COPD exacerbations associated with the modified Medical Research Council scale and COPD assessment test among Humana Medicare members.

Background: The Global initiative for chronic Obstructive Lung Disease guidelines recommend assessment of COPD severity, which includes symptomatology using the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) or COPD assessment test (CAT) score in addition to the degree of airflow obstruction and exacerbation history. While there is great interest in incorporating symptomatology, little is known about how patient reported symptoms are associated with future exacerbations and exacerbation-related costs.

Methods: The mMRC and CAT were mailed to a randomly selected sample of 4,000 Medicare members aged >40 years, diagnosed with COPD (≥2 encounters with International Classification of Dis eases-9th Edition Clinical Modification: 491.

The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of PF-00734200, a DPP-IV inhibitor, in healthy Japanese subjects.

Objective: To evaluate the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, safety, and tolerability of PF-00734200, a potent dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) inhibitor, in Japanese subjects, and compare the results with those in Western subjects.

Materials And Methods: Eight healthy Japanese subjects received a single dose of PF-00734200 10 mg, 100 mg, or placebo. Another 8 subjects received PF-00734200 20 mg or placebo single dose once daily for 6 days.

Long-term intersession variability for single-breath diffusing capacity.

Background: Characterizing long-term diffusing capacity (DL(CO)) variability is important in assessing quality control for DL(CO) equipment and patient management. Long-term DL(CO) variability has not been reported.

Objectives: It was the aim of this study to characterize long-term variability of DL(CO) in a cohort of biocontrols and to compare different methods of selecting a target value.

Trough insulin levels in bronchoalveolar lavage following inhaled human insulin (Exubera) in patients with diabetes mellitus.

Background/aim: There are few data regarding insulin levels in the lungs during diabetes therapy with inhaled insulin. We examined the disposition of inhaled human insulin (Exubera(®) [EXU] human insulin [recombinant DNA origin], Pfizer, New York, NY) in the lungs by measuring trough insulin levels in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid after 12 weeks of EXU treatment.

Methods: After a 4-week run-in period of subcutaneous insulin therapy, 24 subjects with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and 26 with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) continued their basal insulin regimen and received premeal subcutaneous (SC) insulin for 13 weeks, followed by 12 weeks of premeal EXU.

Assessment of long-term immunological and pulmonary safety of inhaled human insulin with up to 24 months of continuous therapy.

Background: This study was performed to characterize the long-term safety and efficacy of inhaled human insulin (EXU; Exubera * (insulin human [rDNA origin]) Inhalation Powder). * Pfizer Inc, New York, NY, USA.

Scope: Patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes (N = 1290) who had successfully completed one of six controlled EXU open-label trials elected to receive open-label treatment with EXU for up to 3 years, after which they were randomized to discontinue EXU or to continue therapy for 6 months, then discontinue.

Intersession variability in single-breath diffusing capacity in diabetics without overt lung disease.

Rationale: American Thoracic Society guidelines state that a 10% or greater intersession change in diffusing capacity of the lung (DL(CO)) should be considered clinically significant. However, little is known about the short-term intersession variability in DL(CO) in untrained subjects or how variability is affected by rigorous external quality control.

Objectives: To characterize the intersession variability of DL(CO) and the effect of different quality control methods in untrained individuals without significant lung disease.

Standardization of the single-breath diffusing capacity in a multicenter clinical trial.

Background: Standardization of the measurement of single-breath diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) is difficult to implement in multicenter trials as differences in equipment, training, and performance guidelines have led to high variability between and within centers. The safety assessment of inhalable insulin required the standardization of measurement of single-breath DLCO in multicenter clinical trials to optimize test precision.

Methods: This was an open-label, 24-week, parallel-group, outpatient study of inhaled human insulin in participants with type 1 diabetes who were randomly assigned to receive treatment with daily premeal inhaled or subcutaneous (SC) insulin for 12 weeks, followed by SC insulin for 12 weeks.

Instrument accuracy and reproducibility in measurements of pulmonary function.

Background: The objective of the study was to quantify the accuracy and reproducibility of five commercially available pulmonary function test (PFT) instruments (Collins CPL [Ferraris Respiratory; Louisville, CO]; Morgan Transflow Test PFT System [Morgan Scientific; Haverhill, MA]; SensorMedics Vmax 22D [VIASYS Healthcare; Yorba Linda, CA]; Jaeger USA Masterscreen Diffusion TP [VIASYS Healthcare]; and Medical Graphics Profiler DX System [Medical Graphics Corp; St. Paul, MN]) that are associated with spirometry and the measurement of pulmonary diffusing capacity.

Methods: In a multifactor, single-center, repeated-measures, full factorial 90-day study, a pulmonary waveform generator and a single-breath simulator of diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (Dlco) were used to perform simulations of FVC and Dlco maneuvers.

Sources of long-term variability in measurements of lung function: implications for interpretation and clinical trial design.

Background: The objective of the study was to characterize the biological and technical components of variability associated with longitudinal measurements of FEV(1) and carbon monoxide diffusing capacity (Dlco). Variability was apportioned to subject and instrument for five commercially available pulmonary function testing (PFT) systems: Collins CPL (Ferraris Respiratory; Louisville, CO); Morgan Transflow Test PFT System (Morgan Scientific; Haverhill, MA); SensorMedics Vmax 22D (VIASYS Healthcare; Yorba Linda, CA); Jaeger USA Masterscreen Diffusion TP (VIASYS Healthcare; Yorba Linda, CA); and Medical Graphics Profiler DX System (Medical Graphics Corporation; St. Paul, MN).

Dissociation of lung function changes with humoral immunity during inhaled human insulin therapy.

Rationale: Inhaled human insulin (INH; Exubera [human insulin (recombinant DNA origin) Inhalation Powder]) causes small changes in pulmonary function and increases in insulin antibodies compared with subcutaneous (SC) insulin.

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between changes in pulmonary function and insulin antibodies and acute effects of INH on lung function.

Methods: In a 24-wk multicenter study, 226 patients with type 1 diabetes were randomized to receive daily premeal INH or SC insulin for 12 wk (comparative phase), followed by SC insulin for 12 wk (washout phase).