Professor Of Respiratory Medicine Research Articles

Transforming Care in Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: An Expert View

Across the globe, millions of people live with chronic respiratory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. Despite treatment advances, many patients do not always receive a timely diagnosis, impacting optimal care for their condition, which is a situation that must be addressed. Scientific and medical innovation has brought patients a variety of treatments, such as combination therapies and biologics. In clinical practice, this translates to healthcare professionals being able to offer patients more options to manage their condition, including therapies that treat the underlying biology of the disease. While there has been progress in the respiratory community in achieving earlier diagnosis and initiating appropriate treatment, there is still more to be done. EMJ interviewed Celeste Porsbjerg, Professor of Severe Asthma in the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark, where they head the severe asthma clinic, and chair the Respiratory Research Unit; and COPD expert John Hurst, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at University College London (UCL), UK, to hear their perspectives on where the respiratory community is going in terms of aiming for asthma remission and more proactive treatment of COPD, and what the focus should be in the future.

Margaret Hodson: professor of respiratory medicine who argued for patients with cystic fibrosis to be offered transplants

Margaret Hodson: professor of respiratory medicine who argued for patients with cystic fibrosis to be offered transplants

Diagnosing ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in UK NHS ICUs: the perceived value and role of a novel optical technology

BackgroundDiagnosing ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in an intensive care unit (ICU) is a complex process. Our aim was to collect, evaluate and represent the information relating to current clinical practice for the diagnosis of VAP in UK NHS ICUs, and to explore the potential value and role of a novel diagnostic for VAP, which uses optical molecular alveoscopy to visualise the alveolar space.MethodsQualitative study performing semi-structured interviews with clinical experts. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and thematically analysed. A flow diagram of the VAP patient pathway was elicited and validated with the expert interviewees. Fourteen clinicians were interviewed from a range of UK NHS hospitals: 12 ICU consultants, 1 professor of respiratory medicine and 1 professor of critical care.ResultsFive themes were identified, relating to [1] current practice for the diagnosis of VAP, [2] current clinical need in VAP diagnostics, [3] the potential value and role of the technology, [4] the barriers to adoption and [5] the evidence requirements for the technology, to help facilitate a successful adoption. These themes indicated that diagnosis of VAP is extremely difficult, as is the decision to stop antibiotic treatment. The analysis revealed that there is a clinical need for a diagnostic that provides an accurate and timely diagnosis of the causative pathogen, without the long delays associated with return of culture results, and which is not dangerous to the patient. It was determined that the technology would satisfy important aspects of this clinical need for diagnosing VAP (and pneumonia, more generally), but would require further evidence on safety and efficacy in the patient population to facilitate adoption.ConclusionsCare pathway analysis performed in this study was deemed accurate and representative of current practice for diagnosing VAP in a UK ICU as determined by relevant clinical experts, and explored the value and role of a novel diagnostic, which uses optical technology, and could streamline the diagnostic pathway for VAP and other pneumonias.

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions

ITMIG 2017 | Prof. Nicolas Girard: cooperation network and database of thymic malignancy research

Nicolas Girard ( Figure 1 ) is Professor of Respiratory Medicine and Thoracic Oncology at the Claude Bernard University in Lyon, France, and Head of the Thorax Institute Curie Montsouris in Paris. Nicolas Girard, as vice president of ITMIG from 2010 to 2014, has served in several committees, including the prospective database, the virtual tumor bank, and the research committees; more recently he has been involved in the development of the biology/basic science group. Nicolas Girard is coordinator of RYTHMIC, a French nationwide network for the management of these tumors.

Prof. Kian Fan Chung: green healthcare is a very important concept

Dr. Kian Fan Chung ( Figure 1 ) is Professor of Respiratory Medicine and Head of Experimental Studies Medicine at National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, and is consultant physician at the Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Trust, London, UK.

Prof. Martyn R. Partridge: delivering an appropriate medical workforce

Martyn R. Partridge, Professor of Respiratory Medicine and Patient Centred Care, The National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London. Previously based on the Charing Cross Campus, in 2010 he moved to Singapore for 3 years to set up the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine for Imperial and Nanyang Technological University.

