Chest
-
COPD is associated with reduced physical capacity. However, it is unclear whether pulmonary emphysema, which can occur without COPD, is associated with reduced physical activity in daily life, particularly among people without COPD and never smokers. We hypothesized that greater percentage of emphysema-like lung on CT scan is associated with reduced physical activity assessed by actigraphy and self-report. ⋯ Percent emphysema was associated with decreased physical activity in daily life objectively assessed by actigraphy in the general population, among participants without COPD, and nonsmokers.
-
We sought to describe the characteristics of adult patients with bronchiectasis enrolled in the US Bronchiectasis Research Registry (BRR). ⋯ Adult patients with bronchiectasis enrolled in the US BRR are described, with differences noted in demographic, radiographic, microbiological, and treatment variables based on stratification of the presence of NTM.
-
Recommendations on interpreting tests of bronchodilator responsiveness (BDR) are conflicting. We investigated the dependence of BDR criteria on sex, age, height, ethnicity, and severity of respiratory impairment. ⋯ Expressing FEV1 responsiveness as % baseline spuriously suggests that responsiveness increases with the severity of respiratory impairment. Expressing change in FEV1 or FVC as % predicted or as z scores eliminates this artifact and renders the required 200-mL minimum increase redundant. In severe airways obstruction ΔFVC should be critically evaluated as an index of clinically important relief of hyperinflation, with implications for bronchodilator drug trials.
-
Digital high-speed video microscopy (DHSV) allows analysis of ciliary beat frequency (CBF) and ciliary beat pattern (CBP) of respiratory cilia in three planes. Normal reference data use a sideways edge to evaluate ciliary dyskinesia and calculate CBF using the time needed for a cilium to complete 10 beat cycles. Variability in CBF within the respiratory epithelium has been described, but data concerning variation of CBP is limited in healthy epithelium. This study aimed to document variability of CBP in normal samples, to compare ciliary function in three profiles, and to compare CBF calculated over five or 10 beat cycles. ⋯ Our study demonstrates a lack of uniformity and consistency in manual CBP analysis of samples from healthy subjects, emphasizing the risk of automated CBP analysis in limited regions of interest and of single and limited manual CBP analysis. The toward the observer and from above profiles may be used to calculate CBF but may be less sensitive for evaluation of ciliary dyskinesia and CBP. CBF can be measured reliably by evaluation of only five-beat cycles.
-
A 33-year-old woman of Latin American origin was referred to our department by her primary care physician for a left lower lobe mass, which was incidentally found on a CT scan of her abdomen. The patient had complaints of abdominal pain for which she underwent imaging of her abdomen. Review of systems was negative for any respiratory complaints, and she denied any history of cigarette smoking or recreational drug use.