Endobronchial tuberculosis (EBTB) is defined as a tuberculous infection of the tracheobronchial tree with microbial and histopathological evidence, with or without parenchymal involvement. Bronchoscopic appearances of EBTB have been divided into seven subtypes: actively caseating, edematous-hyperemic, fibrostenotic, tumorous, granular, ulcerative, and nonspecific bronchitic. However, information for establishing a definite microbiological diagnosis in each of these categories is lacking.

BACKGROUND: Patients with COPD face an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and increased cardiac mortality. Carotid femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV) is a validated measure of arterial stiffness, a well recognized predictor of adverse cardiovascular outcomes, and offers higher predictive value than classical cardiovascular risk factors. We investigated the association between COPD and arterial stiffness using cf-PWV as a noninvasive technique. METHODS: This clinical study was prospective, observational, and cross-sectional. Sixty-two subjects with stable COPD and 22 healthy controls underwent physical examination, chest x-rays, pulmonary function tests, arterial blood gas analysis, and 6-min walk test, and cf-PWV was measured via a validated tonometry system. RESULTS: The COPD subjects had greater arterial stiffness than the control subjects, and that difference was associated with lower FEV ₁ , P aO ₂ , and oxygen saturation during the 6-min walk test. We observed higher cf-PWV in the COPD subjects with severe COPD than in the subjects with mild to moderate COPD. Only FEV ₁ was an independent predictor of cf-PWV. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that arterial stiffness is increased in subjects with more severe and advanced COPD than in those with mild to moderate COPD. Air flow limitation and hypoxemia may induce increased arterial stiffness in COPD patients.

Limited data exist concerning the long-term (≥5 year) survival rates of patients with stage IIIB and IV non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) receiving chemotherapy. We aimed to determine the long-term results of cisplatin plus third-generation (vinorelbine or gemcitabine) cytotoxic chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced and advanced NSCLC. The study included 141 patients, and all patients were followed up from the time of diagnosis until death. The median age of the patients was 59.1±9.9 years. The male-to-female ratio was 124/17; 62.4% of the patients had stage IIIB and 37.6% had stage IV NSCLC. Squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma and undifferentiated NSCLC subtypes accounted for 69.5, 17.7 and 12.7% of the cases, respectively. The overall response rate was 32.6% and the median survival time was 12.3 months (95% CI, 10.2-14.5). The median survival times for stages IIIB and IV were 12.6±1.4 and 11.9±1.7 months, respectively. The 1-, 2-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 33, 7.5, 4.3 and 2.8%, respectively. In conclusion, cisplatin-based new-generation cytotoxic agents for combined modality therapy offer an increased hope of long-term survival for patients with locally advanced and advanced NSCLC.

Background: Biomass smoke is the leading cause of COPD in developing countries such as Turkey. In rural areas of Turkey, females are more exposed to biomass smoke because of traditional lifestyles. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the adverse effects of biomass smoke on pulmonary functions and define the relationship between duration in years and an index (cumulative exposure index) with altered pulmonary function test results. Participants and methods: A total of 115 females who lived in the village of Kağizman (a borough of Kars located in the eastern part of Turkey) and were exposed to biomass smoke were included in the study. The control group was generated with 73 individuals living in the same area who were never exposed to biomass smoke. Results: Twenty-seven (23.8%) females in the study group and four (5.5%) in the control group had small airway disease (P=0.038). Twenty-two (19.1%) females in the study group and ten (13.7%) in the control group had obstruction (P=0.223). Twenty (17.3%) females in the study group who were exposed to biomass smoke had restriction compared with ten (13%) in the control group (P=0.189). The duration needed for the existence of small airway disease was 16 years, for obstructive airway disease was 17 years, and for restrictive airway disease was 17 years. The intensity of biomass smoke was defined in terms of cumulative exposure index; it was calculated by multiplying hours per day, weeks per month, and total years of smoke exposure and dividing the result by three. Conclusion: Exposure to biomass smoke is a serious public health problem, especially in rural areas of developing countries, because of its negative effects on pulmonary functions. As the duration and the intensity of exposure increase, the probability of having altered pulmonary function test results is higher.

Peer reviewed article authored by (Sevket Ozkaya, Serhat Findik, Atilla Guven Atici). Read article or submit your manuscript for publishing.