Vitamin E is a potent reactive oxygen metabolites (ROM) scavenger. It is a lipid-soluble vitamin and its main function is to protect polyunsaturated fatty acids against oxidative stress. Twenty-five mechanically ventilated Intensive Care Unit (ICU) adult patients participated in a prospective randomized clinical trial receiving either placebo (10 patients) or 3 IM doses (1000 IU each) of vitami...

Background: With increasing immunocompromised patients, fungal infections especially lung infection, have also increased. In this study, fungal contamination of the respiratory system in immunocompromised patients was evaluated. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in immunocompromised patients suspicious of pulmonary infections referring to specialized lung clinic of ...

A case of high altitude pulmonary oedema (HAPE) in a climber who made a rapid ascent on Mt McKinley (Denali), Alaska is described. The bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid contained increased numbers of red blood cells and an abundance of haemosiderin laden macrophages consistent with alveolar haemorrhage. The timing of this finding indicates that alveolar haemorrhage began early during the ascen...

The diagnosis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) often requires bronchoscopy. In 82 consecutive human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients suspected of having PCP, we passed a 14-F catheter into the trachea under local anesthesia without intubation, instilled saline solution, and then collected the secretions by aspiration. Bronchoscopy with collection of bronchial washings and p...

A 65-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital after aspirating a peanut. Bronchoscopic examination revealed obstruction of the right basal bronchus. Use of clamps achieved incomplete removal. Hemoptysis appeared after a few days. Computed tomography(CT) of the lung revealed consolidation in the right lower segment. Methylprednisolone and antibiotics improved symptoms,but chest CT revealed pe...

The efficiencies of five commercially available nucleic acid extraction methods were evaluated for the recovery of a standardized inoculum of Legionella pneumophila in respiratory specimens (sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage [BAL] specimens). The concentrations of Legionella DNA recovered from sputa with the automated MagNA Pure (526,200 CFU/ml) and NucliSens (171,800 CFU/ml) extractors were gr...

Background: Invasive candidiasis occurs in immunocompromised individuals as an opportunistic infection patients with lung cancer. Although culture and histopathology remain the standard diagnosis of fungal infections, other tests are still needed to provide faster results. Human 1,3-β-D-Glucan (BDG) uses ELISA detect candidiasis. β D-Glucan level from BAL fluid is positive when cut-off p 130 pg...

In various allergic and inflammatory lung diseases the number and subset composition of lymphocytes in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid are taken as indicators of the state of the disease. The number of lymphocytes in the BAL fluid depends on three main parameters: (1) entry into the bronchoalveolar space from the different compartments of the lung, (2) persistence in the bronchoalveolar ...

Background and Objectives: Sputum smear staining for acid-fast bacilli is initial approach to the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) but more than 50% of cases are sputum smear-negative. This study was aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FOB) guided bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in patients suspected to have tuberculosis. Methods: This prospective cross-...

The features of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) components and the severity of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) were analyzed in the first Romanian cohort of patients admitted to "Marius Nasta" Institute of Pneumophtisiology, Bucharest, Romania. A six-year follow-up study based on bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) data was performed between January 2007 to December 2012. Study cohort consist...