Lung Cancer and COPD: Opportunities to Leverage Lung Cancer Screening Programs to Improve COPD Diagnostics.

Lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have many shared risk factors and not surprisingly, the two diseases often coexist. This article highlights the burden of COPD among patients with lung cancer in Ontario and explores opportunities to enhance lung cancer screening programs. We propose pursuing integrated strategies that incorporate new advances in artificial intelligence to improve disease diagnostics and navigate the complexity of caring for people with coexisting lung diseases.

Impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on lung cancer symptom burden: a population-based study in Ontario, Canada.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer commonly coexist and have significant symptom overlap. We sought to compare the symptom burden of lung cancer patients with COPD to those without COPD.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional study of stage I-IV lung cancer patients in Ontario, Canada, who completed the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) within 90 days of diagnosis.

Palliative Care Among Lung Cancer Patients With and Without COPD: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Context: Lung cancer patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may have greater palliative care needs due to poor prognosis and symptom burden.

Objectives: We sought to compare the provision of timely palliative care and symptom burden by COPD status.

Methods: We performed a retrospective, population-based cohort study of individuals diagnosed with lung cancer in Ontario, Canada (2009-2019) using health administrative databases and cancer registries.

Association between COPD and Stage of Lung Cancer Diagnosis: A Population-Based Study.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with an increased risk of lung cancer; however, the association between COPD and stage of lung cancer diagnosis is unclear. We conducted a population-based cross-sectional analysis of lung cancer patients (2008-2020) in Ontario, Canada. Using estimated propensity scores and inverse probability weighting, logistic regression models were developed to assess the association between COPD and lung cancer stage at diagnosis (early: I/II, advanced: III/IV), accounting for prior chest imaging.

Pain among Individuals with Chronic Respiratory Diseases Attending Pulmonary Rehabilitation.

This study reports on the prevalence and impact of pain in individuals with different chronic respiratory diseases attending pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). A retrospective review of medical records data was conducted for 488 participants who had attended a PR programme over a 2-year period. Data on pain and medication history taken from multidisciplinary medical records, together with participant demographics and PR outcomes, were extracted.

Clinician-Led Balance Training in Pulmonary Rehabilitation.

Guidelines for pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) include balance training but lack specific parameters. After a knowledge translation project at our site, clinicians modified the physiotherapy programme to facilitate the sustainability of balance training as part of PR. The purpose of this study was to explore whether the modified programme resulted in improved balance and balance confidence.

Randomized controlled trial of community-based, post-rehabilitation exercise in COPD.

Purpose: Although pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) improves function in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a community-based exercise program may be necessary to maintain functional capacity. We aimed to determine the effectiveness of a post-rehabilitation, community-based maintenance program on exercise tolerance, functional capacity and quality of life.

Methods: Patients with COPD who completed PR were randomized to receive a community-based maintenance program (intervention) or usual care (control).

Comparison of end-of-life care in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or lung cancer: A systematic review.

Background: Palliative care has been widely implemented in clinical practice for patients with cancer but is not routinely provided to people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Aim: The study aims were to compare palliative care services, medications, life-sustaining interventions, place of death, symptom burden and health-related quality of life among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer populations.

Design: Systematic review with meta-analysis (PROSPERO: CRD42019139425).

The Impact of Pulmonary Rehabilitation on Chronic Pain in People with COPD.

Chronic pain affects up to 88% of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and has been associated with comorbidities. However, with pain not evaluated during pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) assessments, it is unclear whether PR impacts pain intensity and coping ability. This study aimed to 1) determine the effect of PR on pain qualities, coping behavior and psychological symptoms in those with COPD and chronic pain; and 2) assess the impact of PR on exercise capacity and quality of life in individuals with COPD and chronic pain compared to those without pain.

Exploring transitions in care from pulmonary rehabilitation to home for persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A descriptive qualitative study.

Background: Individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often experience high health-care utilization following pulmonary rehabilitation, suggesting suboptimal transitions to home.

Objective: To understand the experiences of persons with COPD and health-care professionals regarding transitions from pulmonary rehabilitation to home, including factors impacting these transitions.

Design: A descriptive qualitative study.

Comparing the impact of different exercise interventions on fatigue in individuals with COPD: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

To systematically review randomized controlled trials that compared the effectiveness of different types of exercise on the symptom of fatigue in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). MEDLINE, EMBASE, EMcare, PsychINFO, and Cochrane library were searched from inception to October 2018. Studies were included if individuals with COPD were randomized into two or more physical exercise interventions that reported fatigue.

Prevalence of comorbidities and impact on pulmonary rehabilitation outcomes.

Background: The presence of comorbid conditions could impact performance in pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) programmes. We aimed to compare the comorbidity prevalence among those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and interstitial lung disease (ILD) and evaluate the impact on PR response.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study, recording comorbidities for all patients with COPD or ILD referred to PR.

"Let's Boogie": FEASIBILITY OF A DANCE INTERVENTION IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE.

Purpose: Exercise is an effective treatment for individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); however, lack of adherence to exercise programs is a common barrier. Innovative approaches to exercise are needed to increase patient engagement and adherence. Dance has been shown to benefit populations with neurological conditions.

Stability criteria for complex microbial communities.

Competition and mutualism are inevitable processes in microbial ecology, and a central question is which and how many taxa will persist in the face of these interactions. Ecological theory has demonstrated that when direct, pairwise interactions among a group of species are too numerous, or too strong, then the coexistence of these species will be unstable to any slight perturbation. Here, we refine and to some extent overturn that understanding, by considering explicitly the resources that microbes consume and produce.

Active Video Games as a Training Tool for Individuals With Chronic Respiratory Diseases: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW.

Purpose: Exercise is an effective treatment for reducing symptom severity and improving quality of life for patients with chronic respiratory diseases. Active video games offer a new and enjoyable way to exercise and have gained popularity in a rehabilitation setting. However, it is unclear whether they achieve comparable physiological and clinical effects as traditional exercise training.

Characterization of cancer stem cell drug resistance in the human colorectal cancer cell lines HCT116 and SW480.

Background: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) share a number of properties with somatic stem cells including heightened protective mechanisms and the ability to self-renew. CSCs are a critical subpopulation of cancer cells implicated in tumor formation, metastases and recurrence.

Methods: We used serial colonosphere culture to enrich for CSCs from two human CRC cell lines.

The effects of folic acid on global DNA methylation and colonosphere formation in colon cancer cell lines.

Folate and its synthetic form, folic acid (FA), are essential vitamins for the regeneration of S-adenosyl methionine molecules, thereby maintaining adequate cellular methylation. The deregulation of DNA methylation is a contributing factor to carcinogenesis, as alterations in genetic methylation may contribute to stem cell reprogramming and dedifferentiation processes that lead to a cancer stem cell (CSC) phenotype. Here, we investigate the potential effects of FA exposure on DNA methylation and colonosphere formation in cultured human colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines.