The use of antibiotics in a self-limiting and predominantly viral disease, the high use of injectable drugs, with an inadequate cost/benefit ratio, and of non-elevated therapeutic value

are behaviors that lead to the emergence of resistance, adverse reactions and unnecessary expenses. This fact brings to the conclusion that there was a misuse of drugs for pharyngoamygdalitis in San Luis.”
“The epidemiology of headache in Arab countries was systematically reviewed through Medline identification of four papers reporting headache prevalence in the Arab nations of Qatar, Saudi Arabia (2 papers) and Oman. The prevalence of headache varied from 8 to 12% in Saudi Arabia to 72.5% in Qatar and 83.6% in Oman. Headache was commoner in females and younger people. The www.selleckchem.com/products/hmpl-504-azd6094-volitinib.html prevalence of tension headache was 3.1-9.5% in Saudi Arabia and the 1-year prevalence in Qatar was 11.2%. The migraine prevalence was 2.6-5% in Saudi Arabia and 7.9% in Qatar, while the 1-year migraine prevalence was 10.1% in Oman.

The results show a migraine prevalence within that estimated worldwide. However, it is clear that epidemiological data from Arab countries are lacking, and there is disparity in the reported prevalence from Saudi Arabia when compared with its two neighbours, Qatar and Oman. Wider study adopting the this website same methodology in the six Gulf countries (Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait) is needed to examine variations in headache and migraine prevalence.”
“Common

warts (verruca vulgaris) are the most commonly seen benign cutaneous tumors. However, warts in the hands and feet regions often respond poorly to treatment, some are resistant to more than 6months of treatment with currently available modalities, including cryotherapy, being defined as refractory warts. We investigated the usefulness of long-pulsed JNK-IN-8 mouse neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (LP-Nd:YAG) treatment for refractory warts. The clinical trial was conducted on 20 subjects (11 male, nine female) with a total of 34 lesions (periungual/subungual areas, plantar areas, fingers and/or toes). All the subjects suffered from refractory warts despite conventional treatments for more than 6months. The patients were administrated up to six sessions of treatment, at intervals of 4weeks between sessions, with an LP-Nd:YAG at a spot size of 5mm, pulse duration of 15msec and fluence of 150-185J/cm(2). Evaluation of the treatment results at 24weeks after the initial treatment showed complete clearance of the refractory warts in 56% of the patients. Histological evaluation showed separation of the dermis and epidermis at the basement membrane with coagulated necrosis of the wart tissue in the lower epidermis, as well as coagulation and destruction of the blood vessels in the papillary dermis following the laser irradiation.

1063/1.3431522]”
“Objectives. A cleavage fragment of collagen XVIII, endostatin, is released into the circulation and has been demonstrated to have antiangiogenic effects in animal models. We hypothesized that circulating endostatin selleck chemicals would be increased in patients with symptoms of lower limb peripheral artery disease. Design. Cross-sectional study. Participants. Community dwelling older men. Measurements. Intermittent claudication

was defined using the Edinburgh Claudication Questionnaire (ECQ). Serum endostatin was measured by a commercial ELISA. The association of serum endostatin with intermittent claudication was examined using logistic regression adjusting for age, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, coronary heart disease, and stroke. Results. Serum endostatin was measured in 1114 men who completed the ECQ. 106 men had intermittent claudication, Dinaciclib purchase 291 had atypical pain, and 717 had no lower limb pain. Mean (perpendicular to standard deviation) serum endostatin concentrations (ng/mL) were 145.22 perpendicular to 106.93 for men with intermittent claudication, 129.11 +/- 79.80 for men with atypical pain, and 116.34 +/- 66.57 for men with

no lower limb pain; P < 0.001. A 70 ng/mL increase in endostatin was associated with a 1.17-fold rise in the adjusted odds of having intermittent claudication (OR 1.17, 95% confidence interval 1.00-1.37, and P = 0.050). Conclusions. Serum endostatin is raised in older men who have symptoms of intermittent claudication. The role of endostatin in the genesis and outcome of peripheral artery disease requires further investigation.”
“Submicrometer-sized poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) particles were generated by precipitation with a compressed fluid antisolvent technique. The precipitation was carried out as follows. A solution containing PMMA was sprayed through a nozzle into a precipitator. The antisolvent CO(2) was continuously passed through the precipitator during the operation

