Relationship among Body Composition, Adipocytokines, and Irisin on Exercise Capacity and Quality of Life in COPD: A Pilot Study.

Adipose tissue is an endocrine organ that interferes with the severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Although inflammatory markers, body composition, and nutritional status have a significant impact on pulmonary function, the real contribution of adipocytokines and myokines in COPD is still controversial. We aimed to evaluate the role played by the body composition, leptin, adiponectin, haptoglobin, and irisin on the functional exercise capacity, respiratory function, and quality of life (QoL) in COPD.

Airway Obstruction in Primary Care Patients: Need for Implementing Spirometry Use.

(1) Background: To detect early airway obstruction in an adult primary care setting. (2) Methods: Seventeen general practitioners (GP) were involved. A total of 912 patients consulting their GPs over 40 years were recruited: 583 of them (323M) agreed to perform/undergo all the procedures: respiratory questionnaire, mMRC questionnaire, and spirometry.

High Mobility Group Box 1: Biological Functions and Relevance in Oxidative Stress Related Chronic Diseases.

In the early 1970s, a group of non-histone nuclear proteins with high electrophoretic mobility was discovered and named high-mobility group (HMG) proteins. High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is the most studied HMG protein that detects and coordinates cellular stress response. The biological function of HMGB1 depends on its subcellular localization and expression.

Relationship between Multimorbidity and Quality of Life in a Primary Care Setting: The Mediating Role of Dyspnea.

Multimorbidity is known to impair Quality of Life (QoL) in patients in a primary setting. Poor QoL is associated with higher dyspnea perception. How multimorbidity and dyspnea perception are related to QoL needs clarification.

Lung Function Decline in Adult Asthmatics-A 10-Year Follow-Up Retrospective and Prospective Study.

Asthma may have an impact on lung function decline but conflicting results are reported in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV) decline. We aimed to describe the changes in FEV in lifelong non-smoking adult asthmatic outpatients during a 10-year follow-up comparing years 1-5 (1st period) with years 6-10 (2nd period) to assess factors affecting these changes. A total of 100 outpatients performed spirometry every 3 months during a 10-year survey.

Relationship between domestic smoking and metals and rare earth elements concentration in indoor PM.

Cigarette smoke is the main source of indoor chemical and toxic elements. Cadmium (Cd), Thallium (Tl), Lead (Pb) and Antimony (Sb) are important contributors to smoke-related health risks. Data on the association between Rare Earth Elements (REE) Cerium (Ce) and Lanthanum (La) and domestic smoking are scanty.

An elevated body mass index increases lung volume but reduces airflow in Italian schoolchildren.

Background: Asthma and obesity are important and growing health issues worldwide. Obesity is considered a risk factor for asthma, due to the induction of changes in airway mechanics and altered airway inflammation.

Methods: We cross-sectionally investigated the effect of increased weight on pulmonary function in a large population sample of healthy children, aged 10-17 yrs living in Palermo, Italy.

Effect of indoor nitrogen dioxide on lung function in urban environment.

Background: High levels of indoor NO2 are associated with increased asthma symptoms and decreased expiratory peak flows in children. We investigated the association of exposure to domestic indoor NO2, objectively measured in winter and spring, with respiratory symptoms and lung function in a sample of adolescents from a southern Mediterranean area.

Methods: From a large school population sample (n=2150) participating in an epidemiological survey in the urban area of the City of Palermo (southern Italy), a sub-sample of 303 adolescents was selected which furnished an enriched sample for cases of current asthma.

The burden of rhinitis and rhinoconjunctivitis in adolescents.

Purpose: Rhinitis and conjunctivitis are common diseases worldwide that are frequently associated. Nevertheless, the risk factors for rhinoconjunctivitis are not well-described and the impact of conjunctivitis on rhinitis and asthma in children remains unknown. This study explored the different risk factors and evaluated the burden of rhinoconjunctivitis among adolescents.

Rhinitis as a risk factor for depressive mood in pre-adolescents: a new approach to this relationship.

Background: Respiratory allergic symptoms impact on social life and school activities, influencing the patient's mood states. We evaluated the relationships between allergic respiratory diseases and depressive/anxious mood in a large sample of Italian middle school students, using the partial directed acyclic graph (P-DAG).

Methods: We studied 1283 subjects aged 10-13.

A cross-sectional study assessing the relationship between BMI, asthma, atopy, and eNO among schoolchildren.

Background: Increased body weight may influence airway inflammatory mechanisms.

Objective: To assess whether overweight-obesity (OW-O), evaluated as increased body mass index, is associated either with exhaled nitric oxide (eNO), a marker of airway inflammation, or with allergic sensitization in a large sample of children and adolescents.

Methods: A cross-sectional, epidemiological study was performed on a population sample of schoolchildren evaluating 708 subjects (age 10-16 years; BMI 13-39 kg/m(2)) by respiratory health questionnaire, skin prick tests, spirometry, and eNO measure.

Proportional Venn diagram and determinants of allergic respiratory diseases in Italian adolescents.

Large variations in prevalence of atopy and allergic diseases are reported worldwide in children, but in epidemiological studies the use of skin prick tests (SPT) and spirometry along with questionnaires is not common in the Mediterranean Area. The present work was aimed at evaluating the prevalence of current asthma (CA), rhinoconjunctivitis (RC), and eczema (E), with atopy and respiratory function, and the role of risk factors for allergic respiratory diseases. A total of 2150 Italian schoolchildren were cross-sectionally investigated through respiratory questionnaire, SPT, and spirometry.

The Val432Leu polymorphism of the CYP1B1 gene is associated with differences in estrogen metabolism and bone density.

Polymorphisms of the CYP450 genes that encode for the enzymes that metabolize estrogen are linked to hormone-related cancers. We investigated the impact of two polymorphisms of the CYP1B1 gene previously reported to be associated with hormone-related disorders on estrogen metabolism and bone mineral density (BMD), another hormone-dependent condition, in women from different ethnic backgrounds. Four hundred sixty-eight postmenopausal Caucasian women, 220 from St.

Low serum levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D in adults affected by thalassemia major or intermedia.

Adult thalassemic patients have reduced bone mass due to disturbances in several different mechanisms affecting bone turnover. To determine if vitamin D deficiency contributes to the low bone mass of adult thalassemic subjects, we studied serum 25-OH-vitamin D levels in 90 patients (age ranging between 21 and 48 years) affected with thalassemia major (TM) and 35 (age 21-56 years) with thalassemia intermedia (TI). TM patients had been receiving regular transfusions from the age of 2 years and had increased serum ferritin, glutamic oxalacetic transaminase, glutamic piruvic transaminase as well as low bone density (L1-L4 Z score -2.

Non-specific bronchial hyper-responsiveness in children with allergic rhinitis: relationship with the atopic status.

An increased prevalence of bronchial hyper-responsiveness (BHR) has been demonstrated in children from a general population, and in non-asthmatic adults with allergic rhinitis. Thus, also children with allergic rhinitis are expected to be at higher risk of BHR. We evaluated the prevalence of BHR in a sample of non-asthmatic children with allergic rhinitis by means of the methacholine (Mch) bronchial challenge, and by monitorizing the airway patency using the daily peak expiratory flow variability (PEFv).

Lung function decline in bronchial asthma.

Study Objective: We evaluated the longitudinal changes in lung function and the factors associated with FEV(1) changes over time in a sample of asthmatic subjects.

Setting: FEV(1) measures were recorded every 3 months over a 5-year follow-up period. To compare all subjects independently of body size, FEV(1) values were normalized for the subject's height at the third power.