Objective: To conduct a longitudinal investigation of cardiac vagal activity (CVA) by measuring resting HR and calculating the cardiac vagal index (CVI) in individuals undergoing sympathectomy for the treatment of primary hyperhidrosis. Methods: This was a descriptive longitudinal study involving 22 patients, 13 of whom were female. The mean age was 22.5 ± 8.8 years. The palms, soles, and axillae were the most commonly affected sites. Resting HR was measured by an electrocardiogram performed 20 min before the 4-second exercise test (4sET), which was used in order to evaluate CVA at three different time points: before surgery, one month after surgery, and four years after surgery. Results: Resting HR (expressed as mean ± SE) was found to have decreased significantly at 1 month after surgery (73.1 ± 1.6 bpm before surgery vs. 69.7 ± 1.2 bpm at one month after surgery; p = 0.01). However, the HR values obtained at four years after surgery tended to be similar to those obtained before surgery (p = 0.31). The CVI (expressed as mean ± SE) was found to have increased significantly at one month after surgery (1.44 ± 0.04 before surgery vs. 1.53 ± 0.03 at one month after surgery; p = 0.02). However, the CVI obtained at four years after surgery tended to be similar to that obtained before surgery (p = 0.10). Conclusions: At one month after sympathectomy for primary hyperhidrosis, patients present with changes in resting HR and CVA, both of which tend to return to baseline at four years after surgery.

Keywords: Hyperhidrosis; Sympathectomy; Autonomic nervous system; Exercise test;

Objective: To present official longitudinal data on the impact of asthma in Brazil between 2008 and 2013. Methods: This was a descriptive study of data collected between 2008 and 2013 from an official Brazilian national database, including data on asthma-related number of hospitalizations, mortality, and hospitalization costs. A geographical subanalysis was also performed. Results: In 2013, 2,047 people died from asthma in Brazil (5 deaths/day), with more than 120,000 asthma-related hospitalizations. During the whole study period, the absolute number of asthma-related deaths and of hospitalizations decreased by 10% and 36%, respectively. However, the in-hospital mortality rate increased by approximately 25% in that period. The geographic subanalysis showed that the northern/northeastern and southeastern regions had the highest asthma-related hospitalization and in-hospital mortality rates, respectively. An analysis of the states representative of the regions of Brazil revealed discrepancies between the numbers of asthma-related hospitalizations and asthma-related in-hospital mortality rates. During the study period, the cost of asthma-related hospitalizations to the public health care system was US$ 170 million. Conclusions: Although the numbers of asthma-related deaths and hospital admissions in Brazil have been decreasing since 2009, the absolute numbers are still high, resulting in elevated direct and indirect costs for the society. This shows the relevance of the burden of asthma in middle-income countries.

Keywords: Asthma/epidemiology; Asthma/mortality; Public health; Hospitalization.

Objective: Whether blood eosinophils (bEOS) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are associated with disease progression is a topic of debate. We aimed to evaluate whether the differential white blood cell (WBC) count, symptoms and treatment may predict lung function decline and exacerbations in COPD patients. Methods: We retrospectively examined stable COPD patients with a minimum follow-up of 3 years at our outpatients' clinic. We collected information about lung volumes (FEV1, FVC), the total and differential WBC count, acute exacerbations of COPD (number in the 12 months before the beginning of the study=AE-COPD-B, and during the follow-up=AE-COPD-F), smoking status and treatment. FEV1 decline and AE-COPD-F were described by using a generalized linear model and a 2-level random intercept negative binomial regression, respectively. The models included eosinophil and neutrophil counts as potential predictors and were adjusted by sex, age, smoking status, AE-COPD-B, treatment with bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). Results: Sixty-eight patients were considered, 36 bEOS- (<170 cells/µL, the median value) and 32 bEOS+ (=170 cells/µL). ?FEV1 was higher in bEOS+ than bEOS- (34.86 mL/yr vs 4.49 mL/yr, p=0.029). After adjusting for potential confounders, the eosinophil count was positively (ß=19.4; CI 95% 2.8, 36.1; p=0.022) and ICS negatively (ß=-57.7; CI 95% -91.5,-23.9; p=0.001) associated with lung function decline. bEOS were not found to be associated with the number of AE-COPD-F. Conclusion: In stable COPD patients, a higher level of blood eosinophils (albeit in the normal range) predicts a greater FEV1 decline, while ICS are associated with a slower progression of airflow obstruction.

Keywords: COPD; Blood eosinophils; FEV1 decline; Exacerbations; Biomarkers. Correspondence to:

Objective: To describe the characteristics of patients with influenza A (H1N1)-associated pneumonia treated at two hospitals in the region of Liguria, Italy, as well as to describe their treatment and outcomes. Methods: This was a prospective observational study including all patients older than 16 years of age with a confirmed diagnosis of influenza A (H1N1) who were admitted to Villa Scassi Hospital, in the city of Genoa, Italy, or to the Sestri Levante General Hospital, in the city of Sestri Levante, Italy, between September of 2009 and January of 2010. The primary outcome measure was mortality within 60 days after diagnosis. Secondary outcome measures were the need for mechanical ventilation and the length of hospital stay. Results: Of the 40 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of influenza A (H1N1), 27 presented pneumonia during the study period. The mean age of the 27 patients was 42.8 ± 14.8 years, and the mean length of hospital stay was 11.6 ± 8.2 days. Of the 27 patients, 20 had respiratory failure, 4 underwent invasive mechanical ventilation, and 5 underwent noninvasive ventilation. One patient had comorbidities, developed multiple organ failure, and died. Conclusions: During the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic, the associated mortality rate was lower in Italy than in other countries, and cases reported in the country typically had a milder course than did those reported elsewhere. Nevertheless, 9 of our cases (33%) rapidly evolved to respiratory failure, requiring mechanical ventilation.

Keywords: Pneumonia; Influenza A virus, H1N1 subtype; Respiratory insufficiency.

Some lung diseases are true diagnostic challenges due to their various clinical presentations. Actinomycosis is one such disease, potentially affecting various organs and systems. We report the case of a patient with pulmonary actinomycosis as a pseudotumor, which is usually only diagnosed by thoracotomy or thoracoscopy.

Keywords: Actinomycosis; Thoracic neoplasms; Bacterial infections and mycoses.