This issue of Clinics in Chest Medicine, edited by Dr. Serpil Erzurum and Dr. Sumita Khatri, is devoted to several key areas of interest related to understanding Asthma and its treatments. Topics covered in this issue include: Epidemiology of the Asthma Epidemic in the 21st Century; Classification of Asthma; Genetics and Epigenetics of Asthma; Pro-Inflammatory Pathways in the Pathogenesis of Asthma; Dysfunction of Bronchomotor Tone Pathways in Asthmatic Airway Smooth Muscle; Systematic Approach to Asthma of Varying Severity; Comorbidities and Non-allergic Triggers in Asthma Exacerbations and Severity; Microbiome in Mechanisms of Asthma; Diet and Metabolism in the Evolution of Asthma and Obesity; The Exposome of Asthma; Life Cycle of Childhood Asthma; Asthma over the Adult Lifecourse, considering Gender and Hormonal Influences; Asthma and Corticosteroid Responses in Childhood and Adult Asthma; Immunomodulators and Biologics; Bronchial Thermoplasty; Population Health Models for Asthma; and The Future of Asthma Care: Personalized Asthma Treatment.

There is extensive literature available on pleural effusions and in recent years there has been significant developments in their diagnostic evaluation. The use of point of care ultrasound, pleural manometry, and medical pleuroscopy has expanded over the last decade. The goal of writing this book was to become a source or reference for clinicians who manage patients with pleural effusions. Pleural space contains minimal amount of fluid and physiological processes keep a constant equilibrium so that it remains as such. Pleural effusions develop as a result of processes that disrupt this fine balance, as in heart failure, infections, and malignancies, which account for majority of the pleural effusions. Besides these three common causes, pleural effusions cause symptoms in many other conditions, some of which are common regardless of the etiology of the pleural effusion, such as, dyspnea and cough. Diagnosing the etiology becomes important as management can vary depending upon the cause. In some situations, involvement of the pleural space portends a poor prognosis, such as in malignancies and treatment focuses on symptom relief. The chapters in thise book span over a wide range of topics involving pleural effusions. Initial chapters focus on clinical presentation, radiology, diagnostic evaluation, and classification of pleural effusions. There is a chapter on malignant pleural effusions, pleural infections and empyema, rheumatological causes of pleural effusions and tubercular and fungal pleural effusions. Pleural manometry is an important tool in the work-up of a trapped lung and an entire chapter is dedicated to this topic. Another chapter focuses on interventional procedures including pleuroscopy. The last two chapters go over cases of pleural effusions which cover many of the topics covered in the book. The book compiles recent literature on pleural effusions with an aim to help clinicians manage patients with pleural effusions effectively.

Get a quick, expert overview of the etiology, diagnosis, and management of pulmonary and extra pulmonary sarcoidosis with this concise, practical resource. Drs. Robert B. Baughman and Dominique Valeyre fully cover the recent advances in various aspects of this disease, including new genetic studies and new diagnostic techniques. It's an ideal resource for pulmonologists and respiratory medicine specialists, as well as primary care physicians and pulmonary/respiratory care nurses. Provides a comprehensive discussion of the various facets of sarcoidosis, including common manifestations of the lung, skin, and eyes, as well as other important aspects such as cardiac and neurologic disease. Covers newer diagnostic techniques for the lungs and elsewhere in the body, each discussed in detail and compared to older diagnostic techniques. Discusses treatment options including anti-inflammatory drugs, and management of other aspects of the disease, such as pulmonary hypertension, fatigue, and small fiber neuropathy. Consolidates today's available information and experience in this important area into one convenient resource.

Airborne allergies afflict millions of Americans, and are now the sixth leading cause of chronic illness. But now allergy victims can fight back with the most up-to-date information available anywhere. Learn the latest techniques for controlling symptoms through conventional medicines and diet, how to make your home allergen-free, and discover the exciting promise offered by lgE blockers and improved immunotherapy. Detailed discussions of allergy myths and how to find a physician who can offer real relief are also included in this essential guide.

This issue of Clinics in Chest Medicine, edited by Drs. Peter Marshall and Wassim Fares, focuses on Pulmonary Embolism, with topics including: Clinical Probability Tools for DVT, PE, & Bleeding; Prevention of DVTs and Pulmonary Emboli: General Measures and High-Risk Populations; Diagnosis of DVTs and PEs: New Imaging Tools and Modalities; Perfusion Defects Misdiagnosed as Pulmonary Emboli; The Vicious Cycle of Hypercoagulability and Pulmonary Hypertension; VTE in Special Populations; Preganncy and Thrombo-embolic Disease; Challenges and Changes to the Management of PE in the Emergency Department; The Value of Bedside Echocardiogram in the Setting of Acute & Chronic Pulmonary Embolism; Management of Low-Risk PE; Update on the 'Novel' and Direct Oral Anticoagulants; Risk Stratification: Definitive/Aggressive Treatment of Hemodynamically Stable but Intermediate Risk Patients; Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT); Surgical and Other Interventions for DVTs; IVC Filters; Catheter-Based Therapies of Pulmonary Emboli; Surgical-Based Therapies for PEs; and Chronic Thrombo-embolic Pulmonary Hypertension (CTEPH).

Designed with the practicing clinician in mind, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis provides a succinct, easy-to-digest overview of this challenging condition in which the cause of thickening lung tissue is unknown. This concise resource by Drs. Kevin K. Brown and Jeff Swigris provides essential information for the physician who sees pulmonary fibrosis patients, including epidemiology, genetics and biomarkers, pathology, diagnosis, disease monitoring, and therapeutics intended to improve the patient's lifespan and quality of life. Covers the process of making the diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, as well as IPF look-alikes: uncharacterized PF, CTD-ILD, and cHP. Details today's available therapeutics, including Rx, rehabilitation, O2, Tx, and treating comorbidities: OSA, GERD, and PH. Consolidates today's available information on this timely topic into one convenient resource.

