Cover Article
TORCH Findings Support Combination Therapy for COPD
In the Towards a Revolution in COPD Health (TORCH) study, the results of which were discussed at CHEST 2006, Peter M. A. Calverly, MB, ChB, and colleagues found that combination therapy with fluticasone and salmeterol reduced all-cause mortality in COPD patients by 17.5% over three years.

Selected Articles

• Annual CT Scans Offer Early Lung Cancer Detection, High Survival Rate
• Halving Cigarette Consumption Confers Little Health Benefit
• Flu Season is Major Hurdle for COPD Patients
• New Serum Marker Predicts Death From Pneumococcal Bacteremia
• Daily Procalcitonin Measures May Gauge Mortality Risk in Critically Ill

Cover Article
Can Statins Slow Lung Function Decline in Smokers?
Smoking cessation has traditionally been the only therapy shown to slow the progression of COPD and other inflammatory pulmonary diseases, but recent findings suggest a new treatment. The potentially anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activity of statins could protect against smoking-induced lung damage in both current and former smokers.

Selected Articles

• Do Inhaled Corticosteroids Decrease Mortality in COPD?
• Infliximab Shows Some Promise in the Treatment of Asthma and Sarcoidosis
• Need for Greater Accuracy, Convenience Is Leading to New TB Tests
• Infection Transmission From Previous ICU Occupant
• Computerized Protocol May Reduce Weaning Time and ICU Stay

Cover Article
Is Occupational Asthma Being Overlooked?
Clinicians who manage adults with newly diagnosed asthma do a poor job documenting occupational factors that may have precipitated the development of asthma. Thus, occupational asthma may be underdiagnosed and undermanaged.

Selected Articles

• Inhaled Tiotropium Found Effective for Preventing COPD Exacerbations
• Oropharyngeal Symptoms and Inhaled Corticosteroids
• Health Care Workers Who Test Positive for TB
• Procalcitonin and CRP Predict Survival in VAP
• Are Heat and Moisture Exchangers a VAP Risk Factor?

Cover Article
Common Household Products May Reduce Lung Function
The volatile compound 1,4-DCB is commonly used in mothballs, air fresheners, and toilet bowl deodorizers and has been found to significantly decrease lung function in persons haveing chronic exposure to the chemical.

Selected Articles

• Can MRI Detect Emphysema Before Symptoms Appear?
• Better Communication Needed Between Physicians and Asthma Patients
• P aeruginosa Increases Mortality in HAP
• Enteral Feeding—When Is the Best Time?
• Tifacogin and Survival in Sepsis

Cover Article
Routine Spirometry in Primary Care Settings—A Good Idea?
Office spirometry is feasible in primary care settings, but its use by GPs begins to progressively decline within a few months.

Selected Articles

• The Impact of Vitamin D on Lung Health
• The Deadly Effects of Air Pollution—No Safe Levels of Particulate Matter
• Putting Pneumonia Guidelines Into Practice
• Can CT Improve the Detection of Bronchiolitis After Lung Transplant?
• Predicting Severe Sepsis in CAP Patients

Cover Article
Medical History, Genetics Can Help Predict Lung Cancer Risk
A new risk assessment model identifies history of emphysema, smoking, and suboptimal DNA repair of smokingÐrelated damage as risk factors for lung cancer.

Selected Articles

• In ALI/ARDS, Use Less Invasive Catheters, Smaller Amounts of Fluids
• ACCP Recommendations for Cough
• Pneumonia Severity Scores—Which Are Best?
• Inhaled Cyclosporine Preserves Posttransplant Lung Function
• Corticosteroids in the Critically Ill—Proceed With Caution

Cover Article
Tobacco Smoke Causes Many Cancer Deaths in US Asians and Pacific Islanders
Cancer mortality rates and disparities in those rates among US Asians/Pacific Islanders are closely related to the levels of tobacco smoke exposure in these individuals.

Selected Articles

• State of the Art Sleep Medicine—An Interview With Nancy A. Collop, MD
• Hyperglycemia in COPD—Worth Checking Out
• WHO Goal—Eliminate Tuberculosis by 2050
• Corticosteroids Do Not Prolong Survival in ARDS
• Open-Chest Lung Recruitment Maneuvers
• Plasma BNP Helps Trace the Origin of Pulmonary Edema

Cover Article
Avian Influenza Vaccine Shows Immune Responses in Healthy Adults
Results from the largest avian influenza vaccine study to date showed an immune response considered protective against avian influenza (H5N1) in about half of study participants who were given the highest dose of inactivated influenza A vaccine.

Selected Articles

• The Predictive Power of C-Reactive Protein
• An Easy Way to Determine Risk of MRSA/VRE Carriage
• Early Goal-Directed Therapy in Action
• A Look at the Future of Critical Care
• Rapid Shallow Breathing Index Useful in Ventilator-Weaning Management

Cover Article
Spanish-Language Guidelines Improve Asthma Management
Adherence to Spanish-language guidelines among Hispanic patients with asthma results in improved commitment to treatment of the condition and substantially reduces asthma-related health care costs.

Selected Articles

• The Benefits of Using Noninvasive Ventilation
• Screening Test Rapidly Identifies Patients With MRSA
• Guidelines and Patient Preferences Differ for Obstructive Sleep Apnea
• Methylprednisolone Speeds Recovery From ARDS
• Enterally Administered Antioxidants in Sepsis
• Vasopressors, Inotropes Not Used Consistently in Septic Shock

Cover Article
Family Presence During CPR and Invasive Procedures
Numerous studies have shown that the presence of family members during invasive procedures and CPR is beneficial both for patients and their loved ones. Despite this, many emergency departments and ICUs have no written policies addressing family presence.

Selected Articles

• Angiopoietin’s Role in Sepsis-Related ARDS
• Health Care-Associated Pneumonia Is a Distinct Disease
• Vitamin D and the Lungs—What’s the Connection?
• Whole-Body Rehabilitation for Patients on Long-Term Mechanical Ventilation
• Should Nurses Administer Insulin in the ICU?
• Mechanical Ventilation Consensus Statement

Cover Article
Assessing Community-Acquired Pneumonia Severity
Two tools for assessing community-acquired pneumonia—the CURB-65 score and the CRB-65 score—recently underwent validation testing and were found to be accurate at gauging patients' risks of pneumonia-related complications.

Selected Articles

• Are Serial CT Scans in Cystic Fibrosis a Good Idea?
• Updated Practice Parameter Aims to Optimize Asthma Control
• Correlation Found Between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Cholesterol Levels
• Antibiotic Use in Children With Sore Throat—When It's Appropriate, and When It's Not
• Ventilator-Associated Infections—Causes and Strategies for Control
• How Does Hepcidin Contribute to Anemia of Inflammation?

Cover Article
Cough—The Most Common Reason for Seeking Medical Care
A new guideline issued by the American College of Chest Physicians defines acute, subacute, and chronic cough. In addition, the guideline covers cough occurring in bronchial disease, infections, cancer, and fibrosis and addresses unexplained cough.

Selected Articles

• The Impact of Sleep-Disordered Breathing on Other Airway Diseases
• Can Circulating Cytokines Predict Pneumonia Hospitalizations?
• Antibody Profiling to Test for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
• ARDS—Defining a Diagnosis
• Which Humidification Systems Carry the Lowest Risk of VAP?