Duración de la diarrea aguda infecciosa con el uso de leche deslactosada vs leche con lactosa en la población pediátrica: Revisión sistemática / Duration of acute infectious diarrhea with the use of lactose-free milk vs. lactose-containing milk in the pediatric population: A systematic review

Introducción: La diarrea aguda es una entidad frecuente en pediatría, constituyendo una de las principales causas de mortalidad en países en desarrollo y en niños menores de cinco años. Si bien la alimentación representa uno de los pilares fundamentales en el tratamiento de la misma, no existe consenso entre los profesionales en cuanto a la indicación de leche deslactosada durante el curso del cuadro. Objetivos: Realizar una revisión sistemática para estudiar el impacto del consumo de leche deslactosada vs leche regular en la duración de la diarrea aguda infecciosa en niños. Materiales y métodos: Se realizó una revisión sistemática incluyendo artículos publicados desde el año 2008 al 2023, utilizando para la búsqueda las bases de datos PubMed, Lillacs, Cochrane Library y literatura gris. Se incluyeron estudios experimentales, observacionales, revisiones, guías de atención y metaanálisis, realizados en pacientes pediátricos sin patologías de base, cursando cuadro de diarrea aguda infecciosa, que compararan el uso de leche deslactosada frente a leche regular. Resultados: Se seleccionaron doce artículos. En 9 de ellos se constató una disminución en la duración de la diarrea en los pacientes que recibieron leche deslactosada con una diferencia de medias de 18 horas (en un rango entre 4 y 32.6 horas). No se reportaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en la mortalidad entre el uso de una u otra fórmula láctea. En relación al uso de una u otra fórmula no se objetivaron variaciones en el peso estadísticamente significativas. La necesidad de hospitalización fue similar entre ambos grupos. Solo un artículo analizó la frecuencia o volumen de deposiciones sin encontrar diferencias significativas (AU)

Introduction:Acute diarrhea is frequent in pediatrics, and constitutes one of the main causes of mortality in developing countries and in children under five years of age. Although feeding is one of the fundamental pillars in the treatment of diarrhea, there is no consensus among professionals regarding the indication of lactose-free milk during the course of the symptoms. Objectives: To conduct a systematic review to study the impact of lactose-free milk vs. regular milk consumption on the duration of acute infectious diarrhea in children. Materials and methods: A systematic review was conducted including articles published between 2008 and 2023, using PubMed, Lillacs, Cochrane Library databases, and gray literature for the search. Experimental and observational studies, reviews, care guidelines and meta-analysis were included, conducted in pediatric patients without underlying diseases, with acute infectious diarrhea, comparing the use of lactose-free milk versus regular milk. Results: Twelve articles were selected. Nine of them showed a decrease in the duration of diarrhea in patients who received lactose-free milk with a mean difference of 18 hours (ranging from 4 to 32.6 hours). No statistically significant differences in mortality were reported between the use of one or the other milk formula. Regarding the use of one or the other formula, there were no statistically significant variations in weight. The need for hospital admission was similar between the two groups. Only one article analyzed stool frequency or volume with no significant differences (AU)

Real-life analysis on safety and efficacy of asciminib for ponatinib pretreated patients with chronic myeloid leukemia.

Failure of second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (2GTKI) is a challenging situation in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Asciminib, recently approved by the US Federal Drug Administration, has demonstrated in clinical trials a good efficacy and safety profile after failure of 2GTKI. However, no study has specifically addressed response rates to asciminib in ponatinib pretreated patients (PPT). Here, we present data on responses to asciminib from 52 patients in clinical practice, 20 of them (38%) with prior ponatinib exposure. We analyzed retrospectively responses and toxicities under asciminib and compared results between PPT and non-PPT patients.After a median follow-up of 30 months, 34 patients (65%) switched to asciminib due to intolerance and 18 (35%) due to resistance to prior TKIs. Forty-six patients (88%) had received at least 3 prior TKIs. Regarding responses, complete cytogenetic response was achieved or maintained in 74% and 53% for non-PPT and PPT patients, respectively. Deeper responses such as major molecular response and molecular response 4.5 were achieved in 65% and 19% in non-PPT versus 32% and 11% in PPT, respectively. Two patients (4%) harbored the T315I mutation, both PPT.In terms of toxicities, non-PPT displayed 22% grade 3-4 TEAE versus 20% in PPT. Four patients (20% of PPT) suffered from cross-intolerance with asciminib as they did under ponatinib.Our data supports asciminib as a promising alternative in resistant and intolerant non-PPT patients, as well as in intolerant PPT patients; the resistant PPT subset remains as a challenging group in need of further therapeutic options.

