Cover Article
New Approaches Combat Anthrax's Deadly Effects
Our nation's recent experience with anthrax spread via mail demonstrates only too well the limitations of currently available treatments for advanced stages of this infection. Novel therapies are on the horizon, however. Although these approaches have been tested only in animal models, they may lead to new tools for battling anthrax's toxic action.

Selected Articles

• Inhaled Steroids and Bone Loss
• PE Risk Increases the Farther You Fly
• Specialists Provide Better Asthma Care
• Harnessing Natural Defenses Against Septic Shock
• New Thermodilution Technique is Simple and Precise
• Fluoroquinolone-Resistant Pneumococci Are In The US
• Literature Monitor

Cover Article
Smooth Muscle Constriction a Vital Asthma Component
Recent efforts to understand and treat asthma have often focused on its inflammatory aspects. Two new studies, however, highlight the importance of airway smooth muscle constriction in the disease.

Selected Articles

• Steel Mill Particulates Induce Lung Inflammation
• Classifying Pleural Effusions During Diuresis
• Does Bacteremic Pneumococcal Pneumonia Require One Antibiotic or Two?
• International Consensus Conference Clarifies VAP Management
• Predicting INR Decline After Excessive Warfarin
• Does Prone Positioning Reduce Mortality in Acute Lung Injury?
• Literature Monitor

Cover Article
Lung Dysfunction Linked to Vascular, Heart Disease
A strong association exists between reduced lung function and two serious cardiovascular conditions, new French and Swedish studies have shown. One study found a link between diminished peak expiratory flow and carotid atherosclerosis; the other established an association between decreased forced expiratory volume in one second and ventricular arrhythmias.

Selected Articles

• CAP Guidelines Have Many Similarities and Some Differences
• LVRS in High-Risk Emphysema Patients: More Harm Than Good
• The National Impact of Severe Sepsis
• New Atrial Fib Guidelines Target Patients With Pulmonary Disease
• Intubate Early in Neuromuscular Respiratory Failure
• Literature Monitor
• Conference News Update: Associated Professional Sleep Societies 15th Annual Meeting

Cover Article
Genome Project Spurs New Discoveries in Pulmonology
Research inspired by mapping of the human genome has already sparked important discoveries in pulmonary medicine. By studying gene and protein expression in pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary fibrosis, and endotoxin-induced lung injury, for example, experts have gained knowledge that could someday lead to gene therapies.

Selected Articles

• Hopkins Cited After Research Death
• Antihypertensives Safe for ICH Patients; Efficacy Still Uncertain
• Impact of Bacteremia on Outcome
• Suction or Water Seal: Which Is Better for Air Leaks?
• Conference News Update: Third Triennial World Asthma Meeting
• Literature Monitor
• Newly Discovered Respiratory Virus Is Widespread

Cover Article
Wildfires Threaten Respiratory Health
Vegetation burned either in wildfires or in the household for cooking or heating can significantly contribute to respiratory disease. However, certain strategies may make it possible to mitigate smoke’s effects on respiratory health.

Selected Articles

• NETT Advantage: More Than Just Emphysema Treatment Data
• Anti-TNF-Alpha Agents Are Effective Against Chronic Sarcoidosis
• ARDS Outcomes: Looking Beyond the ICU Doors
• Experts Debate CVP’s Role in Fluid Management
• Assessing Pleural Plaques From Asbestos Exposure
• Conference News Update: 101st General Meeting of the American Society of Microbiology
• Literature Monitor

Cover Article
COPD Guidelines Go Global
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide, yet it remains underdiagnosed and is often inappropriately treated. In an international effort to raise awareness of COPD and improve its management, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and World Health Organization have undertaken the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease.

Selected Articles

• Avoid Treating Most URIs With Antibiotics
• AMA Report Addresses Needlestick Prevention
• Changes in Peak Aortic Velocity Predict Response to Volume Expansion
• Guidelines Reflect Antithrombotic Therapy's Rapid Change
• Conference News Update: American Thoracic Society's 97th International Conference
• Smoking Cessation Success May Depend on Genetics
• Literature Monitor

Cover Article
Update on Spontaneous Pneumothorax Treatment
The paucity of data from large, randomized clinical trials and of clearly defined, evidence-based guidelines has led to widely varying approaches to the management of spontaneous pneumothorax. The publication of new recommendations developed by the American College of Chest Physicians could change that.