at a flow rate of 2000 mL/min. When toluene was used as the solvent, scanning electron microscopy images showed that solid, spherical PMMA particles with less coalescence could be generated only when both vapor and liquid CO2 was present and the liquid CO2 level in the precipitator was one-eighth. The morphology and size of the precipitated PM MA were found to be dependent on the solvents. Toluene, which had the lowest solubility parameter, was MK-4827 DNA Damage inhibitor the most appropriate solvent in comparison with tetrahydrofuran, acetone, and nitromethane. More uniform submicrometer-sized PMMA particles were obtained at PMMA concentrations equal to or less than 1.0 wt % in the toluene solution. A narrower particle size distribution was observed for precipitating PMMA with a molecular weight of 85,000 versus PMMA with a molecular weight of 36,000. To generate PMMA particles with less coalescence, liquid CO(2) instead of supercritical CO(2) was suggested for use in drying immediately after the spraying of the PMMA solution.

Methods: A total of 61 male adolescents (10-17 years old; mean: 13.67 +/-

1.08) with gynecomastia were enrolled into the study group. A total of 65 healthy age-matched adolescents were included in the control group. MLN4924 order Body mass index (BMI), Tanner staging, testis volume, stretched penis length (SPL) and bone age were evaluated. Serum follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol (E-2), testosterone, free testosterone, SHBG, PSA levels were determined and FAI was calculated.

Results: In the study group, free testosterone (p = 0.012) and FAI (p = 0.05) were significantly lower than the control group. In the control group, SHBG levels decreased (p < 0.05) and FAI increased (p < 0.05) significantly with increasing Tanner Nutlin-3 order stages; however, no such difference was observed in the study group (p > 0.05). High FAI was found to decrease the risk of gynecomastia (odds ratio: 0.211, 95% confidence interval: 0.064-0.694, p = 0.01). PSA showed a positive correlation

with FAI, free testosterone, Tanner staging, testosterone, E-2 and LH levels.

Conclusions: PSA is a good indicator of androgen activity during puberty. However, owing to FAI remaining as the single significant variable for pubertal gynecomastia, we suggest that it is still the best parameter to elucidate the etiopathogenesis of gynecomastia as well as other pubertal developmental abnormalities in male adolescents, and further longitudinal studies are needed to investigate the relationships between PSA and

FAI in puberty.”
“Polysaccharide fractions were extracted from partially delignified bamboo (Neosinocalamus affinis) culms pretreated with ultrasonic irradiation for varied times and cold sodium hydroxide/urea solution, and their structure and thermal stability were comparatively characterized. In this case, ball-milled bamboo culms were treated with ultrasonic irradiation for varied times (0, 5, 15, and 25 min), dissolved with 7% GSK1904529A sodium hydroxide/12% urea solution at -12 degrees C, and then extracted with ethanol and dioxane to obtain partially delignified solid fractions. Subsequently, the solid fractions were subjected to be extracted with dimethyl sulfoxide followed by precipitation in ethanol and yielded the polysaccharide fractions. Sugar analysis indicated that the total sugar content increased from 60.63% in the polysaccharide fraction prepared without ultrasonic irradiation to 81.26% in the polysaccharide fraction prepared with an ultrasonic irradiation time of 25 min. Glucose (similar to 50-55%) was the major sugar component, and xylose (similar to 41-44%) was the second major sugar in polysaccharide fractions in all cases.

In the first group (34 patients), after spinal analgesia was administered, the exact site of the obturator nerve was determined by nerve stimulation and 15 mL of lidocaine HCl 2% was injected around the nerve. In Selleckchem PARP inhibitor the second group (31 patients), we determined the obturator nerve using nerve stimulation (like the first group), then 20 mL of saline was injected. In the third group (47 patients), the obturator nerve was determined

based on anatomic landmarks and blocked subsequently. Leg jerking was reported and compared in the three groups.

