Biodiversity in agricultural landscapes: The effect of apple cultivar on epiphyte diversity.

In natural systems, extended phenotypes of trees can be important in determining the species composition and diversity of associated communities. Orchards are productive systems where trees dominate, and can be highly biodiverse, but few studies have considered the importance of tree genetic background in promoting associated biodiversity. We tested the effect of apple cultivar (plant genetic background) on the diversity and composition of the associated epiphytic bryophyte community across a total of seven cultivars in five productive East Anglian orchards where each orchard contained two cultivars.

Proceedings of second Indian GAME conference, Mumbai, February, 2016.

The second Indian Global Alliance for Medical Education (GAME) conference on continuing medical education-continuing professional development (CME-CPD) was held in Mumbai in February 2016. The main aim of the meeting was to create a blueprint for further development of CME in India based on best practices from around the world. To that end, delegates had been invited from the USA, the UK and Australasia, who engaged in productive discussions with the major stakeholders of the CME community in India.

The European Respiratory Society spirometry tent: a unique form of screening for airway obstruction.

In order to raise public awareness of the importance of early detection of airway obstruction and to enable many people who had not been tested previously to have their lung function measured, the European Lung Foundation and the European Respiratory Society (ERS) organised a spirometry testing tent during the annual ERS Congresses in 2004-2009. Spirometry was performed during the ERS Congresses in volunteers; all participants answered a simple, brief questionnaire on their descriptive characteristics, smoking and asthma. Portable spirometers were freely provided by the manufacturer.

Effects of formoterol on exercise tolerance in severely disabled patients with COPD.

Objective: We wished to evaluate the effects of inhaled formoterol, a long-acting beta(2)-adrenergic agonist, on exercise tolerance and dynamic hyperinflation (DH) in severely disabled chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients.

Design: In a two-period, crossover study, 21 patients with advanced COPD (FEV(1)=38.8+/-11.

Measurement of physiological recovery from exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease using within-breath forced oscillometry.

Background: Within-breath reactance from forced oscillometry estimates resistance via its inspiratory component (X(rs,insp)) and flow limitation via its expiratory component (X(rs,exp)).

Aim: To assess whether reactance can detect recovery from an exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Method: 39 subjects with a COPD exacerbation were assessed on three occasions over 6 weeks using post-bronchodilator forced oscillometry, arterial blood gases, spirometry including inspiratory capacity, symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQOL).

Clinical relevance of inter-method differences in fat-free mass estimation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Evaluation of fat-free mass (FFM) is becoming recognised as an important component in the assessment of clinical status and formulation of prognosis in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether potential differences in FFM estimation performed by air displacement plethysmography (ADP), bioelectrical impedance (BIE) and anthropometry (ANTHRO) would assume clinical significance.

Methods: Twenty-eight patients with moderate-to-severe COPD were submitted to FFM estimation by ADP, BIE and ANTHRO.

A longitudinal study of lung function in nonsmoking patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Study Objective: s: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have a high prevalence of pulmonary function test (PFT) abnormality, but the long-term significance of this is unknown. We performed a longitudinal study of pulmonary function in asymptomatic, nonsmoking patients with active RA requiring disease-modifying drugs. We looked for temporal change in lung function and characteristics that would predict subsequent development of PFT abnormality or respiratory symptoms.