This book discusses a wide range of investigations and practice-oriented advances in pulmonary medicine and critical care. Pulmonary diseases are a major cause of hospitalization and mortality, affecting millions of people worldwide. Addressing a range of topics, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, sleep apnea, and lung cancer, the book offers insights into the disease mechanisms and risk factors, along with practical aspects concerning the maintenance of quality of life, adherence to therapy, and palliative treatment and care. Further, it explores diagnostic and treatment approaches to respiratory dysfunction and respiratory failure, highlighting the beneficial effects of good sleep quality in chronic pulmonary conditions and lung transplant patients. The book also presents novel experimental research on the cellular voltage-gated sodium channels in the mechanism of pathological cough, which is particularly relevant for future targeted antitussive therapy. Lastly, it addresses the epidemiological aspects of pulmonary infections. As such, this book is a valuable resource for medical scholars, clinicians, family physicians, and other professionals seeking to improve the management of respiratory diseases.

A host of neurotransmitters and neuroactive substances underlies respiratory regulation in health and disease. The centerpiece of investigations regarding adaptation to hypoxia and sensorial perception has been the dopaminergic system. It is now clear that a complex interaction among various neuroactive substances, rather than a single one, forms the basis of respiratory changes. The research on neurotransmitter interactions provides the knowledge of how the brain functions and a new level of understanding of mind-to-body connection, which opens up avenues for novel therapeutic interventions.

This issue of Sleep Medicine Clinics, guest-edited by Drs. Amen Sergew and Lisa F. Wolfe, focuses on Noninvasive Ventilation and Sleep Medicine. This issue is one of four selected each year by series Consulting Editor, Dr. Teofilo Lee-Chiong. Articles include: Obesity hypoventilation - Traditional vs Non Traditional Populations; Spinal cord injury; Peri-Operative Care and Medication Related Hypoventilation; Lifetime Care of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy; Management of Chronic Respiratory Failure in COPD - High and Low Intensity Ventilation; Management of Rare Causes Pediatric Chronic Respiratory Failure; Noninvasive Ventilator Management of ALS - Bulbar vs non Bulbar; Parsonage Turner; Noninvasive Ventilator Devices and Modes; Tailoring the Sleep Lab for Chronic Respiratory Failure; Long-Term Follow Up of Noninvasive Ventilation: Downloads and Troubleshooting; Extubating to Noninvasive Ventilation - NIV from ICU to Home; and From Tracheostomy to Noninvasive Ventilation - NIV from Long Term Acute Care to Home.

In a simplified form, epigenetics refers to heritable changes in phenotype that are not due to changes in the underlying DNA sequence. In this book, epigenetic mechanisms of regulation and dysregulation in health and disease are explored in great depth. Detailed chapters on epigenetic processes including DNA methylation and chromatin post-translational modifications including potential interventions with DNA methyltransferase inhibitors and histone deacetylase inhibitors are explored in initial chapters. These provide a detailed overview and important background to the entire field. The book is then focussed on epigenetic mechanisms involved in various diseases including anti-inflammatory and autoimmune conditions. Important accounts relating to the effects of epigenetics in metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and asthma are the focus of subsequent chapters. The role of epigenetic dysregulation in malignancy is a current topic of interest and represents an intense field of research. A large component of this book is dedicated to the analysis of aberrant epigenetic processes in carcinogenesis and cancer progression. Further, chapters are focused on emerging cancer prevention using nutritional components and anti-cancer therapies particularly with histone deacetylase inhibitors, which have already been approved for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. The emerging role of nanoparticle preparations, especially in the context of delivering potential epigenetic therapies to target cells in various diseases, is also explored in this book. Overall, this book encompasses a wide range of topics related to epigenetic mechanisms in health and disease and would appeal to anyone with an interest in epigenetics, chromatin biology and emerging epigenetic interventions and therapies.

This authoritative text is written by leaders in pulmonary rehabilitation. It is clearly written, logically organized, well referenced, and emphasizes evidence-based practice and a contemporary multidisciplinary approach. Offering unrivaled depth, this edition updates coverage of the benefits of pulmonary rehabilitation, therapeutic interventions, smoking cessation, exercise training, and much more as well as important research such as the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) report. This text prepares students for the Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) exam and the written registry and clinical simulations portions of the Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) exams. Information on existing techniques and procedures is expanded and updated in chapters on lung transplantation, functional performance assessment and training, and the management of pulmonary rehabilitation services. Illustrations, photographs, tables, and boxes address new and important information, reinforcing and simplifying the material. A hard cover and portable size offer durability and convenience. Reader-friendly features in each chapter include an outline, professional skills objectives, and a summary, allowing easy access to content and highlighting important concepts and ideas. New chapters covering new advances and discoveries in respiratory care: Systemic Effects of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorders Complementary Alternative Medicine for Patients with Chronic Lung Disease Pulmonary Rehabilitation and Lung Volume Reduction Surgery Management of and Reimbursement for Pulmonary Rehabilitation Services Exercise and Pulmonary Hypertension New and revised illustrations and photographs. Expanded coverage of patients with respiratory diseases other than COPD as well as pediatric pulmonary patients. New and revised pedagogy including chapter outlines and updated objectives Enhanced chapters Addresses the latest research and reports including The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) report recommending pulmonary rehabilitation.

