[The ABC of smoking cessation]. / Das ABC zur Begleitung in die Rauchfreiheit.

The professional support increased chances of success for smoking cessation and is an important goal in health politics. A short advice by pharmacists can make a significant contribution to this. This article describes tobacco dependence and the "stages of change-model". Afterwards we explain possible therapies: besides cognitive-behavioral intervention, different forms of medical treatment, e.g. nicotin replacement therapy, bupropion and varenicline, will be discussed.

Optimizing ceftazidime pharmacodynamics in patients with acute exacerbation of severe chronic bronchitis.

OBJECTIVES: Implementation of current pharmacodynamic knowledge could enhance clinical results, avoid resistance development and reduce treatment costs. In this open, randomized, multicentre study, we evaluated the clinical and bacteriological outcome and pharmacokinetic as well as pharmacodynamic parameters of two ceftazidime therapy regimens in patients with acute exacerbation of severe chronic bronchitis (AECB). METHODS: Eighty-one patients (56 males, 25 females, age 65.3 +/- 10.1 years) with AECB were included. A subgroup of 21 patients underwent pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic examination. The patients received either ceftazidime 2 g every 8 h (C3 x 2) or ceftazidime 2 g as a loading dose, followed by ceftazidime 2 g over 7 h every 12 h (C2 x 2) for 8-14 days. Clinical and bacteriological responses were monitored at day 8 or 9, and 72 h after the end of therapy (EOT). RESULTS: At EOT, clinical success was recorded in 90% and 90.2% of clinically evaluable patients receiving C3 x 2 and C2 x 2, respectively. Bacteriological success at EOT was achieved in 87.5% and 90.2% of evaluable patients treated with C3 x 2 and C2 x 2, respectively. C(max) (mg/L) varied between 168.9 +/- 34.1 and 144.0 +/- 9.8 in the C3 x 2 group, and between 60.1 +/- 34.1 and 54.2 +/- 30.4 at steady-state in the C2 x 2 group. Minimal concentrations were between 9.1 and 13.4 mg/L in the C3 x 2 group, and between 16.6 and 17.7 mg/L in the C2 x 2 group. Concentrations >4-5 x MIC were seen in all pathogens, except Staphylococcus aureus, during 100% of infusion time. CONCLUSION: The 2 x 7 h infusion of ceftazidime 2 g (C2 x 2) was clinically and bacteriologically as effective as the usual 3 x 2 g ceftazidime short-term infusion in the treatment of AECB, and demonstrated advantages in terms of pharmacodynamic parameters compared with the C3 x 2 regimen.

Real-time chest ultrasonography: a comprehensive review for the pulmonologist.

This review discusses real-time pulmonary ultrasonography (US) for the practicing pulmonologist. US supplements chest radiography and chest CT scanning. Major advantages include bedside availability, absence of radiation, and guided aspiration of fluid-filled areas and solid tumors. Pulmonary vessels and vascular supply of consolidations may be visualized without contrast. US may help to diagnose conditions such as pneumothorax, hemothorax, pleural or pericardial effusion, pneumonia, and pulmonary embolism in the critically ill patient who is in need of bedside diagnostic testing. The technique of US, which is cost-effective compared to CT scanning and MRI, may be learned relatively easily by the pulmonologist.

Induction of TNF in human alveolar macrophages as a potential evasion mechanism of virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

The ability of macrophages to release cytokines is crucial to the host response to intracellular infection. In particular, macrophage-derived TNF plays an important role in the host response to infection with the intracellular pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In mice, TNF is indispensable for the formation of tuberculous granulomas, which serve to demarcate the virulent bacterium. TNF is also implicated in many of the immunopathological features of tuberculosis. To investigate the role of TNF in the local immune response, we infected human alveolar macrophages with virulent and attenuated mycobacteria. Infection with virulent strains induced the secretion of significantly higher levels of bioactive TNF than attenuated strains correlating with their ability to multiply intracellularly. Treatment of infected macrophages with neutralizing anti-TNF Abs reduced the growth rate of intracellular bacteria, whereas bacterial replication was augmented by addition of exogenous TNF. Infected and uninfected macrophages contributed to cytokine production as determined by double-staining of M. tuberculosis and intracellular TNF. The induction of TNF by human alveolar macrophages at the site of infection permits the multiplication of intracellular bacteria and may therefore present an evasion mechanism of human pathogens.