Selected Articles

• Surgeon General's Report: Women and Smoking
• Surveys Assess the Societal Burden of COPD
• Bacterial Genomes Reveal Deadly Armories
• Managing Pain at the End of Life
• Biotrauma: A Newly Recognized Side Effect of Ventilation
• Literature Monitor

Cover Article
Study: Fewer Cars Equal Fewer Asthma Exacerbations
The 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta provided researchers with a rare opportunity to observe the positive impact that decreased automobile traffic can have on pediatric asthma. Because of citywide efforts to reduce such traffic during the games, the rate of childhood asthma episodes requiring acute care fell dramatically.

Selected Articles

• Feds Release Action Plan to Control Antimicrobial Resistance
• Misplaced Endotracheal Tubes a Common Problem
• Herbs and Prescription Drugs Don't Always Mix
• Red Blood Cells for Critically Ill Cardiac Patients: When Is Best?
• Which Factors Predict Shock in Febrile Patients With Infection?
• Literature Monitor

Cover Article
New Asthma Therapies Fall Short of Expectations
Investigators are disappointed with the clinical trial results of two promising allergic asthma therapies that suppress eosinophilic inflammation. Neither an interleukin 5 monoclonal antibody nor recombinant human interleukin 12 significantly altered airway hyperresponsiveness or the late asthmatic response.

Selected Articles

• Tobacco Control Programs: What Works, What's Possible
• New Evidence-Based Report Tackles Acute COPD
• Physician Shortage Looms in Pulmonary and Critical Care
• Does Hypothermia Improve Outcomes After Brain Injury?
• Multidrug-Resistant S pneumoniae Increases; Prevention Is Key
• Literature Monitor

Cover Article
New Approaches to Smoking Cessation Show Promise
Two new interventions for tobacco dependence are being investigated, and the preliminary findings look promising. One is a pill that blocks nicotine metabolism; the other is a vaccine that prevents nicotine from reaching the brain.

Selected Articles

• Inhaled Steroids: Useful for COPD?
• Fibrinogen Just One Piece of the Stroke/OSA Puzzle
• Blame the Nose for S Aureus Bacteremia?
• New Sepsis Drug Proves Impressive in Phase III Trial
• Assisted Ventilation: Rating the Modes for Maximum Comfort
• Literature Monitor

Cover Article
Early Discharge Is Safe for Some COPD Patients
Many patients with acute COPD exacerbations can be safely discharged from the hospital earlier than is commonly thought--as long as treatment is continued at home under supervision.

Selected Articles

• Anti-IgE Antibody Gets High Marks From Patients and Physicians
• Exploding the Myth of "Renal-Dose" Dopamine
• Hyperbaric Oxygen for CO Poisoning: Has the Jury Reached a Verdict?
• ACCP Previews New Weaning Guideline
• Lung Dysfunction and Sepsis Outcome
• Literature Monitor

Cover Article
Auto Crashes Linked to Delays in Sleep Disorder Diagnosis
Drivers who are habitually sleepy have a 13-fold higher risk of having a car accident than do well-rested drivers. And among patients with obstructive sleep apnea, a disproportionate number of car accidents (and other adverse events) occur during the waiting period between referral to a sleep disorders center and performance of nocturnal polysomnography.

Selected Articles

• Potential Biochemical Marker for NSCLC Is Identified
• Should Healthy Adults and Children Get Flu Shots?
• New Insights Into Exogenous Surfactant Use in Neonates
• Late Failure During Noninvasive Ventilation: What to Do?
• Spiral CT: A Straight Path to PE Diagnosis?
• Identifying Inadequate Cardiac Response to Anemia
• Literature Monitor
• Systemic Absorption of Inhaled Steroids Not Uniform