Background: The alteration of Th1 and Th2 cytokine levels is the subject of controversy in pleural effusions caused by malignancy, a situation that favors a Th2 immune response. Objective: To examine the different levels of IL-4 and IL-10 (Th2 cytokines), and IL-2 and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) (Th1 cytokines) in malignant and non-malignant pleural effusions. Method: The cytokine levels in pleural fl...

abstract  background: at present, differentiation between exudative and transudative pleural  effusion is based solely on laboratory measures and is time-consuming. asimple  bedside method would be of great help to differentiate between these two types of effusions.  we present a new method for this purpose assessed in 46 patients.  methods: standard laboratory tests and our method were tested ...

abstract background: pleural effusion is the accumulation of excess fluid in the pleural cavity. most information available about pleural effusion is obtained from studies on adults and little evidence is available in children. therefore, it is necessary to identify the existing status and explain the disease process, signs, treatment, and prognosis. children with pleural effusion who were admi...

The causes and situation of exudative pleural effusion vary from one area to another. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 327 patients with exudative pleural effusion in South Khorasan province (Iran). The patients were older than 12 years and comprised 172 (52.6%) males and 155 (47.4%) females. The study commenced in 2007 with seven years duration. The Light’s criteria were used to define...

background: patients with symptomatic malignant pleural effusion (mpe) may gain profit from pleurodesis for relief of dyspnea and in preventing the accumulation of fluid or air in the pleural space. pleurodesis methods are palliative and regard the patient's symptoms and underlying disease condition that are different. the purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of bleomycin in th...

to review our experience in treatment of patients with thoracic empyema at a teaching hospital chart of patients were retrospectively reviewed over a 72-month period. a total of 112 patients (94 men, 18 women, mean age: 39, range: 6-89 years) underwent therapeutic procedures for thoracic empyema between 2001-2006. the causes of empyema included parapneumonic empyema (60.7%), thoracic trauma (20...

pleural epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (ehe) is a rare malignancy of vascular-endothelial origin with non-specific symptoms and an unpredictable outcome. diagnosis of this condition by imaging modalities is challenging, and no standard therapeutic approaches have been established in this regard. in this paper, we described the case of a patient with a low-grade fever, coughing and chest pain ...

BACKGROUND Restrictive cardiomyopathy frequently complicates primary systemic amyloidosis (AL), yet only a small number of these patients develop large pleural effusions refractory to diuretic therapy and thoracentesis. We hypothesized that disruption of pleural function by amyloid deposits underlies persistent pleural effusions (PPEs) in patients with AL disease. METHODS We performed a retro...