Exhaled breath analysis for the discrimination of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma are the most common chronic respiratory diseases. In middle-aged and elderly patients, it is difficult to distinguish between COPD and asthma based on clinical symptoms and pulmonary function examinations in clinical practice. Thus, an accurate and reliable inspection method is required.

Distribution Patterns of Pathogens Causing Lower Respiratory Tract Infection Based on Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing.

Purpose: Lower Respiratory Tract Infection (LRTI) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In this study, the distribution patterns of causative pathogens in LRTI were evaluated within a city-level hospital by combining conventional microbiological tests (CMT) with metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS).

Patients And Methods: This retrospective cohort study involved 160 patients suspected of having LRTI in a single center.