Publications by authors named "Pixin Ran"
The associations between anxiety, depression, and the prognosis of COPD remain uncertain. The present study aims to investigate the associations of anxiety and depression with 30-day readmission rates and acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD). Four databases were searched to identify relevant studies published before 13 March 2024.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Recently, the severities of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can also be assessed by impulse oscillometry (IOS). This study aimed to explore a new classification of severity of COPD based on IOS and associations with acute exacerbations (AE) in patients with COPD.
Methods: The data of our study were based on the baseline and 2-year follow-up data of a prospective cohort in China.
Th2 polarization is a characteristic feature of many immune diseases; its pathogenesis is still being elucidated. Probiotics have immune regulatory effects. This study is aimed at testing the impact of Lactobacillus rhamnosus (LR) DNA on regulating Th2 polarization and elucidating its underlying mechanism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrevious studies have identified exercise intolerance in patients with mild-to-moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The associations of exercise tolerance with lung function decline and acute exacerbation risk in mild-to-moderate COPD is unclear, especially in the community population. We evaluated exercise tolerance in mild-to-moderate COPD and analyzed its associations with respiratory health outcomes.
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- A study aimed to improve COPD detection by developing a CNN model that uses double-phase chest CT images along with clinical data.
- The model was trained on over 2,000 participants and showed superior performance, achieving an AUC of 0.930 in detecting COPD, which is higher than other models tested.
- The results suggest that this CNN model is a promising tool for accurately diagnosing COPD and may help identify patients who remain undiagnosed despite previous medical evaluations.
Evidence for the treatment of patients with mild-to-moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is limited. The efficacy of N-acetylcysteine (an antioxidant and mucolytic agent) for patients with mild-to-moderate COPD is uncertain. In this multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we randomly assigned 968 patients with mild-to-moderate COPD to treatment with N-acetylcysteine (600 mg, twice daily) or matched placebo for two years.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In recent years, e-cigarettes have been used as alternatives among adult smokers. However, the impact of e-cigarette use on human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells remains controversial.
Methods: We collected primary HBE cells of healthy nonsmokers and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) smokers, and analyzed the impact of e- cigarette vapor extract (ECE) or cigarette smoke extract (CSE) on HBE cell differentiation and injury by single-cell RNA sequencing, immunostaining, HE staining, qPCR and ELISA.
Background: The previous findings on the correlation between spirometry and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol are intriguing yet conflicting. The aim of this research is to evaluate the relationship between HDL levels and spirometry as well as imaging parameters in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in China.
Methods: This study encompasses a total of 907 COPD patients.
Background: Rat models are valuable tools to study the lung microbiota in diseases. Yet the impacts of different lung parts, young and mature adult stages, and the different batches of the same conditions on the healthy rat lung microbiome have not been investigated.
Methods: The rat lung microbiome was analyzed to clarify the lung part-dependent and age-dependent differences and to evaluate the effects of several 'batch environmental factors' on normal rats, after eliminating potential contamination.
Background: Impaired ventilatory efficiency during exercise is a predictor of mortality in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. However, little is known about the clinical features and associated factors of impaired ventilatory efficiency in China.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional community-based study in China and collected demographic and clinical information, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, spirometry, and CT data.
Background: There are limited data on the clinical features and longitudinal prognosis of variable obstruction, particularly among never smokers and different variable obstruction types. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics of the participants with variable obstruction and determine the relationship between variable obstruction and the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the decline of lung function in a community-dwelling study of Chinese, especially among never smokers and different variable obstruction subtypes.
Methods: Participants with preserved spirometry (postbronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV)/forced vital capacity (FVC) ≥0.
Article Synopsis
- * In a study of 897 COPD patients, 205 had high BEC (≥300 cells/μL), and these patients showed worse health, lower lung function, and a 28% increased risk of acute exacerbations over two years compared to those with low BEC.
- * The findings suggest that COPD patients with high BEC face greater challenges in their condition, and future research should look into the reasons behind their worse health outcomes.
Impact of Using Pre- and Postbronchodilator Spirometry Reference Values in a Chinese Population.
Am J Respir Crit Care Med
October 2024
Article Synopsis
- There is a need for spirometry reference equations tailored for the Chinese population, as the effects of using pre- and post-bronchodilator (pre-BD and post-BD) values have not been previously evaluated.
