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Patients with interstitial lung disease due to surfactant protein C (SFTPC) mutations are rare and not well characterised.We report on all subjects collected over a 15-year period in the kids-lung register with interstitial lung disease and a proven SFTPC mutation. We analysed clinical courses, interventions and outcomes, as well as histopathological and radiological interrelations.17 patients (seven male) were followed over a median of 3 years (range 0.3-19). All patients were heterozygous carriers of autosomal dominant SFTPC mutations. Three mutations ( p.L101P, p.E191 K and p.E191*) have not been described before in the context of surfactant protein C deficiency. Patients with alterations in the BRICHOS domain of the protein (amino acids 94-197) presented earlier. At follow-up, one patient was healthy (2 years), six patients were "sick-better" (2.8 years, range 0.8-19), seven patients were "sick-same" (6.5 years, 1.3-15.8) and three patients were "sick-worse" (0.3 years, 0.3-16.9). Radiological findings changed from ground-glass to increasing signs of fibrosis and cyst formation with increasing age. Empiric treatments had variable effects, also in patients with the same genotype.Prospective studies with randomised interventions are urgently needed and can best be performed in the framework of international registers. @ERSpublications Genotype alone does not predict the clinical course of surfactant protein C deficiency in children and young adults http://ow.ly/GRhCc

The effect of tubocurarine on the respiratory function of conscious, non-medicated volunteers was correlated with the degree of neuromuscular blockade measured with the train-of-four technique (the evoked response of the adductor pollicis brevis muscle to trains of four supramaximal ulnar nerve stimuli at 2 Hz, repeated once every 10 sec). Respiratory frequency, tidal volume, vital capacity, inspiratory force and peak expiratory flow rate were measured, (a) before administration of tubocurarine, (b) when the ratio of the amplitude of the fourth response to the amplitude of the first response of the train-of-four reached 60%, and (c) during recovery of the ratio until the control (100%) value was reached. Respiratory frequency, tidal volume and peak expiratory flow rate were not altered. Vital capacity and inspiratory force were both reduced significantly at the 60% level and the former also at the 70% level when compared with the control. The magnitude of change in all variables is of minor clinical importance, however, since the lowest measured values are well above acceptable minimum limits required for adequate respiratory function.

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Background: We investigated the anti-inflammatory potential of n–3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) on specific bronchial inflammation. Allergic asthmatics were challenged using a low-dose allergen provocation model. Methods: Our parallel double-blinded study randomly assigned 23 house dust mite-allergic asthmatics (aged 22–29 years; 13 females, 10 males) to dietary supplementation with either an n–3 PUFA-enriched fat blend (0.69 g/day) or placebo for 5 weeks. After 3 weeks, the patients were challenged daily with low doses of mite allergen for 2 weeks. Primary outcome parameters were effects on lung function (forced expiratory volume in 1 s, FEV₁) and exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) as a marker of bronchial inflammation. Results: Even before the bronchial challenge, eNO was significantly lower in the n–3 PUFA group (p = 0.014). Levels of eNO increased during allergen exposure in both groups, but differences in means were significantly lower in the n–3 PUFA group (p = 0.022). During the low-dose allergen challenge, there were no differences between the groups with regard to symptoms, FEV₁ or the allergen dose required to induce deterioration of lung function (PD₂₀). Numbers of sputum eosinophils did not differ significantly, while serum eosinophils (10.1 ± 0.1.84 vs. 5.79 ± 0.69%) as well as changes in eosinophilic cationic protein (20.5 ± 9.93 vs. –1.68 ± 4.36 ng/ml) and in vitro cysteinyl leukotriene release (2,889 ± 872 vs. 1,120 ± 173 ng/ml) were significantly lower in the n–3 PUFA group (p < 0.05 each). Conclusion: Our results provide evidence that dietary supplementation with n–3 PUFA is able to reduce bronchial inflammation even after low-dose allergen challenge.

The new, noninvasive, low-cost H pylori antigen test in stool can replace the UBT for detection of H pylori infection in children with comparable reliability and accuracy.