BMC pulmonary medicine
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BMC pulmonary medicine · Jan 2012
Comparative Study Clinical TrialAssessing health status in COPD. A head-to-head comparison between the COPD assessment test (CAT) and the clinical COPD questionnaire (CCQ).
Health status provides valuable information, complementary to spirometry and improvement of health status has become an important treatment goal in COPD management. We compared the usefulness and validity of the COPD Assessment Test (CAT) and the Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ), two simple questionnaires, in comparison with the St. George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). ⋯ The CAT and CCQ have similar psychometric properties with a slight advantage for CCQ based mainly on patients' preference and are both valid and reliable questionnaires to assess health status in COPD patients.
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BMC pulmonary medicine · Jan 2012
Endotoxin as a determinant of asthma and wheeze among rural dwelling children and adolescents: a case-control study.
The association between endotoxin exposure and asthma is complex and has been associated with rural living. We examined the relationship between domestic endotoxin and asthma or wheeze among rural school-aged children (6-18 years) and assessed the interaction between endotoxin and other characteristics with these outcomes. ⋯ Our results suggest that endotoxin exposure might be protective for asthma or wheeze. The protective effect is found in younger school-aged, non-allergic children. These results may help explain the inconsistencies in previous studies and suggest that the protective effects of endotoxin in the prevention of atopy and asthma or wheeze are most effective earlier in life.
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BMC pulmonary medicine · Jan 2012
25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency, exacerbation frequency and human rhinovirus exacerbations in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency is associated with COPD and increased susceptibility to infection in the general population. ⋯ Low 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in COPD are not associated with frequent exacerbations and do not increase susceptibility to HRV exacerbations. Independent of day length, patients who spend less time outdoors have lower 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration.
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Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is becoming increasingly prevalent in North America and has been described in association with specific chronic diseases, particularly cardiovascular diseases. In primary care, where the prevalence of co-occurring chronic conditions is very high, the potential association with OSA is unknown. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between OSA and 1) the presence and severity of multimorbidity (multiple co-occurring chronic conditions), and 2) subcategories of multimorbidity. ⋯ This study showed that severe OSA is associated with severe multimorbidity and sub-scores of multimorbidity. These results do not allow any causal inference. More research is required to confirm these associations. However, primary care providers should be aware of these potential associations and investigate OSA when deemed appropriate.
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BMC pulmonary medicine · Jan 2012
Comparative StudyPhysiological relevance and performance of a minimal lung model: an experimental study in healthy and acute respiratory distress syndrome model piglets.
Mechanical ventilation (MV) is the primary form of support for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients. However, intra- and inter- patient-variability reduce the efficacy of general protocols. Model-based approaches to guide MV can be patient-specific. A physiological relevant minimal model and its patient-specific performance are tested to see if it meets this objective above. ⋯ The minimal model is capable of capturing physiologically relevant TOP, TCP and SD of both healthy and ARDS lungs. The model is able to track disease progression and the response to treatment.