Publications by authors named "Similowski T"

Volitional respiratory manoeuvres such as sniffing and apnoea play a key role in the active olfactory exploration of the environment. Their impairment by neurodegenerative processes could thus impair olfactory abilities with the ensuing impact on quality of life. Functional brain imaging studies have identified brain networks engaged in sniffing and voluntary apnoea, comprising the primary motor and somatosensory cortices, the insula, the anterior cingulate cortex and the amygdala.

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Rationale: High flow therapy reduces dyspnea in acute respiratory failure but the underlying mechanisms are not fully elucidated.

Objectives: To compare dyspnea, airway occlusion pressure (P) and inspiratory work with and without nasal high flow (NHF, FiO 21%, temperature 31°C) in intubated patients under pressure support ventilation and during a spontaneous breathing trial (SBT).

Methods: Dyspnea (numerical rating scale, NRS and Mechanical Ventilation - Respiratory Distress Observational Scale, MV-RDOS), P, esophageal pressure, respiratory muscles EMG, arterial blood gas were compared in intubated patients on pressure support ventilation presenting a dyspnea-NRS > 3 during two sequences: 1) pressure support ventilation with NHF at 0 L/min followed by 30, 50 and 60 L/min (the last three were randomized) and 2) a SBT with NHF at 0 and 50 L/min (randomized).

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Dyspnea testifies to profound suffering in patients and its relief is a priority for caregivers. This can be achieved by correcting causative disorders ("etiopathogenic" approach) or targeting the dyspnea itself ("symptomatic" approach), as is done for pain. Empathetic solicitude from caregivers has an intrinsic analgesic effect, but its effects on dyspnea have not been formally documented.

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  • In critically ill patients, deep sedation and mechanical ventilation can lead to cognitive issues by suppressing the brain-diaphragm-lung interactions.
  • This study explored whether phrenic nerve stimulation could improve brain activity and connectivity in six patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.
  • Results showed that phrenic stimulation, combined with mechanical ventilation, enhanced brain activity and synchronization similar to what occurs during natural diaphragmatic breathing, indicating its potential to restore important neural communication.
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Purpose: Patients with Bell's palsy suffer from functional deficits and cannot convey their emotions through the face as well as they used to. According to embodied cognition, automatic mimicry and facial feedback modulate emotion perception. The aim of our study was to determine the impact of Bell's palsy on facial emotion perception.

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  • In a study on chronic respiratory failure patients using home non-invasive ventilation (NIV), researchers investigated the prevalence and impact of side effects caused by masks, finding that 47% of patients experienced moderate to severe issues.
  • The research indicated that patients with oronasal masks reported more severe side effects compared to those using nasal masks, which were also found to be more stable in a bench study.
  • The findings suggest that mask-related issues can negatively affect patients' daytime carbon dioxide levels, sleep quality, and overall quality of life, recommending nasal masks as a preferable option.
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Introduction And Objectives: Dyspnea is associated with fear and intense suffering and is often assessed using visual analog scales (VAS) or numerical rating scales (NRS). However, the physiological correlates of such ratings are not well known. Using the voluntary breath-holding model of induced dyspnea, we studied healthy volunteers to investigate the temporal relationship between dyspnea, the neural drive to breathe assessed in terms of involuntary thoracoabdominal movements (ITMs) and neurovegetative responses.

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  • Parkinson's disease (PD) and multiple system atrophy (MSA) may be foreshadowed by isolated REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD), which prompts research into potential biomarkers like sighing patterns during sleep.
  • A study involving 73 MSA participants, 111 with iRBD, 257 with PD, and 115 controls found that the MSA group exhibited the highest rate of sighing during slow wave sleep (N3), with a specific sigh index being effective in distinguishing MSA from controls.
  • The findings suggest that monitoring sigh frequency during sleep could serve as a useful screening tool for MSA in middle-aged individuals, although further research is needed to investigate the implications of sighing in those with
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  • The study investigates the limitations of traditional time-frequency (T-F) analysis for examining cyclic neural activities in EEG due to high variability in trials.
  • It introduces cycle-frequency (C-F) analysis as a more effective method for characterizing cycle-locked respiratory events, showing improved accuracy in frequency and time localization compared to T-F even with fewer trials.
  • Preliminary results from real EEG data indicate that the C-F method may enhance the understanding of rhythmic neural activities by normalizing time to cyclic phases and improving baseline measurements.
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Direct current stimulation (DCS) is a non-invasive approach to stimulate the nervous system that is now considered a powerful tool for treating neurological diseases such as those affecting cognitive or locomotor functions. DCS, as applied clinically today, is an approach built on early uses in antiquity and knowledge gained over time. Its current use makes use of specific devices and takes into account knowledge of the mechanisms by which this approach modulates functioning of the nervous system at the cellular level.

