[Management of adult bronchiectasis - Consensus-based Guidelines for the German Respiratory Society (DGP) e. V. (AWMF registration number 020-030)].

Bronchiectasis is an etiologically heterogeneous, chronic, and often progressive respiratory disease characterized by irreversible bronchial dilation. It is frequently associated with significant symptom burden, multiple complications, and reduced quality of life. For several years, there has been a marked global increase in the prevalence of bronchiectasis, which is linked to a substantial economic burden on healthcare systems.

Frequency and evolution of sleep-wake disturbances after ischemic stroke: A 2-year prospective study of 437 patients.

Objective: In the absence of systematic and longitudinal data, this study prospectively assessed both frequency and evolution of sleep-wake disturbances (SWD) after stroke.

Methods: In 437 consecutively recruited patients with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), stroke characteristics and outcome were assessed within the 1 week and 3.2 ± 0.

The Swiss Approach - feasibility of a national low-dose CT lung cancer screening program.

Background: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Switzerland. Despite this, there is no lung cancer screening program in the country. In the United States, low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) lung cancer screening is partially established and endorsed by guidelines.

Frailty assessment for COVID-19 follow-up: a prospective cohort study.

Background: The Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) is increasingly used for clinical decision making in acute care but little is known about frailty after COVID-19.

Objectives: To investigate frailty and the CFS for post-COVID-19 follow-up.

Methods: This prospective multicentre cohort study included COVID-19 survivors aged ≥50 years presenting for a follow-up visit ≥3 months after the acute illness.

Advancements in cathode catalyst and cathode layer design for proton exchange membrane fuel cells.

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells have been recently developed at an increasing pace as clean energy conversion devices for stationary and transport sector applications. High platinum cathode loadings contribute significantly to costs. This is why improved catalyst and support materials as well as catalyst layer design are critically needed.

Effect of early sleep apnoea treatment with adaptive servo-ventilation in acute stroke patients on cerebral lesion evolution and neurological outcomes: study protocol for a multicentre, randomized controlled, rater-blinded, clinical trial (eSATIS: early Sleep Apnoea Treatment in Stroke).

Background: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is highly prevalent in acute ischaemic stroke and is associated with worse functional outcome and increased risk of recurrence. Recent meta-analyses suggest the possibility of beneficial effects of nocturnal ventilatory treatments (continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV)) in stroke patients with SDB. The evidence for a favourable effect of early SDB treatment in acute stroke patients remains, however, uncertain.

Pulmonary function and radiological features 4 months after COVID-19: first results from the national prospective observational Swiss COVID-19 lung study.

Background: The infectious coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is an ongoing global healthcare challenge. Up to one-third of hospitalised patients develop severe pulmonary complications and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Pulmonary outcomes following COVID-19 are unknown.

Sleep-disordered breathing: clinical features, pathophysiology and diagnosis.

In recent decades, the association between sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and cardio- and cerebrovascular diseases (including hypertension, coronary heart disease and stroke) has been the focus of interest of both clinicians and researchers. A growing concern is the increasing prevalence of SDB in the general population, which can be partly explained by the rise in obesity prevalence and population aging, as well as by the development of enhanced diagnostic tools and approaches. Because of evidence of adverse long-term effects of SDB on cardiovascular morbidity and overall mortality, systematic screening for SDB should be considered for populations at risk.

Pulse Oximetry at the Wrist During Sleep: Performance, Challenges and Perspectives.

The state-of-the-art non-invasive measurement of peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) during sleep is mainly based on pulse oximetry at the fingertip. Although this approach is noninvasive, it can still be obtrusive and cumbersome to apply, in particular for ambulatory monitoring over several nights.We developed a wrist-worn reflectance pulse oximetry device which can be embedded in a watch, making it less obtrusive and easy to apply.

SAS Care 1: sleep-disordered breathing in acute stroke an transient ischaemic attack - prevalence, evolution and association with functional outcome at 3 months, a prospective observational polysomnography study.

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is frequent in patients with acute stroke. Little is known, however about the evolution of SDB after stroke. Most of our knowledge stems from smaller cohort studies applying limited cardiopulmonary sleep recordings or from cross-sectional data collected in different populations.

Calculated parenteral initial treatment of bacterial infections: Respiratory infections.

This is the fifth chapter of the guideline "Calculated initial parenteral treatment of bacterial infections in adults - update 2018" in the 2 updated version. The German guideline by the Paul-Ehrlich-Gesellschaft für Chemotherapie e.V.

Ionomer distribution control in porous carbon-supported catalyst layers for high-power and low Pt-loaded proton exchange membrane fuel cells.

