicates that the "exhaled acidopnea" as well as exhaled NO and sputum neutrophils are good tools to measure airway inflammation in these subjects.     

Clinical “case series”: a concept analysis

Objectives

To analyze the concept of “case series” in the medical literature compared with case reports.

Methods

A PubMed search for articles published during 2009 which had “case series” in their title was performed. A total number of 621 articles were retrieved. 586 papers were included in the analysis and 35 were excluded (18 were commentary letters, 5 were not in English, and twelve could not be retrieved by our Library). The number of patients and category of these articles were analyzed.

Results

The median (range) of the number of cases of articles having “case series” in their title was 7 (1–6432) cases. 186/ 586 articles had less than 5 cases (31.7%, 95% CI (28.3–35.1%)). The median (range) of the number of cases of articles having “case report” as their publication type was 4 (1–178) cases. Out of the 219 articles categorized as case reports 114 (52.1%, 95% CI (45.6–58.6%)) had less than five cases.

Conclusions

The concept of “case series” is not well defined in the literature and does not reflect a specific research design. We suggest that a case series should have more than four patients while four paitents or less should be reported individually as case reports.     

Breakthrough Pain in Patients Referred to Pain Clinics: The Italian Pain Network Retrospective Study

Introduction

Despite breakthrough pain (BTP) being one of the most severe forms of pain, there are no definitive data on its prevalence.

Methods

The authors performed a retrospective survey of the prevalence of BTP in consecutive patients in four Italian pain clinics, subsequent to application of an Italian law mandating detailed clinical records on pain characteristics, treatment, and results. Mean pain intensity was assessed with a numerical rating scale from 0 to 10.

Results

The authors analyzed records of 1,401 patients (58% women, 33.1% patients with cancer). Transient episodes of severe pain or BTP were referred by 790 patients (56.4%), including 58.2% of the men (342 of 588) and 55.1% of the women (448 of 813). Among the 464 patients with cancer, 70.3% reported daily exacerbation of pain. The mean BTP intensity was 8.31 ± 1.58 and 31.1% of patients reported experiencing three episodes per day.

Conclusion

Despite some limitations of the study, the authors show that transient episodes of severe pain or BTP are significantly present both in cancer and other diseases, and that many patients are not yet receiving appropriate opioid therapy. The authors need validated tools at international level for the diagnosis and treatment of BTP in patients with cancer and for transitory and patients with severe non-cancer pain. A survey at national level is needed to estimate the prevalence of BTP in different settings, to plan specific medical education.     

Osteoprotegerin induces morphological and functional alterations in mouse pancreatic islets

Although serum osteoprotegerin (OPG) is significantly increased in diabetic subjects, its potential role in beta cell dysfunction has not been investigated. This study aimed to assess the effect of full-length OPG administered in vivo in mice on pancreatic islet structure and function and its interaction with the renin–angiotensin system (RAS).     

Palmitoylethanolamide in the treatment of chronic pain caused by different etiopathogenesis

Objective. To assess the efficacy and safety of palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), an endogenous fatty acid amide belonging to the N-acylethanolamines family, in reducing pain severity in patients with pain associated to different pathological conditions. Methods. This was an observational study conducted on 610 patients who were unable to effectively control chronic pain with standard therapies. PEA (600?mg) was administered twice daily for 3 weeks followed by single daily dosing for 4 weeks, in addition to standard analgesic therapies or as single therapy. The primary outcome measure was the mean score pain severity evaluated by the numeric rating scale. Safety was also evaluated. Results. PEA treatment significantly decreased the mean score pain intensity evaluated in all patients who completed the study. The PEA effect was independent of the pain associated pathological condition. PEA-induced decrease of pain intensity was present also in patients without concomitant analgesic therapy. Importantly, PEA showed no adverse effects. Conclusions. In this study, PEA was effective and safe in the management of chronic pain in different pathological conditions.     

Combination of ECMO and cytokine adsorption therapy for severe sepsis with cardiogenic shock and ARDS due to Panton–Valentine leukocidin—positive <Emphasis Type="Italic">Staphylococcus aureus</Emphasis> pneumonia and H1N1

Sepsis-induced cardiogenic shock in combination with severe acute respiratory failure represents a life-threatening combination that is often refractory to the conventional methods of treatment. We describe the case of a 33-year-old patient who developed acute cardiovascular collapse and ARDS secondary to superinfection of Panton–Valentine leukocidin—positive Staphylococcus aureus and H1N1 pneumonia who underwent successful combination therapy for severe sepsis-related cardiomyopathy and respiratory failure using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and cytokine adsorption therapy.