Respirology : official journal of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology
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Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) emerged in 2003 and its long-term sequelae remain largely unclear. This study examined the long-term outcome of pulmonary function, exercise capacity, health and work status among SARS survivors. ⋯ This 2-year study of a selected population of SARS survivors, showed significant impairment of DL(CO), exercise capacity and health status persisted, with a more marked adverse impact among HCW.
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Comparative Study
'Lung age' predicts post-operative complications and survival in lung cancer patients.
The Japanese Respiratory Society recently proposed 'lung age' as an easily understood concept of respiratory function. In this study, we evaluated whether 'lung age' could be a useful predictor of post-operative respiratory complications and survival patients with lung cancer treated surgically. ⋯ 'Lung age' could be useful for the prediction of post-operative respiratory complications and survival in patients with lung cancer treated surgically.
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Filtering facepiece respirators ('N95 Masks') may be in short supply during large-scale infectious outbreaks. Suggestions have been made to extend their useful life by using a surgical mask as an outer barrier, but the physiological impact of this added barrier upon the wearer has not been studied. ⋯ Use of a surgical mask as an outer barrier over N95 filtering facepiece respirators does not significantly impact the physiological burden or perceptions of comfort and exertion by the wearer over that experienced without use of a surgical mask.
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It is difficult for clinicians to identify changes in breath sounds caused by bronchoconstriction when wheezing is not audible. A breath sound analyser can identify changes in the frequency of breath sounds caused by bronchoconstriction. The present study aimed to identify the changes in the frequency of breath sounds during bronchoconstriction and bronchodilatation using a breath sound analyser. ⋯ Methacholine-induced bronchoconstriction significantly increased HFI, and the increase in HFI was correlated with bronchial reactivity.
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Eosinophilic bronchitis (EB) shares many pathological features with asthma. However, patients with EB do not develop the characteristic physiological abnormalities of asthma: variable airflow obstruction and bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) to a direct bronchial challenge with methacholine. Indirect bronchial challenges with AMP and mannitol are dependent on the presence of airway inflammation, and positive in 10% of asthmatic subjects who have a negative response to methacholine. We have therefore investigated whether subjects with EB are responsive to indirect airway challenge with AMP and mannitol. ⋯ The airways of patients with EB are not responsive to either direct or indirect bronchial challenge. This supports the view that it is the presence of functionally abnormal airway smooth muscle that is the key determinant of BHR in asthma, and that while this may be aggravated by the presence of mucosal airway inflammation, it is not caused by it.