Project description:BACKGROUND:General practitioners (GPs) in Norway increasingly use spirometry diagnostically as well as in follow up of patients with respiratory complaints, but little is known about their skills and knowledge in this area. The aim of the present study was to investigate how GPs interpret a case history and spirometry recordings of a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and their knowledge about their own spirometer. METHODS:A web-based survey, consisting of a case history and spirometry recordings of a patient with COPD, was distributed to the 4700 members of the Norwegian GP Association. In addition to background information about themselves and their spirometer, topics included whether they requested, and how they interpreted, a spirometry reversibility-test, identification of the of most likely diagnosis, and recognition of the spirometry parameters used to diagnose COPD and grade airway obstruction. Immediate feedback was provided for educational purposes. RESULTS:Six hundred thirty GPs responded. Twenty six percent would not request a reversibility test, but 81% identified COPD as the most likely diagnosis. Less than 50% correctly identified the spirometry parameters used for diagnosis of COPD and grading the airway obstruction. One in five (21%) did not know which spirometer was used in their own practice, and 49 and 61% did not know which reference values were used for adults and children, respectively. Participants evaluated the survey as useful (average 74 points on a 0-100 scale) and would like more case-based surveys concerning use of spirometry in the future (average 91 points). CONCLUSION:In this cohort of self-selected GPs, probably more interested in respiratory medicine than the average GP, we identified several problem areas and gaps in knowledge regarding the use of spirometry.
Project description:A systematic review was performed to identify any associations between pesticide exposure and the occurrence (both prevalence and incidence) of airways disease (asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and wheezing symptoms. PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched between September 2010 and October 2010 for papers with the inclusion criteria of English language, published after 1990, peer-reviewed and nondietary exposure. From a total of 4390 papers identified, 42 were included after initial assessment of content. After evaluating the included studies for quality, those considered to be at high risk of bias were excluded, leaving a total of 23 relevant papers. Results suggest that exposure to pesticides may be associated with prevalent asthma, but methodological issues, such as cross-sectional/case-control design, measurements of exposure and limited adjustment for confounders, limit the strength of the evidence base in this area. The association between pesticide exposure and asthma appears to be more evident and consistent in children than in adults. Exposure to pesticides may be associated with COPD; however, the strength of evidence for an association with COPD is weaker than for asthma. As the exposure metrics within each health end-point varied across studies, no meta-analyses were carried out.
Project description:The early detection and diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is critical to providing appropriate and timely treatment. We explored a new active case-finding strategy for COPD using handheld spirometry.We recruited subjects over 40 years of age with a smoking history of more than 10 pack-years who visited a primary clinic complaining of respiratory symptoms. A total of 190 of subjects were enrolled. Medical information was obtained from historical records and physical examination by general practitioners. All subjects had their pulmonary function evaluated using handheld spirometry with a COPD-6 device. Because forced expiratory volume in 6 seconds (FEV6) has been suggested as an alternative to FVC, we measured forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)/FEV6 for diagnosis of airflow limitation. All subjects were then referred to tertiary referral hospitals to complete a "Could it be COPD?" questionnaire, handheld spiromtery, and conventional spirometry. The results of each instrument were compared to evaluate the efficacy of both handheld spirometry and the questionnaire.COPD was newly diagnosed in 45 (23.7%) patients. According to our receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, sensitivity and specificity were maximal when the FEV1/FEV6 ratio was less than 77%. The area under the ROC curve was 0.759. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 72.7%, 77.1%, 50%, and 90%, respectively. The area under the ROC curve of respiratory symptoms listed on the questionnaire ranged from 0.5 to 0.65, which indicates that there is almost no difference compared with the results of handheld spirometry.The present study demonstrated the efficacy of handheld spirometry as an active case-finding tool for COPD in a primary clinical setting. This study suggested that physicians should recommend handheld spirometry for people over the age of 40, who have a smoking history of more than 10 pack-years, regardless of respiratory symptoms. Furthermore, people who have abnormal results, determined using the FEV1/FEV6 ≤0.77 cut-off, should be referred for further conventional spirometry to confirm the diagnosis of COPD. However, further studies within the general population are necessary to establish efficacy in the public.
