Mannitol Challenge to Assess Therapy Response in Asthmatic Children: An Interventional Cohort Study.

Bronchial provocation tests, such as the mannitol challenge, can be performed to identify and quantify the severity of bronchial hyperresponsiveness in asthmatic patients. Studies of the mannitol challenge as a monitoring tool in asthmatic children are limited. Our primary aim was to compare the bronchial hyperresponsiveness to mannitol in treatment-naive asthmatic children between baseline and three months after receiving the indicated asthma prophylaxis.

The Fitter the Better? Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing Can Predict Pulmonary Exacerbations in Cystic Fibrosis.

Background: The role of cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) in the assessment of prognosis in CF (cystic fibrosis) is crucial. However, as the overall survival of the disease becomes better, the need for examinations that can predict pulmonary exacerbations (PEx) and subsequent deterioration becomes evident.

Methods: Data from a 10-year follow up with CPET and spirometry of CF patients were used to evaluate whether CPET-derived parameters can be used as prognostic indexes for pulmonary exacerbations in patients with CF.

Cardiorespiratory Fitness Predicted by Fibrinogen and Leptin Concentrations in Children with Obesity and Risk for Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Study and a ROC Curve Analysis.

Obesity is defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. The ability to exercise is affected by adiposity, and this mechanism involves low-grade chronic inflammation and homeostatic stress produced mainly in adipocytes, which can result in abnormal adipokine secretion. To date, the gold standard for cardiorespiratory fitness assessment is considered to be the maximum oxygen uptake (VO).

Exercise responses are related to structural lung damage in CF pulmonary disease.

Introduction: Early detection of lung disease is a primary objective in monitoring patients with Cystic Fibrosis (CF); High-Resolution-Computed-Tomography (HRCT) assesses structural damage. Spirometry and cardiopulmonary exercise testing are used for functional evaluation of CF lung disease.

Aim: To evaluate the deterioration of exercise testing parameters over a 2-year period compared to the change of spirometry and HRCT parameters among CF patients.

Long-term outcome of parapneumonic effusions in children: Lung function and exercise tolerance.

Objectives: a: To evaluate the long-term outcome of parapneumonic effusions (PPE) in children regarding lung function and exercise tolerance, (b) to investigate the role of bronchial asthma in the outcome of PPE.

Methods: The design of the study included 51 children with PPE, at least 2 years after the initial infection. They were divided in two groups.

Reduced exercise capacity in Greek children with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a common disease that is increasingly recognized among pediatric population. The exercise capacity of adults with OSAS has been demonstrated to be impaired, but there are no data about pediatric exercise response.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate cardiopulmonary response to exercise in children with OSAS and to correlate exercise capacity and severity of OSAS.