Publications
Department of Medicine faculty members published more than 3,600 peer-reviewed articles in 2024.
Rictor/TORC2 regulates Caenorhabditis elegans fat storage, body size, and development through sgk-1.
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BACKGROUND
Serum surfactant protein (SP) A and SP-D had prognostic value for mortality in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in prior studies before the reclassification of the idiopathic interstitial pneumonias. We hypothesized that baseline serum SP-A and SP-D concentrations would be independently associated with mortality among patients with biopsy-proven IPF and would improve a prediction model for mortality.
METHODS
We evaluated the association between serum SP-A and SP-D concentrations and mortality in 82 patients with surgical lung biopsy-proven IPF. Regression models with clinical predictors alone and clinical and biomarker predictors were used to predict mortality at 1 year.
RESULTS
After controlling for known clinical predictors of mortality, we found that each increase of 49 ng/mL (1 SD) in baseline SP-A level was associated with a 3.3-fold increased risk of mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 3.27; 95% confidence interval, 1.49 to 7.17; adjusted p = 0.003) in the first year after presentation. We did not observe a statistically significant association between serum SP-D and mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.04; p = 0.053). Regression models demonstrated a significant improvement in the 1-year mortality prediction model when serum SP-A and SP-D (area under the receiving operator curve [AROC], 0.89) were added to the clinical predictors alone (AROC, 0.79; p = 0.03).
CONCLUSIONS
Increased serum SP-A level is a strong and independent predictor of early mortality among patients with IPF. A prediction model containing SP-A and SP-D was substantially superior to a model with clinical predictors alone.
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BACKGROUND
In this study, we intended to find the prevalence of nontuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM) among patients who are referred as suspected multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) cases to the only referral center in Iran.
METHODS
All patients referred to our center in 2002-2006 as MDR-TB with histories of treatment with standard and CAT II World Health Organization regimens were included in the study. Sputum smear and culture for acid-fast bacilli were performed for all patients 3 times. Sputum polymerase chain reaction was also performed for all patients. Mycobacterial identification was performed via polymerase chain reaction and routine identification tests for all culture-positive cases.
RESULTS
Of the 105 patients in the study, 12 (11.43%) were identified to have NTM infection. The identified mycobacteria were classified in order of prevalence as Chelonae (8 cases), Simiae (2 cases), Aloei (1 case), and Farcinogen (1 case). Based on radiologic findings, most of the cases demonstrated bilateral nodularity (83.3%) and also multifocal bronchiectasis (75%). Notably, cavitary lesions were present in 41.7% of the cases.
CONCLUSION
Based on the findings of this study, it is essential that such cases be identified before commencing MDR-TB treatment.
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