Neutrophil extracellular traps promote cancer-associated inflammation and myocardial stress.

Cancer is associated with systemic pathologies that contribute to mortality, such as thrombosis and distant organ failure. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential role of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in myocardial inflammation and tissue damage in treatment-naïve individuals with cancer. Mice with mammary carcinoma (MMTV-PyMT) had increased plasma levels of NETs measured as H3Cit-DNA complexes, paralleled with elevated coagulation, compared to healthy littermates. MMTV-PyMT mice displayed upregulation of pro-inflammatory markers in the heart, myocardial hypertrophy and elevated cardiac disease biomarkers in the blood, but not echocardiographic heart failure. Moreover, increased endothelial proliferation was observed in hearts from tumor-bearing mice. Removal of NETs by DNase I treatment suppressed the myocardial inflammation, expression of cardiac disease biomarkers and endothelial proliferation. Compared to a healthy control group, treatment-naïve cancer patients with different malignant disorders had increased NET formation, which correlated to plasma levels of the inflammatory marker CRP and the cardiac disease biomarkers NT-proBNP and sTNFR1, in agreement with the mouse data. Altogether, our data indicate that NETs contribute to inflammation and myocardial stress during malignancy. These findings suggest NETs as potential therapeutic targets to prevent cardiac inflammation and dysfunction in cancer patients.

Aberrant gene methylation and bronchial dysplasia in high risk lung cancer patients.

INTRODUCTION: The risk for lung cancer is incremented in high degree dysplasia (HGD) and in subjects with hypermethylation of multiple genes. We sought to establish the association between them, as well as to analyze the DNA aberrant methylation in sputum and in bronchial washings (BW). METHODS: Cross sectional study of high risk patients for lung cancer in whom induced sputum and autofluorescence bronchoscopy were performed. The molecular analysis was determined on DAPK1, RASSF1A and p16 genes using Methylation-specific PCR. RESULTS: A total of 128 patients were enrolled in the study. Dysplasia lesions were found in 79 patients (61.7%) and high grade dysplasia in 20 (15.6%). Ninety eight patients out of 128 underwent molecular analysis. Methylation was observed in bronchial secretions (sputum or BW) in 60 patients (61.2%), 51 of them (52%) for DAPK1, in 20 (20.4%) for p16 and in three (3.1%) for RASSF1A. Methylated genes only found in sputum accounted for 38.3% and only in BW in 41.7%, and in both 20.0%. In the 11.2% of the patients studied, HGD and a hypermethylated gene were present, while for the 55.1% of the sample only one of both was detected and for the rest of the subjects (33.6%), none of the risk factors were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Our data determines DNA aberrant methylation panel in bronchial secretions is present in a 61.2% and HGD is found in 15.6%. Although both parameters have previously been identified as risk factors for lung cancer, the current study does not find a significative association between them. The study also highlights the importance of BW as a complementary sample to induced sputum when analyzing gene aberrant methylation.

Learning curves for endobronchial ultrasound using cusum analysis.

BACKGROUND: The assessment of medical trainees is becoming an increasingly prominent issue, with current methods having varying degrees of inherent subjectivity and bias. Cusum analysis is a technique used in quality control systems, and is starting to be employed in medical training. Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) is an established tool in the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer, although its use in the UK is currently restricted. As it becomes more widespread, there will be a need to assess trainees' competence accurately to ensure that those performing EBUS at new centres are appropriately skilled. METHODS: A retrospective review of clinical practice in tertiary referral centres in England, Scotland and Spain was carried out. The study group comprised 500 patients undergoing EBUS for the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer as part of a clinical service. Using cusum analysis, the first 100 cases from each of the five centres are presented. Each centre has one consultant physician as the primary EBUS operator, and all operators began using EBUS at their current centre (ie, no learning from prior experience). The data are presented as learning curves. RESULTS: It is evident that there is a wide range of time over which EBUS-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) competence is attained. The pooled sensitivity was 67.4% (individual sensitivities 66.7, 70.7, 61.2, 80.3 and 59.7%). CONCLUSION: Cusum analysis is well suited to the assessment of procedures with a binary outcome, but accurate and appropriate standards of practice must be determined prior to assessment to ensure correct identification of underperformance. This report suggests that the learning curve for EBUS is greater than previously reported using different methods, and that even experienced bronchoscopists vary in their speed of learning.

