BMC pulmonary medicine
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BMC pulmonary medicine · Mar 2019
Reduced transient receptor potential vanilloid 2 expression in alveolar macrophages causes COPD in mice through impaired phagocytic activity.
Defective phagocytosis in alveolar macrophages is associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 2 (TRPV2), a type of nonselective cation channel pertinent to diverse physiological functions, regulates macrophage phagocytosis. However, the role of TRPV2 in COPD remains poorly understood. Here, we explored the role of TRPV2 in the development of COPD. ⋯ TRPV2 expression is profoundly downregulated in alveolar macrophages at early time points of cigarette smoke exposure. Reduced TRPV2-mediated phagocytic function renders the lung susceptible to cigarette smoke-induced alveolar space enlargement. TRPV2 may provide a therapeutic target for COPD induced by cigarette smoke.
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BMC pulmonary medicine · Mar 2019
Case ReportsCombined-modality therapy for pulmonary alveolar proteinosis in a remote setting: a case report.
Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a rare lung disease characterized by accumulation of phospholipoproteinaceous material in the alveoli. The presentation is nonspecific but typically includes dyspnea; the spectrum of disease includes rapidly progressive hypoxic respiratory failure. Whole lung lavage (WLL) is the treatment of choice in symptomatic PAP, but transient worsening of oxygenation sometimes requires salvage modalities of support such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) plays a role in the pathophysiology of PAP. We highlight a case of severe PAP treated with exogenous GM-CSF and sequential lobar lavage due to the unavailability of salvage methods of oxygenation. ⋯ The autoimmune form of PAP is the most common, indicating that therapy with GM-CSF may play an important role for many patients. Treatment with WLL may be impractical in some clinical settings due to the expertise and salvage modalities required. Sequential lobar lavage requires less specialized expertise and may incur less risk of refractory hypoxemia. We posit that this combined-modality therapy is ideally suited to geographically-remote centers such as our own.
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BMC pulmonary medicine · Mar 2019
Limited overlap in significant hits between genome-wide association studies on two airflow obstruction definitions in the same population.
Airflow obstruction is a hallmark of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and is defined as either the ratio between forced expiratory volume in one second and forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) < 70% or < lower limit of normal (LLN). This study aimed to assess the overlap between genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on airflow obstruction using these two definitions in the same population stratified by smoking. ⋯ The definition of airflow obstruction and the population under study may be important determinants of which SNPs are associated with airflow obstruction. The genes FABP7 and NFYC(-AS1) could play a role in airflow obstruction in never-smokers specifically.
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BMC pulmonary medicine · Mar 2019
Multicenter StudyEffects of a long-term home-based exercise training programme using minimal equipment vs. usual care in COPD patients: a study protocol for two multicentre randomised controlled trials (HOMEX-1 and HOMEX-2 trials).
Exercise training is an important component of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) programmes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but the great majority of COPD patients who would benefit from PR never follow such programmes or fail to maintain exercise training after PR completion. Against this background, we developed an exercise training programme that requires minimal equipment and can be implemented long-term in the patient's home-setting. The aims of the HOMEX-1 and HOMEX-2 trials are to assess the effectiveness of this home-based exercise training programme in two groups of COPD patients over the course of one year: patients who have completed PR (HOMEX-1 trial) and patients who did not enrol in existing PR programmes within the last two years (HOMEX-2 trial). ⋯ The HOMEX-1 and HOMEX-2 trials assess a novel intervention that provides an innovative way of making exercise training as accessible as possible for COPD patients. If the intervention proves to be effective long-term, it will fill the gap of providing an easily accessible and feasible intervention so that more COPD patients can follow an exercise programme.