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Introduction: Disability, resulting from altered interactions between individuals and their environment, is a worldwide issue causing inequities and suffering. Many diseases associated with breathlessness cause disability but the relationship between disability and the severity of breathlessness itself is unknown.This study evaluated associations between disability using the WHO's Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS) 2.

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  • A novel ultrasound device (CUSdi) was tested in 49 mechanically ventilated patients to monitor diaphragm function, specifically measuring diaphragm excursion (EXdi) and contraction velocity (PCVdi).
  • The results showed a strong correlation between measurements from CUSdi and standard ultrasound, indicating it can reliably assess diaphragm strength.
  • The study found that an EXdi of less than 1.1 cm significantly predicts weaning failure, providing a critical cut-off value for clinicians to use during patient evaluations.
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Background: Morphine relieves dyspnea in various clinical circumstances. Whether or not this applies to patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) for acute respiratory failure (ARF) is unknown. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of low-dose morphine on dyspnea in patients admitted to the ICU for ARF.

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  • The study explored how medical hypnosis can alleviate dyspnoea (difficulty breathing) compared to visual distraction techniques in healthy participants subjected to induced respiratory challenges.
  • 20 volunteers participated in controlled experiments to assess the effectiveness of hypnosis in reducing both sensory (physical sensation) and affective (emotional response) aspects of dyspnoea.
  • Results showed that medical hypnosis significantly outperformed visual distraction in reducing both dimensions of dyspnoea, suggesting its potential benefit for patients with persistent breathing difficulties.
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Background: Dyspnea is a key symptom of de novo acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. This study explores dyspnea and its association with intubation and mortality in this population.

Methods: This was a secondary analysis of a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial.

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Background: Respiratory disorders remain incompletely described in multiple sclerosis (MS), even though they are a frequent cause of death.

Methods: The objective was to describe respiratory disorders in MS patients with Expanded Disability Status Score (EDSS) ⩾ 6.5.

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  • The study investigates how increasing the sweep gas flow in venoarterial ECMO patients with cardiogenic shock affects dyspnea.
  • Nonintubated patients with significant dyspnea were assessed while sweep gas flow was increased, showing a marked reduction in dyspnea levels.
  • Results indicated that higher sweep gas flow led to significant decreases in both the sensory and emotional aspects of dyspnea and reduced respiratory muscle activity, suggesting a strong relationship between gas flow and dyspnea relief.
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Introduction And Objectives: The human congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS) is caused by mutations in the PHOX2B (paired-like homeobox 2B) gene. Genetically engineered PHOX2B rodents exhibit defective development of the brainstem retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN), a carbon dioxide sensitive structure that critically controls expiratory muscle recruitment. This has been linked to a blunted exercise ventilatory response.

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This statement outlines a review of the literature and current practice concerning the prevalence, clinical significance, diagnosis and management of dyspnoea in critically ill, mechanically ventilated adult patients. It covers the definition, pathophysiology, epidemiology, short- and middle-term impact, detection and quantification, and prevention and treatment of dyspnoea. It represents a collaboration of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) and the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM).

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  • The statement reviews the literature regarding dyspnoea in critically ill, mechanically ventilated adults, focusing on its prevalence, diagnosis, and management.
  • Dyspnoea is a significant source of distress, with around 40% of ICU patients on ventilation experiencing it at high intensity, eliciting a strong fear response.
  • The importance of identifying, preventing, and alleviating dyspnoea in ICU patients is emphasized, as healthcare has concentrated more on pain management while respiratory distress is often overlooked.
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Patients with obstructive sleep apneas (OSA) do not complain from dyspnea during resting breathing. Placement of a mandibular advancement device (MAD) can lead to a sense of improved respiratory comfort ("pseudo-relief") ascribed to a habituation phenomenon. To substantiate this conjecture, we hypothesized that, in non-dyspneic awake OSA patients, respiratory-related electroencephalographic figures, abnormally present during awake resting breathing, would disappear or change in parallel with MAD-associated pseudo-relief.

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