Step-down treatment from medium-dosage of budesonide/formoterol in controlled asthma
The stepping down of asthma treatment can be considered when asthma symptoms have been well controlled with inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs)/long-acting β2 adrenergic agonists (LABAs). However, few data are available comparing the efficacy between two step-down strategies, to reduce ICS/LABA dose or to withdraw LABA continuing ICS, in well-controlled asthmatics. (Source: Respiratory Medicine CME)
Source: Respiratory Medicine CME - August 14, 2016 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Kazutaka Mori, Tomoyuki Fujisawa, Naoki Inui, Dai Hashimoto, Noriyuki Enomoto, Yutaro Nakamura, Shigeki Kuroishi, Koshi Yokomura, Mikio Toyoshima, Shiro Imokawa, Takashi Yamada, Toshihiro Shirai, Masafumi Masuda, Hiroshi Hayakawa, Kingo Chida, Takafumi Su Source Type: research

Increased angiogenic factors in exhaled breath condensate of children with severe asthma – New markers of disease progression?
Asthma progression is associated with airway remodeling and neo-vascularization. However, role of angiogenesis in these changes remains unclear and available data still incomplete. In this pilot study we verify usefulness of proteome profiler assay in screening of angiogenesis-related factors in exhaled breath condensates (EBC) collected from children with asthma. EBC samples from patients with mild or severe asthma and healthy controls were tested using protein array. In EBC samples from patients with severe asthma we have found large quantities of several angiogenesis regulators, including thrombospondin (TSP)-1, angioge...
Source: Respiratory Medicine CME - August 8, 2016 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Katarzyna Grzela, Malgorzata Litwiniuk, Alicja Krejner, Wioletta Zagorska, Tomasz Grzela Tags: Short communication Source Type: research

Effects of heated and humidified high flow gases during high-intensity constant-load exercise on severe COPD patients with ventilatory limitation
High flow nasal cannula (HFNC) was shown to washout the anatomical dead space, permitting a higher fraction of minute ventilation to participate in gas pulmonary exchanges. Moreover, it is able to guarantee the desired inhaled oxygen fraction (FiO2) even at high level of patient's minute ventilation by minimizing the room air entrainment. The effect of HFNC has never been investigated on stable severe COPD patients in term of endurance capacity with standardised laboratory tests. (Source: Respiratory Medicine CME)
Source: Respiratory Medicine CME - August 7, 2016 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Serena Cirio, Manuela Piran, Michele Vitacca, Giancarlo Piaggi, Piero Ceriana, Matteo Prazzoli, Mara Paneroni, Annalisa Carlucci Source Type: research

Predictors of frequent exacerbations in (ex)smoking and never smoking adults with severe asthma
Persistent eosinophilic airway inflammation is an important driver for asthma exacerbations in non-smokers with asthma. Whether eosinophilic inflammation is also a predictor of asthma exacerbations in (ex)smokers is not known. (Source: Respiratory Medicine CME)
Source: Respiratory Medicine CME - August 7, 2016 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Guus A. Westerhof, Jantina C. de Groot, Marijke Amelink, Selma B. de Nijs, Anneke ten Brinke, Els J. Weersink, Elisabeth H. Bel Source Type: research

BALF CD103+CD4+/CD4+ ratio alone is enough to support the diagnosis of sarcoidosis in an appropriate clinicopathologic setting
We read with great interest the article by Mota et al. on the diagnostic value of CD103 expression in bronchoalveolar lymphocytes in sarcoidosis.1 The authors conclude that a cutoff of 0.45 for the the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) CD103+CD4+/CD4+ ratio was associated with a better diagnostic performance for pulmonary sarcoidosis. Combined use of the BALF CD103/CD4 ratio2.5 was reported by Kolopp-Sarda et al.2 and BALF CD103+CD4+/CD4+ ratio3 or BALF CD4+/CD8+ to peripheral blood (PB) CD4+/CD8+ ratio>2 has been reported by Heron et al. (Source: Respiratory Medicine CME)
Source: Respiratory Medicine CME - August 4, 2016 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Jagmohan S. Sidhu, Sonia Brar, Christopher Remakus, Julia Miller, Edward Santelli Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research

