Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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 47,337 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Patients with bronchiectasis often have impaired quality of life (QoL), which deteriorates with exacerbations. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in QoL and how these were influenced by changes in airway physiology and inflammation in patients with bronchiectasis before and after resolution of an exacerbation. Sputum induction and a QoL questionnaire were undertaken on the first day, day 14, and 4 weeks after completion of intravenous antibiotics (day 42). Eighteen patients (12 female) were recruited, median (IQ range) age of 54 (47-60) years. There was a trend towards an improvement in lung function from visit 1 to visit 2, but this was not statistically significant. C-reactive protein (CRP) [mean (SEM)] reduced between visit 1 and visit 2 [55.4 (21.5) vs 9.4 (3.1) mg/L, P = 0.03] but did not increase significantly on visit 3 [44.4 (32.9) mg/L, P = 0.27]. The median (interquartile range) sputum cell count (x10(6) cells/g of sputum) decreased from visit 1 to visit 2 [21.6 (11.8-37.6)-13.3 (6.7-22.9) x 10(6) cells/g, respectively, P = 0.008] and increased from visit 2 to visit 3 [26.3 (14.1-33.6) x 10(6) cells/g, P = 0.03]. All soluble markers of inflammation significantly reduced from visit 1 to visit 2 but increased on visit 3 with the exception of TNF-alpha. Regarding QoL, three of the four domains (dyspnoea, emotional, mastery) significantly improved from visit 1 to visit 2 but did not change between visit 2 and visit 3. The improvements in QoL scores could not be explained by the improvements in lung function or inflammatory markers.
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PMID:Quality of life and inflammation in exacerbations of bronchiectasis. 1868 92

Sildenafil is a selective inhibitor of phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5). Its chronic administration has been shown to improve exercise capacity, World Health Organization functional class, and haemodynamics in patients with symptomatic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). There is however, no data describing the clinical consequences of sudden cessation of sildenafil treatment. In this series, 9 patients with NYHA Class II-IV PAH who were stable on 2 months of sildenafil monotherapy, had their sildenafil ceased to accommodate a 2-week washout period, required for enrollment in research involving an endothelin receptor antagonist. Six minute walk distance (SMWD) and clinical assessments were performed before cessation of sildenafil, and again 2 weeks later. Over the course of this 2-week washout period, 6 of the 9 patients reported increased breathlessness and fatigue, 1 of these was hospitalized with worsening right heart failure. The SMWD fell in 6 patients, with falls of greater than 100 m recorded in 4 patients. This was accompanied by a worsening of NYHA Class from 2.5 +/- 0.2 to 3.1 +/- 0.1 (mean +/- SEM, p = 0.01). These data indicate that sudden cessation of sildenafil monotherapy, in patients with PAH, carries with it a significant and unpredictable risk of rapid clinical deterioration. We recommend that if sildenafil needs to be ceased, it would be more prudent to consider concurrent vasodilator therapy before the gradual cessation of sildenafil.
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PMID:Clinical deterioration after sildenafil cessation in patients with pulmonary hypertension. 1918 60

The BODE index is frequently used to assess functional capacity in patients with COPD. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of interval-load training (ILT) to improve the BODE index in comparison to the commonly implemented constant-load training (CLT). Forty-two patients with COPD [FEV(1): (mean+/-SEM) 42+/-3% predicted] were randomly allocated to either ILT (n=21) or CLT (n=21). The training program consisted of cycling exercise 3 days/week for 10 weeks. Patients assigned to ILT exercised at a mean intensity of 126+/-4% of baseline peak work rate (Wpeak) with 30-s work periods alternated with 30-s rest periods for 45 min per day, whereas patients allocated to CLT exercised at a mean intensity of 76+/-5% of baseline Wpeak for 30 min per day. The BODE index and its components: body mass index, FEV(1), MMRC dyspnea score and the 6-min walk test (6-MWT) as well as cycling Wpeak were assessed before and after both exercise training regimes. Both ILT and CLT significantly (p<0.001) decreased the BODE index (from 4.8+/-0.5 to 4.0+/-0.5 units and from 4.4+/-0.5 to 3.8+/-0.5 units, respectively). In addition, both ILT and CLT significantly decreased the MMRC dyspnea score by 0.4+/-0.1 units and increased the 6-MWT (by 52+/-16 and 44+/-12 m, respectively) as well as cycling Wpeak (by 14+/-2 and 10+/-2W, respectively). The magnitude of these changes was not significantly different between ILT and CLT. Consequently, ILT is equally effective to CLT in terms of improving the BODE index in patients with COPD and as such it may constitute an alternative rehabilitative modality in COPD.
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PMID:Effects of interval-load versus constant-load training on the BODE index in COPD patients. 1934 53

This study describes the test-retest reliability of the 6-min walk test (6MWT) and evaluates the possibility to perform the test three times on the same day in patients with postpolio syndrome (PPS). This was an intrarater test-retest reliability study. A total of 23 PPS patients (nine men, 14 women), mean age 67 years, participated in the study. The patients performed three 6MWT with a 30-min rest between each test. Borg scales were used to evaluate leg tiredness, dyspnea, and exertion before and after each test. The influence of walking aids on the outcome of the 6MWT was also evaluated. All patients (n=23) were able to complete the three 6MWT. The individual distances varied from 140-395 m. The relative reliability was high. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC2.1) (95% confidence interval) values ranged from 0.98 (0.95-0.99) (T1-T2) to 0.99 (0.97-0.99) (T2-T3) for the total number of participants. The SEM ranged from 12 to 9 m and the smallest real difference (SRD) ranged from 33 to 26 m for the total number of participants. Data indicate that the 6MWT is reliable for patients with PPS. For the high test-retest reliability, one test may be required. However, as a small learning effect was observed, the best result of two tests can be recommended when evaluating walking ability for research purposes.
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PMID:Test-retest reliability of the 6-min walk test in patients with postpolio syndrome. 2364 Mar 26

Recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury can result in unilateral or bilateral vocal cords paralysis, thereby causing a series of complications, such as hoarseness and dyspnea. However, the repair of RLN remains a great challenge in current medicine. This study aimed to develop human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells (HuMSCs) and nerve growth factor (NGF)-loaded heparinized collagen scaffolds (HuMSCs/NGF HC-scaffolds) and evaluate their potential in the repair of RLN injury. HuMSCs/NGF HC-scaffolds were prepared through incorporating HuMSCs and NGF into heparinized collagen scaffolds that were prefabricated by freeze-drying in a template. The resulting scaffolds were characterized by FTIR, SEM, porosity, degradation in vitro, NGF release in vitro and bioactivity. A rabbit RLN injury model was constructed to appraise the performance of HuMSCs/NGF HC-scaffolds for nerve injury repair. Electrophysiology, histomorphology and diagnostic proteins expression for treated nerves were checked after application of various scaffolds. The results showed that the composite scaffolds with HuMSCs and NGF were rather helpful for the repair of broken RLN. The RLN treated with HuMSCs/NGF HC-scaffolds for 8 weeks produced a relatively normal electromyogram, and the levels of calcium-binding protein S100, neurofilament and AchE pertinent to nerve were found to be close to the normal ones but higher than those resulted from other scaffolds. Taken together, HuMSCs/NGF HC-scaffolds exhibited a high score on the nerve injury repair and may be valuable for the remedy of RLN injury.
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PMID:Insights into the Therapeutic Potential of Heparinized Collagen Scaffolds Loading Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Nerve Growth Factor for the Repair of Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Injury. 3060 88


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