The American Thoracic Society’s 13 assemblies have highlighted these abstracts as some of the most interesting to be presented at the 2010 International Conference in New Orleans. Starting at the end of April, search for full abstracts by name, title, author or session at www.thoracic.org/go/international-conference.
ASSEMBLY ON ALLERGY, IMMUNOLOGY & INFLAMMATION
“Exhaled Breath Molecular Profiling in the Differential Diagnosis Between Asthma with Fixed Airways Obstruction and COPD: External Validation.” Authors: N. Fens, A.C. Roldaan, E. Bel, P.J. Sterk; Amsterdam Den Haag, The Netherlands. Session: B92 “Exhaled Biomarkers in Airways Diseases: Coming to Adulthood” (Mini Symposium; Monday, May 17, 1:30 to 4 p.m., Room 223-230 on the second level of the Morial Convention Center)
“A Genome-Wide Analysis of the Role of Copy Number Variants in Asthma.” Authors: A.J. Rogers, K. Darvishi, J.H. Chu, I. Ionita-Laza, B.J. Klanderman, C. Lee, B.A. Raby; Boston, Massachusetts, New York City, New York. Session: B93 “Genome-Wide Approaches for the Identification of Asthma Genes: New Methods, New Phenotypes, New Genes” (Mini-Symposium; Monday, May 17, 1:30 to 4 p.m., Room 252-254 on the second level of the Morial Convention Center)
ASSEMBLY ON BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE
“Reducing Morbidity and Urgent Health Care Utilization in Urban Pre-Adolescents with Asthma: Results of a Randomized Control Trial of Asthma: It’s a Family Affair.” Authors: J.M. Bruzzese, C. Stepney, R. Gallagher, J. Wang, E. Petkova, D. Evans; New York, New York. Session: A92 “Identifying Barriers and Developing Interventions to Improve Pediatric Asthma Care” (Mini-Symposium; Sunday, May 16, 1:30 to 4 p.m., Room 286-287 on the second level of the Morial Convention Center)
“Efficacy of ATS Postgraduate Courses.” Authors: T. Le, R. Makleff, J.M. Beck; Elizabethtown, Kentucky, New York, New York, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Session: C36 “Training the Trainee: Advances in Professional Educational from Around the World”(Thematic Poster Session; Tuesday, May 18, 8:15 a.m. 4 p.m., Area G, Hall G on the first level of the Morial Convention Center)
“Publicly Reported Infection Rates Are Not Good Markers of Intensive Care Unit Quality.” Authors: K.R. Courtright, N.M. Benson, T.J. Iwashyna, J.M. Kahn; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Session: D14 “Innovative Health Services Research to Improve Outcomes” (Mini-Symposium; Wednesday, May 19, 8:15 to 10:45 a.m., Room 395-396 on the third level of the Morial Convention Center)
ASSEMBLY ON CLINICAL PROBLEMS
“A Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies FAM13A as a COPD Susceptibility Locus.” Authors: M.H. Cho, N. Boutaoui, B.J. Klanderman, J.S. Sylvia, J.P. Ziniti, C.P. Hersh, D. DeMeo, G.M. Hunninghake, A.A. Litonjua, D. Sparrow, C. Lange, S. Won, J. Murphy, T. Beaty, E. Regan, B.J. Make, J. Hokanson, J. Crapo, X. Kong, W. Anderson, R. Tal-Singer, D. Lomas, P. Bakke, A. Gulsvik, S. Pillai, E.K. Silverman; Boston, Massachusetts, Denver, Colorado, Baltimore, Maryland, Aurora, Colorado, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, Cambridge, England, Bergen, Norway. Session: B94 “Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Susceptibility and Phenotype” (Mini-Symposium; Monday, May 17, 1:30 to 4 p.m., Room 286-287 on the second level of the Morial Convention Center)
