Chest
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Review Meta Analysis
Is Quadriceps Endurance Reduced in COPD?: A Systematic Review.
Although the aerobic profile of the quadriceps muscle is reduced in COPD, there is conflicting evidence regarding whether this leads to reduced quadriceps muscle endurance. We, therefore, performed a systematic review of studies comparing quadriceps endurance in individuals with COPD with that in healthy control subjects. ⋯ Quadriceps endurance is reduced in individuals with COPD compared with healthy control subjects, independent of the type of task performed.
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Review Meta Analysis
SELF-MANAGEMENT FOLLOWING AN ACUTE EXACERBATION OF COPD: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW.
Self-management (SM) reduces hospital admissions in patients with stable COPD. However, its role immediately post-acute exacerbation (AE) is unclear. The objectives of this review were to describe SM interventions delivered immediately following an AE of COPD (AECOPD) and to conduct a systematic review with meta-analysis of its impact on health-care utilization and health outcomes. ⋯ SM interventions delivered immediately post-AE vary widely and outcome measures are inconsistent, making it difficult to draw strong recommendations regarding its effectiveness. The evaluation of SM interventions, delivered by trained health-care professionals to selected patients and which offer structured follow-up, appears necessary.
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Multicenter Study
Children with chronic cough: when is watchful waiting appropriate? Development of likelihood ratios for assessing children with chronic cough.
Chronic cough is associated with poor quality of life and may signify a serious underlying disease. Differentiating nonspecific cough (when watchful waiting can be safely undertaken) from specific cough (treatment and further investigations are beneficial) would be clinically useful. In 326 children, we aimed to (1) determine how well cough pointers (used in guidelines) differentiate specific from nonspecific cough and (2) describe the clinical profile of children whose cough resolved without medications (spontaneous resolution). ⋯ Children with chronic dry cough without any cough pointers can be safely managed using the watchful waiting approach. The high pretest probability and high positive LRs of cough pointers support the use of individual cough pointers to identify high risk of specific cough in pediatric chronic cough guidelines.