Mobile Health for Central Sleep Apnea Screening Among Patients With Stable Heart Failure: Single-Cohort, Open, Prospective Trial.

Background: Polysomnography is the gold standard for detection of central sleep apnea in patients with stable heart failure. However, this procedure is costly, time consuming, and a burden to the patient and therefore unsuitable as a screening method. An electronic health (eHealth) app to measure overnight oximetry may be an acceptable screening alternative, as it can be automatically analyzed and is less burdensome to patients.

A longitudinal study of allergy and intestinal helminth infections in semi urban and rural areas of Flores, Indonesia (ImmunoSPIN Study).

Background: The prevalence of asthma and atopic disease has been reported to be low in low income countries, however helminth infections are likely to be high among these communities. The question of whether helminth infections play a role in allergic diseases can best be addressed by intervention studies. None of the studies so far have been based on a large scale placebo-controlled trial.

Comparison of exhaled breath condensate pH using two commercially available devices in healthy controls, asthma and COPD patients.

Background: Analysis of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) is a non-invasive method for studying the acidity (pH) of airway secretions in patients with inflammatory lung diseases.

Aim: To assess the reproducibility of EBC pH for two commercially available devices (portable RTube and non-portable ECoScreen) in healthy controls, patients with asthma or COPD, and subjects suffering from an acute cold with lower-airway symptoms. In addition, we assessed the repeatability in healthy controls.

An electronic nose in the discrimination of patients with non-small cell lung cancer and COPD.

Background: Exhaled breath contains thousands of gaseous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that may be used as non-invasive markers of lung disease. The electronic nose analyzes VOCs by composite nano-sensor arrays with learning algorithms. It has been shown that an electronic nose can distinguish the VOCs pattern in exhaled breath of lung cancer patients from healthy controls.

Enhanced airway dilation by positive-pressure inflation of the lungs compared with active deep inspiration in patients with asthma.

Deep inspiration temporarily reduces induced airways obstruction in healthy subjects. This bronchodilatory effect of deep inspiration is impaired in asthma. Passive machine-assisted lung inflation may augment bronchodilation compared with an active deep inspiration in patients with asthma by either opening closed airways or by reducing fluid flux across the airway wall during deep inspiration, and thereby increasing the tethering forces on the airway wall.

Expression of smooth muscle and extracellular matrix proteins in relation to airway function in asthma.

Background: Smooth muscle content is increased within the airway wall in patients with asthma and is likely to play a role in airway hyperresponsiveness. However, smooth muscle cells express several contractile and structural proteins, and each of these proteins may influence airway function distinctly.

Objective: We examined the expression of contractile and structural proteins of smooth muscle cells, as well as extracellular matrix proteins, in bronchial biopsies of patients with asthma, and related these to lung function, airway hyperresponsiveness, and responses to deep inspiration.

A syringe simulation of biological controls for quality assessment of prospective lung volume measurements.

Background: At present a syringe is being used for calibration of lung function devices, but biological controls are used to detect prospectively the variability and reproducibility of lung volumes measured by spirometers. Laboratory personnel is often used as biological control and therefore the cost for these measurements is substantial and may be reduced by replacement of a syringe procedure to increase the capacity of the laboratory to measure more patients.

Objectives: To develop a mechanical syringe procedure for identification of instrument problems.

An electronic nose in the discrimination of patients with asthma and controls.

Background: Exhaled breath contains thousands of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that could serve as biomarkers of lung disease. Electronic noses can distinguish VOC mixtures by pattern recognition.

Objective: We hypothesized that an electronic nose can discriminate exhaled air of patients with asthma from healthy controls, and between patients with different disease severities.

Bronchial inflammation and airway responses to deep inspiration in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Rationale: Deep inspirations provide physiologic protection against airway narrowing in healthy subjects, which is impaired in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Airway inflammation has been suggested to alter airway mechanics during deep inspiration.

Objectives: We tested the hypothesis that the number of bronchial inflammatory cells is related to deep inspiration-induced bronchodilation in asthma and COPD.

Automatic negative evaluation of suffocation sensations in individuals with suffocation fear.

The current study tested whether "suffocation sensations" (respiratory loads) are automatically evaluated in a negative way by people fearing these sensations. It was found that, after having been primed with a slight respiratory load, participants with high suffocation fear (n=15) reacted more quickly to suffocation words and more slowly to positive words than participants with low suffocation fear (n=21). However, the effect was present only in participants who had noticed the primes.

Real-time MR imaging of aortic flow: influence of breathing on left ventricular stroke volume in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Purpose: To assess real-time changes of left ventricular stroke volume (SV) in relation to the breathing pattern in healthy subjects and in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Materials And Methods: Real-time magnetic resonance (MR) imaging flow measurements were performed in the ascending aorta of 10 healthy volunteers and nine patients with severe COPD. Breathing maneuvers were registered with an abdominal pressure belt, which was synchronized to the electrocardiographic signal and the flow measurement.