“Molecular Profiling of Bronchial Biopsies in COPD During Experimental Rhinovirus-Induced Exacerbations.” Authors: K. Li, P. Mallia, M.J. Loza, D. Horowitz, S. Johnston, F. Baribaud, Radnor, PA; London, England. Session: B103 “Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Insights into the Pathobiology” (Poster Discussion Session; Monday, May 17, 1:30 to 4 p.m., Room 293-294 on the second level of the Morial Convention Center)
ASSEMBLY ON CRITICAL CARE
“Genome-Wide Association (GWA) Identifies Functional Susceptibility Loci for Trauma-Associated Acute Lung Injury.” Authors: J.D. Christie, M.M. Wurfel, G. O’Keefe, D.C. Christiani, L.B. Ware, C.S. Calfee, N.J. Meyer, J. Bradfield, C. Kim, M. Li, R. Feng, K. Barnes, J. Sevransky, J. Maloney, H. Hakonarson; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Seattle, Washington, Boston, Massachusetts, Nashville, Tennessee, San Francisco, California, Baltimore, Maryland, Denver, Colorado. Session: A15 “Genomics in Critical Care: A Coming of Age” (Mini Symposium; Monday, May 17, 8:15 to 10:45 a.m., Room 260-262 on the second level of the Morial Convention Center)
“Incident Severe Sepsis is Associated with Substantial Long-Term Cognitive and Functional Decline: 8-Year Follow-up of the Health and Retirement Study.” Authors: T.J. Iwashyna, E.W. Ely, K.M. Langa; Ann Arbor, Michigan, Nashville, Tennessee. Session: D15 “Central and Neuromuscular Ravages of Critical Illness” (Mini Symposium; Wednesday, May 19, 8:15 to 10:45 a.m., Room 220-222 on the second level of the Morial Convention Center)
ASSEMBLY ON ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
“Rate of Decline of Forced Vital Capacity Predicts Future Hypertension: The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study.” Authors: D. Jacobs, Jr., B. Thyagarajan, R. Kalhan, S. Rosenberg, D. Duprez, L.J. Smith; Minneapolis, Minnesota, Chicago, Illinois. Session: B47 “Asthma Epidemiology: Clinical and Pharmacological Determinants of Asthma Outcomes” (Thematic Poster Session; Monday, May 17, 8:15 a.m. to 4 p.m., Area F, Hall G on the first level of the Morial Convention Center)
“Long-Term Effects of Work Cessation on Respiratory Health of Textile Workers: A 25-Year Follow-Up Study.” Authors: J. Shi, A.J. Mehta, J. Hang, H. Zhang, H. Dai, L. Su, E.A. Eisen, D.C. Christiani, Boston, MA, Shanghai, China, Berkeley, CA. Session: C96 “New Occupational Lung Diseases” (Mini Symposium; Tuesday, May 18, 1:30 to 4 p.m., Room 352 on the third level of the Morial Convention Center)
ASSEMBLY ON MICROBIOLOGY, TUBERCULOSIS & PULMONARY INFECTIONS
“Rapid Diagnosis of Tuberculosis and MDR-TB Using the Microscopic-Observation Drug-Susceptibility (MODS) Assay in a High HIV Prevalence Setting-South Africa.” Authors: S. Shah, P. Babaria, P. Moodley, S. Heysell, W. Sturm, A. Moll, P. Mhlongo, S. Moodley, M. Ramtahal, J. Richardson, X. Li, G. Friedland, N. Gandhi; Bronx, New York, New Haven, Connecticut, Durban, South Africa, Tugela Ferry, South Africa. Session: A93 “New Strategies for Diagnosing Latent and Active Tuberculosis” (Poster Discussion Session; Sunday, May 16, 1:30 4 p.m., Room 260-262 on the second level of the Morial Convention Center)
