Recently, many researchers paid more attentions to the association between air pollution and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Haze, a severe form of outdoor air pollution, affected most parts of northern and eastern China in the past winter. In China, studies have been performed to evaluate the impact of outdoor air pollution and biomass smoke exposure on COPD; and most studies have focused on the role of air pollution in acutely triggering symptoms and exacerbations. Few studies have examined the role of air pollution in inducing pathophysiological changes that characterise COPD. Evidence showed that outdoor air pollution affects lung function in both children and adults and triggers exacerbations of COPD symptoms. Hence outdoor air pollution may be considered a risk factor for COPD mortality. However, evidence to date has been suggestive (not conclusive) that chronic exposure to outdoor air pollution increases the prevalence and incidence of COPD. Cross-sectional studies showed biomass smoke exposure is a risk factor for COPD. A long-term retrospective study and a long-term prospective cohort study showed that biomass smoke exposure reductions were associated with a reduced decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and with a decreased risk of COPD. To fully understand the effect of air pollution on COPD, we recommend future studies with longer follow-up periods, more standardized definitions of COPD and more refined and source-specific exposure assessments.
Objective To investigate whether long term bronchodilator tiotropium has an acute bronchodilator effect on COPD patients. Methods 46 patients with stable COPD were enrolled in the study.Lung function test was performed before and at 10 min, 20 min, 1 h after inhaling tiotropium. FEV1 , FVC,FEV1/FVC, PEF25% -75% were measured by ambulatory spirometer. The patients were followed up after 1 month.Results The mean FEV1 was ( 1. 110 ±0. 34) L before inhaling tiotropiumand ( 1. 172 ±0. 359) L, ( 1. 221 ±0. 391) L, ( 1. 225 ±0. 392) L at 10 min,20 min, 1 h after inhaling tiotropium, respectively. FEV1 at 1 h after inhaling tiotropiumsignificantly increased compared with that before inhaling tiotropium. FVC also increased and reached highest at 1 h after inhaling tiotropium. PEF25%-75% at 1 h after inhaling tiotropium increased, but there was no significance difference compared with that before inhaling tiotropium. Mean FEV1 was 1. 287 Lafter 1 month, with significant difference compared with baseline. Conclusion Tiotropium can release the symptoms and improve compliance of COPD patients for its acute bronchodilator effect on COPD patients.
Objective To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of single and bilateral lung transplantation in the treatment of end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods Chinese and English databases were searched by computer, including PubMed, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, EMbase, CNKI, Wanfang database, VIP database and CBM. Case-control studies on single lung transplantation or bilateral lung transplantation for COPD were collected from the inception to July 31, 2022. We evaluated the quality of the literature via Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). All results were analyzed using Review Manager V5.3 and STATA 17.0. Results A total of 8 studies were included covering 14076 patients, including 8326 patients in the single lung transplantation group and 5750 patients in the bilateral lung transplantation group. NOS scores were≥6 points. The results of meta-analysis showed that there was no statistical difference in the postoperative 1-year survival between the two groups (P=0.070). The 2-year survival rate (P=0.002), 3-year survival rate (P<0.001), 5-year survival rate (P<0.001), overall survival rate (P＜0.001), postoperative forced expiratory volume in one second/predicted value (P<0.001), postoperative forced vital capacity (P<0.001), and postoperative 6-minute walking distance (P=0.002) were lower or shorter than those in the bilateral lung transplantation group, the postoperative intubation time (P=0.030) was longer than that in the bilateral lung transplantation group. Bilateral lung transplantation group showed better surgical results. There was no statistical difference in the mortality, obliterative bronchiolitis, length of hospitalization, primary graft dysfunction, or postoperative adverse events (P>0.05). Conclusion Bilateral lung transplantation is associated with better long-term survival and postoperative lung function compared with single lung transplantation. In-hospital mortality and postoperative complications are similar between them.
