Quality of aerobic training description and its relation to intervention efficacy in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease trials: study protocol for a systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression.

Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major global health concern, characterised by ventilatory constraints, decreased cardiovascular fitness and reduced limb muscle function, profoundly affecting patients' quality of life. Aerobic training plays a crucial role in the treatment of COPD, but the variability in methodologies and incomplete reporting of key components in aerobic training trials limits the assessment of their effectiveness. This systematic review aims to critically evaluate the application of training principles and reporting of key components in aerobic training trials in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in the COPD literature.

Reference equations for quadriceps strength, endurance and power: a multicentre study.

Introduction: The lack of reference values of lower-limb muscle function hinders the clinical recommendations of its measurement in patients with COPD. Therefore, this study aimed to develop reference equations to predict reference values for quadriceps strength, endurance and power and evaluate their construct validity in patients with COPD.

Methods: Quadriceps strength, endurance and power were assessed in 158 healthy individuals and 87 patients with COPD.

Extensive profiling of histidine-containing dipeptides reveals species- and tissue-specific distribution and metabolism in mice, rats, and humans.

Aim: Histidine-containing dipeptides (HCDs) are pleiotropic homeostatic molecules with potent antioxidative and carbonyl quenching properties linked to various inflammatory, metabolic, and neurological diseases, as well as exercise performance. However, the distribution and metabolism of HCDs across tissues and species are still unclear.

Methods: Using a sensitive UHPLC-MS/MS approach and an optimized quantification method, we performed a systematic and extensive profiling of HCDs in the mouse, rat, and human body (in n = 26, n = 25, and n = 19 tissues, respectively).

Update on the Etiology, Assessment, and Management of COPD Cachexia: Considerations for the Clinician.

Cachexia is a commonly observed but frequently neglected extra-pulmonary manifestation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Cachexia is a multifactorial syndrome characterized by severe loss of body weight, muscle, and fat, as well as increased protein catabolism. COPD cachexia places a high burden on patients (eg, increased mortality risk and disease burden, reduced exercise capacity and quality of life) and the healthcare system (eg, increased number, length, and cost of hospitalizations).

European Respiratory Society International Congress 2021: highlights from best-abstract awardees.

https://bit.ly/3JCjHYS.

Isokinetic testing of quadriceps function in COPD: feasibility, responsiveness, and minimal important differences in patients undergoing pulmonary rehabilitation.

Background: Isokinetic testing of peripheral muscle function is valid and reliable in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Objective: To evaluate whether and to what extent isokinetic testing of quadriceps function meets pre-defined test criteria in patients with COPD; to determine the response to pulmonary rehabilitation (PR), and to calculate minimal important differences (MIDs) of isokinetic quadriceps function.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of 2033 patients with COPD (age: 65±9 years, body mass index: 26±6 kg/m, FEV: 49±22% predicted) who followed a comprehensive PR program.

Physiological responses and adaptations to exercise training in people with or without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Exercise training is a cornerstone in managing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), leading to several physiological adaptations including, but not limited to, structural and muscular alterations, increased exercise capacity and improved cognitive function. Still, it is not uncommon that the acute physiological response to an exercise session and the extent of chronic adaptations to exercise training are altered compared with people without COPD. To date, potential differences in acute physiological responses and chronic adaptations in people with or without COPD are not fully understood, and results from individual studies are contradictory.

Efficacy of 12 weeks oral beta-alanine supplementation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Beta-alanine (BA) supplementation increases muscle carnosine, an abundant endogenous antioxidant and pH buffer in skeletal muscle. Carnosine loading promotes exercise capacity in healthy older adults. As patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) suffer from elevated exercise-induced muscle oxidative/carbonyl stress and acidosis, and from reduced muscle carnosine stores, it was investigated whether BA supplementation augments muscle carnosine and induces beneficial changes in exercise capacity, quadriceps function, and muscle oxidative/carbonyl stress in patients with COPD.

Impact of continuous vs. interval training on oxygen extraction and cardiac function during exercise in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Purpose: Exercise training improves exercise capacity in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). It remains to be elucidated whether such improvements result from cardiac or peripheral muscular adaptations, and whether these are intensity dependent.

