Network News
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Nurturing health equity in smoking cessation care
Lung cancer stands as the leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally, with its prevalence casting a long and challenging shadow. The most important risk factor for lung cancer is tobacco use, a relationship strongly substantiated by data. The impact of smoking cessation to reduce lung cancer incidence is underscored by the US Preventive Services Task…
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Emerging role of biologics in COPD: A new direction
Remodeling of airways and destruction of parenchyma by immune and inflammatory mechanisms are the leading cause of lung function decline in patients with COPD. Type 2 inflammation has been recognized as an important phenotypic pathway in asthma. However, its role in COPD has been much less clear, which had been largely associated with innate immune…
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Management of severe respiratory viruses in 2024
Viral infections frequently cause acute respiratory failure requiring ICU admission. In the United States, influenza causes over 50,000 deaths annually and SARS-CoV2 resulted in 170,000 hospitalizations in December 2023 alone.1 2 RSV lacks precise incidence data due to inconsistent testing but is increasingly implicated in respiratory failure. Patients with underlying pulmonary comorbidities are at increased…
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Updates in evidence for rituximab in interstitial lung disease
Interstitial lung diseases (ILD) are a heterogeneous group of fibro-inflammatory disorders that can be progressive despite available therapies. The cornerstones of pharmacologic therapy include immunosuppression and antifibrotics. Data on the use of rituximab, a B-lymphocyte-depleting monoclonal antibody, often utilized as rescue therapy in progressive and severe ILD, was limited until recently. The RECITAL trial reported…
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Examining the past and looking toward the future: The need for quality data in interventional pulmonology
During the last decade, the explosion of technological advancements in the field of interventional pulmonary (IP) has afforded patients the opportunity to undergo novel, minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. However, these unprecedented technological advances have often been introduced without the support of high-quality research on safety and efficacy, and without evaluating their impact on…
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Seasonal variations in sleep architecture
Do you feel like you sleep worse in the spring and have more difficulty keeping your schedule on track? There are new data to support the way you feel based on our deeper understanding of seasonal variations in sleep architecture. Patients in a recent study had 43 minutes less total sleep time and approximately 30…
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Thoracic ultrasound advancements for the assessment and management of pleural disorders
Thoracic ultrasound (TUS) is standard of care for the detection of pleural effusion and guidance of pleural procedures. Recent advancements have further expanded the utility of TUS. TUS has better diagnostic performance than CT scan or chest radiograph for predicting complicated parapneumonic effusion (Svigals PZ, et al. Thorax. 2017;72[1]:94-5). This is likely because of better…
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Update on seasonal flu, RSV infections, and vaccines
November 12 marks World Pneumonia Day, and while it has long been recognized that viruses play a significant role in causing pneumonia, awareness has surged due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, with the advent of rapid molecular diagnostics, the contribution of respiratory viral pathogens in pneumonia has become clearer (Seema J, et al. N Engl…
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The crucial roles of inpatient vaccinations in preventing respiratory viral illnesses
In recent years, the importance of inpatient vaccinations against respiratory viral illnesses has become increasingly clear. As the world grapples with the ever-present threat of contagious diseases like influenza, COVID-19, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and other respiratory viruses, the significance of vaccinating individuals during hospital stays cannot be overstated. Notably, the rates of inpatient vaccinations…
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Updated pleural disease guidelines from the British Thoracic Society
After more than a decade, the British Thoracic Society (BTS) released updated guidelines for pleural disease (Roberts ME , et al. Thorax 2023; 78, s1-s42). Their focus includes spontaneous pneumothorax, undiagnosed unilateral pleural effusion, pleural infections, and malignant pleural effusion (MPE). Separate statements for pleural procedures (Asciak R et al. Thorax. 2023;78:s43-s68) and pleural mesothelioma…