Results: The median ages in the three groups were 55.4, 59.4, 57.8 years in the first, second, and third groups, respectively. Male/female ratios were 79.5% in the first, 80.7% in the second, and 80.9% in the third group (P = 0.986). Leg jerking was reported in 5.8%, 34%, and 6.3% of patients in the first, second, and third groups, respectively (P = 0.0001). ONB took 6.7 minutes in the first, 6.1 minutes in the second, and 5.2 minutes in the third group, on average. There was no report of adverse effects of lidocaine HCl in this study.

Conclusion: Transvesical ONB is a safe and effective method of ONB before TURBT. This method is feasible by urologists and promising even without nerve stimulation and only by anatomic landmarks.”
“Influenza A viruses are a major cause of respiratory infections find more in humans. To protect against influenza,

vaccines mainly aim at the induction of antibodies against the two surface proteins and do not protect against influenza A viruses from other subtypes. There is an increasing interest in heterosubtypic immunity that does protect against different subtypes.CD8 and CD4 T cells have a beneficial effect on the course of influenza A virus infection and can recognize conserved IAV epitopes. The T cell responses are tightly regulated to avoid collateral damage due to overreaction. Different studies have shown that an aberrant T cell response to an influenza virus infection could be harmful and could contribute to immunopathology.

Here we discuss the recent findings on the balance between the beneficial and detrimental effects of T cell responses in influenza virus infections.”
“We herein report a 32-year-old Caucasian woman with human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B51 who developed Behcet’s disease after learn more immigration to Japan. She was born and raised in Finland and had never experienced any clinical symptoms related to Behcet’s disease before immigration to Japan. None of her family members in Finland had similar problems. Two years after the immigration, she developed typical clinical symptoms of Behcet’s disease. This report strongly supports the canonical notion that the interaction of genetic factors, such as HLA-B51, with environmental factors specific to the countries in the Silk Road area, including Japan, may play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of this disorder.

The field-induced first-order transition was observed in the as-annealed ribbons, leading to the large magnetic entropy changes. The maximum magnetic entropy changes under a magnetic field of 5 T were about 14.3, 19.2, and 19 J/kg K for the ribbons with x=0, 0.1, and 0.2, respectively. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3359807]“
“Purpose: To evaluate the effects of total scanning time (TST), interscan delay (ISD), inclusion of image at peak vascular enhancement

(IPVE), and selection of the input function vessel on the accuracy of tumor blood flow (BF) calculation with computed tomography (CT) in an animal model.

Materials and Methods: AZD7762 cost All animal protocols and experiments were approved by the institutional animal care and use committee prior to study initiation. After injection of 0.2 or 0.4 mL of iodinated contrast material, six rats with mammary adenocarcinoma (three tumors each) were scanned in the axial mode for 5 minutes with 1-second ISD (reference scan), 2.5-mm section thickness, 2.5-mm interval, selleck inhibitor pitch of 1.3, 120 kV, 240 mA, and 0.5-second rotation time. A total of 126 dynamic data sets were created with commercial software by varying TST and ISD, including or excluding the IPVE, and using the aorta or inferior vena cava (IVC) as the input function. Comparative

analyses were used to test for significant differences (t test, Wilcoxon signed rank test). Regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship between attenuation of the input function vessel and BF.

Results: No significant difference was observed (P > .05) when TST was as short as 30 seconds (range, 20-23 mL/100 QNZ g). In sequences performed with an ISD longer than 8 seconds, BF was significantly elevated (P < .01). Inclusion of the IPVE eliminated this difference (P < .10). Use of the IVC as the input function resulted in significantly higher BF (P < .02), with a correlation between peak attenuation and BF (R(2) = 0.43).

Conclusion:

To reduce radiation dose in tumor perfusion with CT, TST can be reduced without causing significant changes in BF calculation in an animal model. Scanning the aortic reference with peak contrast enhancement reduces variability sufficiently to allow for longer ISDs. (C) RSNA, 2009″
“ObjectivesSuicide rates are elevated in individuals with cancer, although suicidal intention is not typically assessed in cancer centers. We evaluated in a large comprehensive cancer center the utility of an electronic Distress Assessment and Response Tool (DART), in which suicidal intention is assessed with a single item.