This book is a practical guide to the diagnosis and management of tuberculosis. Presented in a step by step approach, the text provides the latest information in the specialty, guiding clinicians through the history of the disease, its epidemiology, pathogenesis and pathology, to clinical presentation, imaging, diagnosis, and treatment options. The book is enhanced by illustrations and figures, and provides a clear understanding of the management of the disease from a global perspective and the challenges associated with tuberculosis care. Key points Practical guide to diagnosis and management of tuberculosis Presented in a step by step approach, providing latest information in the field Includes illustrations and figures to assist learning Provides clear understanding of challenges associated with tuberculosis care

This issue of Chest Medicine Clinics focuses on Interventional Pulmonology, with topics including: Flexible bronchoscopy; Radiology for mediastinal lymph node station in lung cancer diagnosis and staging; Lung cancer screening; Early lung cancer detection; Palliative care and interventional pulmonology; Anesthesia for flexible and rigid bronchoscopy; Mediastinal and pulmonary pathology: Specimen collection and processing; Bronchial Thermoplasty: A nonpharmacological therapy for severe asthma; Bronchoscopic lung volume reduction; Malignant pleural effusion: From diagnostics to therapeutics; Intrapleural therapeutics; Percutaneous dilational tracheostomy; Tracheobronchial stenosis and Tracheobroncho malacia: diagnostic and therapeutic dilemmas; Pediatric interventional pulmonology; The Business of Bronchoscopy: How to set up an Interventional Pulmonology Program; Bronchoscopic therapies for peripheral lung malignancies; and Bronchial Thermoplasty: A nonpharmacological therapy for severe asthma.

Written by some of the world's leading practitioners - and pioneers - in the field, "Thoracic Endoscopy" is the first up-to-the-minute, expert reference for clinicians with a solid foundation in diagnostic bronchoscopy and chest medicine needing to extend their clinical expertise in response to two decades of rapid development.

"Thoracic Endoscopy" covers four key areas of practice:
advanced diagnostic bronchoscopy
the latest techniques for interventional bronchoscopy -- including the traditional rigid bronchoscopy techniques, ablative instruments and stents -- and a discussion of endobronchial lung reduction and gene therapy
a window to the pleura, covering the field of pleuroscopy and the advances in diagnosis and treatment
clinical problems and methodologies, and strategies for solving them using interventional techniques

"Thoracic Endoscopy" presents the only coherent guide to the full range of techniques and practice patterns, and is the essential reference for both experienced interventional pulmonologists and students beginning to practice in this rapidly-developing field.

This issue of Clinics in Chest Medicine focuses on Pulmonary Considerations in Solid Organ and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation. Editors Vivek Ahya and Joshua Diamond have assembled an expert team of authors on topics such as: Overview of HSCT Transplantation and future directions in treatment of hematologic malignancies; Early Pulmonary complications of HSCT and Prognosis of Respiratory FailureLate Pulmonary complications of HSCT; Overview of Lung Transplantation, Heart-lung transplantation, Lung-Liver transplantation and combined HSCT and lung transplantation; Primary graft dysfunction after Lung Transplantation; Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) in lung transplantation; Evaluation and Management of the potential lung donor (including EVLP); Acute rejection & antibody mediated rejection in lung transplantation; Chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD); Airway complications in lung transplantation; PTLD in solid organ and HSCT transplantation; Respiratory Bacterial and Mycobacterial Infections in solid organ transplantation and HSCT; Respiratory Viral infections in solid organ transplantation and HSCT; Respiratory Fungal infections in solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; Non-infectious pulmonary complications of Liver, Heart and Kidney Transplantation; Hepatopulmonary syndrome and portal- pulmonary hypertension in liver failure; implications for liver transplantation.

Presented as a large collection of case studies, this book is a complete guide to respiratory medicine for pulmonologists and trainees. Beginning with an overview of the respiratory system, history taking, and clinical examination, the next chapter discusses clinical data analysis. The rest of the book is divided into nine sections, each presenting at least eight clinical cases. Topics include: Respiratory Diseases Discovered Accidentally by Chest Radiology, Patients in Emergency with Respiratory Problems, Obstructive Airway Diseases, Respiratory Problems in Intensive Care Unit, Diffuse Parenchymal Lung Diseases, Tuberculosis, Pleural Diseases, Lung Infections, and Thoracic Malignancy. Each case follows a step by step approach and includes detail on diagnostic errors. X-Rays, CT scans, microscopic figures, and images of key clinical signs, further enhance the comprehensive text. Key points 101 case studies providing clinicians with comprehensive guide to respiratory medicine Provides detail on history taking, clinical examination, and clinical data analysis Each key topic features at least eight cases Highly illustrated with X-rays, CT Scans, microscopic figures, and images of clinical signs

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a ubiquitous and highly contagious virus belonging to the Paramyxoviridae family. RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and hospitalisation during the first year of life and it might be associated with an increased risk of recurrent wheeze, asthma as well as with decreased respiratory function in school-aged children. In Chapter One, the authors report the most updated evidences for the environmental prophylaxis and summarise current recommendations about targeted palivizumab immunisation and ongoing trials on RSV vaccine development. Chapter Two summarises the most recent literature regarding acute bronchiolitis to provide an evidence-based approach to the management and treatment of this disease. In Chapter Three, the authors review risk factors associated with hospitalisation and pediatric intensive care unit admission. The final chapter illustrates a practical, pathophysiological and step up approach to children affected by severe bronchiolitis.