Risk factors for lung cancer in COPD - results from the Bergen COPD cohort study.

Background: COPD patients have an increased risk of developing lung cancer, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. We aimed to identify risk factors for lung cancer in patients from the Bergen COPD Cohort Study.

Methods: We compared 433 COPD patients with 279 healthy controls, all former or current smokers.

Dampness, mould, onset and remission of adult respiratory symptoms, asthma and rhinitis.

Study Question: Is dampness and indoor mould associated with onset and remission of respiratory symptoms, asthma and rhinitis among adults?

Materials And Methods: Associations between dampness, mould and mould odour at home and at work and respiratory health were investigated in a cohort of 11 506 adults from Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Estonia. They answered a questionnaire at baseline and 10 years later, with questions on respiratory health, home and work environment.

Results: Baseline water damage, floor dampness, mould and mould odour at home were associated with onset of respiratory symptoms and asthma (OR 1.

Pharmacological treatment of asthma in a cohort of adults during a 20-year period: results from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey I, II and III.

Asthma often remains uncontrolled, despite the fact that the pharmacological treatment has undergone large changes. We studied changes in the treatment of asthma over a 20-year period and identified factors associated with the regular use of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) treatment. Changes in the use of medication were determined in 4617 randomly selected subjects, while changes in adults with persistent asthma were analysed in 369 participants.

Dynamic differences in dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolism in sputum of COPD patients and controls.

Introduction: Disturbances in onset and resolution of inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are incompletely understood. Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) can be converted into lipid mediators here collectively named oxylipins. These include classical eicosanoids, but also pro-resolving mediators.

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis in fish processing workers diagnosed by inhalation challenge.

http://ow.ly/GbEf30lFnyk.

Increased plasma trimethylamine-N-oxide is associated with incident atrial fibrillation.

Background: Plasma trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) is associated with cardiovascular disease; however specific relationships with cardiac arrhythmias are unknown. We evaluated the association between plasma TMAO and incident atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods: Risk associations were explored among 3797 patients with suspected stable angina in the Western Norway Coronary Angiography Cohort (WECAC) and verified in 3143 elderly participants in the community-based Hordaland Health Study (HUSK).

MicroRNA-155, -185 and -193b as biomarkers in human papillomavirus positive and negative tonsillar and base of tongue squamous cell carcinoma.

Objective: Three-year disease-free survival (DFS) is 80% for human papillomavirus (HPV) positive tonsillar and base of tongue cancer (TSCC/BOTSCC) treated with radiotherapy alone, and today's intensified therapy does not improve prognosis. More markers are therefore needed to more accurately identify patients with good prognosis or in need of alternative therapy. Here, microRNAs (miRs) 155, 185 and 193b were examined as potential prognostic markers in TSCC/BOTSCC.

Maternal age at delivery, lung function and asthma in offspring: a population-based survey.

There is limited information about potential impact of maternal age on the respiratory health of offspring. We investigated the association of maternal age at delivery with adult offspring's lung function, respiratory symptoms and asthma, and potential differences according to offspring sex.10 692 adults from 13 countries participating in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) II responded to standardised interviews and provided lung function measurements and serum for IgE measurements at age 25-55 years.

Standardised data reporting from pre-hospital advanced airway management - a nominal group technique update of the Utstein-style airway template.

Background: Pre-hospital advanced airway management with oxygenation and ventilation may be vital for managing critically ill or injured patients. To improve pre-hospital critical care and develop evidence-based guidelines, research on standardised high-quality data is important. We aimed to identify which airway data were most important to report today and to revise and update a previously reported Utstein-style airway management dataset.

Tobacco smoke exposure in early life and adolescence in relation to lung function.

Maternal smoking during pregnancy is associated with impaired lung function among young children, but less is known about long-term effects and the impact of adolescents' own smoking. We investigated the influence of maternal smoking during pregnancy, secondhand smoke exposure and adolescent smoking on lung function at age 16 years.The BAMSE (Barn/Child, Allergy, Milieu, Stockholm, Epidemiology) birth cohort collected information on participants' tobacco smoke exposure through repeated questionnaires, and measured saliva cotinine concentrations at age 16 years.

Sputum proteomics and airway cell transcripts of current and ex-smokers with severe asthma in U-BIOPRED: an exploratory analysis.

Severe asthma patients with a significant smoking history have airflow obstruction with reported neutrophilia. We hypothesise that multi-omic analysis will enable the definition of smoking and ex-smoking severe asthma molecular phenotypes.The U-BIOPRED cohort of severe asthma patients, containing current-smokers (CSA), ex-smokers (ESA), nonsmokers and healthy nonsmokers was examined.

