International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
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Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis · Jan 2019
Evaluation of the Characteristics of Asthma in Severe and Extremely Severe COPD.
Biotherapy for asthma may be useful in patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with asthma characteristics. Therefore, the evaluation and close monitoring of asthma characteristics in severe and extremely severe COPD can guide treatment decisions to improve prognosis. ⋯ The characteristics of asthma are common findings in patients with severe and extremely severe COPD. Biomarkers should be actively used to evaluate the characteristics of asthma in these patients. If the characteristics of asthma exist, then anti-IgE or anti-IL-5 therapy should be considered to reduce exacerbation.
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Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis · Jan 2019
Overexpression Of hsa-miR-664a-3p Is Associated With Cigarette Smoke-Induced Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Via Targeting FHL1.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is recognized as a chronic lung disease with incomplete reversible airflow limitation, but its pathophysiology was still not clear. This study aimed at investigating regulatory roles of special miRNA-mRNA axis in COPD development. ⋯ The present study validated significant upregulation of hsa-miR-664a-3p in COPD patients, and its target gene FHL1 was downregulated and positively correlated with FEV1/FVC%; both hsa-miR-664a-3p and FHL1 could be regulated by cigarette smoke extract. Results of bioinformatic analyses and expanded validation suggest that the axis from hsa-miR-664a-3p to FHL1 might play a key role in cigarette smoke-induced COPD, and the exact mechanism should be confirmed in further studies.
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Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis · Jan 2019
Are pulmonologists well aware of planning safe air travel for patients with COPD? The SAFCOP study.
Patients with respiratory diseases are more prone to health risks of air travel. ⋯ This study shows that a standard approach for preflight assessment in patients with COPD is lacking and an active initiative is needed to increase awareness and education for fit to fly concept for COPD among pulmonologists.