[The therapeutic potential of endothelial progenitor cells in ischaemic stroke]. / Potencial terapéutico de las células progenitoras endoteliales en el ictus isquémico.

AIM: To review the present knowledge about endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), their relationship with stroke and their possible therapeutic potential. DEVELOPMENT: Activation of angiogenesis and vasculogenesis after cerebral ischemia is an attempt to recover damaged cerebral tissue. The role of EPCs in angiogenesis/vasculogenesis after brain ischemia remains unknown. Many studies have been published about the isolation, phenotyping and function of EPCs. However, there is not a unique definition for these cells; their origin and function are still an issue of controversy between different research groups. In this review, we summarize the currently used techniques and the most relevant publications about EPCs in experimental models of cerebral ischemia and their role in stroke. CONCLUSIONS: The identification of EPCs in peripheral blood as hematopoietic cells with the ability to differentiate into endothelial cells, broke the paradigm that vasculogenesis was only an embryogenic process. However, better knowledge about the origin and function of EPCs in cerebral ischemia is required. Stimulation of these cells opens a wide new field of cell-based angiogenic therapy that could improve the current stroke treatment.

Treatment of monocytes with interleukin (IL)-12 plus IL-18 stimulates survival, differentiation and the production of CXC chemokine ligands (CXCL)8, CXCL9 and CXCL10.

During inflammation, interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-18 are produced by macrophages and other cell types such as neutrophils (IL-12), keratinocytes and damaged endothelial cells (IL-18). To explore the role of IL-12 and IL-18 in inflammatory innate immune responses we investigated their impact on human peripheral blood monocytes and mature bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) macrophages. IL-12 and IL-18 together, but not alone, prevented spontaneous apoptosis of cultured monocytes, promoted monocyte clustering and subsequent differentiation into macrophages. These morphological changes were accompanied by increased secretion of CXC chemokine ligands (CXCL)9, CXCL10 (up to 100-fold, P < 0.001) and CXCL8 (up to 10-fold, P < 0.001) but not CCL3, CCL4 or CCL5. Mature macrophages (from BALs) expressed high basal levels of CXCL8, that were no modified upon stimulation with IL-12 and IL-18. In contrast, the basal production of CXCL9 and CXCL10 by BALs was increased by 10-fold (P < 0.001) in the presence of either IL-12 or IL-18 alone and by 50-fold in the presence of both cytokines. In conclusion, our results indicate a relevant role for IL-12 and IL-18 in the activation and resolution of inflammatory immune responses, by increasing the survival of monocytes and by inducing the production of chemokines. In particular, those that may regulate angiogenesis and promote the recruitment of monocytes, activated T cells (CXCL9 and CXCL10) and granulocytes (CXCL8).

[Frequency and risk of bronchopulmonary neoplasia related to asbestos]. / Frecuencia y riesgo de neoplasia broncopulmonar relacionada con asbesto.

BACKGROUND: The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence of asbestos-related lung cancer and the importance of the occupational exposure to this inorganic fibre as a risk factor. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study of 82 patients with lung cancer (mean age 62 SD 9 years) and 53 patients without pleuropulmonary disease (63 SD 13 years). The occupational exposure to asbestos was determined by a questionnaire. We determined the concentration of asbestos bodies (AB) in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) (93 patients) or lung tissue (42 patients) after chemical digestion, with the results being expressed as AB/mL BAL or AB/g dry lung, respectively. A concentration higher than 1 AB/mL or 1,000 AB/g was considered as marker of high asbestos burden in lung tissue, which could be potentially responsible for pleuropulmonary disease. The importance of asbestos occupational exposure as a risk factor for lung cancer was determined using logistic regression models. RESULTS: 25 patients with lung cancer reported occupational exposure to asbestos (30%) and in 13 out of them AB were detected in BAL or lung tissue (24%), at high concentrations in 3 cases (4%). Six patients from the group without pleuropulmonary disease reported occupational exposure to asbestos (11%) and in 13 out of them AB were found in some samples (24%), with no case having high concentrations. In the univariate logistic regression analysis, diagnosis of bronchial neoplasia was associated with both smoking (OR 10.10, 95% CI 3.50-29.13) and occupational exposure to asbestos (OR 3.69, 95% CI 1.39-9.77). The association between asbestos exposure and lung cancer persisted statistically significant after adjustment for smoking (OR 2.80, 95% CI 1.00-7.84). CONCLUSION: In Spain, lung cancer was related to occupational exposure to asbestos in 4% of cases, and it appeared to exist a synergistic effect of smoking. Occupational exposure to this inorganic fibre doubles the risk of suffering from lung cancer.

