Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Pan Afr Med J 2018 2;31:75. Epub 2018 Oct 2.

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Ibn Rochd de Casablanca, Maroc.

Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is defined as the presence of air in the mediastinum in the absence of traumatic or iatrogenic cause. Diagnosis is based on chest X-ray. Other paraclinical examinations, such as chest tomodensitometry or bronchial or gastrointestinal endoscopy, are sometimes necessary. Read More

Clin Nurs Res 2019 Apr 21:1054773819843627. Epub 2019 Apr 21.

1 Maimonides Biomedical Research Institute of Cordoba, Spain.

The aim of this study was to determine which factors are related to Accidents and Emergency Unit (AEU) use by the elderly Spanish population. Observational analysis of the 2014 European Survey of Health in Spain (ESHS-2014; N = 6,520) and the 2017 Spanish Health Survey (SHS-2017; N = 7,024) was employed. About one third (4,095, 30. Read More

Respir Res 2019 Apr 18;20(1):77. Epub 2019 Apr 18.

Department of Respiratory Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, 54 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan.

Background: Decreased airway lumen size and increased lung volume are major structural changes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, even though the outer wall of the airways is connected with lung parenchyma and the mechanical properties of the parenchyma affect the behaviour of the airways, little is known about the interactions between airway and lung sizes on lung function and symptoms. The present study examined these effects by establishing a novel computed tomography (CT) index, namely, airway volume percent (AWV%), which was defined as a percentage ratio of the airway tree to lung volume. Read More

Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2019 Apr 15. Epub 2019 Apr 15.

Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10010, USA. Electronic address:

Cadmium (Cd) is a known human lung carcinogen. In addition, Cd exposure is associated with several lung diseases including emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and fibrosis. Although earlier studies have identified several processes dysregulated by Cd exposure, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Read More

Cells 2019 Apr 11;8(4). Epub 2019 Apr 11.

Department of Clinical Medicine, Laboratory of Experimental Therapeutics/LIM-20, School of Medicine of University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 01246-903, Brazil.

Changes in extracellular matrix (ECM) components in the lungs are associated with the progression of respiratory diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Experimental and clinical studies have revealed that structural changes in ECM components occur under chronic inflammatory conditions, and these changes are associated with impaired lung function. In bronchial asthma, elastic and collagen fiber remodeling, mostly in the airway walls, is associated with an increase in mucus secretion, leading to airway hyperreactivity. Read More

Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2019 Apr 9. Epub 2019 Apr 9.

University of Tsukuba, 13121, Respiratory Medicine, Tsukuba, Japan.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive lung disease characterized by peripheral airways inflammation and emphysema. Emerging evidence indicates a contribution of both innate and adaptive immune cells to the development of COPD. Transcription factor T-bet modulates the function of immune cells and therefore might be involved in the pathogenesis of COPD. Read More

Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2019 Apr 8. Epub 2019 Apr 8.

University of Alabama at Birmingham, 9968, Birmingham, Alabama, United States ;

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of worldwide mortality and is characterized by an excessive airway neutrophilic response. The neutrophil chemoattractant proline-glycine-proline (PGP) and its more potent acetylated form (acPGP) have been found to be elevated in COPD patients and act via CXCR2. Here, we investigate the impact of neutralizing PGP peptides in a murine model for emphysema. Read More

Cureus 2019 Jan 28;11(1):e3971. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

Internal Medicine, Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune City, USA.

Introduction Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is most commonly caused by smoking tobacco or cigarettes. However, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is the only genetic disorder known to cause COPD and these patients often present with emphysema earlier in life and with more severe disease. Additionally, AATD patients are often misdiagnosed with other lung disorders, and the diagnosis is often delayed for up to a decade. Read More

Eur Respir J 2019 Apr 7. Epub 2019 Apr 7.

