No abstract

Twenty-six of 43 patients (60.5%) with classic rheumatoid arthritis ( R A ) participating in a controlled, prospective study were found to have maximal midexpiratory flow rates (MMEFs) suggestive of obstructive pulmonary disease. Cigarette smokers with RA had significantly lower MMEFs than either nonsmokers with RA or smokers with degenerative joint disease. There was an increased prevalence of the Pi phenotype M S among the RA patients. Interstitial fibrosis, tobacco smoking, and protease inhibitor deficiencies were all significant factors in producing airway obstruction in patients with RA.A variety of respiratory tract lesions are thought to be associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and are generally called "pleuropulmonary manifestations"

OBJECTIVE.Our Materials and MethodsCT scans collected between 1 989 and 1991 from 12 patients with colon cancer metastatic to the pancreas were reviewed retrospectively. Cases of direct extension of the pnmary tumor to the pancreas were excluded. The medical records of these patients were reviewed with attention to the clinical features, the sites of primary tumors, the staging of primary tumors, and the time between diagnosis of the primary tumor and discovery of metastatic disease. The group consisted of eight men and four women 31-74 years old (mean, 58 years).All CT scans were obtained with the GE 9800 Quick, the 9800 High-Light HTD, or the 9800 High-Light Advantage system (GE Medical Systems, Milwaukee, WI). In six patients, 10-mm sections with 10-mm intervals were used, and scans were obtained from the dome