Cover Article
MRI Proves That Secondhand Smoke Causes Lung Damage
Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania have identified structural damage to the lungs caused by secondhand cigarette smoke.

Selected Articles

• Cortisol Levels May Predict CAP Outcome and Severity
• Pulmonologists Unaware of High Osteoporosis Risk in Patients With COPD
• Combining Available XDR Tuberculosis Interventions Could Increase Effectiveness
• Doctors’ Pessimism May Prevent ICU Admission
• Alloimmunized Plasma Donors Pose Greatest Risk for Transfusion-Related ALI

Cover Article
Do Public Smoking Bans Really Clear the Air for Nonsmokers?
Data from several recent studies published in the September 15 BMJ demonstrate that since smoke-free legislation was instituted in Scotland in March 2006, there have been dramatic decreases in nonsmokers' exposure to tobacco smoke and its carcinogenic byproducts.

Selected Articles

• Which Genetic and Environmental Factors Affect Asthma Outcomes?
• Pulmonary Embolism Can Be Excluded Without High Exposure to Radiation
• Oseltamivir in Environment May Spur viral Resistance
• ICU Patients Do Not Need a Daily Chest Radiograph
• Mortality Is Lower Among ALI Patients Cared for in Closed ICU

Cover Article
Updated National Asthma Guidelines Focus on Long-Term Disease Control
Asthma control, approaches for monitoring asthma, and patient education are among the topics revisited by the National Asthma Edcation and Prevention Program of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in the Expert Panel Report 3—the first comprehensive update of their guidelines in 10 years.

Selected Articles

• HapMap Provides Potential to Identify Genetic Markers of Respiratory Diseases
• Secondhand Smoke May Increase Risk of COPD
• Virochip Technique Detects Mew Viruses Implicated in RTIs
• Epoetin Alfa May Reduce Mortality in Certain Criticall Ill Patients
• Recommendation Validated for Early Sepsis Treatment in ED Patients

Cover Article
Air Pollution Causes Cardiovascular Damage Via Lung-Mediated Mechanisms
The American Heart Association (AHA) recently published a statement regarding potential biological mechanisms that link air pollution to cardiovascular diseases through direct effects of air pollutants on the lung. Two studies in the August 15 American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine provide evidence that explain how these mechanisms function, which in turn will guide efforts to reduce exposure to the most toxic pollutants.

Selected Articles

• Tight Glucose Control in the ICU – Risks May Outweigh Benefits
• Is Maximal Oxygen Consumption a Good Predictor of Lung Cancer Complications?
• Influenza Outbreak Detection Is Becoming Faster, More Detailed
• Man Versus Woman: How COPD Affects the Sexes Differently
• Spirometry for COPD Evaluation May Be Severely Underutilized

Cover Article
Diets Short on Fruits, Fish Can Impair Teens’ Lung Function
Investigators have identified yet another reason for kids to watch what they eat: High school seniors whose diets were low in fruit, vitamins C and E, and n-3 fatty acids were found to have decreased lung function and were at a greater risk for a number of chronic respiratory diseases. According to lead author Jane S. Burns, ScD, and a team of researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, the US Environmental Protection Agency, and Health Canada

Selected Articles

• Therapy-Induced Rash May Be a Sign of Longer Lung Cancer Survival
• Respiratory Symptom Frequency Has Significant Impact on Patients’ HRQoL
• Should Physicians Hold Off Longer on Initiating CAP Treatment?
• “Wake Up and Breathe” Strategy Safely Speeds Ventilator Weaning
• Anti–Blood Clotting Protein May Help Predict ICU Mortality

Cover Article
Does Marijuana Worsen COPD Symptoms in Cigarette Smokers?
Investigations into the potentially harmful effects of smoking marijuana have had conflicting results. A study presented at the 103rd American Thoracic Society International Conference has shown that smoking marijuana may in fact exacerbate respiratory symptoms in current tobacco smokers with COPD.