ObjectiveTo investigate the role on adverse prognosis and risk factors of acute kidney injury (AKI) in hospitalized patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). MethodsClinical data from hospitalized patients with COPD between January 2009 and June 2012 were studied retrospectively.AKI was diagnosed and classified by AKIN criterion. ResultsThree hundred and sixty-nine patients were enrolled,among whom 69(18.6%) were complicated with AKI.The patients with AKI were older,and had higher levels of hemoglobin,hematocrit value and sodium concentration,and higher rates of comorbidities of diabetes mellitus,proteinuria and shock,compared with the controls.Those with AKI had a 24.1% increased risk for ventilator,121.5% for intensive care,and 89.8% for death.And a higher AKI grade was related to a worse prognosis.The increased risk of AKI was 142.1% for every 5-year increase of age,155.7% for every 0.1 increase of hematocrit value,70.5% for every 0.1 increase of sodium concentration,and 49.1%,89.2%,148.2% and 685.7% for being complicated with proteinuria,coronary artery disease,diabetes mellitus and shock. ConclusionAKI is associated with adverse prognosis in hospitalized patients with COPD.Age,proteinuria,increased levels of hematocrit value and sodium concentration,and comorbidities of coronary artery disease,diabetes mellitus and shock are independent risk factors for AKI
ObjectiveTo investigate the value of neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) by detecting the relationship between NLR and other well-known inflammatory biomarkers.MethodsRetrospective study of 610 AECOPD cases was performed. In order to analyze the influence of NLR level on disease condition, treatment plan and prognosis, the clinical data with acute exacerbation were collected and the value of NLR in AECOPD were analyzed.ResultsThe level of NLR was higher in the group with pneumonia than that in the non-pneumonia group (P<0.05), and the more severe the pulmonary inflammation, the higher the NLR level (P<0.05). The level of NLR was higher in the group with heart failure and the group treated with ventilator and glucocorticoid (P<0.05). The NLR level was higher in the group of hospital stay over 14 days than the group of hospital stay less than 14 days (P<0.05). The NLR value of the death group was higher than that of the survival group (P<0.05). With the increase of NLR value, the mortality rate in hospital increased gradually. Compared with C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, NLR had the highest odds ratio by binary regression analysis. Cutoff value of NLR was 5.92 by analysis of receiver-operating characteristic curve with a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 51%, and the area under the curve in predicting in-hospital death was 0.727 (OR=4.112, 95% confidence interval 0.609 - 0.849, P=0.02).ConclusionsNLR can be used as an inflammatory marker to evaluate the severity of AECOPD and to predict the prognosis.
Objective To understand the changing patterns and characteristics of the number of patients hospitalized with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) before, during, and in the post-epidemic period of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Association between acute respiratory infections and hospitalization of patients with AECOPD. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted to count the patients hospitalized for AECOPD in the Department of Respiratory Medicine of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from July 2017 to June 2024. The pattern of change in the number of AECOPD hospitalizations and the associations with patients with respiratory tract infections in outpatient emergency departments were analyzed. Results During the COVID-19 epidemic, the number of hospitalizations of patients with AECOPD did not increase compared with the pre-epidemic period. Instead, it significantly decreased, especially in the winter and spring peaks (P<0.05). The only exception was a peak AECOPD hospitalization in the summer of 2022. COPD inpatient mortality and non-medical discharge rates tended to increase during the epidemic compared with the pre-epidemic period. Analysis of the curve of change in the number of patients with respiratory infections in our outpatient emergency departments during the same period revealed a downward trend in the number of patients with respiratory infections during the epidemic and an explosive increase in the number of patients with respiratory infections in the post epidemic period, whose average monthly number was more than twice as high as that during the epidemic. Correlation analysis of the number of patients with respiratory infections between AECOPD hospitalizations and outpatient emergency departments showed that there was a good correlation between the two in the pre-epidemic and post-epidemic periods, and the correlation between the two in the post-epidemic period was more significant in particular (r=0.84-0.91, P<0.001).In contrast, there was no significant correlation in 2021 and 2022 during the epidemic (r=0.24 and 0.50, P>0.05 ). The most common respiratory infection pathogens among AECOPD hospitalized patients during the post-epidemic period were influenza virus, COVID-19 virus, and human rhinovirus, respectively. Conclusions The pandemic period of COVID-19 infection did not show an increase in the number of AECOPD hospitalizations but rather a trend towards fewer hospitalizations. Respiratory infections were strongly associated with the number of AECOPD hospitalizations in the pre- and post-pandemic periods, while the correlation between the two was poorer during the pandemic period. Influenza virus was the most important respiratory infection pathogen for AECOPD during the post-epidemic period.
Objective To explore the clinical value of shear wave elastography in the evaluation of quadriceps femoris lesions in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods Fifty-eight COPD patients who were admitted to Chengdu First People’s Hospital and 55 healthy controls were included in the study between August 2021 and February 2022. The thickness, circumference, cross-sectional area and Young's modulus of quadriceps femoris in all subjects were measured using shear wave elastography combined with conventional two-dimensional ultrasound. The differences in ultrasound parameters between the two groups were compared, and the correlation between each ultrasound parameter and clinical evaluation indicators (modified British Medical Research Council Scale, COPD Assessment Test, six-minute walk test, and five-time sit-to-stand test) was analyzed. Results Young’s modulus values of the quadriceps femoris muscle were smaller in the COPD group than those in the healthy control group [COPD Group: rectus femoris 6.72 (6.22, 7.36) kPa, vastus medialis 6.25 (5.82, 6.79) kPa, vastus lateralis 6.94 (6.17, 7.48) kPa; healthy control group: rectus femoris 11.40 (10.23, 12.11) kPa, vastus medialis 10.77 (9.62, 11.42) kPa, vastus lateralis 11.14 (10.42, 12.52) kPa]. The differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The Young's modulus value of the rectus femoris muscle correlates with the aforementioned clinical evaluation indicators, with positive correlation with six-minute walk distance and negative correlation with COPD Assessment Test, modified British Medical Research Council Scale, five-time sit-to-stand time (P<0.05). Quadriceps thickness, circumference, and cross-sectional area measured by conventional two-dimensional ultrasound were not significantly different between the two groups, nor were there significant correlations between each parameter and clinical parameters (P>0.05). In addition, shear wave elastography has good reproducibility in the measurement of Young's modulus in quadriceps. Conclusions Shear wave elastography can identify quadriceps lesions earlier than conventional two-dimensional ultrasound in COPD patients, and there is a significant correlation between its measurements and the clinical condition of COPD patients. Shear wave elastography may provide a simple and noninvasive method for clinical evaluation of quadriceps femoris lesions in COPD patients.