Although asbestos was once considered a miracle mineral, today even the word itself has ominous implications for all strata of our society. Incorporated in the past into over 3000 different industrial and consumer products, as well as in building materials and military equipment, opportunities for exposure continue to be ever present in our environment. Of all of us who are potentially exposed, blue collar workers are at greatest risk.
Countless thousands of workers and servicemen in a wide variety of trades were disabled or have died consequent to the health effects of asbestos, and many more can be expected to be affected in years to come. Litigation continues, and financial awards in the billions have bankrupt many Fortune 500 companies and numerous smaller companies.
While one might implicate our forefathers in this widespread, relentless medical catastrophe, it has been only in recent decades that science has appreciated the complexities of the problem and the long latencies before the asbestos-associated diseases appear clinically. After all these years, prevention remains the hallmark of disease control, as modern treatments remain, to a large extent, futile.

This book presents original articles that report on new approaches and developments involving pulmonary disorders. Pulmonary health attracts public concern as lungs are the first line of defense of the organism against various contagions and are directly influenced by all too often unhealthy constituents of ambient air, which make them vulnerable to diseases. The articles deal with the pathogenic background and most relevant practical aspects of the widespread pulmonary disorders. Topics include the mechanisms and treatment options of sleep apnea syndrome, occupational exposure to carbon dioxide, and the research on prognostic factors in lung cancer. Another theme tackles quality of life in chronic pathologies and the psychosocial factors, often underestimated, having influence on lung function already in adolescence, and thus liable to shape adult pulmonary morbidity. Reports on the course of recent influenza outbreaks and a rather dismal state of anti-influenza measures top off the content. The volume is addressed to clinicians and researchers, pulmonary doctors, and other professionals engaged in patient care and therapy.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma, a malignancy due largely to asbestos exposure, represents an increasingly common challenge to clinical and medical oncologists, respiratory physicians, and cardiothoracic surgeons, as well as researchers in the field. The disease has yet to reach its peak and is expected to kill over 100,000 people worldwide. As malignant pleural mesothelioma gains in profile, Kenneth O'Byrne and Valerie Rusch present a comprehensive overview of the subject, aimed at all health care professionals who come into contact with patients with the disease. The book includes chapters on epidemiology, diagnosis, histopathology, radiology, surgery, chemotherapy, immune therapy, radiotherapy, and palliative medicine, written by an international team of contributors. A molecular biology section focuses on the carcinogenic effects of asbestos fibres and simian virus 40, angiogenesis and angiogenic growth factors, the immune response, and genetic abnormalities detected in the disease. Future therapies are also covered, as is a perspective on the distinct legal issues related to the disease. This highly-illustrated, full colour book provides the ultimate, timely resource on this devastating disease.

Both communicable and noncommunicable diseases of the respiratory system are an increasing healthcare problem despite medical advances. This book aims at unraveling the mechanisms and improving the treatment of pulmonary pathologies, ranging from such common conditions like influenza and related viral infections, functional lung dysfunction, to lung lesions and others. Chapters present late-breaking findings in the diagnostics, pharmacotherapy, and clinical evidence-based decision-making to provide results that can be used to improve healthcare and quality of life. Extending new knowledge and exploring recent medical advances, the book will hopefully help enrich research and clinical experience regarding important respiratory issues. The book is intended for general practitioners and all professionals engaged in the pulmonary field, from basic scientists to clinical investigators.

Dyspnoea (breathlessness) is an uncomfortable awareness of breathing that occurs in approximately 30-75% of terminal cancer patients. It is one of the most distressing symptoms for both patients and family members and can seriously impact on quality of life. Typically, dyspnoea is associated with congestive heart failure, end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or lung cancer. This book provides palliative care doctors and specialist nurses with practical guidelines to help manage and treat patients with breathlessness. It includes the science behind the symptom in an attempt to explain the pathology and physiology of this complex condition. The book has been organized to address generalized aspects of breathlessness in advanced illness and more specific aetiologies and managements relevant to particular underlying diseases. It summarizes the epidemiology and the pathophysiology of breathlessness, measurement, research approaches, rehabilitation and exercise, clinical approaches that can be taken at the bedside, pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches, and surgical interventions. The care of patients with dyspnoea requires input from a variety of disciplines such as palliative care, physiotherapy, respiratory medicine and nursing, and this is reflected in the multidisciplinary list of contributors.