Methods: 27 patients with T2DM [without known cardiovascular disease (CVD)] were randomized to high-intensity interval training (HIIT, n = 15) or moderate-intensity endurance training (MIT, n = 12) for 24 weeks (3 sessions/week).

Monomeric CRP is Elevated in Patients with COPD Compared to Non-COPD Control Persons.

Chronic low-grade systemic inflammation is frequently observed in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), e.g., elevated pentameric CRP (pCRP).

Short Physical Performance Battery: Response to Pulmonary Rehabilitation and Minimal Important Difference Estimates in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Objective: To determine the response to a pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) program and minimal important differences (MIDs) for the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) subtests and SPPB summary score in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Design: Retrospective analysis using distribution- and anchor-based methods.

Setting: PR center in the Netherlands including a comprehensive 40-session 8-week inpatient or 14-week outpatient program.

European Respiratory Society International Congress 2020: highlights from best-abstract awardees.

https://bit.ly/3kJ9JrJ.

ERS International Congress 2020 Virtual: highlights from the Allied Respiratory Professionals Assembly.

This article provides an overview of outstanding sessions that were (co)organised by the Allied Respiratory Professionals Assembly during the European Respiratory Society International Congress 2020, which this year assumed a virtual format. The content of the sessions was mainly targeted at allied respiratory professionals, including respiratory function technologists and scientists, physiotherapists, and nurses. Short take-home messages related to spirometry and exercise testing are provided, highlighting the importance of quality control.

In the spotlight: Early Career Member Awardee 2020, ERS Lung Science Conference 2021, and Sleep and Breathing 2021.

https://bit.ly/3fUXs1M.

A sneak peek into the Early Career Members' session at the ERS International Congress and the experience of organising an ERS Research Seminar.

http://bit.ly/39yncgO.

Beta-alanine supplementation in patients with COPD receiving non-linear periodised exercise training or neuromuscular electrical stimulation: protocol of two randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials.

Introduction: Exercise intolerance is common in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and, although multifactorial, it is largely caused by lower-limb muscle dysfunction. Research has shown that patients with severe to very severe COPD have significantly lower levels of muscle carnosine, which acts as a pH buffer and antioxidant. Beta-alanine (BA) supplementation has been shown to consistently elevate muscle carnosine in a variety of populations and may therefore improve exercise tolerance and lower-limb muscle function.

Phenotypic Characteristics of Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease After Stratification for the Short Physical Performance Battery Summary Score.

Objective: To assess the phenotypic characteristics of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) after stratification for Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) summary scores and to determine phenotypic characteristics of the SPPB summary score at the start of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR).

Design: Retrospective, cross-sectional.

Setting: Baseline assessment for PR program.

ERS International Congress, Madrid, 2019: highlights from the Allied Respiratory Professionals' Assembly.

This article provides an overview of outstanding sessions that were (co)organised by the Allied Respiratory Professionals' Assembly during the European Respiratory Society International Congress 2019 in Madrid, Spain. Session content was mainly targeted at allied respiratory professionals such as respiratory physiologists, respiratory physiotherapists and respiratory nurses, and is summarised in this document. Short take-home messages related to pulmonary function testing highlight the importance of quality control.

ERS International Congress 2019: highlights from Best Abstract awardees.

http://bit.ly/2XWlD7Y.

Insight into the structure and tasks of the Early Career Members Committee of the European Respiratory Society.

http://bit.ly/3buKINP.

Survey of Exercise Prescription in US Pulmonary Rehabilitation Programs.

Purpose: Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is the standard of care for chronic, symptomatic lung disease. Current scientific and clinical guidelines recommend PR to improve dyspnea, functional capacity, and quality of life. Several PR guidelines provide recommendations about the mode, intensity, duration, frequency, and progression of exercise-based interventions.

ERS statement on standardisation of cardiopulmonary exercise testing in chronic lung diseases.

The objective of this document was to standardise published cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) protocols for improved interpretation in clinical settings and multicentre research projects. This document: 1) summarises the protocols and procedures used in published studies focusing on incremental CPET in chronic lung conditions; 2) presents standard incremental protocols for CPET on a stationary cycle ergometer and a treadmill; and 3) provides patients' perspectives on CPET obtained through an online survey supported by the European Lung Foundation. We systematically reviewed published studies obtained from EMBASE, Medline, Scopus, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library from inception to January 2017.