Excellence Cluster Cardiopulmonary System, University of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center (UGMLC), member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) which comprises the phenotypes of chronic bronchitis and emphysema is often associated with pulmonary hypertension (PH). However, currently no approved therapy exists for PH-COPD. Signalling of the nitric oxide/cyclic guanoside monophosphate (NO-cGMP) axis plays an important role in PH and COPD. Read More

Med Clin North Am 2019 May 14;103(3):453-461. Epub 2019 Mar 14.

Department of Thoracic Medicine and Surgery, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, 3401 North Broad Street, 7th Floor Parkinson Pavilion, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of death nationally and worldwide. Cigarette smoking is the most common risk factor in the development of COPD. Disease course is variable with some patients having a high degree of obstruction and minimal symptoms, whereas others with better lung function have a greater symptoms burden. Read More

Pharmacol Res 2019 Apr 3;144:1-7. Epub 2019 Apr 3.

Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University Health System, 16 Medical Drive, 117600, Singapore; Immunology Program, Life Science Institute, National University of Singapore, 28 Medical Drive, 117456, Singapore; Singapore-HUJ Alliance for Research and Enterprise (SHARE), National University of Singapore, 1 CREATE Way, Innovation Wing, 138602, Singapore. Electronic address:

Autophagy is an evolutionary conserved process that is responsible for maintaining cellular homeostasis through lysosome-dependent degradation of damaged proteins, lipid and organelles. When autophagy is dysregulated by factors such as cigarette smoking, environmental insults and ageing, it can lead to formation of aggresome-bodies and enhanced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), of which contribute to the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This review will aim to decipher the pathogenic process of autophagy that is dysregulated by the various risk factors of COPD, leading to either cell death or senescence and COPD progression. Read More

Clin Sci (Lond) 2019 Apr 5. Epub 2019 Apr 5.

Thoracic Medicine and Surgery, Temple University, 1157 MERB, 3500 N Broad Street, 3500 N Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19140, United States

Rhinovirus (RV), which is associated with acute exacerbations, also causes persistent lung inflammation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but the underlying mechanisms are not well-known.   Recently, we demonstrated that RV causes persistent lung inflammation with accumulation of a subset of macrophages (CD11b+/CD11c+), and CD8+ T cells, and progression of emphysema.  In this study, we examined the mechanisms underlying the RV-induced persistent inflammation and progression of emphysema in mice with COPD phenotype. Read More

J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2019 Apr 5. Epub 2019 Apr 5.

Brown University

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic lung disease with progressive airflow limitation and lung function decline. The pathogenic mechanisms for this disease include oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, disturbed protease/anti-protease equilibrium, apoptosis/proliferation imbalance, senescence, autophagy, metabolic reprogramming, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Wnt signaling pathway is an evolutionarily conserved signaling pathway, which is abnormal in COPD, including chronic bronchitis and pulmonary emphysema. Read More

Respiration 2019 Apr 4:1-7. Epub 2019 Apr 4.

Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China,

Background: Bronchoscopic therapies are less invasive alternatives of surgical lung volume reduction for severe emphysema. Bending of lung tissue by implanting metallic coils into bronchi is one of the procedures. A new-designed device with a similar rationale, Reverser, has been developed with some improvements. Read More

Thorax 2019 Apr 2. Epub 2019 Apr 2.

National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major global health concern with few effective treatments. Widespread destruction of alveolar tissue contributes to impaired gas exchange in severe COPD, and recent radiological evidence suggests that destruction of small airways is a major contributor to increased peripheral airway resistance in disease. This important finding might in part explain the failure of conventional anti-inflammatory treatments to restore lung function even in patients with mild disease. Read More

Arthritis Rheumatol 2019 Apr 1. Epub 2019 Apr 1.

Veterans Affairs (VA) Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, NE.

Objective: Compare serum anti-malondialdehyde acetaldehyde (MAA) antibodies and MAA expression in lung tissues of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD) with controls.