- The study analyzed data from 17,969 healthy, nonsmoking individuals in the China Pulmonary Health Study to establish these spirometry reference values for lung function measurements.
- Results showed that using post-BD values identified a higher prevalence of airflow limitation and more cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease compared to pre-BD values, suggesting that post-BD references may better indicate respiratory conditions.
Article Synopsis
- The study focused on understanding the clinical relevance of impulse oscillometry-defined small airway bronchodilator response (IOS-BDR) in patients with early chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (ECOPD).
- Researchers followed 466 participants over two years to assess the relationship between IOS-BDR and lung function decline and acute respiratory exacerbations.
- Findings showed that those with IOS-BDR experienced more severe respiratory symptoms and faster lung function decline, but IOS-BDR was not linked to an increased risk of acute respiratory exacerbations.
The relationship between long-term ozone (O₃) exposure and readmission for acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) remains elusive. In this study, we collected individual-level information on AECOPD hospitalizations from a standardized electronic database in Guangzhou from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2015. We calculated the annual mean O₃ concentration prior to the dates of the index hospitalization for AECOPD using patients' residential addresses.
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- Controversy surrounds the link between non-obstructive dyspnoea (difficulty breathing without blockage) and the future risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and higher mortality rates.
- The study reviewed 6486 articles and included 8 studies with over 100,000 participants, finding that those with non-obstructive dyspnoea had a significantly higher risk of developing COPD (41% increase) and a higher risk of all-cause (21% increase) and respiratory-related mortality (52% increase) compared to those without dyspnoea.
- The conclusion highlights the need for further research to explore risk management and early treatment options for individuals experiencing non-obstructive dyspnoea
Article Synopsis
- Maternal smoking during pregnancy (MSDP) increases the risk of children developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but the exact reasons for this connection are not fully understood.
- A study utilizing data from the China Pulmonary Health study found that children of smoking mothers had a higher prevalence of tobacco dependence (TD) and COPD compared to controls, suggesting a possible link between MSDP and TD.
- The study concluded that MSDP significantly contributes to the risk of COPD in offspring, with TD potentially acting as a mediator in this relationship.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to assess the prevalence and characteristics of early-stage lung diseases like PRISm, pre-COPD, young COPD, and mild COPD in a large sample of the Chinese population.
- Data from over 50,000 adults were analyzed, revealing that mild COPD was linked to factors such as older age, male gender, and environmental exposures, while young COPD and pre-COPD were influenced by childhood respiratory issues and parental health histories.
- Overall, the research highlighted the complexity and varied risk factors associated with these early lung disease statuses, indicating a need for tailored public health strategies.
Background: Clinically important deterioration (CID) is a composite endpoint used to holistically assess the complex progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Tiotropium improves lung function and reduces the rate of COPD exacerbations in patients with COPD of Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) stage 1 (mild) or 2 (moderate). However, whether tiotropium reduces CID risk in patients with mild-to-moderate COPD remains unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: It is unclear whether patients with Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease stage 1 (mild) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have worse respiratory outcomes than individuals with normal spirometry.
Methods: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we conducted a search of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science for all literature published up to 1 March 2023. Studies comparing mortality between mild COPD and normal spirometry were included.
Background: In recent years, particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) exposure has been considered a key dangerous factor in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiomass exposure is a significant environmental risk factor for COPD, but the underlying mechanisms have not yet been fully elucidated. Inflammatory microenvironment has been shown to drive the development of many chronic diseases. Pollution exposure can cause increased levels of inflammatory factors in the lungs, leading to an inflammatory microenvironment which is prevalent in COPD.
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- The study examined airway inflammation types in COPD and their links to clinical features in 895 patients in China.
- The most prevalent phenotype found was neutrophilic (NP), with mixed granulocytic (MGP) being the second most common, leading to more severe symptoms and lower lung function.
- Patients with the paucigranulocytic phenotype (PP) had the best lung function, suggesting it represents milder lung damage compared to the others.
Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Question of Chicken and Egg.
Am J Respir Crit Care Med
December 2023
Background: The link between gut microbial dysbiosis and the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is of considerable interest. However, little is known regarding the potential for the use of the fecal metagenome for the diagnosis of COPD.
Methods: A total of 80 healthy controls, 31 patients with COPD severity stages I or II, and 49 patients with COPD severity stages III or IV fecal samples were subjected to metagenomic analysis.