View clinical trials related to Obstructive Lung Disease.
Filter by:Whole-body plethysmography (WBP) is the gold standard for measuring lung volume, but its clinical application is limited because it requires expensive equipment and is complicated to use. Studies have shown that the single-breath helium dilution (SBHD) method, which is commonly used in clinical practice, significantly underestimates lung volume in patients with obstructive lung disease (OLD). Therefore, by comparing the differences in lung volume measured by the SBHD method and WBP in patients with different severities of obstructive lung disease, we aim to establish a correction equation for the SBHD method to determine the total lung volume in obstructive lung disease patients.
Molecular testing (e.g PCR) of respiratory tract samples is the recommended method for the identification and laboratory confirmation of COVID-19 cases. Recent evidence reported that the diagnostic accuracy of many of the available RT-PCR tests for detecting SARS-CoV2 may be lower than optimal. Of course, the economical and clinical implications of diagnostic errors are of foremost significance and in case of infectious outbreaks, namely pandemics, the repercussions are amplified. False positives and false-negative results may jeopardize the health of a single patient and may affect the efficacy of containment of the outbreak and of public health policies. In particular, false-negative results contribute to the ongoing of the infection causing further spread of the virus within the community, masking also other potentially infected people.
It has been reported that nearly half of the patients who are hospitalized for Covid-19 pneumonia have on admission old age or comorbidities. In particular, hypertension was present in 30% of the cases, diabetes in 19%, coronary heart disease in 8% and chronic obstructive lung disease in 3% of the patients. Amazingly, in the two major studies published in the Lancet (Zhou F et al Lancet 2020) and in the New England Journal of Medicine (Guan W et al 2020), the weight of the subjects as well their body mass index (BMI) were omitted. However, obesity, alone or in association with diabetes, can be a major predisposition factor for Covid-19 infection. The primary end-point of our prospective, observational study is to assess the recovery rate in patients with diagnosis of Covid-19 pneumonia. Among the other secondary end-points, we intend to find the predictors of the time to clinical improvement or hospital discharge in patients affected by Covid-19 pneumonia.
Preterm birth alters the normal sequence of lung development with lasting respiratory consequences. It is still unclear whether observed respiratory morbidities in preterm born individuals reflect sequelae from a non-progressive lung disease that occurred early in life or result from ongoing active disease that, if left undiagnosed and untreated, could increase the risk of a COPD-like phenotype. We propose to examine micro-structural abnormalities of the lung using innovative non-invasive imaging technologies in relation to pulmonary function and markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in young adults born preterm.
Exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) is associated with diverse health effects in nonsmokers. Flight attendants (FA) who worked on commercial aircraft before the ban on tobacco smoking (exposed FAs) had high, long-term levels of occupational exposure to SHS and are a unique population for the study of long-term health effects of chronic exposure to SHS. In previous studies, we have shown that many never-smoking SHS-exposed FAs to have curvilinear flow-volume loops, decreased airflow at mid- and low-lung volumes, and static air trapping (elevated residual volume to total lung capacity ratio [RV/TLC]), abnormalities that are not diagnostic of overt Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), but do implicate the presence of an obstructive ventilatory defect, and are consistent with what has been recently described as preserved ratio impaired spirometry (PRISm). The main objective of the study is to determine the effect of a bronchodilator to counter the physiologic abnormalities that are observed in the population of never-smoking SHS-exposed FAs as both proof of concept of the presence of an obstructive lung disease and as a possible therapeutic option to counteract the adverse respiratory effects of chronic exposure to SHS.
The purpose of the study is to examine the hypothesis test that probiotics will reduce the frequency of exacerbation in patients with COPD.
Exposure to noxious gases and particles is associated with an increased prevalence of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Thus, investigation of possible airway inflammation and/or systemic inflammation in workers exposed to high levels of dust is important. Silicon Carbide (SiC) Processing Inc. provides cutting fluid (slurry) for the production of solar cells and is at present the largest provider of slurry to the solar industry worldwide. In the production process, the recyclable materials (SiC), polyethylene glycol (PEG)) of the used slurry are recovered. The airborne exposure consists mainly of SiC (dust particles) and evaporation from the recycling of PEG. High levels of dust have been measured and, seventeen per cent of the measurements in the processing hall were equal to or higher than the Norwegian occupational exposure limit. Thus, assessment of possible systemic and airway effects of this exposure is of interest. A prospective design will be applied and the effects studied by means of registration of respiratory symptoms, spirometry, nitric oxide (NO) in exhaled air, induced sputum and blood sampling over a 3 year period. Exposed subjects will also be compare with non- or low exposed subjects (administrative/office workers). Efforts will be made to include all eligible subjects and to avoid drop-outs. If early signs of airway or systemic inflammation in workers or in cells are demonstrated in the study, it will be necessary to implement measures to reduce the exposure levels. The primary aim of the present study of workers exposed to Silicon Carbide dust in the workplace is to determine whether this exposure is associated with inflammatory changes in the lungs. The secondary aims are: - to examine possible changes in systemic inflammatory markers and - to examine changes in lung function among Silicon Carbide processing workers during a period of 3 years. Possible changes in lung function will be monitored by spirometry and gas diffusion measurements (study A). Airway inflammatory responses and changes in circulating inflammatory markers will be assessed by examination of the induced sputum samples and blood samples every 6th month in a subgroup of workers (study B).
This project will examine the current diagnosis and treatment of bone health in patients with obstructive airway disease. Patients will be referred to The Osteoporosis Centre of BC (OCBC) by their respirologist to be assessed for osteoporosis including Dual Energy Xray Absorptiometry (DXA) scan. Previous chest xrays and will be accessed and examined for vertebral fractures, diagnostic of osteoporosis. The lung and bone data will be entered into a database. This will allow us to explore the relationship of lung disease parameters to osteoporosis predictors, eventually determining a respirology patient population who are at high risk of fracture. Longitudinal evaluation of bone health and its relationship to respiratory parameters over time will be explored by follow-up evaluations at 12 and 24 months.
Obstructive airways disease is a very common condition. This condition includes patients with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema or chronic bronchitis. Some patients with obstructive airways disease have problems with long term breathlessness, wheeze and cough with or without sputum production. Currently the researchers give treatments - usually inhalers - which are designed to open the airways and reduce the breathlessness and wheeze. Despite these available treatments many patients still have continuing symptoms. Anecdotal clinical evidence suggested that a herbal remedy (called AKL1) has beneficial effects in respiratory conditions, with patients diagnosed as having both asthma and COPD reporting reduced symptoms including breathlessness and cough and reduced frequency of attacks.The purpose of this study is to confirm whether AKL1 does indeed have a meaningful benefit to patients with obstructive airways disease. The researchers will mainly be measuring any effect of AKL by assessing any change in trial subjects' coughs, using a questionnaire, but the researchers will also looking at breathing tests, walking tests, blood and sputum tests.