Effect of time and day of admission on hospital care quality for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation in England and Wales: single cohort study.

Objective: To evaluate if observed increased weekend mortality was associated with poorer quality of care for patients admitted to hospital with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation.

Design: Prospective case ascertainment cohort study.

Setting: 199 acute hospitals in England and Wales, UK.

Optimising prescription and titration of oxygen for adult inpatients using novel silicone wristbands: results of a pilot project at three centres.

Oxygen is the most commonly used drug in the acute hospital setting. Oxygen can be lifesaving but there is increasing evidence that it can cause harm if it is not given correctly. Prescription of oxygen, according to target saturations, has been advocated since 2008 but compliance remains at low levels.

Matrix metalloproteinase-12 (MMP-12) SNP affects MMP activity, lung macrophage infiltration and protects against emphysema in COPD.

Background: Recent genetic and animal studies have implicated matrix metalloproteinase-12 (MMP-12) in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It has previously been shown that individuals homozygous for the A/A allele of rs652438 in MMP-12 are over-represented among patients with severe COPD (n=1517). A study was undertaken to examine the functional basis of these findings.

MMP-9 protein level does not reflect overall MMP activity in the airways of patients with COPD.

Background: Animal and human studies have implicated an imbalance of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases (TIMPs) in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). MMP-9 protein is increased in COPD and we hypothesized that total MMP activity would be raised although this has not previously been measured.

Methods: Using fluorescence and biotin labelled MMP assays, RT-PCR, western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay we examined total MMP activity, specific gelatinase, elastase, collagenase activity, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 in induced sputum from smokers with COPD and smokers without COPD.