Dealing With End-Stage Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Guest editor and editor-in-chief-elect Hap Farber, MD, led an insightful–and lively–discussion among an international group of practitioners to share their opinions and expertise on the state of the art in managing end-stage pulmonary hypertension. The discussants are Drs. Olivier Sitbon, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the South Paris University, France; Maria Crespo, associate medical director of the lung transplant program at the University of Pittsburgh; and Adaani Frost, professor at the Institute of Academic Medicine, and director of the Houston Methodist Lung Center.

Professor Jørgen Vestbo: advances on the management of COPD.

Professor Jorgen Vestbo ( Figure 1 ) is a Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Manchester and an Honorary Consultant at the North West Lung Centre, University Hospital South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust. His professional training consisted of specialist training in Internal Medicine and Respiratory Medicine in university hospitals in Copenhagen. He obtained a DrMedSci degree from the University of Copenhagen in 1992.

Cystic Fibrosis. Edited by Marcus A. Mall and J. Stuart Elborn

Cystic Fibrosis. Edited by Marcus A. Mall and J. Stuart Elborn

Prof. Alyn Morice: the etiology, diagnosis and treatment of cough.

Prof. Alyn Morice (Figure 1) is the Professor of Respiratory Medicine, Head of Medicine, Hull York Medical School, University of Hull. Professor Morice qualified at Cambridge University and after House jobs in London, he undertook research (MD) into the pharmacology of asthma at St Mary’s Hospital. As Clinical Lecturer at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Professor Morice developed his interest in cough, demonstrating cough hypersensitivity caused by ACE inhibitors. In 1989 Professor Morice was appointed as Senior Lecturer in Sheffield developing a Pulmonary Vascular service and the first UK Cough Clinic. In 1998 Professor Morice was appointed to the Foundation Chair in Respiratory Medicine in Hull University (now part of Hull York Medical School). He has led the European Respiratory Society and British Thoracic Society Taskforces on Cough.

Editorial introductions

Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology was launched in 2001. It is one of a successful series of review journals whose unique format is designed to provide a systematic and critical assessment of the literature as presented in the many primary journals. The fields of allergy and clinical immunology are divided into 14 sections that are reviewed once a year. Each section is assigned a Section Editor, a leading authority in the area, who identifies the most important topics at that time. Here we are pleased to introduce the Journal's Section Editors for this issue. SECTION EDITORS Amos EtzioniAmos EtzioniAmos Etzioni, MD is a Professor of Pediatrics and Immunology at the Faculty of Medicine, Technion in Haifa, Israel and is the Director of the Children's hospital at the Rambam Health Campus in Haifa, Israel. After finishing a residency in pediatrics in Haifa, he did a fellowship in immunology in Philadelphia, USA and upon his return in 1982 opened the first center for primary immunodeficiency in Israel. His main interest in the field of primary immunodeficiency (PID) is in the leukocyte adhesion molecules defects, in which he described two new conditions LAD II and III. He has published more than 200 papers and has written many reviews and chapters in books. He was invited as a speaker to numerous international meetings in the field of immunodeficiency. He is currently the President of the Israeli Immunology Society as well as the President of the European Society for Immunodeficiency (ESID). Ramsay L. FuleihanRamsay L. FuleihanRamsay L. Fuleihan, MD, is Associate Professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, USA and an Attending Physician at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Illinois, USA, where he is also Director of Primary Immunodeficiency Clinical Services and Director of the Jeffrey Modell Foundation Diagnostic Center for Primary Immunodeficiencies. In addition, Dr Fuleihan is Associate Director of the Allergy and Clinical Immunology Training Program at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr Fuleihan received his medical degree at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. He then trained in pediatrics at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, USA and in allergy and immunology at the Children's Hospital Boston at Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts, USA. A Diplomate of the American Board of Allergy and Immunology, Dr Fuleihan is a member of several professional societies, including the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the European Society for Immunodeficiencies, the Clinical Immunology Society, and the Society for Pediatric Research. He is a member of the steering committee of the US Immunodeficiency Network and a member of the Medical Advisory Committee of the Immune Deficiency Foundation. Giovanni PassalacquaGiovanni PassalacquaDr Passalacqua was born in Genoa in 1964. He graduated in 1990 from the Genoa University Medical School, Italy, and received specialty degrees in Allergy and in Respiratory Medicine in 1994 and 2002. Under the chairmanship of Prof. Giorgio Walter Canonica, he contributed to investigation into the mechanisms of allergic inflammation, the treatment of respiratory allergy and developed sublingual immunotherapy. Currently he is Professor of Respiratory Medicine and Allergy at the Respiratory Diseases Clinic of the University of Genoa. Dr Passalacqua has coauthored more than 200 publications in peer reviewed journals. He serves on the board of experts of Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA), and is co-Chairman of the immunotherapy committee of the World Allergy Organization. Robert BushRobert BushDr Robert Bush received his MD degree from West Virginia University, USA. After completing his residency in internal medicine and fellowship in allergy and immunology at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, USA, he joined the faculty. He is currently Professor (Emeritus) of Medicine and was the former Chief of Allergy at the William S Middleton VA Hospital, Madison, Wisconsin, USA. His research interests include sublingual immunotherapy, allergen characterization, fungal allergy, food allergy, and occupational asthma.