Nanotechnology-based Targeted Drug Delivery Systems for Lung Cancer is an indispensable resource that will help pharmaceutical scientists and clinical researchers design and develop novel drug delivery systems and devices for the treatment of lung cancer. As recent breakthroughs in nanomedicine are now making it possible to deliver drugs, genes and therapeutic agents to localized areas of disease to maximize clinical benefit, while also limiting unwanted side effects, this book explores promising approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer using cutting-edge nanomedical technologies. Topics discussed include polymeric nanoparticles, solid lipid nanoparticles, liposomes, dendrimers, micelles and nanoemulsions.

Pulmonary disorders significantly contribute to the current level of disease burden. Effective disease management is essential for improving clinical outcomes and quality of life. This book highlights the issues involved with diagnosing and managing various pulmonary conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disorders, respiratory tract infections, including those developing as a sequel of antibiotic treatment, and others. Investigations on novel diagnostic procedures and potential biomarkers of diseases are discussed, along with disease presentations and management. Preventive measures related to lifestyle and air quality, with the implications on patients care, are tackled as well. Progress in clinical savvy is inseparably linked with getting an insight into the pathogenesis of a condition. This book presents views and information on the research developments in the rapidly changing field of pneumology. Target readership: clinicians and researchers, family practitioners, and trainees.

This is the second volume of the comprehensive, two-volume work on oxidative stress in lung diseases. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, it demonstrates the cellular and molecular mechanisms associated with ROS (reactive oxygen species)-induced initiation and progression of a variety of lung diseases, such as COPD, emphysema, asthma, cystic fibrosis, occupational pulmonary diseases and pulmonary hypertension and discusses points for therapeutic intervention. The book also covers translational research and the latest research on prevention and therapeutics. Each chapter includes in-depth insights into the mechanisms associated with lung diseases and into identifying targets for drug development. Bridging the gap between fundamental and translational research, and examining applications in the biomedical and pharmaceutical industry, it is a thought- provoking read for basic and applied scientists engaged in biomedical research.

Three times in the last century, influenza viruses have undergone major genetic changes resulting in global pandemics that had devastating effects. The most infamous pandemic was the "Spanish Flu" which affected up to 25% of the world population and is thought to have killed at least 40 million people. In 1997 and 2003, a new influenza A virus of H5N1 subtype emerged in Asia and was transmitted directly from birds to humans with lethal outcomes. Despite monumental efforts to contain them, the H5N1 viruses expanded their territory and caused a major outbreak in wild waterfowl in China in 2005. Despite extensive, coordinated efforts by various agencies and disciplines, both national and international, we are ill-equipped for a new influenza pandemic. In fact, it is highly unlikely that adequate supplies of vaccine for the H5N1 viruses will be prepared prior to the occurrence of the next pandemic. To combat the outbreaks that will undoubtedly occur in the near future, a better understandi

Clinical investigation plays an essential role in the differential diagnosis, biomarker development, and therapy and cure of diseases. The book presents a bench-to-bed approach, with broad empirical coverage by experienced practitioners. The articles include topics like cytokine receptors in lung cancer, conduciveness of oxidative stress to carcinogenesis, safety and effectiveness of surgical correction of deformed chest, diagnostic and treatment regimens in inflammation-ridden obstructive lung conditions, alterations in growth hormone secretion leading to disorders of growth and metabolism, microbiota transplantation in pediatric patients, and the promising markers of renal epithelial injury. Yet another issue concerns the restructuring of chronic pain management by establishing the community-based specialized pain clinics. The book aims to disseminate and deliberate on the latest interdisciplinary medical knowledge to enhance clinical outcomes. Being a blend of clinical investigation and practice the book is addressed to physicians, scientists, and allied health care professionals.

This book discusses normal sex-related differences in lung structure and function and the role these differences play in lung disease. New research on the effects of sex hormone signaling on specific cell types of the lung has begun to reveal how these hormones may drive or prevent lung disease. Expertly written chapters examine the effects of sex hormones on normal pulmonary structure and function, hormone signaling in lung health, and specific diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, pulmonary hypertension, and lung cancer. Gender, Sex Hormones, and Respiratory Disease: A Comprehensive Guide focuses on our current understanding and the gaps in research, with suggestions for future directions and implications for therapy. This book is a useful reference for pulmonologists and researchers and will prompt further inquiry aimed at improving overall lung health.

