Metabolomic signatures of asthma-COPD overlap (ACO) are different from asthma and COPD.

Introduction: Asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) overlap, termed as ACO, is a complex heterogeneous disease without any clear diagnostic or therapeutic guidelines. The pathophysiology of the disease, its characteristic features, and existence as a unique disease entity remains unclear. Individuals with ACO have a faster lung function decline, more frequent exacerbations, and worse quality of life than those with COPD or asthma alone.

The impact on health status in short- and long-terms of a novel and non-orthodox real-world COPD rehabilitation effort in rural India: an appraisal.

Background: Rehabilitation has been an integral part of management of COPD. Since the implementation of the standard rehabilitation protocol is hardly possible in the rural developing world, aiming to make a feasible alternate effort may be worthwhile.

Methods: COPD patients diagnosed through spirometry were first stabilized with 6 weeks of uniform pharmacotherapy.

Lessons from the interstitial lung disease-India registry: A proposed practical scheme of classification of diffuse parenchymal lung diseases in the Indian subcontinent.

The revelation of interstitial lung disease India registry leads one to consider a revisit into the classification of diffuse parenchymal lung disease that would be clinically relevant for the Indian subcontinent. The author ponders that a simple clinical classification based on steroid sensitivity may be worthwhile.

High-resolution computerized tomography changes in diffuse parenchymal lung disease from chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis related to bird antigen.

Background: Chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is the most common cause of diffuse parenchymal lung disease (DPLD) in India. There is no data regarding the avian antigen exposure-associated DPLD from the country.

Methods: Chronic HP from exposure to avian antigen was diagnosed when the high resolution computerized tomography (HRCT) showed features for HP and was supported by the history of exposure to pigeons, the presence of precipitin antibodies (IgG) to avian antigen in high titre with negative rheumatoid factor, antinuclear antibody, and no clinical clue for a collagen vascular disease.

Multichannel lung sound analysis for asthma detection.

Background And Objective: Lung sound signals convey valuable information of the lung status. Auscultation is an effective technique to appreciate the condition of the respiratory system using lung sound signals. The prior works on asthma detection from lung sound signals rely on the presence of wheeze.

Anti--benzoquinone antibody level as a prospective biomarker to identify smokers at risk for COPD.

Background And Objective: Identification of smokers having predisposition to COPD is important for early intervention to reduce the huge global burden of the disease. Using a guinea pig model, we have shown that -benzoquinone (-BQ) derived from cigarette smoke (CS) in the lung is a causative factor for CS-induced emphysema. -BQ is also derived from CS in smokers and it elicits the production of anti--BQ antibody in humans.

Metabolomic profiling of doxycycline treatment in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Serum metabolic profiling can identify the metabolites responsible for discrimination between doxycycline treated and untreated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and explain the possible effect of doxycycline in improving the disease conditions. H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics was used to obtain serum metabolic profiles of 60 add-on doxycycline treated COPD patients and 40 patients receiving standard therapy. The acquired data were analyzed using multivariate principal component analysis (PCA), partial least-squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and orthogonal projection to latent structure with discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA).

Interstitial Lung Disease in India. Results of a Prospective Registry.

Rationale: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a heterogeneous group of acute and chronic inflammatory and fibrotic lung diseases. Existing ILD registries have had variable findings. Little is known about the clinical profile of ILDs in India.

Transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics driven biomarker discovery in COPD: an update.

Introduction: Diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), characterized by progressive irreversible airflow limitation, remains a challenge. Lack of sensitive diagnostic markers and alternative treatments have limited patients' survival rate. Herein, we provide for clinicians and scientists a comprehensive review on the various omics platforms used to investigate COPD.

Tuberculosis associated pulmonary hypertension: The revelation of a clinical observation.

Background: Pulmonary tuberculosis is not listed as a cause of pulmonary hypertension (PH). Scanty information is available in the literature regarding this issue.

Methods: A group of patients with a history of pulmonary tuberculosis were diagnosed to have PH on the basis of a novel clinico-radio-echocardiographic criteria.

Novel algorithm to identify and differentiate specific digital signature of breath sound in patients with diffuse parenchymal lung disease.

Background And Objective: Auscultation is an important part of the clinical examination of different lung diseases. Objective analysis of lung sounds based on underlying characteristics and its subsequent automatic interpretations may help a clinical practice.

Methods: We collected the breath sounds from 8 normal subjects and 20 diffuse parenchymal lung disease (DPLD) patients using a newly developed instrument and then filtered off the heart sounds using a novel technology.

