A study of the effect of yoga training on pulmonary functions in patients with bronchial asthma.

The role of yoga breathing exercises, as an adjunct treatment for bronchial asthma is well recognized. One hundred twenty patients of asthma were randomized into two groups i.e Group A (yoga training group) and Group B (control group). Each group included sixty patients. Pulmonary function tests were performed on all the patients at baseline, after 4 weeks and then after 8 weeks. Majority of the subjects in the two groups had mild disease (34 patients in Group A and 32 in Group B). Group A subjects showed a statistically significant increasing trend (P<0.01) in % predicted peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced mid expiratory flow in 0.25–0.75 seconds (FEF25-75) and FEV1/FVC% ratio at 4 weeks and 8 weeks as compared to Group B. Thus, yoga breathing exercises used adjunctively with standard pharmacological treatment significantly improves pulmonary functions in patients with bronchial asthma.

Necrobiotic pulmonary nodule leading to pyopneumothorax in a case of rheumatoid arthritis--a rare clinical presentation.

A 49-year-old male patient, an active case of sero positive rheumatoid arthritis involving multiple joints with bilateral necrobiotic pulmonary nodules is presented. Initial symptoms were of progressively increasing dyspnoea. The nodule in the right lung subsequently cavitated leading to pyopneumothorax. The diagnosis of rheumatoid lung was confirmed by post-mortem.

Osler-Rendu-Weber disease presenting as recurrent haemoptysis.

A young adult male with a short history of recurrent haemoptysis due to vascular malformation of right lung is presented. Lesion was not visible in the chest radiograph, nor on bronchography. CT-scan of thorax, however, showed a bunch of circinate opacities in the upper lobe of the right lung. Histopathological examination of the resected lung tissue confirmed the diagnosis.