This book provides an overview of the latest experimental work on sex-based differences in lung function and inflammation. Readers will learn how these differences relate to individual predispositions for the development of lung disease in men and women, and in different stages of their reproductive lives. Further, the book focuses on diseases that predominantly affect women or men, with an emphasis on the physiological mechanisms underlying their pathobiology. In turn, these findings are complemented by chapters on recent studies, which investigate how circulating sex hormone levels impact the lung's innate immune response to environmental agents and air pollution. The pathogeneses of asthma and viral respiratory infection are also major focus areas. As an outlook, the book also discusses current and future research directions aimed at developing sex-specific therapies for lung disease. To examine these anatomical and physiological differences in the male and female respiratory systems, the authors employ a broad range of methods from molecular and clinical biology. Accordingly, the book will be a fascinating read for physiologists and clinicians alike.

Lung diseases are leading causes of death and disability globally, with about 65 million people suffering from COPD, and 334 million from asthma. Each year, tens of millions of people develop and can die from lung infections such as pneumonia and TB. Systemic inflammation may induce and exacerbate local inflammatory diseases in the lungs, and local inflammation can in turn cause systemic inflammation. There is increasing evidence of the coexistence of systemic and local inflammation in patients suffering from asthma, COPD, and other lung diseases, and the co-morbidity of two or more local inflammatory diseases often occurs. For example, rheumatoid arthritis frequently occurs together with, and promotes the development of, pulmonary hypertension. This co-morbidity significantly impacts quality of life, and can result in death for some patients. Current treatment options for lung disease are neither always effective, nor condition-specific; there is a desperate need for novel therapeutics in the field. Additionally, the molecular and physiological significance of most major lung diseases is not well understood, which further impedes development of new treatments, especially in the case of coexistent lung diseases with other inflammatory diseases. Great progress has been made in recent years in many areas of the field, particularly in understanding the molecular geneses, regulatory mechanisms, signalling pathways, and cellular processes within lung disease, as well as basic and clinical technology, drug discovery, diagnoses, treatment options, and predictive prognoses. This is the first text to aggregate these developments. In two comprehensive volumes, experts from all over the world present state-of-the-art advances in the study of lung inflammation in health and disease. Contributing authors cover well-known as well as emerging topics in basic, translational, and clinical research, with the aim of providing researchers, clinicians, professionals, and students with new perspectives and concepts. The editors hope these books will also help to direct future research in lung disease and other inflammatory diseases, and result in the development of novel therapeutics.

This book describes various aspects of current scientific interest in clinical developments and management of pulmonary pathologies. Non-communicable and communicable disorders are tackled. Chronic disorders of an inflammatory background, such as COPD and asthma, often overlapping, diagnostically and therapeutically misguided and always difficult to manage, are in focus due to an increasing prevalence across the age range. The authors dwell on the disease management, exacerbations, care and therapy, taking into account all too often overlooked psychosomatic determinants. Novel markers of pulmonary sarcoidosis, also an inflammatory disease, albeit of unknown etiology, are described. The outstanding lung images of cystic fibrosis are presented in another chapter. Finally, there are reports on the extent of the influenza scourge in Poland during the past 2016/2017 epidemic season. The book is addressed to clinicians, family physicians, medical scholars, and all professionals engaged in the preservation of respiratory health.

The impairment of lung function caused by environmental exposure to pollutants and toxicants is a rising health problem, particularly in highly industrialized parts of the world. The problem is urgently calling for the development of new methodologies to assess both the level of elemental exposure and the effects for quality of health and longevity. This volume provides state-of-the-art information about the recent advances in occupational and non-occupational pollutant-related disorders of the respiratory tract, and the assessment of a threat they pose for the health-span. Heavy traffic-related air pollution, unnoticeable but salient health detriment, is dealt with at length.

Respiratory function is a major determinant of the overall quality of health and well-being of an individual. This book runs the gamut of chapters devoted to chronic cough-related conditions in children and adults, health care quality and safety, environmental pollution health effects, efficiency of therapeutic approaches and a mutual dependence of respiratory and non-respiratory illnesses. An integrated approach to the investigation and treatment of sleep disordered breathing as well as the use of new and more efficient diagnostic strategies for pleural tuberculosis are presented. Chapters focus on translating science into practice, with an eye on presymptomatic identification of serious ailments for which there could be more effective therapy, leading to improved general health outcomes. This book includes chapters about disorders which will be of interest to clinicians, family practitioners and medical researchers.

Presenting the basic concepts and clinical implications of respiratory infection, with special emphasis on the role of the immune system, the field's leading researchers contribute detailed chapters on most of the major pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Their work will stimulate new research by microbiologists and immunologists, teach clinicians the interaction between microorganisms and the host, and provide health professionals with information necessary to evaluate public health procedures.