MethodsPatients attending cancer clinics completed DART as part of routine care. DART includes measures of physical symptoms, depression, anxiety, social difficulties, and practical concerns. Medical variables were obtained from the Princess Margaret Cancer Registry, the data warehouse of cancer patient statistics.

By influencing the production of cytokines, they have a dampening effect on the proinflammatory response. Furthermore, the

majority CA4P of cells involved in the immune response are, in one way or another, influenced when macrolide antibiotics are administered. Having such an obvious effect on the various aspects of the immune system, macrolides seem to be exceptionally suited for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases. Copyright (C) 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel”
“Surgeons’ interest in image and/or robotic guidance for spinal implant placement is increasing. This technology is continually improving and may be particularly useful in patients with challenging anatomy. Only through careful clinical evaluation can its successful applications, limitations, and areas for improvement be defined. This study evaluates

the outcomes of robotic-assisted screw placement in a consecutive series of 102 patients.

Data were recorded from technical notes and operative records created immediately following each surgery case, in which the robotic system was used to guide pedicle screw placement. All cases were performed at the same hospital by a single surgeon. The majority of patients had spinal deformity and/or previous spine surgery. Each planned screw placement was classified as: (1) successful/accurately placed screw using robotic guidance; (2) screw malpositioned using robot; (3) use of robot aborted and screw placed manually; (4) GW4869 in vitro planned screw not placed as screw deemed non essential for construct stability. Data from each case were reviewed by two independent Oligomycin A solubility dmso researchers to indentify the diagnosis, number of attempted robotic guided screw placements and the outcome of the attempted placement as well as complications or reasons for non-placement.

Robotic-guided

screw placement was successfully used in 95 out of 102 patients. In those 95 patients, 949 screws (87.5 % of 1,085 planned screws) were successfully implanted. Eleven screws (1.0 %) placed using the robotic system were misplaced (all presumably due to “”skiving”" of the drill bit or trocar off the side of the facet). Robotic guidance was aborted and 110 screws (10.1 %) were manually placed, generally due to poor registration and/or technical trajectory issues. Fifteen screws (1.4 %) were not placed after intraoperative determination that the screw was not essential for construct stability. The robot was not used as planned in seven patients, one due to severe deformity, one due to very high body mass index, one due to extremely poor bone quality, one due to registration difficulty caused by previously placed loosened hardware, one due to difficulty with platform mounting and two due to device technical issues.

Of the 960 screws that were implanted using the robot, 949 (98.9 %) were successfully and accurately implanted and 11 (1.

A total of 1452 consecutive patients undergoing cardiac surgery using extracorporeal circulation (ECC) between November 2005 and December 2008 at OUH GDC-0994 were analysed. Statistical tests were used to identify risk factors for reoperation. We performed a case-note review on

propensity-matched patients to assess the outcome of reoperation for bleeding regarding morbidity and mortality. In total, 101 patients (7.0%) underwent surgical re-exploration due to excessive postoperative bleeding. Significant risk factors for reoperation for bleeding after cardiac surgery was low ejection fraction, high EuroSCORE, procedures other than isolated CABG, elongated time on ECC, low body mass index, diabetes mellitus and preoperatively elevated s-creatinine. Reoperated patients significantly had a greater increase in postoperative s-creatinine and higher mortality. Surviving reoperated patients significantly had a lower EuroSCORE and a shorter time on ECC compared with non-survivors. The average time www.selleckchem.com/products/BEZ235.html to re-exploration was 155 min longer for non-survivors when compared with survivors.”
“The deep cerebellar nuclei (DCN) are at the center of the cerebellum not only anatomically but also functionally.

Classical anatomical studies have described different types of DCN neurons according to their expression of various marker proteins, but only recently have we begun to characterize these different cell types according to their electrophysiological properties. These efforts have benefited greatly from the availability of transgenic mouse lines that express

green fluorescent protein under the control of the glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD67) and glycine transporter (GlyT2) promoters, which are markers for GABAergic and glycinergic neurons, respectively. These studies have identified VX-809 in vitro several types of neurons within the lateral cerebellar nuclei, each of which exhibits distinct active membrane properties. In addition to their differential use of neurotransmitters (glutamate, GABA, or glycine), these cell types also receive and provide synaptic information from different sources and to different targets.”
“Methods. aEuro integral We searched the PubMed database using keywords ”MRI”, ”appendicitis”, and ”pregnancy”. Five case series describing the role of MRI in cases of antenatal appendicitis were included. The sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values were calculated.

