Smart Bioimpedance Device for the Assessment of Peripheral Muscles in Patients with COPD.

Muscle dysfunction and muscle atrophy are common complications resulting from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The evaluation of the peripheral muscles can be carried out through the assessment of their structural components from ultrasound images or their functional components through isometric and isotonic strength tests. This evaluation, performed mainly on the quadriceps muscle, is not only of great interest for diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring of COPD, but also for the evaluation of the benefits of therapeutic interventions.

[National Survey on the Activity of Lung Function Laboratories. Effects During the SARS-COV-2 Pandemic].

Introduction: Following the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in March 2020, pulmonary function testing (PFT) laboratories underwent a transformation, with a reduction in the number of tests or closure in some cases. The aim of this work was to know the activity of PFT in Spain and the modification of this activity due to the pandemic.

Material And Methods: A protocolised survey was carried out to members of the PFT laboratories through the Spanish Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR).

Inflammatory response in human lung cells stimulated with plasma from COPD patients.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a condition resulting from a persistent inflammatory state in the airways even after smoking cessation. Intriguingly, the reasons behind this persistence of the inflammatory influx without smoking exposure have not been fully unraveled. We aimed to explore the hypothesis that systemic inflammation in COPD patients influences lung cell inflammatory response.

Effects of genetics and altitude on lung function.

Objectives: The aim of this work is to present a review on the impact of genetics and altitude on lung function from classic and recent studies.

Data Source: A systematic search has been carried out in different databases of scientific studies, using keywords related to lung volumes, spirometry, altitude and genetics.

Results: The results of this work have been structured into three parts.

A Mobile Health Solution Complementing Psychopharmacology-Supported Smoking Cessation: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Smoking cessation is a persistent leading public health challenge. Mobile health (mHealth) solutions are emerging to improve smoking cessation treatments. Previous approaches have proposed supporting cessation with tailored motivational messages.

Smart Bioimpedance Spectroscopy Device for Body Composition Estimation.

The purpose of this work is to describe a first approach to a smart bioimpedance spectroscopy device for its application to the estimation of body composition. The proposed device is capable of carrying out bioimpedance measurements in multiple configurable frequencies, processing the data to obtain the modulus and the bioimpedance phase in each of the frequencies, and transmitting the processed information wirelessly. Another novelty of this work is a new algorithm for the identification of Cole model parameters, which is the basis of body composition estimation through bioimpedance spectroscopy analysis.

Triple therapy for COPD: a crude analysis from a systematic review of the evidence.

We systematically reviewed the current knowledge on fixed-dose triple therapies for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), with a specific focus on its efficacy single bronchodilation, double fixed dose combinations, and open triple therapies. Articles were retrieved from PubMed, Embase, and Scopus up to 3 August 2018. We selected articles with randomized controlled or crossover design conducted in patients with COPD and published as full-length articles or scientific letters, evaluating triple therapy combinations in a single or different inhaler, and with efficacy data monocomponents, double combinations, or open triple therapies.

Using the Social-Local-Mobile App for Smoking Cessation in the SmokeFreeBrain Project: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Smoking is considered the main cause of preventable illness and early deaths worldwide. The treatment usually prescribed to people who wish to quit smoking is a multidisciplinary intervention, combining both psychological advice and pharmacological therapy, since the application of both strategies significantly increases the chance of success in a quit attempt.

Objective: We present a study protocol of a 12-month randomized open-label parallel-group trial whose primary objective is to analyze the efficacy and efficiency of usual psychopharmacological therapy plus the Social-Local-Mobile app (intervention group) applied to the smoking cessation process compared with usual psychopharmacological therapy alone (control group).

Smart Vest for Respiratory Rate Monitoring of COPD Patients Based on Non-Contact Capacitive Sensing.

In this paper, a first approach to the design of a portable device for non-contact monitoring of respiratory rate by capacitive sensing is presented. The sensing system is integrated into a smart vest for an untethered, low-cost and comfortable breathing monitoring of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients during the rest period between respiratory rehabilitation exercises at home. To provide an extensible solution to the remote monitoring using this sensor and other devices, the design and preliminary development of an e-Health platform based on the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) paradigm is also presented.

Factors Affecting Lung Function: A Review of the Literature.

Lung function reference values are traditionally based on anthropometric factors, such as weight, height, sex, and age. FVC and FEV decline with age, while volumes and capacities, such as RV and FRC, increase. TLC, VC, RV, FVC and FEV are affected by height, since they are proportional to body size.

Understanding of COPD among final-year medical students.

Objective: Several previous studies have shown a suboptimal level of understanding of COPD among different population groups. Students in their final year of Medicine constitute a population that has yet to be explored. The evaluation of their understanding provides an opportunity to establish strategies to improve teaching processes.

Hepatopulmonary syndrome: which blood gas analysis criteria and position should we use for diagnosis?

Introduction: Different blood gas criteria have been used in the diagnosis of hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS).

Patients And Methods: Arterial blood gases were prospectively evaluated in 194 cirrhotic candidates for liver transplantation (LT) in the supine and seated position. Three blood gas criteria were analyzed: classic (partial pressure of oxygen [PaO2] < 70 mmHg and/or alveolar-arterial gradient of oxygen [A-a PO2] ≥ 20 mmHg), modern (A-a PO2 ≥ 15 mmHg or ≥ 20 mmHg in patients over 64) and the A-a PO2 ≥ threshold value adjusted for age.

Double bronchodilation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a crude analysis from a systematic review.

Objective: The combination of a long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) and a long-acting β-agonist (LABA) in a single inhaler is a viable treatment option for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Here, we systematically review the current knowledge on double bronchodilation for the treatment of COPD, with a specific focus on its efficacy versus placebo and/or monotherapy bronchodilation.

Methods: A systematic review of clinical trials investigating LABA/LAMA combination therapies was conducted.

The utility of the macro-aggregated albumin lung perfusion scan in the diagnosis and prognosis of hepatopulmonary syndrome in cirrhotic patients candidates for liver transplantation.

Background: The macro-aggregated albumin lung perfusion scan (99mTc-MAA) is a diagnostic method for hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS).

Goal: To determine the sensitivity of 99mTc-MAA in diagnosing HPS, to establish the utility of 99mTc-MAA in determining the influence of HPS on hypoxemia in patients with concomitant pulmonary disease and to determine the correlation between 99mTc-MAA values and other respiratory parameters.

Methods: Data from 115 cirrhotic patients who were eligible for liver transplantation (LT) were prospectively analyzed.

Specific networks of plasma acute phase reactants are associated with the severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a case-control study.

A detailed understanding of the intricate relationships between different acute phase reactants (APRs) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can shed new light on its clinical course. In this case-control study, we sought to identify the interaction networks of a number of plasma APRs in COPD, with a special focus on their association with disease severity. COPD cases and healthy smoking controls (3:1 ratio) were recruited in our outpatient pulmonary clinic.