The reduction of Pt content in the cathode for proton exchange membrane fuel cells is highly desirable to lower their costs. However, lowering the Pt loading of the cathodic electrode leads to high voltage losses. These voltage losses are known to originate from the mass transport resistance of O through the platinum-ionomer interface, the location of the Pt particle with respect to the carbon support and the supports' structures.

[Experience of disease, relationship and sexuality in patients with COPD].

We aimed to determine the impacts of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on the patient's relationship and sexuality. In a multicentric study 105, 52 of them female, non-selected COPD patients who were married or in a partnership were interviewed about their partnership and sexuality. Average age was 64.

Sleep-disordered breathing and stroke: chicken or egg?

The bidirectional interaction between sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and stroke has been the subject of many studies. On the one hand, different forms of SDB, and especially obstructive sleep apnea, increase the risk of stroke either directly or indirectly by influencing other known cardiovascular risk factors such as arterial hypertension and arrhythmias. On the other hand, stroke itself can cause either appearance of SDB, aggravate a pre-existing SDB, or trigger a transition from one type of pathological SDB pattern into another.

Pulmonary nocardiosis in Western Europe-Clinical evaluation of 43 patients and population-based estimates of hospitalization rates.

Background: Pulmonary nocardiosis (PN) is an uncommon but potentially life-threatening infection. Most of our knowledge on PN is derived from case reports and small case series. Increasing incidence rates of PN have been reported recently.

Microbial and host immune factors as drivers of COPD.

Compartmentalisation of the respiratory tract microbiota in patients with different chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) severity degrees needs to be systematically investigated. In addition, it is unknown if the inflammatory and emphysematous milieux in patients with COPD are associated with changes in the respiratory tract microbiota and host macrophage gene expression. We performed a cross-sectional study to compare non-COPD controls (n=10) to COPD patients (n=32) with different disease severity degrees.

Periodic limb movements during sleep in stroke/TIA: Prevalence, course, and cardiovascular burden.

Objective: To define the prevalence, time course, and associated factors of periodic limb movements during sleep (PLMS) in patients with ischemic stroke or TIA.

Methods: Patients enrolled in the prospective Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Transient Ischemia Attack (TIA)/Ischemic Stroke and Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Treatment Efficacy (SAS-CARE) study underwent a double polysomnographic investigation in the acute and chronic phases after stroke/TIA, together with a MRI brain scan and a 24-hour blood pressure evaluation. The prevalence of PLMS in patients was compared with that in a matched sample of randomly selected healthy controls from the HypnoLaus cohort.

Prevalence and Prediction of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Prior to Bariatric Surgery-Gender-Specific Performance of Four Sleep Questionnaires.

Purpose: Bariatric surgery (BS) is a treatment option for morbid obesity leading to substantial and sustained weight loss in adults. As obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is highly prevalent in obese subjects and may increase the perioperative risk, screening for OSA is recommended prior to BS. In clinical routine, BS is performed more frequently in women.

Long-term oxygen therapy in COPD patients: population-based cohort study on mortality.

Purpose: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide and is associated with a growing and substantial socioeconomic burden. Long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT), recommended by current treatment guidelines for COPD patients with severe chronic hypoxemia, has shown to reduce mortality in this population. The aim of our study was to assess the standardized mortality ratios of incident and prevalent LTOT users and to identify predictors of mortality.

Multicentre observational screening survey for the detection of CTEPH following pulmonary embolism.

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a severe complication of pulmonary embolism. Its incidence following pulmonary embolism is debated. Active screening for CTEPH in patients with acute pulmonary embolism is yet to be recommended.

CPAP as treatment of sleep apnea after stroke: A meta-analysis of randomized trials.

Objective: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining the effectiveness of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in stroke patients with sleep disordered breathing (SDB).

Methods: In a systematic literature search of electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Library) from 1980 to November 2016, we identified RCTs that assessed CPAP compared to standard care or sham CPAP in adult patients with stroke or TIA with SDB. Mean CPAP use, odds ratios (ORs), and standardized mean differences (SMDs) were calculated.

Efficacy and safety of nasal high-flow oxygen in COPD patients.

Background: Nasal high-flow oxygen therapy (HFOT) is a novel treatment option for patients suffering from acute or chronic respiratory failure. Aim of our study was to compare safety and efficacy of HFOT with those of conventional oxygen treatment (COT) in normo- and hypercapnic COPD patients.

Methods: A single cohort of 77 clinically stable hypoxemic patients with an indication for long-term oxygen treatment (LTOT) with or without hypercapnia successively received COT and HFOT for 60 min each, including oxygen adaption and separated by a 30 min washout phase.