Results. aEuro integral Two hundred twenty-nine patients were included in the study. In the first analysis in which non-diagnostic scans were excluded, the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of MRI for diagnosing appendicitis were 95.0%%, 99.9%%, 90.4%%, and 99.5%%, respectively. In the second analysis, which included non-diagnostic scans, the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were 90.5%%, 98.6%%, 86.3%%, and 99.

(c) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Despite comparable levels of virus replication, simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIV) infection is non-pathogenic in natural hosts, such as sooty mangabeys (SM), whereas it is pathogenic

in non-natural hosts, such as rhesus macaques (RM). Comparative studies of pathogenic and non-pathogenic SIV infection can thus shed light on the role of specific factors in SIV pathogenesis. Here, we determine the impact of target-cell limitation, CD8+ T cells, and Natural Killer (NK) cells on virus replication in the early SIV infection. To this end, we fit previously published data of experimental GSK1904529A mw SIV infections in SMs and RMs with mathematical models incorporating these factors and assess to what extent the inclusion

of individual factors determines the quality of the fits. We find that for both rhesus macaques and sooty mangabeys, target-cell limitation alone cannot explain the control of early virus replication, whereas including CD8+ T cells into the models significantly improves the fits. By contrast, including NK cells does only significantly improve the fits in SMs. These findings have important implications for our understanding of SIV pathogenesis as they suggest that the level of check details early CD8+ T cell responses is not the key difference between pathogenic and non-pathogenic SIV infection.”
“This study aimed to investigate the effect of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on visual evoked potentials (VEPs) in a mice model of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Mice model was created by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) and DHA was given by gavage. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), caspase-3 activities, nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-kappa B) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) levels were determined in substantia nigra (SN) and retina. Cyclooxygenase-2 intensities were also determined immunohistochemically. The tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunolabelling was significantly decreased in MPTP group compared to control. selleck inhibitor Docosahexaenoic acid decreased dopaminergic neuron death in MPTP + DHA group when compared

to MPTP group. Mice treated with MPTP showed motor deficits as compared to control. Significant improvement was observed in MPTP + DHA group when compared to MPTP group. Treatment with MPTP significantly increased the activity of COX-2 and total COX in SN when compared to the control group. Docosahexaenoic acid caused a significant decrease in total COX and COX-2 activity in SN of mice given MPTP. Cyclooxygenase-2 showed strong immunostaining in MPTP group when compared to other groups in SN. Levels of PGE2 increased in MPTP group when compared to control in SN. Docosahexaenoic acid treatment in MPTP group reduced PGE2 in SN. Nuclear factor kappa-B levels were found to be decreased in SN of MPTP group. The mean latencies of P1, N1, P2, N2, P3, N3, P4, N4, and P5 VEP components were significantly prolonged in MPTP group when compared to control.

The levels of the crosslink compounds were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography and spectrofluorometry after acid hydrolysis. In the non-DM group the pentosidine level was significantly and positively correlated with the pyridinoline level and age. In the DM group the pentosidine level was not significantly correlated C59 cell line with either pyridinoline level or age. Pyridinoline levels and age were not significantly correlated in either group. The increase in crosslink compounds due to glycation and the relationship between the compounds are changed in DM lenses.”
“Novel transparent organic silicone resin coatings were successfully prepared through the reaction between

the alkoxy groups of methyltrimethoxy-silane (MTMS) and gamma-aminopropyltriethoxysilane

