Quantitative computed tomography analysis of the airways in patients with cystic fibrosis using automated software: correlation with spirometry in the evaluation of severity.

Objective: To perform a quantitative analysis of the airways using automated software, in computed tomography images of patients with cystic fibrosis, correlating the results with spirometric findings.

Materials And Methods: Thirty-four patients with cystic fibrosis were studied-20 males and 14 females; mean age 18 ± 9 years-divided into two groups according to the spirometry findings: group I ( = 21), without severe airflow obstruction (forced expiratory volume in first second [FEV1] > 50% predicted), and group II ( = 13), with severe obstruction (FEV1 ≤ 50% predicted). The following tracheobronchial tree parameters were obtained automatically: bronchial diameter, area, thickness, and wall attenuation.

Laboratory animals and respiratory allergies: the prevalence of allergies among laboratory animal workers and the need for prophylaxis.

Objective: Subjects exposed to laboratory animals are at a heightened risk of developing respiratory and allergic diseases. These diseases can be prevented by simple measures such as the use of personal protective equipment. We report here the primary findings of the Laboratory Animals and Respiratory Allergies Study regarding the prevalence of allergic diseases among laboratory animal workers, the routine use of preventive measures in laboratories and animal facilities, and the need for prevention programs.

The influence of purulence on ciliary and cough transport in bronchiectasis.

Background: Individuals with bronchiectasis exhibit colonization and infection of the respiratory system, with a consequent alteration of the macroscopic appearance of secretions, which ranges from mucoid to purulent. Purulence is related to the structural conformation, rheological profile, and transport indexes of mucus. We analyzed and compared the transport properties of respiratory secretions with mucoid appearance versus those with purulent appearance in patients with bronchiectasis and in subjects without lung disease.

Acute lung injury induced by the intravenous administration of cigarette smoke extract.

Objective: To investigate the acute effects of intravenous administration of cigarette smoke extract (CSE) on histological, inflammatory, and respiratory function parameters in rats, as well as to compare this potential acute lung injury (ALI) model with that with the use of oleic acid (OA).

Methods: We studied 72 Wistar rats, divided into four groups: control (those injected intravenously with saline); CSE (those injected intravenously with CSE and saline); OA (those injected intravenously with saline and OA); and CSE/OA (those injected intravenously with CSE and OA).

Results: Mean lung compliance was significantly lower in the OA and CSE/OA groups (2.

Highlights of the Brazilian Thoracic Association guidelines for interstitial lung diseases.

Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) are heterogeneous disorders, involving a large number of conditions, the approach to which continues to pose an enormous challenge for pulmonologists. The 2012 Brazilian Thoracic Association ILD Guidelines were established in order to provide Brazilian pulmonologists with an instrument that can facilitate the management of patients with ILDs, standardizing the criteria used for the diagnosis of different conditions and offering guidance on the best treatment in various situations. The objective of this article was to briefly describe the highlights of those guidelines.

The effect of acute magnesium loading on the maximal exercise performance of stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients.

Objective: The potential influence of magnesium on exercise performance is a subject of increasing interest. Magnesium has been shown to have bronchodilatatory properties in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of acute magnesium IV loading on the aerobic exercise performance of stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients.

Dyspnea descriptors translated from English to Portuguese: application in obese patients and in patients with cardiorespiratory diseases.

Objective: To investigate the usefulness of descriptive terms applied to the sensation of dyspnea (dyspnea descriptors) that were developed in English and translated to Brazilian Portuguese in patients with four distinct clinical conditions that can be accompanied by dyspnea.

Methods: We translated, from English to Brazilian Portuguese, a list of 15 dyspnea descriptors reported in a study conducted in the USA. Those 15 descriptors were applied in 50 asthma patients, 50 COPD patients, 30 patients with heart failure, and 50 patients with class II or III obesity.

Dyspnea descriptors developed in Brazil: application in obese patients and in patients with cardiorespiratory diseases.

