Respiratory medicine
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Respiratory medicine · Dec 2001
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical TrialThe efficacy of a new salbutamol metered-dose powder inhaler in comparison with two other inhaler devices.
An open cross-over and randomized study was carried out in order to compare the efficacy and safety of inhaled salbutamol delivered from a new 50 microg dose(-1) metered-dose dry powder inhaler Taifun, and a commercially available 50 microg dose(-1) dry powder inhaler Turbuhaler, and a conventional 100 microg dose(-1) pressurized metered-dose inhaler with a spacer (pMDI+S). Twenty-one patients, aged 21-70 years, with stable asthma and with demonstrated reversibility upon inhalation of salbutamol were included in the study. On three separate study days, the patients received a total dose of 400 microg of salbutamol from the dry powder inhalers and a dose of 800 microg from the pMDI+S in a cumulative fashion: 1,1, 2 and 4 doses at 30 min intervals. ⋯ In conclusion, this study indicates that salbutamol inhaled via the Taifun is more potentthan salbutamol inhaled from the other devices tested. In practise, a smaller total dose of salbutamol from theTaifun is needed to produce a similar bronchodilatory response. All treatments were equally well tolerated.
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Respiratory medicine · Dec 2001
Six-minute walking test in cystic fibrosis adults with mild to moderate lung disease: comparison to healthy subjects.
The six-minute walking test (6MWT) has been widely utilized to evaluate global exercise capacity in patients with cystic fibrosis. The aim of this study was to assess the exercise capacity by 6MWT, measuring four outcome measures: walk distance, oxygensaturation and pulse rate during the walk, and breathlessness perception after the walk, in a group of cystic fibrosis adults with mild to moderate lung disease, and in healthy volunteers, as the control group. Moreover, the study examined the relationship between 6MWT outcome measures and pulmonary function in patients. ⋯ This study showed that cystic fibrosis adults with mild to moderate lung disease covered a normal walk distance with unimpaired cardiac adaptation, but experienced a significant fall in oxygen saturation and an increased breathlessness perception during exercise. Resting pulmonary function was related to oxygen saturation and breathlessness perception during walk, but contributed significantly only tothe prediction of oxygen saturation. We suggest that 6MWT could be valuable for identifying patients who might experience oxygen desaturation and dyspnoea during demanding daily activities.
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Respiratory medicine · Dec 2001
Eosinophils in induced sputum from asymptomatic smokers with normal lung function.
Cigarette smoking is the dominant risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, only 10-15% of smokers develop the disease and early changes within the airways are poorly defined. We aimed to compare cell profiles in induced sputum (IS) from asymptomatic smokers to that from healthy subjects, and to ascertain whether or not inflammatory cells in IS are related to lung function and smoking habit. ⋯ Additionally, on the basis of regression equations by stepwise multiple regression analysis, eosinophils were predicted by pack-years (r2 = 0.41). Our results showed that asymptomatic smokers have evidence of inflammatory cells in IS samples. In addition, we found thatthe degree of eosinophilic inflammation is related to early changes of lung function and can be predicted by smoking habit.
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Respiratory medicine · Dec 2001
Infection of TT virus in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
The precipitating factors of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) have not been elucidated. Recently, a novel DNA virus named TTvirus (TTV) was discovered in a patient with post-transfusion hepatitis of unknown aetiology TTV is a circular, single-stranded DNA virus of 3.8 kB. To evaluate the relationship between TTV and IPF, the sera of 33 patients with IPF were tested for the presence of TTV DNA by semi-nested polymerase chain reaction. ⋯ Replicative intermediate forms of TTV DNA were detected in the lung specimen from a TTV-infected IPF patient. TTV infection influences the disease activityand prognosis of IPF in some cases. Further studies are required to elucidate the clinical significance of TTV in IPF.