Obesity and COPD exacerbations – it's not that simple
We read with great interest a recent article by Stoll et al., published on your journal, suggesting that being overweight is a predictor for long term survival in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations [1]. This is important for physicians as hospitalizations for COPD are increasing and death rate is predicted to increase as well. These patients are not simple, as different factors such as age, weight and comorbidities correlate with mortality from COPD exacerbations in the short and long term and after ICU admission. (Source: Respiratory Medicine CME)
Source: Respiratory Medicine CME - August 2, 2016 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Joao Cravo, Antonio Esquinas Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research

Impact of chronic ischemic heart disease on the health care costs of COPD patients – An analysis of German claims data
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) has a substantial impact on health care systems worldwide. Particularly, cardiovascular diseases such as ischemic heart disease (IHD) are frequent in individuals with COPD, but the economic consequences of combined COPD and IHD are by large unknown. Therefore, our study has the objective to investigate excess costs of IHD in COPD patients. (Source: Respiratory Medicine CME)
Source: Respiratory Medicine CME - August 1, 2016 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Larissa Schwarzkopf, Margarethe Wacker, Julia Ertl, Jana Hapfelmeier, Katharina Larisch, Reiner Leidl Source Type: research

Duration of bronchoprotection of the long-acting muscarinic antagonists tiotropium & glycopyrronium against methacholine-induced bronchoconstriction in mild asthmatics
The objectives were to determine and compare the duration of protection of a single dose of two different LAMA's, tiotropium and glycopyrronium, against methacholine-induced bronchoconstriction. (Source: Respiratory Medicine CME)
Source: Respiratory Medicine CME - July 29, 2016 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Christianne M. Blais, Beth E. Davis, Donald W. Cockcroft Source Type: research

Burden of COPD in patients treated in different care settings in the Netherlands
Care for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can be provided in primary, secondary or tertiary care. Whether and to what extent patients with COPD treated in various healthcare settings differ in disease burden and healthcare utilization remains unknown. Therefore, daily symptoms, functional mobility, mood status, health status and healthcare utilization were compared between COPD patients in various care settings, to explore possibilities for healthcare-optimization. (Source: Respiratory Medicine CME)
Source: Respiratory Medicine CME - July 24, 2016 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Dionne E. Smid, Martijn A. Spruit, Sarah Houben-Wilke, Jean W.M. Muris, Gernot G.U. Rohde, Emiel F.M. Wouters, Frits M.E. Franssen Source Type: research

Lung function abnormalities among service members returning from Iraq or Afghanistan with respiratory complaints
Service members deploying to Afghanistan (OEF) and Iraq (OIF) often return with respiratory symptoms. We sought to determine prevalence of lung function abnormalities following OEF/OIF. (Source: Respiratory Medicine CME)
Source: Respiratory Medicine CME - July 23, 2016 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Aaron B. Holley, Michal Sobieszczyk, Michael Perkins, Brian M. Cohee, Camille B. Costantoth, Donovan L. Mabe, Robert Liotta, Joseph H. Abraham, Paul R. Holley, John Sherner Tags: Short communication Source Type: research

Inhalation device requirements for patients' inhalation maneuvers
This article presents a review of the literature on different inhalation device requirements and incorporates the data into a new inhalation flow algorithm. (Source: Respiratory Medicine CME)
Source: Respiratory Medicine CME - July 19, 2016 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Peter Haidl, Stefan Heindl, Karsten Siemon, Maria Bernacka, Rolf Michael Cloes Tags: Review article Source Type: research

Clinical features and outcomes of interstitial lung disease in anti-Jo-1 positive antisynthetase syndrome
Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a common extra-muscular manifestation of antisynthetase (AS) syndrome. ILD prevalence is higher with anti-Jo-1 antibody positivity. Data on long-term outcomes in these patients are lacking. (Source: Respiratory Medicine CME)
Source: Respiratory Medicine CME - July 14, 2016 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Ana C. Zamora, Sumedh S. Hoskote, Beatriz Abascal-Bolado, Darin White, Christian W. Cox, Jay H. Ryu, Teng Moua Tags: Clinical Trial Paper Source Type: research