Exhaled hydrogen sulfide in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and its correlation with exhaled nitric oxide.

Background: Exhaled nitric oxide (NO) is a noninvasive biomarker of airway inflammation in pulmonary diseases. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), as the third member of the gasotransmitter family, is involved in the pathophysiological process in lung diseases. H2S also exists in exhaled breath and can be sampled non-invasively.

Involvement of endogenous hydrogen sulfide in cigarette smoke-induced changes in airway responsiveness and inflammation of rat lung.

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), recently considered the third endogenous gaseous transmitter, may have an important role in systemic inflammation. We investigated whether endogenous H₂S may be a crucial mediator in airway responsiveness and airway inflammation in a rat model of chronic exposure to cigarette smoke (CS). Rats randomly divided into control and CS-exposed groups were treated with or without sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS, donor of H₂S) or propargylglycine (PPG, inhibitor of cystathionine-γ-lyase [CSE], an H₂S-synthesizing enzyme) for 4-month exposure.

Economic analysis in admitted patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: The socio-economic burden of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) in Beijing is not fully understood. The study investigated the hospitalization cost in patients with AECOPD and the associated factors.

Methods: A multi-center, retrospective study was conducted in the four hospitals in Beijing including two level III hospitals and two level II hospitals.