“CCR7 Deficiency Enhances Hematopoietic Stem Cell and Myeloid Progenitor Cell Proliferation and Ameliorates Susceptibility to Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis Following Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.” Authors: A. Hartigan, J. Westwick, G. Jarai, C. Hogaboam; Ann Arbor, Michigan, Horsham, England. Session: C97 “Acute Pneumonia: Novel Host Defense Mechanisms with Therapeutic Implications” (Mini Symposium; Tuesday, May 18, 1:30 to 4 p.m., Room 252-254 on the second level of the Morial Convention Center)
ASSEMBLY ON NURSING
“Additional Evidence for the Long-Term Benefits of Pulmonary Rehabilitation.” Authors: D. Donesky-Cuenco, L. Hilling, C. Cayou, V.L. Carrieri-Kohlman; San Francisco, California, Concord, California. Session: A27 “Advances in Pulmonary Rehabilitation” (Poster Discussion Session; Sunday, May 16, 8:15 to 10:45 a.m., Room 293-294 on the second level of the Morial Convention Center)
“Cotinine Levels and Medication Use in Young Inner-City Children with Persistent Asthma.” Authors: A. Butz, M. Tsoukleris, J. Walker, C.L. Land, M. Bellin, M.E. Bollinger; Baltimore, Maryland. Session: A92 “Identifying Barriers and Developing Interventions to Improve Pediatric Asthma Care” (Mini Symposium; Sunday, May 16, 1:30 to 4 p.m., Room 286-287 on the second level of the Morial Convention Center)
ASSEMBLY ON PEDIATRICS
“Detection of Excess Rare Damaging Variants in Surfactant Associated Genes Among Infants with Respiratory Distress Syndrome Using Pooled Next Generation Sequencing.” Authors: J.A. Wambach, D.J. Wegner, S. Robison, K. DePass, T. Druley, F. Vallania, R. Mitra, F.S. Cole, A. Hamvas; St. Louis, Missouri. Session: A95 “Best of Pediatrics 2010” (Mini Symposium; Sunday, May 16, 1:30 to 4:00 p.m., Room 295-296 on the second level of the Morial Convention Center)
“Pediatric Origins of Adult Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): Childhood Asthma.” Authors: A.S.N. Tai, H. Tran, M. Roberts, N. Clarke, J.W. Wilson, C.F. Robertson; Melbourne, Australia. Session: A95 “Best of Pediatrics 2010” (Mini Symposium; Sunday, May 16, 1:30 to 4 p.m., Room 295-296 on the second level of the Morial Convention Center)
ASSEMBLY ON PULMONARY CIRCULATION
“Targets of Subplasma Membrane Versus Cytosolic Adenylyl Cyclase Activity Demonstrate the Bidirectional Nature of the cAMP Diffusion Barricade That Maintains Pulmonary Endothelial Barrier Integrity.” Authors: S. Sayner, R. Balczon, D. Frank, D. Cooper, T. Stevens; Mobile, Alabama, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Cambridge, England. Session: A17 “Mechanisms of Acute Lung Injury: Role of Endothelium” (Mini Symposium; Sunday, May 16, 8:15 to 10:45 a.m., Room 352 on the third level of the Morial Convention Center)
“Endothelial Cell Apoptosis Results in Pulmonary Hypertension and Proliferative Arteriopathy in a Conditional, Endothelial-Targeted Fas-FKBP Transgenic Model.” Authors: J.Y. Jiang, P. Jurasz, D.W. Courtman, Y. Deng, K. Turksen, T. Sinclair, D.J. Stewart; Ottawa, Canada. Session: C18 “Novel Insights into the Pathogenesis of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension” (Mini Symposium; Tuesday, May 18, 8:15 to 10:45 a.m., Room 228-230 on the second level of the Morial Convention Center)
ASSEMBLY ON PULMONARY REHABILITATION
“The Effects of Pulmonary Rehabilitation on Extreme Obesity in COPD.” Authors: N.J. Greening, S. Singh, J. Williams, M.D.L. Morgan, M.C. Steiner, Leicester, England. Session: A27 “Advances in Pulmonary Rehabilitation” (Poster Discussion Session; Sunday, May 16, 8:15 to 10:45 a.m., Room 293-294 on the second level of the Morial Convention Center)