[Long-term functional results in ossicular reconstruction with cartilage]. / Resultados funcionales a largo plazo en reconstrucción osicular con cartílago.

Optimal hearing is one goal of otologic surgery. This study examines the long-term functional success rate of cartilage as graft material for ossicular chain reconstruction in type III tympanoplasty. A retrospective review of seventy-nine patients having undergone type III tympanoplasty (53 with closed techniques and 26 with open techniques) was made. Lateral graft ("onlay") techniques were used in almost all cases. All operations were performed by one of the authors, a well-established otologic surgeon. Seventy-four percent of the reconstructions were performed in an one-stage procedure. The mean period of follow-up was 54 months (range 1-17 years). The results of air-bone gap closure and complications of the surgery are presented. Our results show that a significant percentage of patients gain a long-term substantial improvement in their hearing with minimal risk. However, this hearing improvement tends to decline eventually in a progressive manner. A post-operative air-bone closure equal or < 30 dB was achieved in 92.2% of the all cases (n = 79) with a mean gain of 9.72 dB. Functional outcomes in closed techniques were slightly better than in open techniques. There were few complications. Perforation and retraction of the tympanic graft were the most common observed complications. In conclusion, cartilage is an available, costless, reliable and technically easy to use graft material for functional reconstructions of the ossicular chain. It is a well-tolerated element in middle ear space as well as by the tympanic membrane, it has a very low risk of extrusion and a good long-term functional viability. Therefore, update cartilage is an interesting option in functional restoration of the ossicular chain as graft placed on the stapes capitulum.

Chronic myeloid leukemia with expression of ALL-type BCR/ABL transcript: a case-report and review of the literature.

CML with exclusive expression of ALL-type bcr/abl has only been rarely described. In some cases, the presence of this fusion gene has been associated to a differentiated subtype of CML that share some features with CMML, while in another case this molecular hallmark has been associated to a bad prognosis of the disease with a blast phase as clinical presentation or an early transformation to blast phase. We report a case of a 30-year-old woman who was diagnosed of CML in chronic phase in May 1989. She received treatment first with busulfan, achieving hematological remission and afterwards with interferon and Hydroxiurea. In February 1998, she was admitted at our hospital for an ABSCT. Then, molecular studies were performed. Multiplex PCR revealed the presence of a 481 bp product identified as the ela2 bcr/abl transcript and confirmed by sequencing. After 9 years from diagnosis, the patient remains in hematological remission and in good clinical condition.

Inhaled antibiotic therapy in non-cystic fibrosis patients with bronchiectasis and chronic bronchial infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term effectiveness and safety of inhaled antibiotic treatment in non-cystic fibrosis patients with bronchiectasis and chronic infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, after standard endovenous and oral therapy for long-term control of the infection had failed. After completing a 2-week endovenous antibiotic treatment to stabilize respiratory status, 17 patients were randomly allocated to a 12-month treatment either with inhaled ceftazidime and tobramycin (group A) or a symptomatic treatment (group B). One patient from group A abandoned inhaled treatment because of bronchospasm and another from group B died before the end of the study. The remaining 15 patients, seven from group A and eight from group B, completed the study. Both groups had similar previous characteristics. The number of admissions and days of admission (mean +/- SEM) of group A [0.6 (1.5) and 13.1 (34.8)] were lower than those of group B [2.5 (2.1) and 57.9 (41.8)] (P < 0.05). Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1), PAO2 and PACO2 were similar in the two groups at the end of follow-up, showing a comparable decline in these parameters. There were no significant differences either in the use of oral antibiotics or in the frequency of emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria between groups. Microbiological studies suggested that several patients had different Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains. None of the patients presented impaired renal or auditory function at the end of the study. This study suggests that long-term inhaled antibiotic therapy may be safe and lessen disease severity in non-cystic fibrosis patients with bronchiectasis and chronic bronchial infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa which do not respond satisfactorily to antibiotics administered via other routes.