Methods: Anti-MAA antibody (IgA, IgM, IgG) concentrations were measured in validated RA-ILD cases and compared to RA patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and RA patients without lung disease. Associations of anti-MAA antibody with RA-ILD was assessed using multivariable logistic regression. Read More

Expert Rev Respir Med 2019 Mar 29:1-12. Epub 2019 Mar 29.

a Channing Division of Network Medicine and Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine , Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School , Boston , MA , USA.

Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous condition, which presents the opportunity for precision therapy based on genetics or other biomarkers. Areas covered: Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, a genetic form of emphysema, provides an example of this precision approach to diagnosis and therapy. To date, research in COPD pharmacogenomics has been limited by small sample sizes, lack of accessible target tissue, failure to consider COPD subtypes, and different outcomes relevant for various medications. Read More

Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2019 Mar 29. Epub 2019 Mar 29.

Columbia University, Epidemiology, New York, New York, United States.

Rationale: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been associated with numerous genetic variants, yet the extent to which its genetic risk is mediated by variation in lung structure remains unknown.

Objectives: To characterize associations between a genetic risk score (GRS) associated with COPD susceptibility and lung structure on computed tomography (CT).

Methods: We analyzed data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) Lung Study, a US general population-based cohort, and SPIROMICS, a study of COPD. Read More

Arch Bronconeumol 2019 Mar 25. Epub 2019 Mar 25.

Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Introduction: The association between GOLD categorizations and future exacerbations has not been fully investigated. This study elucidates whether the GOLD 2017 classification is associated with different future exacerbation risk in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) compared with the previous GOLD categorization. Another objective was to investigate the impacts of the symptoms and FEV1 on the predicted future exacerbation independently of previous exacerbation history. Read More

Pan Afr Med J 2018 20;31:48. Epub 2018 Sep 20.

Service de Chirurgie Thoracique et Cardio-vasculaire, Centre Hospitalier National Universitaire de Fann, Dakar, Sénégal.

Surgical resection of bubbles or bullectomy is the gold standard in the treatment of bubbles arising from pulmonary emphysema. It is usually indicated for patients with complicated bubbles or when they are the underlying cause of disabling dyspnea. This study aims to determine the indications for bullectomy and to evaluate surgical outcomes in our Department. Read More

Eur Respir Rev 2019 Mar 27;28(151). Epub 2019 Mar 27.

Airway Physiology and Imaging Group, Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

We are currently limited in our abilities to diagnose, monitor disease status and manage chronic airway disease like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Conventional lung function measures often poorly reflect patient symptoms or are insensitive to changes, particularly in the small airways where disease may originate or manifest. Novel pulmonary function tests are becoming available which help us better characterise and understand chronic airway disease, and their translation and adoption from the research arena would potentially enable individualised patient care. Read More

Respir Care 2019 Mar 26. Epub 2019 Mar 26.

Education Institute, Respiratory Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio.

Background: Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency is frequently underrecognized. Individuals with symptoms often experience long diagnostic delays. Although a delayed diagnosis is logically presumed to be associated with adverse effects, confirmatory evidence that a delay in diagnosis confers harm is sparse. Read More

Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2019 Mar 25. Epub 2019 Mar 25.

Brigham and Women's Hospital, Channing Division of Network Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common and progressive disease that is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. For many years, knowledge of the genetic basis of COPD was limited to Mendelian syndromes, such as alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency and cutis laxa, caused by rare genetic variants. Fortunately, over the past decade, the proliferation of genome-wide association studies (GWAS), the accessibility of whole genome sequencing, and the development of novel methods for analyzing genetic variation data have led to a substantial increase in our understanding of genetic variants that play a role in COPD susceptibility and COPD-related phenotypes. Read More

Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2019 Mar 25. Epub 2019 Mar 25.

Hopital Bicetre, 41664, Le Kremlin-Bicetre, Île-de-France, France ;

Ann Transl Med 2019 Feb;7(3):40

Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.

