Amongst the myriad of problems that patients with severe neurodisability encounter is that of recurrent airway obstructions and intractable aspiration pneumonias due to dysfunction of the protective mechanism of the larynx. Here, we describe the use of total laryngectomy as a surgical option for these patients. Case was 24 year old male with severe cerebral palsy suffering from recurrent episod...

Histopathological classification schemes provide the underpinnings for separating idiopathic interstitial pneumonias into clinically meaningful groups. An interdisciplinary classification system based on a combination of evidence and expert opinion was published in 2002 and set the stage for controversy in several areas, including not only nomenclature but also the role of surgical lung biopsy ...

To the Editor—McCullers and colleagues [1] recently reported results of their studies of influenza and Streptococcus pneumoniae infection in ferrets. The findings documented that pneumococcal transmission was enhanced in ferrets previously infected with influenza: ferrets that were infected with pneumococci after—but not before—influenza infection developed lethal secondary pneumonias and other...

Community-acquired (CAP) and nosocomial pneumonias contribute substantially to morbidity hospital resource utilization. Hyponatremia, occurring in >1/4 of patients with CAP, is associated greater disease severity worsened outcomes.

OBJECTIVE The patient's sense of capability in mastering future challenges ("self-competence") represents an important therapeutic target. To date, empirical findings concerning the influence of the therapeutic relationship on perceived self-competence remain scarce. Against this backdrop, mutual associations between perceived self-competence, symptom distress and various relationship experienc...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE The management of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) depends, in part, on the identification of the causative agents. The objective of this study was to determine the potential of thin-section computed tomography (CT) in differentiating bacterial and non-bacterial pneumonia. PATIENTS AND METHODS Thin-section CT studies were prospectively examined in hospitalized CAP p...

Interpersonal problems are frequently a source of distress for individuals and the focus of psychotherapeutic interventions. A self-report circumplex measure, the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems Circumplex (IIP-C), was modified for this investigation to acquire peer report data on interpersonal problems to help assess the validity of self-reported problems. The peer report data replicated t...

The present study investigated the coupling effect of biodegradation and media filtration in treating hydrocarbon contaminated water. The study recorded reductions in total petroleum hydrocarbon, total dissolved solids, turbidity and microbial load. The study was essentially a simulated pump and treat process that involved the pumping of hydrocarbon contaminated water for treatment in a locally...