[Pneumonias in patients with malignant hemopathies. Their etiology, response to treatment and prognostic factors in 69 patients (88 episodes)]. / Neumonías en los pacientes con hemopatías malignas. Etiología, respuesta al tratamiento y factores pronósticos en 69 pacientes (88 episodios).

BACKGROUND: To analyze the etiology, treatment response and prognostic factors in 88 episodes of pneumonia in patients with hematological malignancies diagnosed in one center during a period of 30 months. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 88 episodes of pneumonia in 69 adult patients were studied. Age, sex, hematological malignancy and its treatment, existence of neutropenia and hypogammaglobulinemia, administration of immunosuppressive agents, type (hospital or community-acquired) and localization of pneumonia, presence of respiratory failure and treatment response were reported. For etiologic diagnosis of pneumonias, cultures of blood, sputum, pleural fluid and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), as well as Legionella pneumophila, Aspergillus fumigatus and Streptococcus pneumoniae antigen detection in urine were performed. Univariate and multivariate analyses of prognostic factors for pneumonia evolution were carried out. RESULTS: The median age was 63 years. Acute leukemias (AL) were the predominant hematological malignancies. Microbiologic documentation was obtained in 40 (45%) of pneumonias. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy with BAL (71%) was the diagnostic procedure with highest yield followed by blood cultures (25%). Streptococcus pneumoniae (13) was the most frequent isolated pathogen, followed by Legionella pneumophila (6) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (6). A significantly higher prevalence of Streptococcus pneumoniae was observed in community-acquired pneumonia. The overall mortality rate was 20%. Respiratory failure (p = 0.0009), existence of neutropenia (p = 0.0023), age equal or higher than 60 years (p = 0.012) and prolonged administration of immunosuppressive agents (p = 0.015) were the prognostic factors associated with unfavourable evolution of pneumonias in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The etiologic diagnosis of pneumonia in patients with hematological malignancies was only achieved in a half of cases. In our series, the high prevalence of Legionella pneumophila can be attributed to the special epidemiologic characteristics of our hospital. Prognostic factors of pneumonia are related to individual factors as well as to the hematological status of patients.

[Identifying asbestos bodies in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid]. / Identificación de cuerpos de asbesto en el lavado broncoalveolar.

UNLABELLED: Asbestos bodies (AB) in respiratory secretions in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) identify subjects with lower airway AB content is a potential cause of pleural or pulmonary disease. The precision of this qualitative measure, however, has not been adequately analyzed. OBJECTIVE: To determine the sensitivity and specificity of finding AB in BAL fluid by conventional qualitative cytology in comparison with the quantification of AB in BAL fluid. METHOD: BAL samples from 40 subjects exposed to asbestos (mean age 59.2 years; men/women 36/4) were processed in the following ways: 1) qualitative cytology and 2) quantification of AB in BAL fluid expressed as AB/ml. The concentration of AB in BAL fluid was considered the gold standard (upper limit of normal 1 AB/ml) for determining the precision of qualitative cytology. RESULTS: In 9 of the 40 cases (22.5%) AB was found in BAL liquid cytology, but in only five of them were AB counts greater than 1 AB/ml. AB counts also showed concentrations greater than 1 AB/ml for four patients whose qualitative results were negative. The sensitivity of a qualitative AB-positive finding for identifying subjects with potentially disease-causing AB concentrations was 0.55, while specificity was 0.87. We conclude that a qualitative finding of AB in BAL fluid is adequately specific, but that sensitivity is very low, an indication that AB concentration in BAL should be determined to adequately screen for patients at high risk of developing disease.

