James Brown asks “are lung CD4 cells bothered?” in his editorial on HIV-related COPD in this month’s blue journal

NET Respiratory trainees are highly successful, but it’s sometimes difficult to keep track of what everyone is up to. We would like to start highlighting the achievements of all SpRs on the programme, including research, education, leadership, quality improvement and personal development. Over the next few months we’d like to start collating past achievements so please get in touch to let us know of a paper you have published, an award you have received or some other type of recognition of which you are proud. Or let us know about someone else’s achievements if you know they won’t sing their own praises!

This month, we are highlighting Dr James Brown’s editorial in the blue journal, co-written with Dr Marc Lipman. It examines possible links between HIV infection and accelerated lung function decline, resembling COPD, and poses questions about the underlying immunological mechanisms. It comments on a new study by Popescu et al who show differences in CD4+ cell number and function in the lungs (but not blood) of HIV-infected individuals with COPD. It urges caution in assuming that treatments for COPD in the HIV-uninfected population can be employed routinely in those with HIV and underlines the importance of combined pulmonary and HIV specialist management supported by research studies designed to define underlying mechanisms and, thus, prevent disease.

Read more: http://www.atsjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1164/rccm.201408-1531ED#.VDJs-7xdVjA