This study sought to test the hypothesis that normal children exposed to parental cigarette smoke have increased bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule (sICAM)-1. Cells and solutes from the lower airway of normal children were obtained by nonbronchoscopic BAL using three aliquots of 1 mL x kg body weight(-1) normal saline, prior to elective orthopae...

BACKGROUND We aimed to compare patient-controlled thoracic or lumbar epidural analgesia methods after thoracotomy operations. METHODS One hundred and twenty patients were prospectively randomized to receive either thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA group) or lumbar epidural analgesia (LEA group). In both groups, epidural catheters were administered. Hemodynamic measurements, visual analog scale...

BACKGROUND Gastroprotectant drugs are used for the prevention and treatment of peptic ulcer disease and might reduce its associated complications, but reliable estimates of the effects of gastroprotectants in different clinical settings are scarce. We aimed to examine the effects of proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs), prostaglandin analogues, and histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs) in different...

Easily performed prognostic rules are helpful for guiding the intensity of monitoring and treatment of patients. The aim of the present study was to compare the predictive value of the sepsis score and the Confusion, Respiratory rate (> or =30 breaths.min(-1)), Blood pressure (systolic value <90 mmHg or diastolic value < or =60 mmHg) and age > or =65 yrs (CRB-65) score in 105 patients with comm...

BACKGROUND Animals secrete allergens into the environment and exposure to these in the workplace may cause sensitization. AIMS To identify the frequency of animal allergen sensitization and symptoms in animal workers. METHODS Using skin prick tests (SPT), we assessed sensitization to 15 mammal and bird allergens in animal workers and controls. We also recorded symptoms and pulmonary functio...

BACKGROUND Timely primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) cannot be offered to all patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Pharmaco-invasive (PhI) strategy has been proposed as a valuable alternative for eligible patients with STEMI. We conducted a randomized study to compare the efficacy and safety of a PhI strategy with half-dose fibrinolytic regimen versus...

BACKGROUND Bile duct injury (BDI) remains the most serious complication of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). A Swiss database was used to identify risk factors for BDI and to assess the effect of intraoperative cholangiography (IOC). METHODS Data for patients from 114 Swiss institutions who underwent LC for acute or chronic cholecystitis between 1995 and 2005 were used in univariable and log...

BACKGROUND Daily aspirin reduces the long-term incidence of some adenocarcinomas, but effects on mortality due to some cancers appear after only a few years, suggesting that it might also reduce growth or metastasis. We established the frequency of distant metastasis in patients who developed cancer during trials of daily aspirin versus control. METHODS Our analysis included all five large ra...

PURPOSE Self-paced maximal testing methods may be able to exploit central mediation of function-limiting fatigue and therefore have potential to generate more valid estimates of peak oxygen uptake. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of a new method for self-paced peak performance testing on treadmills and to compare peak and submaximal performance outcomes with those obtai...