Risk factors for lower airway bacterial colonization in chronic bronchitis.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors for lower airway bacterial colonization (LABC) in stable chronic bronchitis (CB). Forty-one outpatients with CB were enrolled in the study (age 63.8+/-9.1 yrs (mean+/-SD); forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) 62.8+/-11.2; current/former smokers 24/17). All patients had normal chest radiographs and an indication for performing fibreoptic bronchoscopy (pulmonary nodule, remote haemoptysis). The protected specimen brush (PSB) was used for bacterial sampling, and concentrations > or = 1,000 colony-forming units (cfu) x mL(-1) were considered positive for LABC. The repeatability of the procedure in CB was assessed in a random subsample of 18 subjects. A 72.2% quantitative agreement was found in the repeatability assessment of the PSB technique. Positive PSB cultures, obtained in 9 out of 41 (22%) patients, mainly yielded Haemophilus influenzae. The logistic regression model, used to determine which variables were related to colonization, showed that LABC was associated with current smoking (odds ratio (OR) 9.83, confidence interval (CI) 1.16-83.20) and low FVC (OR 0.73, CI 0.65-0.81). Age and FEV1 were not related to LABC. It was concluded that the prevalence of LABC in stable CB is high (22%), and current smoking is an important risk factor.

Occupational asthma in the community: risk factors in a western Mediterranean population.

Risk factors and prevalence of occupational asthma in the general population were examined in a cross-sectional community study conducted in north Barcelona. A self-administered questionnaire that contained questions about bronchial asthma and occupation was mailed to a random sample of 4000 adults who lived in north Barcelona; the response rate was 31.0%. Investigators made phone calls to nonresponders to determine response bias. Risk factors for occupational asthma were assessed with logistic regression. Investigators, who sought a definite diagnosis of occupational asthma, offered a chest examination to all subjects who reported asthma in life and who experienced clinically relevant occupational exposures. The examination included skin tests to common allergens, forced spirometry with reversibility test, and peak expiratory flow rate at and away from work. Cumulative prevalences obtained from responders were good estimates for the general population: asthma in life, 9.0%; clinically relevant occupational exposure, 28.9%; and respiratory symptoms at work, 18.3%. Adjustments were made for age, sex, and smoking habits, and relevant exposure caused an increase in asthma risk (odds ratio [OR] = 1.9; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 1.1, 3.2); however, when investigators introduced specific occupations in the model as independent variables, only occupational exposure to leather (OR = 12.8 [95% CI = 4.4, 37.4]), animals (OR = 10.3 [95% CI = 1.6, 65.2]), dyes (OR = 5.6 [95% CI = 2.1, 15.3]), and flour (OR = 4.6 [CI = 1.3, 15.7]) persisted as significant risk factors. A 1.7/1000 minimum prevalence of occupational asthma for the north Barcelona population was estimated from chest examination results. Occupational risk for asthma appeared to be associated with exposure to leather, animals, dyes, or flour in the north Barcelona area.

Cytology of bronchial biopsy rinse fluid to improve the diagnostic yield for lung cancer.

Sampling techniques are combined during bronchoscopy to increase the diagnostic yield for endobronchial malignant tumours. Bronchial biopsy provides the definitive histological diagnosis in most cases, but accompanying cytological procedures such as washing, brushing, needle aspiration or imprint cytology can increase diagnostic yield. In this prospective study, a different cytological technique, that could enhance the diagnostic yield of bronchoscopy without increasing its time or cost, was tested. Flexible bronchoscopy was performed in 93 patients suspected of having pulmonary neoplasms. Bronchial biopsies were initially placed in a balanced salt solution. When bronchoscopy was finished, all visible tissue fragments were removed and placed in formalin to undergo histopathological examination and the rinse fluid was sent for cytological examination. Washing was performed routinely but no cytological brushing was employed. Eighty-two patients had final diagnoses of malignant neoplasm. In four (4.8%) of these patients, the only positive result came from the cytological examination of the bronchial biopsy rinse fluid. No false-positive results were found. The agreement with the histological results was 81.8%. The addition of bronchial biopsy rinse-fluid examination increased the sensitivity of bronchoscopy from 65.8% to 70.7% (McNemar's p=0.009). The cytological study of bronchial biopsy rinse fluid offers reliable positive results in an additional 4.8% of cases, thus enhancing bronchoscopic diagnostic yield for malignant endobronchial tumours while neither prolonging the procedure nor increasing costs.