Editorial introductions

Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology was launched in 2001. It is one of a successful series of review journals whose unique format is designed to provide a systematic and critical assessment of the literature as presented in the many primary journals. The fields of allergy and clinical immunology are divided into 14 sections that are reviewed once a year. Each section is assigned a Section Editor, a leading authority in the area, who identifies the most important topics at that time. Here we are pleased to introduce the Journal's Section Editors for this issue. Section Editors Amos EtzioniAmos EtzioniAmos Etzioni, MD is a Professor of Pediatrics and Immunology at the Faculty of Medicine, Technion in Haifa, Israel and is the Director of the Children's hospital at the Rambam Health Campus in Haifa, Israel. After finishing a residency in pediatrics in Haifa, he did a fellowship in immunology in Philadelphia, USA and upon his return in 1982 opened the first center for primary immunodeficiency in Israel. His main interest in the field of PID is in the leukocyte adhesion molecules defects, in which he described two new conditions LAD II and III. He has published more than 200 papers and has written many reviews and chapters in books. He was invited as a speaker to numerous international meetings in the field of immunodeficiency. He is currently the President of the Israeli Immunology Society as well as the President of the European Society for Immunodeficiency (ESID). Ramsey FuleihanRamsey FuleihanRamsay L. Fuleihan, MD, is Associate Professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Attending Physician at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, USA, where he is also Director of Primary Immunodeficiency Clinical Services and Director of the Jeffrey Modell Foundation Diagnostic Center for Primary Immunodeficiencies. In addition, Dr Fuleihan is Associate Director of the Allergy and Clinical Immunology Training Program at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, USA. Dr Fuleihan received his medical degree at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. He then trained in pediatrics at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, USA and in allergy and immunology at the Children's Hospital Boston at Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts, USA. A Diplomate of the American Board of Allergy and Immunology, Dr Fuleihan is a member of several professional societies, including the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the European Society for Immunodeficiencies, the Clinical Immunology Society, and the Society for Pediatric Research. He is a member of the steering committee of the US Immunodeficiency Network and a member of the Medical Advisory Committee of the Immune Deficiency Foundation. Giovanni PassalacquaGiovanni PassalacquaDr Passalacqua was born in Genoa in 1964. He graduated in 1990 from the Genoa University Medical School, Italy, and received specialty degrees in Allergy and in Respiratory Medicine in 1994 and 2002. Under the chairmanship of Prof. Giorgio Walter Canonica, he contributed to investigate the mechanisms of allergic inflammation, the treatment of respiratory allergy and developed sublingual immunotherapy. Currently he is Professor of Respiratory Medicine and Allergy at the Respiratory Diseases Clinic of the University of Genoa. Dr Passalacqua has coauthored more than 200 publications in peer reviewed journals. He serves on the board of experts of Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA), and is co-Chairman of the immunotherapy committee of the World Allergy Organization. Robert BushRobert BushDr Robert Bush received his MD degree from West Virginia University, USA. After completing his residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Allergy and Immunology at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, USA, he joined the faculty. He is currently Professor (Emeritus) of Medicine and was the former Chief of Allergy at the William S Middleton VA Hospital, Madison, Wisconsin, USA. His research interests include sublingual immunotherapy, allergen characterization, fungal allergy, food allergy, and occupational asthma. He is certified by the American Board of Allergy and Immunology.

Leonardo Fabbri: investigating the complexity of COPD

Leonardo Fabbri: investigating the complexity of COPD