Background: Patients with impaired lung function or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are considered high-risk for intubated general anesthesia, which may preclude them from surgical treatment of their lung cancers. We evaluated the feasibility of non-intubated video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for the surgical management of lung cancer in patients with impaired pulmonary function.

Methods: From August 2009 to June 2015, 28 patients with impaired lung function (preoperative forced expiratory volume in 1 second <70% of the predicted value) underwent non-intubated VATS using a combination of thoracic epidural anesthesia or intercostal nerve block, and intra-thoracic vagal block with target-controlled sedation. Read More

Ann Am Thorac Soc 2019 Mar 20. Epub 2019 Mar 20.

University of Southampton, Faculty of medicine, Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Southampton, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Rationale: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterised by airflow limitation, caused by emphysema and small airways disease (SAD). CT, coupled with image analysis enables the quantification of these abnormalities, however the optimum method for doing so has not been determined.

Objectives: This study aims to compare two quantitative analysis techniques, disease probability measure (DPM), and parametric response mapping (PRM) and assess their relationship with specific physiological measures of SAD. Read More

Korean J Radiol 2019 Apr;20(4):683-692

Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and Clinical Research Center for Chronic Obstructive Airway Diseases, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate correlations between computed tomography (CT) parameters and pulmonary function test (PFT) parameters according to disease severity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and to determine whether CT parameters can be used to predict PFT indices.

Materials And Methods: A total of 370 patients with COPD were grouped based on disease severity according to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) I-IV criteria. Emphysema index (EI), air-trapping index, and airway parameters such as the square root of wall area of a hypothetical airway with an internal perimeter of 10 mm (Pi10) were measured using automatic segmentation software. Read More

Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis 2019;14:565-573. Epub 2019 Mar 1.

Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,

Introduction: The Spanish COPD guideline (GesEPOC) classifies COPD into four clinical phenotypes based on the exacerbation frequency and dominant clinical manifestations. In this study, we compared the disease-specific health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with different clinical phenotypes.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of patients with COPD attending the respiratory medicine clinic of University of Malaya Medical Centre from 1 June 2017 to 31 May 2018. Read More

Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2019 Apr 13;136:31-36. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

GENYO- Centro Pfizer - Universidad de Granada - Junta de Andalucía de Genómica e Investigación Oncológica, 18016, Granada, Spain; UGC of Integral Oncology, Complejo Hospitalario de Granada, 18012, Granada, Spain. Electronic address:

Background: Pulmonary parenchymal destruction is consequence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), which results in degradation of the extracellular matrix and the appearance of peripheral pulmonary cells. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility of the detection and isolation of Circulating Pulmonary Cells (CPCs) in peripheral blood of patients with COPD.

Methods: 17 COPD patients were enrolled in this prospective study to isolate CPCs. Read More

Ther Adv Respir Dis 2019 Jan-Dec;13:1753466619835494

Pneumology and Critical Care Medicine, Thoraxklinik at University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany, and Translational Lung Research Center Heidelberg (TLRCH, German Center for Lung Research), Heidelberg, Germany.

Background: Endoscopic and surgical interventions may be beneficial for selected patients with emphysema. Rates of treatment failure decrease when the predictors for successful therapy are known. The aim of the study was to evaluate the number of patients with severe emphysema who were not eligible for any intervention, and the reasons for their exclusion. Read More

Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2019 Mar 15. Epub 2019 Mar 15.

National Jewish Health, 2930, Department of Medicine, Denver, Colorado, United States.

Background: There is an unmet need for blood biomarkers in diagnosis and prognosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The search for these biomarkers has been revolutionized by high throughput sequencing techniques and multiplex platforms which can measure thousands of gene transcripts, proteins, or metabolites. We review COPDGene publications which include DNA methylation, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomic blood biomarkers and discuss their impact on COPD. Read More

Ann Am Thorac Soc 2019 Mar 13. Epub 2019 Mar 13.

