Jared Kaltwasser

Many patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) do not believe their cases warrant emergency department care.

This new study from Spain investigated risk factors for COPD among individuals without a smoking history.

Immunoglobulins, free light chains, and beta-2 microglobulin all show promise in tracking systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and other autoimmune diseases.

Patients with high eosinophil counts appeared to benefit from inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), while those with low counts did not.

High-risk patients and patients with a history of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) had significantly different cytokine profiles compared with patients with a low risk of the condition.

Several potential biomarkers have emerged, although most still require significant validation before they can be used in the clinic.

However, the differences did not translate into an increased or decreased death rate among the cohort.

A range of new non-serum biomarkers have been identified in recent years, but the authors of a new review urge caution until those markers are further validated.

A new report outlines helpful strategies for pediatric patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, although experts say more research is needed to catch up with advances in the field.

A small proportion of patients have symptoms of both asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A new report suggests there might be an intermediate phenotype.

Serum levels of 4 key cytokines were decreased after 8 weeks of mild exercise, compared with controls.

Central Mexican women and women from Yucatán both had risk factors for systemic lupus erythematosus, but they differed in type and degree of risk.

Two common models, the CURB-65 and BAP-65, had low predictive value in determining which patients with pneumonic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease would not survive.

The report builds upon existing research into metabolic biomarkers, identifying 14 differential biomarkers in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and skin involvement.

Investigators analyzed 12 categories of workplace agents, but only the composite category of pesticides was found to be linked with developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Although a number of biomarkers can be used to track features of pulmonary hypertension, no single biomarker is sufficient, according to a new review.

A lack of relationships with pulmonary rehabilitation providers and provider perceptions about patient acceptance serve as limiting factors, new research shows.

The new one-page tool can be completed about 20 minutes faster than the older form, but it is also more accurate, investigators said.

The screening tools were found to be feasible measurements and took just 7.6 minutes to complete on average.

According to a recent study, nearly 50% of patients with connective tissue disease, such as lupus, died when sepsis occurred.

Predictive markers may make it easier to figure out which patients require the often costly and invasive measures needed to confirm the coronary complication in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

In a small study, evidence suggested 8-Hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine levels negatively correlated with a test of exercise endurance.

Patients whose endurance increases will likely have a higher quality of life and ability to carry out daily functions, the authors said.

The report suggests remission and disease activity state alone are not the most important risk factors in pregnant women with well-controlled systemic lupus erythematosus.

Evidence suggests higher levels of iron in pulmonary macrophages heightens the risk of infectious exacerbations.

The research suggests a computed tomography-readable biomarker could help clinicians better understand individual cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

A new retrospective analysis proposes cutoff values that could help physicians identify patients at highest risk of severe kidney complications.

The study found 1 in 5 physicians felt acne had a negative impact on their working lives.

New evidence suggests macrophage regulation could be an important area of inquiry in systemic lupus erythematosus, but the research is in its early stages.

The 30-day readmission rate among patients receiving post-hospitalization at-home interventions was roughly half the rate of a control group.