Login to your account

Username *
Password *
Remember Me

Blog With Right Sidebar

    Vous êtes ici :  
  1. Accueil
  2. Blog With Right Sidebar

Host-microorganism interactions in lung diseases.

Until recently, the airways were thought to be sterile unless infected; however, a shift towards molecular methods for the quantification and sequencing of bacterial DNA has revealed that the airways harbour a unique steady-state microbiota. This paradigm shift is changing the way that respiratory research is approached, with a clear need now to consider the effects of host-microorganism interactions in both healthy and diseased lungs.

We propose that akin to recent discoveries in intestinal research, dysbiosis of the airway microbiota could underlie susceptibility to, and progression and chronicity of lung disease. In this Opinion article, we summarize current knowledge of the airway microbiota and outline how host-microorganism interactions in the lungs and other tissues might influence respiratory health and disease.

Comorbidity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Related to disease severity?

Several diseases commonly co-exist with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), especially in elderly patients. This study aimed to investigate whether there is an association between COPD severity and the frequency of comorbidities in stable COPD patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this multicenter, cross-sectional study, patients with spirometric diagnosis of COPD attended to by internal medicine departments throughout Spain were consecutively recruited by 225 internal medicine specialists. The severity of airflow obstruction was graded using the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) and data on demographics, smoking history, comorbidities, and dyspnea were collected. The Charlson comorbidity score was calculated.

RESULTS: Eight hundred and sixty-six patients were analyzed: male 93%, mean age 69.8 (standard deviation [SD] 9.7) years and forced vital capacity in 1 second 42.1 (SD 17.7)%. Even, the mean (SD) Charlson score was 2.2 (2.2) for stage I, 2.3 (1.5) for stage II, 2.5 (1.6) for stage III, and 2.7 (1.8) for stage IV (P=0.013 between stage I and IV groups), independent predictors of Charlson score in the multivariate analysis were age, smoking history (pack-years), the hemoglobin level, and dyspnea, but not GOLD stage.

CONCLUSION: COPD patients attended to in internal medicine departments show high scores of comorbidity. However, GOLD stage was not an independent predictor of comorbidity.

A rapid method for breath analysis in cystic fibrosis patients.

For easy handling and speed of lung diseases diagnostics, approaches based on volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including those emitted by pathogenic microorganisms, are considered but currently require considerable sampling efforts. We tested whether easy-to-handle and fast detection of lung infections is possible using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) of 100 ml of exhaled breath. An analytical procedure for the detection of VOCs from the headspace of epithelial lung cells infected with four human pathogens was developed.

The feasibility of this method was tested in a cystic fibrosis (CF) outpatient clinic in vivo. Exhaled breath was extracted by SPME and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The compositions of VOCs released in the infection model were characteristic for all individual pathogens tested. Exhaled breath of CF patients allowed clear distinction of CF patients and controls by their VOC compositions using multivariate analyses. Interestingly, the major specific VOCs detected in the exhaled breath of infected CF patients in vivo differed from those monitored during bacterial in vitro growth. SPME extraction of VOCs from 100 ml of human breath allowed the distinction between CF patients and healthy probands. Our results highlight the importance of assessing the entire pattern of VOCs instead of selected biomarkers for diagnostic purposes, as well as the need to use clinical samples to identify reliable biomarkers.

This study provides the proof-of-concept for the approach using the composition of exhaled VOCs in human breath for the rapid identification of infectious agents in patients with lower respiratory tract infections.

Correlation between Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome and Cardiac Disease Severity.

Conclusion. Our study found a strong correlation between the number of stenotic vessels and OSA. Based on our findings, OSA can be a predisposing factor for cardiac diseases. PMID: 24701348 [PubMed] (Source: Cardiovascular Psychiatry and Neurology)

Six-minute stepper test to assess effort intolerance in interstitial lung diseases.

Authors: Delourme J, Stervinou-Wemeau L, Salleron J, Grosbois JM, Wallaert B Abstract The six-minute stepper test (6MST) is a new test for evaluating exercise tolerance. Unlike the six-minute walk test (6MWT) it can be carried out in a limited space. The aim of this study was to compare the 6MST and the 6MWT in patients with various diffuse interstitial lung disease (ILD). 6MWT and 6MST were performed the same day in 84 patients with various ILD. The covered distance during 6MWT was compared to the number of steps during the 6MST. We also compared heart rate, oxygen saturation, dyspnoea and leg tiredness on a Borg scale. All the patients successfully completed the tests, and tolerance was considered good. The number of steps completed in the 6MST was strongly correlated with the di...

Search

Search