Risk prediction for Obstructive Sleep Apnea prognostic in Obese patients referred for bariatric surgery.

Objectives: (i) To assess the anthropometric measurements, along with the clinical characteristics and quality of life profiles of the studied patients; (ii) To determine the occurrence and severity of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), using polysomnography; and (iii) To identify the best anthropometric and clinical indicators to predict OSA in obese patients who are candidates for bariatric surgery.

Methods: a prospective observational study conducted in a private clinic, using consecutive sampling of patients eligible for bariatric surgery with a BMI ≥ 40, or with a BMI of ≥ 35 kg/m² accompanied by comorbidities associated with obesity.

Results: Sixty patients were initially selected, of whom 46 agreed to take part in the preoperative evaluation.

Screening of miners and millers at decreasing levels of asbestos exposure: comparison of chest radiography and thin-section computed tomography.

Background: Chest radiography (CXR) is inferior to Thin-section computed tomography in the detection of asbestos related interstitial and pleural abnormalities. It remains unclear, however, whether these limitations are large enough to impair CXR´s ability in detecting the expected reduction in the frequency of these asbestos-related abnormalities (ARA) as exposure decreases.

Methods: Clinical evaluation, CXR, Thin-section CT and spirometry were obtained in 1418 miners and millers who were exposed to progressively lower airborne concentrations of asbestos.

Effect of L-carnitine on exercise performance in patients with mitochondrial myopathy.

Exercise intolerance due to impaired oxidative metabolism is a prominent symptom in patients with mitochondrial myopathy (MM), but it is still uncertain whether L-carnitine supplementation is beneficial for patients with MM. The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of L-carnitine on exercise performance in MM. Twelve MM subjects (mean age±SD=35.

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation improves exercise tolerance in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with better preserved fat-free mass.

Background: High-frequency neuromuscular electrical stimulation increases exercise tolerance in patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD patients). However, it is conceivable that its benefits are more prominent in patients with better-preserved peripheral muscle function and structure.

Objective: To investigate the effects of high-frequency neuromuscular electrical stimulation in COPD patients with better-preserved peripheral muscle function.

Relationship between peripheral muscle structure and function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with different nutritional status.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between peripheral muscle structure (mass) and function (strength, endurance, and maximal aerobic capacity) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with different nutritional states. Thirty-nine patients (31 male) with moderate-severe COPD (63.5 ± 7.