“Molecular Mechanisms of Muscle Hypertrophy After Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation in Patients with Severe COPD.” Authors: I. Vivodtzev, R. Debigaré, A. Dubé, M.E. Paré, P. Gagnon, V. Mainguy, M. Belanger, F. Maltais; Québec, Canada. Session: B97 “Adjunctive Therapies for Pulmonary Rehabilitation” (Mini Symposium; Monday, May 17, 1:30 to 4 p.m., Room 386-387 on the third level of the Morial Convention Center)
ASSEMBLY ON RESPIRATORY CELL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
“miR-21 Mediates Fibrogenic Activation of Pulmonary Fibroblasts and Lung Fibrosis.” Authors: G. Liu, E. Abraham; Birmingham, Alabama. Session: A97 “Epigenetic Mechanisms in Lung Fibrosis” (Mini Symposium; Sunday, May 16, 1:30 to 4 p.m., Room 386-387 on the third level of the Morial Convention Center)
“Fibroblast Growth Factor Signaling Regulates Elastin Deposition During Alveolar Regeneration.” Authors: A.K.T. Perl, S.E. Wert; Cincinnati, Ohio. Session: C107 “Stem and Progenitor Cells: Retention, Regeneration and Regulation of Inflammation”(Poster Discussion Session; Tuesday, May 18, 1:30 to 4 p.m., Room 225-227 on the second level of the Morial Convention Center)
ASSEMBLY ON RESPIRATORY STRUCTURE & FUNCTION
“Role of Paracrine Factors in Bone Marrow-Derived Stem Cell Mediated Airway Repair and Remodeling in a Model of Chronic Allergic Asthma.” Authors: S.C. Abreu, M.A. Antunes, F.F. Cruz, T. Maron-Gutierrez, F.M. Ornellas, D.S. Ornellas, E.R. Parra, V.L. Capelozzi, M.M. Morales, P.R.M. Rocco; Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, Sí£o Paulo, Brazil. Session: A98 “Breaking Down the Wall: Novel Insights in Airway Wall Remodeling” (Mini Symposium; Sunday, May 16, 1:30 4 p.m., Room 228-230 on the second level of the Morial Convention Center)
“High-Order Interactions Among Genetic Variants in Angiogenesis and Inflammatory Pathway Genes in Modulating ARDS Risk in Patients with Sepsis.” Authors: R. Zhai, F. Chen, C.C. Sheu, L. Su, Z. Wang, E.K. Bajwa, A.J. Frank, A.M. Nuernberg, P.F. Clardy, D. Gallagher, M.N. Gong, P. Tejera, H. Hakonarson, X. Lin, B.T. Thompson, D.C. Christiani; Boston, Massachusetts, Bronx, New York, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Session: B98 “Acute Lung Injury: New Discoveries and Promises” (Mini Symposium; Monday, May 17, 1:30 to 4:00 p.m., Room 238-239 on the second level of the Morial Convention Center)
ASSEMBLY ON SLEEP & RESPIRATORY NEUROBIOLOGY
“Effect of CPAP Treatment on the Incidence of Cardiovascular Events and Hypertension in Non-Sleepy OSAS Patients. A Long-Term RCT.” Authors: F. Barbé, J. Duran-Cantolla, C. Carmona, M. de la Peña, E. Chiner, J.F. Masa, M. Gonzalez, J.M. Marin, F. García-Río, J. Díaz-de-Atauri, J. Terán, M. Mayos, C. Monasterio, F. del Campo, S. Gómez, M. Sánchez-de-la-Torre, M. Martínez, J.M. Montserrat; Madrid, Spain. Session: D29 “Treatment of Sleep-Disordered Breathing” (Poster Discussion Session; Wednesday, May 19, 8:15 to 10:45 a.m., Room 267-268 on the second level of the Morial Convention Center)
“Intermittent Hypoxia Triggers Release of Macrophage Mediators that Decrease Cardiac Myocyte Survival.” Authors: C.M. Otto, V.P. Good, K. Takahashi, E.J. Miller, K. Margulies, J.E. Baumgardner; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Manhasset, New York, Folsom, Pennsylvania. Session: D100 “Intermittent Hypoxia 2010” (Mini Symposium; Wednesday, May 19, 1:30 to 4 p.m., Room 395-396 on the third level of the Morial Convention Center)