Respiration; international review of thoracic diseases
-
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy has been shown to be effective in alleviating the underlying obstruction as well as reducing patients' excessive sleepiness and improving their functioning and health-related quality of life. However, residual excessive sleepiness is observed in some patients even though CPAP therapy eliminates sleep apnea and desaturation. ⋯ Actigraphy provides a valuable sleep-wake rhythm assessment in outpatients with OSAS where PSG is difficult to perform.
-
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is characterized by progressive fibrosis and a poor prognosis. Alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) are considered to play important roles by releasing growth factors and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and by being involved in epithelial mesenchymal transition in IPF. Doxycycline hydrochloride (DOXY), an inhibitor of MMPs, attenuates pulmonary fibrosis in models and in patients with IPF; however, the mechanism of this action remains obscure. ⋯ Our results suggest that DOXY could be useful for attenuating pulmonary fibrosis through the inhibition of growth factors and MMP production in AECs.
-
Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) has been found to be an essential technique to treat chronic respiratory failure (CRF) resulting from restrictive thoracic disorders (RTD). The last decades were characterized by the expansion of NIV to treat patients suffering from various other conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS). ⋯ Home NIV is consistently effective in improving HRQoL and physiological parameters in patients with CRF. Randomized trials to identify subgroups of COPD responders are justified by our results.
-
In patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pursed-lips breathing (PLB) improves the pulmonary gas exchange and hyperinflation measured by electro-optic coupling. The response to PLB in inspiratory lung function tests is not known. ⋯ Improved IC after PLB indicates less hyperinflation in patients with severe COPD; there was no effect on parameters of flow.