Ventilator flow data predict bronchopulmonary dysplasia in extremely premature neonates.

Early prediction of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) may facilitate tailored management for neonates at risk. We investigated whether easily accessible flow data from a mechanical ventilator can predict BPD in neonates born extremely premature (EP). In a prospective population-based study of EP-born neonates, flow data were obtained from the ventilator during the first 48 h of life.

How to give and receive feedback effectively.

http://ow.ly/zZ1C30eVrH1.

A simple algorithm for the identification of clinical COPD phenotypes.

This study aimed to identify simple rules for allocating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients to clinical phenotypes identified by cluster analyses.Data from 2409 COPD patients of French/Belgian COPD cohorts were analysed using cluster analysis resulting in the identification of subgroups, for which clinical relevance was determined by comparing 3-year all-cause mortality. Classification and regression trees (CARTs) were used to develop an algorithm for allocating patients to these subgroups.

Unemployment in chronic airflow obstruction around the world: results from the BOLD study.

We aimed to examine associations between chronic airflow obstruction (CAO) and unemployment across the world.Cross-sectional data from 26 sites in the Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study were used to analyse effects of CAO on unemployment. Odds ratios for unemployment in subjects aged 40-65 years were estimated using a multilevel mixed-effects generalised linear model with study site as random effect.

Inducible laryngeal obstruction: an official joint European Respiratory Society and European Laryngological Society statement.

Inducible laryngeal obstruction (ILO) describes an inappropriate, transient, reversible narrowing of the larynx in response to external triggers. ILO is an important cause of a variety of respiratory symptoms and can mimic asthma. Current understanding of ILO has been hampered by imprecise nomenclature and variable approaches to assessment and management.

Protected sampling is preferable in bronchoscopic studies of the airway microbiome.

The aim was to evaluate susceptibility of oropharyngeal contamination with various bronchoscopic sampling techniques. 67 patients with obstructive lung disease and 58 control subjects underwent bronchoscopy with small-volume lavage (SVL) through the working channel, protected bronchoalveolar lavage (PBAL) and bilateral protected specimen brush (PSB) sampling. Subjects also provided an oral wash (OW) sample, and negative control samples were gathered for each bronchoscopy procedure.

Validation of maternal reported pregnancy and birth characteristics against the Medical Birth Registry of Norway.

Studies using mothers' self-reported information on birth and pregnancy characteristics are common, but the validity of such data is uncertain. We evaluated questionnaire data from the RHINE III study on reproductive health provided by 715 mothers from Bergen, Norway, about their 1629 births between 1967 and 2010, using the Medical Birth Registry of Norway (MBRN) as gold standard. Validity of dichotomous variables (gender, preterm birth [<37 weeks' gestation], postterm birth [>42 weeks' gestation], induction of labour, forceps delivery, vacuum delivery, caesarean section, were assessed by sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV) and Cohen's kappa.

Top tips to deal with challenging situations: doctor-patient interactions.

http://ow.ly/J1GI30bD5wp.

Incidence of non-pulmonary cancer and lung cancer by amount of emphysema and airway wall thickness: a community-based cohort.

There is limited knowledge about the prognostic value of quantitative computed tomography (CT) measures of emphysema and airway wall thickness in cancer.The aim of this study was to investigate if using CT to quantitatively assess the amount of emphysema and airway wall thickness independently predicts the subsequent incidence of non-pulmonary cancer and lung cancer.In the GenKOLS study of 2003-2005, 947 ever-smokers performed spirometry and underwent CT examination.

Asthma in reproductive-aged women with polycystic ovary syndrome and association with obesity.

Recent research suggests that women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) may have a higher prevalence of asthma. However, there are no epidemiological studies aimed primarily at exploring the relationship between PCOS and asthma, and the effect of body mass index (BMI) on this association.This study is a cross-sectional analyses of data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health, a large, community-based, prospective study to examine the association between PCOS and asthma in women aged 28-33 years (n=478 PCOS and n=8134 controls).

A model using concomitant markers for predicting outcome in human papillomavirus positive oropharyngeal cancer.

Objective: Head-neck cancer therapy has become intensified. With radiotherapy alone, 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) is 80% for HPV-positive TSCC/BOTSCC and better for patients with favorable characteristics, suggesting therapy could be tapered for some, decreasing side-effects. Therefore, we built a model to predict progression-free survival for patients with HPV-positive TSCC and BOTSCC.