Characterization of crackles from patients with fibrosis, heart failure and pneumonia.

The spectral analysis of crackles sounds has been carried out based on the assumption that they are stationary signals, and the majority of the work on the crackles was accomplished before the publication of the Computerized Respiratory Sound Analysis (CORSA) guidelines. This works characterizes crackles acquired from patients with fibrosis, heart failure, and pneumonia, breathing at a constant rate, with a system developed according to the CORSA guidelines. Their maximum frequency was obtained by applying discrete pseudo Wigner-Ville distribution, suitable for non-stationary signals, and an objective method to estimate the maximum frequency, the modified geometric method.

Cigarette smoke dissociates inflammation and lung remodeling in OVA-sensitized and challenged mice.

We evaluated the effects of cigarette smoke (CS) on lung inflammation and remodeling in a model of ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized and OVA-challenged mice. Male BALB/c mice were divided into 4 groups: non-sensitized and air-exposed (control); non-sensitized and exposed to cigarette smoke (CS), sensitized and air-exposed (OVA) (50 μg+OVA 1% 3 times/week for 3 weeks) and sensitized and cigarette smoke exposed mice (OVA+CS). IgE levels were not affected by CS exposure.

Anti-inflammatory effects of aerobic exercise in mice exposed to air pollution.

Purpose: Exposure to diesel exhaust particles (DEP) results in lung inflammation. Regular aerobic exercise improves the inflammatory status in different pulmonary diseases. However, the effects of long-term aerobic exercise on the pulmonary response to DEP have not been investigated.

Effects of positive end-expiratory pressure in an experimental model of acute myocardial infarct in wistar rats.

Unlabelled: Our purpose in this study was to access the pulmonary effects of mechanical ventilation with positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP; 10 cmH2O) or without PEEP (zero PEEP-ZEEP) in a rat model of acute myocardial infarction that resulted in hypotension but not in pulmonary congestion.

Methods: Wistar rats were anesthetized (1.5% isoflurane) and myocardial infarct was induced by ligature of the anterior interventricular coronary artery.