Circulating biomarkers of airflow limitation across the life span.

Background: Airflow limitation is a hallmark of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which can develop through different lung function trajectories across the life span. There is a need for longitudinal studies aimed at identifying circulating biomarkers of airflow limitation across different stages of life.

Objectives: This study sought to identify a signature of serum proteins associated with airflow limitation and evaluate their relation to lung function longitudinally in adults and children.

Circulating CC16 and Asthma: A Population-based, Multicohort Study from Early Childhood through Adult Life.

Club cell secretory protein (CC16) is an antiinflammatory protein highly expressed in the airways. CC16 deficiency has been associated with lung function deficits, but its role in asthma has not been established conclusively. To determine ) the longitudinal association of circulating CC16 with the presence of active asthma from early childhood through adult life and ) whether CC16 in early childhood predicts the clinical course of childhood asthma into adult life.

Cytomegalovirus serology in young to mid-adult life and decline of lung function.

Introduction: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) seropositivity has been recently linked to severity and progression of asthma, cystic fibrosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). To date, no longitudinal study has addressed the relation of CMV serology to levels and decline of lung function in the general adult population.

Methods: We evaluated 403 participants from the Tucson Epidemiological Study of Airway Obstructive Disease (TESAOD) who at enrollment were aged 28-55 years and completed lung function tests.

Single breath nitrogen test as predictor of lung function decline and COPD over an 8-year follow-up.

Background: The single breath nitrogen (SBN) test was proposed for early detection of "small airways disease" in the seventies. Few longitudinal studies have subsequently evaluated the relationships between SBN test measurements and lung function decline or COPD incidence.

Aim: This study evaluates whether SBN test abnormalities may be significant predictors of lung function decline and COPD incidence over an 8-year follow-up.

The impact of social rhythm and sleep disruptions on waist circumference after job loss: A prospective 18-month study.

Objective: This study prospectively examined change in waist circumference (WC) as a function of daily social rhythms and sleep in the aftermath of involuntary job loss. It was hypothesized that disrupted social rhythms and fragmented/short sleep after job loss would independently predict gains in WC over 18 months and that resiliency to WC gain would be conferred by the converse.

Methods: Eligible participants (n = 191) completed six visits that included standardized measurements of WC.