A detailed evaluation of acute respiratory decline in patients with fibrotic lung disease revealed a potential infectious cause in a minority of cases. Identification of a potential explanation for the decline did not influence outcomes in these patients.

We examined the effect of comorbid diabetes on outcomes in patients hospitalized with acute exacerbations of COPD. There was a trend towards increased length of stay and deaths in those with comorbid diabetes. Further studies are required to elucidate the reasons for poorer outcomes.

This clinical study provides evidence of the increased virulence of three of four Pseudomonas aeruginosa frequent epidemic clones infecting approximately half the adult population in an eastern Australian cystic fibrosis centre.

In smokers and COPD patients, the reticular basement membrane is highly fragmented, with clefts containing cells staining for the proteolytic enzyme, matrix metalloproteinase-9 and the fibroblast protein, S100A4. There is double staining for S100A4 and the mesenchymal marker, vimentin. These are likely hallmarks of active epithelial mesenchymal transition.

Concentrations of the innate immune biomarkers uPAR, PAI-1 and CAP18 were significantly higher in sputum of COPD patients compared with control subjects, and were associated with FEV₁%, SGRQ scores and 6MWD, suggesting they may be biomarkers of disease activity and progression, and potential therapeutic targets in COPD.

The study aim was to determine the effect of a large meal consumed prior to lung function measurement. No effect of meal on FEV₁, FVC, TLC or DL_CO was seen. This result does not support the recommendation that patients need to abstain from large meals prior to lung function testing.

This study in a high cardiovascular risk Chinese population is the first to directly compare home oximetry and nasal flow recordings (ApneaLink) with polysomnography for the diagnosis of moderate-severe OSA. It showed a high level of diagnostic accuracy for both signals but oximetry was the more technically reliable.

The relationship between pneumonia and cholinesterase inhibitor poisoning is rarely discussed in the literature. This is the first study reporting risk factors for early onset pneumonia in patients with cholinesterase inhibitor poisoning.

There are no precise and validated criteria for predicting community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). In primary care patients with suspected CAP are typically identified by symptoms and signs. This study showed that progression of symptoms was a significant factor for predicting the incidence of CAP.

Firefighters are at increased risk of adverse health effects, thus periodic examination of their respiratory health is important. The use of impulse oscillometry for the assessment of respiratory health of firefighters identified airways dysfunction in some, even when respiratory symptoms were absent and spirometry values were within the normal range.

For patients requiring mechanical ventilation for greater than 72 h, the drainage of large volume pleural effusions led to a 40% improvement in the PaO₂ and a 34% improvement in the PaO₂/FiO₂ (P:F) ratio within 30 min. The effects on the P:F ratio were maintained for 48 h after the procedure. Similar improvements were seen in A-a gradient, dead space fraction, ventilatory support and dynamic compliance. These improvements suggest that drainage of large effusions facilitate weaning from mechanical ventilation.

Self-reported exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, but not self-reported exposure to wood stoves, candles or gas cookers, was significantly associated with an increased prevalence of lower respiratory tract symptoms and decreased lung function.

Pleural pressure and pleural space elastance during therapeutic thoracentesis and the resulting changes in oxygenation were measured in mechanically ventilated patients with heart failure and transudative pleural effusions. Patients with smaller changes in pleural pressure and lower pleural space elastance showed greater improvement in oxygenation after therapeutic thoracentesis.