Role of doxycycline to resolve different types of non-malignant lung and pleural pathology: The results of a pilot observation.

Background: Lung lesions may develop from tissue reactions to known or unknown stimuli and present with different morphological descriptions. The pathogenesis may be induced and maintained by different bioactive substances, of which, the upregulation matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play a vital role. Inhibition of the MMPs, therefore, may be a prospective mode of therapy for such lesions.

Chronic lung disease and detection of pulmonary artery dilatation in high resolution computerized tomography of chest in chronic arsenic exposure.

Lung affection in chronic arsenicosis developing from chronic ingestion of arsenic contaminated groundwater has been known but little is known on its effect on pulmonary arterial system. A cross sectional study was carried out at two geographically similar areas and demographically similar populations with or without evidence of chronic arsenic exposure in West Bengal, India. The willing participants in both the groups with chronic respiratory symptoms were evaluated with High Resolution Computerized Tomography (HRCT) of Chest.

Detection of lungs status using morphological complexities of respiratory sounds.

Traditionally, the clinical diagnosis of a respiratory disease is made from a careful clinical examination including chest auscultation. Objective analysis and automatic interpretation of the lung sound based on its physical characters are strongly warranted to assist clinical practice. In this paper, a new method is proposed to distinguish between the normal and the abnormal subjects using the morphological complexities of the lung sound signals.

Leucocytosis in a case of sarcoidosis with pleural involvement--an unknown association.

A case of biopsy-proven sarcoidosis with pleural and lung parenchymal involvement is reported. The resolution of neutrophilia and other disease manifestations with azathioprine points towards sarcoidosis being the probable cause. GG, 45 years old male, presented with fever and right-sided chest pain with biochemical features of granulomatous hepatitis and apparently unexplained leucocytosis.

Long-term use of doxycycline can improve chronic asthma and possibly remodeling: the result of a pilot observation.

Unlabelled: Progressive loss of lung function and reversibility characterize chronic asthma. The conventional therapy is targeted to control the disease without targeting the loss of lung function or reversibility. In a prospective real-world observation of long-term use of add-on doxycycline as a matrix-metalloproteinase inhibitor, we documented significant improvement in lung function with possible reversal of remodeling.

Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in COPD may manifest myocardial ischemia.

Background: Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) is observed frequently in advanced COPD and it appears unrelated to the co-presence of its common risk factors as hypertension, diabetes, ischemic heart disease, etc. The patho-physiology of this association is yet unclear. We postulated that ischemia not apparent in the routine clinical evaluation could be the cause of such LVDD.

Prevalence of osteoporosis and osteopenia in advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients.

Background: Reduction of bone mineral density (BMD) is a known and established phenomenon in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, there have been no data regarding osteoporosis/osteopenia in COPD patients in India.

Aim: To look for the degree and frequency of osteoporosis/osteopenia in our OPD patients being diagnosed as COPD.

Transthoracic decompression of emphysematous bulla: a novel experience.

Emphysematous bullae are closed air containing spaces in lung parenchyma that may severely compromise lung function in patients of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We describe a simple and minimally invasive procedure to decompress a large emphysematous bullae in a patient with advanced COPD and high surgical risk. Transthoracic decompression of the bulla was accomplished under short-acting anaesthesia and muscle relaxation resulting in significant symptomatic, radiological and functional improvement.

Treatment of asthma: Identification of the practice behavior and the deviation from the guideline recommendations.

Background: Despite an exponential development of the understanding of the disease with availability of good therapy and feasibility of good control along with availability of globally accepted guidelines, there remains a significant gap between the guidelines and prevailing practice behavior for treating asthma all over the globe. This perhaps stands as the single most deterrent factor for good asthma care worldwide. The objective of the study is to analyze the asthma prescriptions to find out the available status of the practice behaviour and the deviations from the guideline in asthma practice.

The role of long-term doxycycline in patients of idiopathic pulmonaryfibrosis: The results of an open prospective trial.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of long term use of doxycycline in IPF patients.

Materials And Methods: Patients of IPF, selected randomly from out patient services and diagnosed on the basis of HRCT chest, were put on doxycycline in an open prospective trial. They were followed up with monitoring of subjective well being along with measurement of pulse rate and arterial oxygen saturation at rest and after a fixed and certain exercise, forced vital capacity, six minutes walk test, St Georges Respiratory questionnaire, and serial chest X-rays.