(APTES) and hydroxyl groups of hydroxyl terminated silicone oil (HTSO). The influences of different monomer feed mass ratio on the coating properties were investigated via measuring the hydrophobicity and hardness of coating films. The coating films were characterized with IR, UV, TG, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and automatic contact angle meter. Some properties of coating films, such as adhesion, impact resistance, and wear-resistance, were also evaluated. The results indicated that these coating films formed on the surfaces of gold commemorative coins possessed some good properties including high hydrophobicity, high water contact angles, high light transmittance, good heat-resistance, adhesion, hardness, YH25448 cost and weatherability, etc. Moreover, the uniform, clear, transparent, and dense coating films did not cover the symphony surface patterns or affect the metallic luster. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 119: 1156-1160, 2011″
“The aim of this study was to increase the precision of assessment

of the number of round cells observed in the peroxidase test for this website detection of seminal leukocytes (granulocytes). The dilution of semen was reduced and the volume of suspension examined was increased for semen samples containing between 0.6 and 6 million round cells per mL. A 1 + 5 (1:6) dilution was compatible with measurable peroxidase activity and a sufficiently clear background for cell assessment. At this dilution, and with assessment of all 18 grids on both sides of the Neubauer-improved counting chamber, only three of the 10 samples (nominal cell concentrations of 1.9 x 10(6)-3.3 x 10(6) mL(-1)) presented 400 round cells or more. As lower seminal dilutions were incompatible with easy detection of round cells or their peroxidase reaction product, it was not possible to provide precise measurements (sampling error 5%) of the suggested lower reference limit of 1 x 10(6) cells per mL. The results indicate that this poor precision of measuring 1 x 10(6) round cells per mL could explain the discrepant reports on the acceptability of the cut-off values for leukocytospermia.

Although few previous studies have reported segmental ROM with regard to sagittal plane, these were based on cadaver specimens. No study has reported normal functional ROM of thoracic spine.

Fifty patients with cervical or lumbar spinal disease but neither thoracic spinal disease nor compression fracture were enrolled prospectively in this study (34 males, 16 females; mean age 55.4 +/- A 14.7 years; range 27-81 years). After preoperative myelography, multidetector-row computed Selleck FK228 tomography scanning was performed at passive maximum flexion and extension position. Total and segmental thoracic kyphotic angles were measured and ROM calculated.

Total

kyphotic angle (T1/L1) was 40.2A degrees A A +/- A 11.4A degrees and 8.5A degrees A A +/- A 12.8A degrees in flexion and extension, respectively (P < 0.0001). The apex of the kyphotic angle was at T6/7 in flexion.

Total ROM (T1/L1) was 31.7A degrees A A +/- A 11.3A degrees. Segmental ROM decreased from T1/2 to T4/5 but increased gradually from T4/5 to T12/L1. Maximum ROM was at T12/L1 (4.2A degrees A A +/- A 2.1A degrees) and minimum at T4/5 (0.9A degrees A A +/- A 3.0A degrees).

Thoracic spine showed ROM in sagittal plane, despite being considered a stable region. These findings selleck chemical offer useful information in the diagnosis and selection of surgical intervention in thoracic spinal disease.”
“Seroprevalence of and risk factors for toxoplasmosis in sheep from different properties in the Jaboticabal microregion, Sao Paulo State, Brazil were determined. Antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii were found in sera of 52.0% of 488 sheep tested by indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT >= 64). T gondii seropositivity in sheep was significantly associated with gender of the sheep, pasturing system, contact with cats, and the use of mineral supplements and the type of feed. (C) 2009 Elsevier

Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“OBJECTIVE: Although chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common form of structural lung disease associated with pulmonary non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infection, no longitudinal studies have investigated the role of NTM in COPD disease progression.

DESIGN: From 2000 to 2008, spirometry-confirmed COPD patients with sputum specimens sent for mycobacterial cultures were included. Analysis of clinical, microbiological and pulmonary function Selleck GSK-J4 data was performed.

RESULTS: The 251 patients were divided into three groups according to the number of NTM isolates: multiple (n = 47), single (n = 63), and no (n = 141) isolates. Mycobacterium avium complex was the most common species in multiple isolates (36.2%) and single isolate (28.6%) groups. Overall, 24.7% of COPD patients had been admitted for exacerbations at least once a year, and patients with multiple and single NTM isolates were more than twice as likely as those with no isolate to experience such exacerbations (38.3% vs. 31.7% vs.