University of Alabama at Birmingham, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Birmingham, Alabama, United States.

Rationale: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by airflow limitation. Spirometry loops are not smooth curves and have undulations and peaks that likely reflect heterogeneity of airflow.

Objective: To assess whether the Peak Index, the number of peaks adjusted for lung size, is associated with clinical outcomes. Read More

J Thorac Dis 2019 Jan;11(1):93-102

Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Eberhard-Karls-University, Tübingen, Germany.

Background: To test if the emphysema type of the targeted lobe, ipsilateral non-targeted lobe, and lobes of the contralateral lung impact outcome of endobronchial lung volume reduction (ELVR) treatment, and to document lobar volume changes in treated and non-treated lung lobes.

Methods: Thirty patients (16 men, 14 women; median age, 66±6 years; range, 48-78 years) underwent chest-computed tomography (CT) before and after endobronchial coiling for lung volume reduction (LVR) at our institution between December 2011 and March 2016. Forty-five pulmonary lobes were coiled. Read More

Medicina (Kaunas) 2019 Mar 11;55(3). Epub 2019 Mar 11.

CHU-UCL-Namur, site Godinne, Department of Radiology, Av Dr Therasse 1, Yvoir , BE 5530, Belgium.

Lung hyperinflation is a main determinant of dyspnoea in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Surgical or bronchoscopic lung volume reduction are the most efficient therapeutic approaches for reducing hyperinflation in selected patients with emphysema. We here report the case of a 69-year old woman with COPD (GOLD stage 3-D) referred for lung volume reduction. Read More

Ann Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2019 Mar 11. Epub 2019 Mar 11.

Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan.

Introduction: Prolonged air leak is the most common complication after pulmonary resection. This occurs more frequently in patients with incomplete interlobar fissure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or emphysema. Interlobar lymphadenopathy can make interlobar fissure division difficult. Read More

Inflamm Res 2019 May 9;68(5):369-377. Epub 2019 Mar 9.

Woolcock Emphysema Centre, Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Tristetraprolin (TTP) is an anti-inflammatory molecule known to post-transcriptionally regulate cytokine production and is, therefore, an attractive drug target for chronic respiratory diseases driven by inflammation, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Our recent in vitro studies in primary human airway smooth (ASM) cells have confirmed the essential anti-inflammatory role played by TTP as a critical partner in a cytokine regulatory network. However, several unanswered questions remain. Read More

NMR Biomed 2019 May 7;32(5):e4068. Epub 2019 Mar 7.

State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China.

Pulmonary diseases usually result in changes of the blood-gas exchange function in the early stages. Gas exchange across the respiratory membrane and gas diffusion in the alveoli can be quantified using hyperpolarized Xe MR via chemical shift saturation recovery (CSSR) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), respectively. Generally, CSSR and DWI data have been collected in separate breaths in humans. Read More

Sci Rep 2019 Mar 6;9(1):3764. Epub 2019 Mar 6.

Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

The aim of this study is to clarify whether the combined evaluation of resting hyperinflation and emphysema confers any additional advantages in terms of predicting clinical outcomes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. We included COPD patients from the Korean Obstructive Lung Disease (KOLD) cohort. Patients with a residual volume/total lung capacity (RV/TLC) over the upper limit of normal were defined as having resting hyperinflation, and those with an emphysema index >10% were defined as having emphysema. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2019 Mar 4;20(5). Epub 2019 Mar 4.

Laboratory of Regenerative Pharmacology, Goldberg ED Research Institute of Pharmacology and Regenerative Medicine, Tomsk National Research Medical Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk 634028, Russia.

In clinical practice, there are patients with a combination of metabolic syndrome (MS) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The pathological mechanisms linking MS and COPD are largely unknown. It remains unclear whether the effect of MS (possible obesity) has a major impact on the progression of COPD. Read More

Respiration 2019 Mar 5:1-10. Epub 2019 Mar 5.

Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

Endoscopic lung volume reduction (ELVR) therapies are gaining prominence as a treatment option with guideline recommendations by COPD GOLD and NICE and the recent FDA approval for endobronchial valves. The transition from an experiment-based therapy only to clinical care comes with new challenges. A significant volume of evidence-based data has been published; all data demonstrate consistent improvements in several aspects of patient outcomes. Read More

Respir Res 2019 Mar 4;20(1):49. Epub 2019 Mar 4.

The University of Manchester Division of Infection, Immunity and Respiratory Medicine, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK.

Small airways disease (SAD) is a cardinal feature of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) first recognized in the nineteenth century. The diverse histopathological features associated with SAD underpin the heterogeneous nature of COPD. Our understanding of the key molecular mechanisms which drive the pathological changes are not complete. Read More

Respir Med 2019 Mar 6;148:60-62. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

Department of Respiratory Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Biomedical Research in End-stage and Obstructive Lung Disease Hannover (BREATH), Member of German Centre for Lung Research (DZL), Hannover, Germany. Electronic address:

Human blood monocytes are divided into populations based on the differential expression of CD14 and CD16 receptors: CD14  CD16(classical), CD14  CD16  (intermediate), and CD14CD16 (non-classical). Given their functional differences and their role in pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), monocyte profiling is of clinical interest. Here we investigated blood monocyte subsets in clinically stable COPD patients with alpha1-antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency (PiZZ, n = 7) and with normal AAT variant (PiMM, n = 7). Read More

Respir Med 2019 Mar 17;148:13-23. Epub 2019 Jan 17.

Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan.

Rationale: Various determinants of osteoporosis have been previously identified. However, only a few longitudinal studies have examined related factors. We aimed to investigate factors predicting and modifying rapid decline of bone mineral density in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Read More

COPD 2018 10;15(5):472-478

c Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering, University of Belgrade , Belgrade , Serbia.

Oxidative stress could reduce inhibitor activity of the alpha-1-antitrypsin (A1AT). Oxidative-modified A1AT (oxidized alpha-1-antitrypsin, OxyA1AT) significantly loses ability to protect the lungs from neutrophil elastase. We aimed to investigate OxyA1AT as a potential biomarker associated with onset and severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adult population. Read More

J Educ Health Promot 2019 29;8:15. Epub 2019 Jan 29.

Physiotherapists, Anand, Gujarat, India.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a group of progressive lung diseases; the most common are emphysema and chronic bronchitis. It is considered to be the major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and is considered to be one of the leading causes of deaths in India, the main reason being misconception/misinterpretation of the disease and unawareness about the risk factors which hinder early diagnosis and its treatment effectively. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude and behavior about the disease process and physiotherapy management in patients diagnosed with COPD. Read More

BMJ Open 2019 Feb 5;9(2):e020515. Epub 2019 Feb 5.

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.

Objective: To identify, characterise and explain common and specific features of the experience of treatment burden in relation to patients living with lung cancer or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and their informal caregivers.

Design: Systematic review and interpretative synthesis of primary qualitative studies. Papers were analysed using constant comparison and directed qualitative content analysis. Read More

Immunology 2019 Feb 23. Epub 2019 Feb 23.

Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.

The mechanisms underlying the chronic, progressive airways inflammation, remodelling and alveolar structural damage characteristic of human chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remain unclear. In the present study, we address the hypothesis that these changes are at least in part mediated by respiratory epithelial alarmin (IL-33)-induced production of autoantibodies against airways epithelial cells. Mice immunized with homologous, syngeneic lung tissue lysate along with IL-33 administered directly to the respiratory tract or systemically produced IgG autoantibodies binding predominantly to their own alveolar type II epithelial cells, along with increased percentages of Tfh cells and B2 B-cells in their local, mediastinal lymph nodes. Read More