RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES To evaluate the correlations of tracheal volume and collapsibility on inspiratory and end-expiratory computed tomography (CT) with lung volume and with lung function in smokers. MATERIALS AND METHODS The institutional review board approved this study at each institution. 85 smokers (mean age 68, range 45-87 years; 40 females and 45 males) underwent pulmonary function ...

This study examined the outcome of 248 Waldenstrom macroglobulinaemia (WM) rituximab-naïve patients who responded to a rituximab-containing regimen. Eighty-six patients (35%) subsequently received maintenance rituximab (M-Rituximab). No differences in baseline characteristics, and post-induction categorical responses between cohorts were observed. The median rituximab infusions during induction...

BACKGROUND The amount of cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA in the blood (CMV load) may be a marker for detection of resistant CMV.METHODS. A total of 165 patients with AIDS and CMV retinitis had CMV load measurements (plasma and leukocyte) and cultures performed every 3 months; these measurements were correlated with CMV resistance to antiviral drugs and CMV retinitis progression (from masked readings ...

The goals of this study were to determine the frequency of trauma recidivism and to identify risk factors. The authors hypothesized that substance abuse and mental illness would be associated with recidivism. They performed a retrospective review of 879 patients who were treated surgically for high-energy fractures over a period of 4 years. Recidivism was defined as presentation to the trauma c...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Heart failure with preserved systolic function accounts for almost 40% of heart failure cases. Prognosis is similar to that in patients with a low left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). However, it is not clear whether the etiology of heart failure with preserved systolic function has an effect on prognosis. METHODS We assessed 95 consecutive patients admitted ...

OBJECTIVE To determine the independent impact of acute kidney injury (AKI) and renal replacement therapy (RRT) in infants and children who receive extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Despite continued expertise/technological advancement, patients who receive extracorporeal membrane oxygenation have high mortality. AKI and RRT portend poor outcomes independent of comorbidities and illness sever...

In diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), BCL2 expression usually correlates with the t(14;18) (q32;q21) in germinal center B-cell (GCB) subtype and with gain/amplification of chromosome 18q21 in the activated B cell-like subtype. Studies have suggested that the GCB subtype is less common in Chinese than in Western populations. We studied 124 Chinese DLBCL cases using immunohistochemical, conve...

OBJECTIVE To assess the role of inhibin B in the evaluation of male factor infertility. DESIGN Prospective study. SETTING Reproductive endocrinology clinic. PATIENT(S) Seventy-five patients with infertility problems (mean age 31.2 +/- 7.5 years) and 12 controls (32.1 +/- 8.8 years) with proven fertility. INTERVENTION(S) None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Semen analysis was performed accord...

BACKGROUND The prophylactic efficacy of statin pretreatment for the prevention of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) in patients undergoing coronary angiography (CAG) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remains controversial. The aim of the study was to perform a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to assess the effectiveness of short-term moderate or high-dose rosuvast...