ObjectiveTo systematically review the clinical efficacy of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) in treating patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). MethodsDatabases including PubMed, The Cochrane Library (Issue 10, 2013), EMbase, CBM, CNKI, VIP and WanFang Data were searched for the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about LMWH in treating acute exacerbation of COPD from the establishment to October 2013. Two reviewers independently screened literature according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted data, and assessed methodological quality of the included studies. Meta-analysis was then performed using RevMan 5.2 software. ResultsA total of 6 RCTs involving 501 patients were finally included. The results of meta-analysis showed that:compared with the control group, LMWH significantly improved levels of D-dimmer (MD=-0.28, 95%CI-0.50 to-0.05, P=0.02), reduced carbon dioxide partial pressure (PaCO2) (MD=-3.42, 95%CI-6.66 to-0.18, P=0.04), improved coagulation (PT) (MD=1.85, 95%CI 1.29 to 2.42, P < 0.000 01), and improved clinical symptoms and signs (RR=1.33, 95%CI 1.12 to 1.58, P=0.001), but it did not improve oxygen partial pressure (PaO2) (MD=0.28, 95%CI-3.04 to 3.61, P=0.87). During treatment, no severe adverse reaction occurred in both groups. ConclusionLMWH could significantly improve symptoms caused by acute exacerbation of COPD. Due to limited quantity and quality of the included studies, the above conclusion needs to be confirmed by conducting more high quality RCTs with larger sample size.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of airway management drugs on the respiratory function and postoperative recovery of patients who had moderate or severe chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases(COPD) undergoing an open chest surgery. MethodThere were a total of 22 patients suffering from both lung cancer, esophageal cancer or gastroesophageal junction carcinoma and moderate to severe COPD(of which there were 16 males and 6 females; accepting traditional operation 5 cases and minimally-invasive operation 17 cases; lung cancer 16 cases, esophageal cancer 4 cases and gastroesophageal junction carcinoma 2 cases as the observation group). To statistic the respiratory function and arterial blood gas analysis before and after treating with airway management drugs. And compare the postoperative pulmonary complications(PPCs) and hospital-stay with 50 patients who have no COPD(of which there were 34 males and 16 females; accepting traditional operation 17 cases and minimally-invasive operation 33 cases; lung cancer 35 cases, esophageal cancer 11 cases and gastroesophageal junction carcinoma 4 cases as the control group). ResultThere was a statistical difference of forced expiratory volume in one second(FEV1), forced vital capacity(FVC) and maximal voluntary ventilation(MVV) after the above treatment by 7 to 10 days and comparing with prior treatment(P<0.05). Partial pressure of oxygen(PaO2) increased with no statistical difference(P>0.05) while PaCO2 decreased with a statistical difference(P<0.05）. Comparing with patients without COPD, the incidences of PPCs and postoperative hospital stay were of no statistical difference(P>0.05). ConclusionPatients with moderate or severe COPD with airway management drugs(antibiotics,glucocorticoids, bronchodilators and phlegm dissolving agent) in perioperative period could improve the respiratory function and operation tolerance effectively, reduce the incidence of PPCs and shorten postoperative hospital stay.
ObjectiveTo investigate the role of Aspergillus in the severe refractory exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).MethodsThe clinical data of two COPD patients suffering from refractory acute exacerbations were analyzed and the relevant literature were reviewed.ResultsTwo patients were male, aging 72 and 64 years respectively. Both of them had a history of frequent acute exacerbations with severe COPD recently. Meanwhile, they received intravenous use of antibiotics repeatedly, one of them took oral corticosteroids to control wheezing, but failed. Their serum Aspergillus-specific IgG antibody was weakly positive. Besides traditional treatment, they received additional antifungal therapy, and the symptoms alleviated. There was no acute exacerbation in the half a year follow-up period after appropriate therapy.ConclusionsAspergillus colonization, sensitization, infection should be considered in patients with severe COPD. When Aspergillus-associated evidence are acquired, antifungal therapy will be unexpected helpful.