AMERICAN THORACIC SOCIETY NEWS TIPS FOR SEPTEMBER
TWO DIFFERENT PATHOLOGIES IN SEVERE ASTHMA
Severe asthma is composed of at least two different pathologic subtypes based on the presence or absence of eosinophils--a variety of white blood cell that functions in allergic response. In a study by researchers at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center, Denver, Colorado, 14 severe asthmatics had few, if any eosinophils, while 20 had high levels of "classic" eosinophilic asthmatic inflammation, despite their regular use of high doses of corticosteroids. According to the investigators, the eosinophil-plus patients had a much higher incidence of respiratory failure and use of mechanical ventilation. The researchers believe their findings could have considerable impact on potential clinical options for severe, treatment-resistant asthma. According to the investigators, future treatment approaches should take into account either the differences in pathology or should attempt to treat the few similarities between the two groups. The study appears in the September issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
INTERFERON PRODUCTION HALTS MALIGNANT MESOTHELIOMA IN MICE
Locally-produced interferon, engineered by gene-transfer methods, can prevent tumor growth in a mouse model of human malignant mesothelioma without causing obvious side-effects. Malignant mesothelioma (MM) in humans, which results from prior exposure to asbestos, after being latent for 15 to 40 years, usually causes death within nine months of diagnosis. Not only did the interferon induce systemic immunity in the mouse model of MM, it also exhibited antitumor effects against a second cancer growing at a distant site. The research is published in the September issue of the American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology.
ATS CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES ON DIAGNOSIS OF ACUTE VENOUS THROMBOEMBOLISM
Deep vein thrombosis of the lower extremities cannot be diagnosed based on a patient's history or physical examination until objective tests either corroborate or rule out the problem, according to an ATS expert panel. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) involves clotting within a deep vein, usually in the legs. Obstruction of the pulmonary artery or one of its branches by a blood clot that originates in the leg vein or the pelvis is a complication of DVT. The Guidelines note that more than half of thrombosis cases are never diagnosed, and estimate the disease affects more than 600,000 Americans per year. The expert panel urges the use of non-invasive techniques to detect both DVT and pulmonary embolism. The report appears in the September issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
For the complete text of the articles, see the ATS Journal Online WebSite at www.atsjournals.org. To request complimentary journalist access to the site, or to be put on a mailing list for a monthly ATS Media Memo and News Briefs, please contact Lori Atkins at (212) 315-6442, by fax at (212) 315-6455, or at [email protected].
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