Respirology : official journal of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Efficacy of walking aids on self-paced outdoor walking in individuals with COPD: A randomized cross-over trial.
Walking aids, such as rollator or draisine, improve mobility and functional exercise performance in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) during an indoor 6-min walk test. However, this test does not reflect everyday walking, which is the most frequently reported problematic activity of daily life in individuals with COPD. To date, efficacy of walking aids during self-paced outdoor walking remains unknown. Therefore, we aimed to determine the efficacy of a rollator and draisine on self-paced outdoor walking in individuals with COPD. ⋯ To conclude, a rollator improves the self-paced outdoor walk distance and time in individuals with moderate and advanced COPD and a poor functional exercise capacity, whereas the use of a draisine had a detrimental effect compared with unaided walking.
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The definition of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) based on a fixed forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1 )/forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio or on the lower limits of FEV1 /FVC of a healthy reference population is the subject of continuous debate. We explored whether dynamics of forced expiratory flow decline on spirometry can identify subjects with and without COPD when the two key diagnostic criteria are discordant. ⋯ Expiratory flow dynamics can detect airflow limitation and indicate the presence of COPD. In discordant subjects, our methodology allows a better identification of subjects with or without characteristics of COPD.
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Short telomere is a crucial risk factor for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, little is known about the association between baseline telomere length and survival in IPF. We aimed to determine whether telomere length is associated with survival of IPF. ⋯ Short telomere length is independently associated with worse survival in IPF. Future research should focus on the molecular mechanism underlying the shortening of telomere length in IPF.
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There is relatively little data regarding pulmonary function test (PFT) findings and impact of treatment on PFT in pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial (pNTM) disease. ⋯ Patients with pNTM have abnormal PFT, and treatment was not associated with substantial changes therein. Asthmatics may experience some improvements in gas trapping after NTM therapy, but because the sample size and the observed change were both small, this requires further investigation.
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Expert analysis of endobronchial ultrasound mini probe (EBUS-MP) images has established subjective criteria for discriminating benign and malignant disease. Minimal data are available for objective analysis of these images. The aim of this study was to determine if greyscale texture analysis could differentiate between benign and malignant lung lesions. ⋯ Greyscale texture analysis of EBUS-MP images can help establish aetiology with a high NPV for malignancy.