Objective: To develop a set of descriptive terms applied to the sensation of dyspnea (dyspnea descriptors) for use in Brazil and to investigate the usefulness of these descriptors in four distinct clinical conditions that can be accompanied by dyspnea.

Methods: We collected 111 dyspnea descriptors from 67 patients and 10 health professionals. These descriptors were analyzed and reduced to 15 based on their frequency of use, similarity of meaning, and potential pathophysiological value.

Effects of inspiratory muscle training on muscular and pulmonary function after bariatric surgery in obese patients.

Background: This study seeks to assess the effect of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) on pulmonary function, respiratory muscle strength, and endurance in morbidly obese patients submitted to bariatric surgery.

Methods: Thirty patients were randomly assigned to sham muscular training, or to IMT with a threshold device (40% of maximum inspiratory pressure, MIP), for 30 min/day, from the 2nd until 30th postoperative (PO) day. All of them were submitted to a standard respiratory kinesiotherapy and early deambulation protocol.

University of São Paulo Reasons for Smoking Scale: a new tool for the evaluation of smoking motivation.

Objective: To develop a new scale aimed at evaluating smoking motivation by incorporating questions and domains from the 68-item Wisconsin Inventory of Smoking Dependence Motives (WISDM-68) into the Modified Reasons for Smoking Scale (MRSS).

Methods: Nine WISDM-68 questions regarding affiliative attachment, cue exposure/associative processes, and weight control were added to the 21 questions of the MRSS. The new scale, together with the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), was administered to 311 smokers (214 males; mean age = 37.

Adhesiveness and purulence of respiratory secretions: implications for mucociliary transport in patients with bronchiectasis.

Objective: To analyze and compare the transport properties of respiratory secretions, classified by selected parameters, in individuals with bronchiectasis unrelated to cystic fibrosis.

Methods: We collected mucus samples from 35 individuals with bronchiectasis unrelated to cystic fibrosis. The samples were first classified by their surface properties (adhesive or nonadhesive), as well as by their aspect (mucoid or purulent).

[Factorial structure of the Brazilian version of the Modified Reasons for Smoking Scale].

Objective: To characterize the factorial structure, and psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Modified Reasons for Smoking Scale (MRFSS).

Methods: Three hundred eleven smokers (214 male; mean age: 37.6 +/- 10.

Modified Reasons for Smoking Scale: translation to Portuguese, cross-cultural adaptation for use in Brazil and evaluation of test-retest reliability.

Objective: To translate the Modified Reasons for Smoking Scale (MRSS) to Portuguese, to submit it to cross-cultural adaptation for use in Brazil and to evaluate the test-retest reliability of the translated version.

Methods: An English-language version of the MRSS was translated to Portuguese by Brazilian doctors who have thorough knowledge of the English language. A consensus version was produced by a multidisciplinary group including two pulmonologists, a psychiatrist and a psychologist.

Effects of singing classes on pulmonary function and quality of life of COPD patients.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of weekly singing classes on pulmonary function parameters and quality of life (QoL) of COPD patients. Forty-three patients were randomized to weekly classes of singing practice, or handcraft work. They performed spirometry and completed maximal respiratory pressure measurements, evaluations of dyspnea, and the Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire, before and after 24 training classes.

Influence of a DNA-hsp65 vaccine on bleomycin-induced lung injury.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of immunization with a DNA-hsp65 vaccine in an experimental model of pulmonary fibrosis.

Methods: A total of 120 male C57BL/6 mice were distributed into four groups: SS, injected with saline (placebo) and then receiving intratracheal (IT) instillation of saline; SB, injected with saline (placebo) and then receiving IT instillation of bleomycin; PB, treated with plasmid only, without bacterial genome, and then receiving IT instillation of bleomycin; and BB, treated with the vaccine and then receiving IT instillation of bleomycin. Bleomycin was instilled 15 days after the last immunization, and the animals were killed six weeks thereafter.