Exhaled nitric oxide as a diagnostic tool for wheezing in preschool children: A diagnostic accuracy study.

Background: Airways inflammation may precede pulmonary dysfunction in wheezing individuals. The fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) has been described as a useful method for wheezing diagnosis in children, however, its application requires evidence. This study aimed to determine the accuracy of FENO in identifying wheezing in preschoolers.

Tidal volume measurements in infants: Opto-electronic plethysmography versus pneumotachograph.

Tidal breathing measurements by Opto-Electronic Plethysmography (OEP) has been reported for infants limited to protocols with two chest wall compartments. Standard protocol for the analysis of adults, with three compartments of chest wall, has been unavailable for analysis of infants. We aimed to study the agreement of simultaneous measurements of tidal volume by OEP (VT,OEP ) and a heated pneumotachograph (PNT) (VT,PNT ) performed during sleeping in 20 infants (gestational age 35.

Influence of posture on the ventilatory pattern and the thoraco-abdominal kinematics of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Objective: Evaluate the influence of posture on ventilatory pattern, compartmental distribution of volume of chest wall and thoraco-abdominal kinematics of patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Methods: Twelve, male patients with severe COPD (Forced Expiratory Volume in the first second (FEV1) = 24.

Chest wall regional volumes in obese women.

Excess body fat, particularly in the abdominal region, is responsible for respiratory system alterations. To study if and how both lung function and thoraco-abdominal volume variations during quiet breathing are altered in obese women and to determine if different obesity patterns in women have an influence on lung and chest wall function, 30 obese women (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m(2)) with both central and peripheral obesity were studied by spirometry and opto-electronic plethysmography during quiet breathing and compared with normoweight women. Compared to controls, obese were characterized by lung restriction and higher minute ventilation at rest.

Motor development evaluated by Test of Infant Motor Performance: comparison between preterm and full-term infants.

Objectives: To compare the motor development of preterm infants whose gestational age had been corrected to 38-40 weeks with full term newborns using the Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP).

Methods: The cross-sectional study compared preterm infants (PT group), with a gestational age at birth of 28-33 weeks, at an equivalent age to full term newborns (FT group), who were assessed up to 48 hours after birth. The assessments were performed between December 2008 and April 2009 in a hospital nationally recognized for premature infant care in the city of Recife, PE, Brazil.

Influence of change in lateral decubitus on pulmonary aerosol deposition.

Background: The lateral decubitus position leads to the greatest changes in regional pulmonary ventilation and is used in respiratory physical therapy routines.

Objectives: To evaluate the influence of the lateral decubitus position on the pulmonary deposition of inhaled radioaerosol particles in young people and report the effects of the decubitus position on routine therapy.

Methods: Eight healthy male volunteers, mean age 23.