Project description:ObjectiveOur goal is to determine short-term intraindividual biologic and measurement variability in spirometry of patients with a wide range of stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease severity, using datasets from the National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT) and the Lung Health Study (LHS). This may be applied to determine criteria that can be used to assess a clinically meaningful change in spirometry.MethodsA total of 5,886 participants from the LHS and 1,215 participants from the NETT performed prebronchodilator spirometry during two baseline sessions. We analyzed varying criteria for absolute and percent change of FEV(1) and FVC to determine which criterion was met by 90% of the participants.ResultsThe mean +/- SD FEV(1) for the initial session was 2.64 +/- 0.60 L (75.1 +/- 8.8% predicted) for the LHS and 0.68 +/- 0.22 L (23.7 +/- 6.5% predicted) for the NETT. The mean +/- SD number of days between test sessions was 24.9 +/- 17.1 for the LHS and 85.7 +/- 21.7 for the NETT. As the degree of obstruction increased, the intersession percent difference of FEV(1) increased. However, the absolute difference between tests remained relatively constant despite the severity of obstruction (0.106 +/- 0.10 L). Over 90% of participants had an intersession FEV(1) difference of less than 225 ml irrespective of the severity of obstruction.ConclusionsAbsolute changes in FEV(1) rather than percent change should be used to determine whether patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have improved or worsened between test sessions.
Project description:The COVID-19 pandemic is putting enormous pressure on healthcare systems worldwide and various countries are struggling to flatten the curve to prevent their healthcare system from becoming overwhelmed. Studies have shown that people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at increased risk of COVID-19 infection and mortality. However, the interruption of routine care and support due to the current challenges with healthcare providers, facilities, and essential medicines due to this pandemic is adversely affecting people with CKD. This is because poor management of this disease leads to negative health outcomes. In order to maintain good health, this vulnerable group of patients rely heavily on the extended role of the community pharmacists in chronic disease management. This paper highlights the extended role of the community pharmacists in CKD management supportive care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Project description:BackgroundNumerous studies have documented significant alterations in the bodily fluids of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients. However, existing literature lacks causal inference due to residual confounding and reverse causality.MethodsSummary-level data for COPD were obtained from two national biobanks: the UK Biobank, comprising 1,605 cases and 461,328 controls, and FinnGen, with 6,915 cases and 186,723 controls. We also validated our findings using clinical data from 2,690 COPD patients and 3,357 healthy controls from the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University. A total of 44 bodily fluid biomarkers were selected as candidate risk factors. Mendelian randomization (MR) and meta-analyses were used to evaluate the causal effects of these bodily fluids on COPD and lung function (FEV1/FVC).ResultsMendelian randomization (MR) and meta-analyses, by integrating data from the UK Biobank and FinnGen cohort, found that 3 bodily fluids indicators (HDLC, EOS, and TP) were causally associated with the risk of COPD, two (EOS and TP) of which is consistent with our observational findings. Moreover, we noticed EOS and TP were causally associated with the risk of lung function (FEV1/FVC).ConclusionsThe MR findings and clinical data highlight the independent and significant roles of EOS and TP in the development of COPD and lung function (FEV1/FVC), which might provide a deeper insight into COPD risk factors and supply potential preventative strategies.
Project description:ObjectivesThe objectives of this study were to measure pharmacists' attitudes toward management of diabetes, identify current levels of pharmacy service provided to patients with diabetes, and identify barriers for further provision of diabetes-related services.Subjects and methodsA descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 198 pharmacists working in primary and secondary health care settings in one health region of Kuwait using a pretested self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, correlations, and comparative analysis were performed.ResultsThe response rate was 84.4% (n = 168). Respondents had overall positive attitudes toward management of diabetes. Pharmacists regularly provided their patients with counseling on the appropriate time to administer their medications; however, services related to hypoglycemia and management of comorbid diseases were rarely provided. A negative correlation was found between the positive overall diabetes-related attitudes and pharmacists' involvement in providing the following diabetes-related services: glucose monitoring (r = -0.25, p = 0.001), comorbid disease management (r = -0.243, p = 0.001), and healthy living choices (r = -0.237, p = 0.002). The perception that some physicians and patients have of pharmacists as dispensers only was identified as the most important barrier to providing diabetes-related services.ConclusionPharmacists have positive diabetes-related attitudes; however, they provide limited diabetes-related services to their patients. Barriers to provision of pharmacy services to patients with diabetes should be addressed to enable optimum patient care delivery.