Selected Articles

• Lessons Learned from TORCH
• Obstructive Sleep Apnea May Lead to Endothelial Cell Death
• MRSA Transmission Increasing in an Urban Setting
• Does Nicotine Replacement Therapy Increase ICU Mortality?
• Tracheal Gas Insufflation Helps Improve Gas Exchange in Primary Severe ARDS

Cover Article
Web-Based Asthma Education Helps African-American Youths
Statistics provide evidence that African-Americans ages 15 to 24 would be ideally suited for intervention—specifically, a comprehensive asthma education program, said Christine L. M. Joseph, PhD, and colleagues in the May 1 American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Selected Articles

• New Pulmonary Rehab Guidelines Update ACCP/AACVPR Recommendations
• Nonobese Sleep Apnea Patients May Be At Risk for Factors of Metabolic Syndrome
• Health Care Workers Incur Occupational Risk for Asthma
• FDA Approves Respirators for Use in Public Health Medical Emergencies
• How Do Sex and Age Affect Bloodstream Infection?

Cover Article
Could $100 Million Change the Future of Sepsis Management?
One hundred million dollars is a lot of money, and just about any intensivisit would be pleased to have the opportunity to use these funds as he or she saw fit. Experts in the field were presented with this scenario at the Society of Critical Care Medicine's 36th Critical Care Congress.

Selected Articles

• Cause-and-Effect Relationship Between Obesity and Asthma Established
• Novel Procedure May Improve Asthma Control
• Concern Grows Over Drug-Resistant Influenza B Transmission
• Pressure-Cooker Work Schedules Lead to Burnout in the ICU
• New Technology Converts Lung Vibrations Into Real-Time Images

Cover Article
Can Natural Ventilation Prevent Airborne TB Infection?
The spread of tuberculosis (TB) in hospital rooms may be reduced most effectively by the simplest of strategies: opening windows and doors. A. Roderick Escombe, MD, PhD, and colleagues found that the risk of airborne TB contamination was significantly lower in naturally ventilated rooms than in rooms with mechanical ventilation.

Selected Articles

• Exercise Slows Long Function Decline in Current Smokers
• CT Screening May Not Improve Lung Cancer Outcomes
• Some Pneumonia Best Treated on Outpatient Basis
• Glutamine Use in the ICU: Pro, Con
• Do Pulmonary Function Tests Improve CABG Surgery Mortality?

Cover Article
C-Reactive Protein Is a Strong Predictor of COPD Outcomes
To determine whether chronic systemic inflammation significantly affects clinical outcomes in COPD, Børge G. Nordestgaard, MD, and colleagues conducted a cohort study on the ability of C-Reactive protein to accurately predict prognosis in persons with chronic airway obstruction.

Selected Articles

• "Incidental" Cancer Detection May Preserve Lung
• Should Endoscopic Ultrasound Be the First Test for Lung Cancer?
• CDC's Nonpharmacologic Flu Preparedness Plan
• Seasonal Variations Seen in Sepsis Incidence Rates
• Improving Communication Between ICU Physicians and Families of Dying Patients

Cover Article
COPD Should Not Be Overlooked in Young Adults
Research by Roberto de Marco, PhD, and colleagues provides further evidence that COPD is present, most likely in its earliest stages, in a relatively substantial proportion of persons in the 20-to-44 age-group.

Selected Articles

• In NSCLC, Do Women Have Better Survival Than Men?
• Exercise May Reduce Systemic Inflammation in COPD
• TB Guidelines to Address Latent Disease
• Patient Mortality Unaffected by Off-Hour Admission
• Hospital Transfers Bias Quality Measures

Cover Article
Nearly Half of Lung Cancer Surgery Patients Continue Smoking
Lung cancer surgery may not be a strong enough motivator for patients with a recent history of smoking to quit, according to findings by Mark S. Walker, PhD, and colleagues.

Selected Articles

• What Is the Relationship Between Methamphetamine Use and IPAH?
• Choosing the Right Candidates for Lung Transplantation
• Millions Would Die in Modern Flu Pandemic
• Adrenal Insufficiency in Severe Sepsis
• Intensive Insulin Therapy: Significant Benefits for ICU Patients?