Project description:BackgroundIn chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, the diagnosis and assessment of disease severity are mainly based on spirometry, which may lead to misjudgments due to poor patient compliance. Thoracic four-dimensional dynamic ventilation computed tomography (4D-CT) provides more airway data approximating true physiological function than conventional CT. We aimed to determine dynamic changes in airways to elucidate the pathological mechanism underlying COPD and predict the severity of airflow limitation in patients.MethodsForty-two COPD patients underwent 4D-CT and spirometry. The minimum lumen diameter changed with the breathing cycle in 4th-generation airways and was continuously measured in the apical (RB1), lateral (RB4) and posterior basal segments (RB10) of the right lung. The minimum lumen diameter in the peak inspiration and peak expiration as well as the peak expiratory/peak inspiratory ratio (E/I ratio), and dynamic coefficient of variance (CV) were calculated.ResultsCorrelations of FEV1% with the CV of minimum lumen diameter in RB1 (ρ=-0.473, P=0.002) and in RB10 (ρ=-0.480, P=0.005) were observed, suggesting that the dynamic variability in 4th-generation airways was associated with airflow limitation in COPD patients. The CV of the minimum lumen diameter in RB1 significantly differed between the GOLD I + II and GOLD III + IV groups {8.59 [interquartile range (IQR), 6.63-14.86] vs. 14.64 (10.65-25.88), respectively; P=0.016}, suggesting that the dynamic CV in RB1 increased significantly in the GOLD III + IV group, which had worse pulmonary ventilation function. Based on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, CV-RB1 predicted FEV1% <50% with an optimal cut-off of 9.43% [sensitivity 85.7%, specificity 57.1%, area under the curve (AUC) 0.717].Conclusions4D-CT might be an available method to help diagnose and evaluate the severity of COPD.
Project description:PurposeObstructive sleep apnea (OSA) results in systemic intermittent hypoxia. By one model, hypoxic stress signaling in OSA patients alters the levels of inflammatory soluble cytokines TNF and IL6, damages the blood brain barrier, and activates microglial targeting of neuronal cell death to increase the risk of neurodegenerative disorders and other diseases. However, it is not yet clear if OSA significantly alters the levels of the soluble isoforms of TNF receptors TNFR1 and TNFR2 and IL6 receptor (IL6R) and co-receptor gp130, which have the potential to modulate TNF and IL6 signaling.MethodsPicogram per milliliter levels of the soluble isoforms of these four cytokine receptors were estimated in OSA patients, in OSA patients receiving airways therapy, and in healthy control subjects. Triplicate samples were examined using Bio-Plex fluorescent bead microfluidic technology. The statistical significance of cytokine data was estimated using the nonparametric Wilcoxon rank-sum test. The clustering of these high-dimensional data was visualized using t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE).ResultsOSA patients had significant twofold to sevenfold reductions in the soluble serum isoforms of all four cytokine receptors, gp130, IL6R, TNFR1, and TNFR2, as compared with control individuals (p = 1.8 × 10-13 to 4 × 10-8). Relative to untreated OSA patients, airways therapy of OSA patients had significantly higher levels of gp130 (p = 2.8 × 10-13), IL6R (p = 1.1 × 10-9), TNFR1 (p = 2.5 × 10-10), and TNFR2 (p = 5.7 × 10-9), levels indistinguishable from controls (p = 0.29 to 0.95). The data for most airway-treated patients clustered with healthy controls, but the data for a few airway-treated patients clustered with apneic patients.ConclusionsPatients with OSA have aberrantly low levels of four soluble cytokine receptors associated with neurodegenerative disease, gp130, IL6R, TNFR1, and TNFR2. Most OSA patients receiving airways therapy have receptor levels indistinguishable from healthy controls, suggesting a chronic intermittent hypoxia may be one of the factors contributing to low receptor levels in untreated OSA patients.