Lung microenvironments and disease progression in fibrotic hypersensitivity pneumonitis
Rationale: Fibrotic hypersensitivity pneumonitis (fHP) is an interstitial lung disease caused by sensitization to an inhaled allergen. Objectives: To identify the molecular determinants associated with progression of fibrosis. Methods: Nine fHP explant lungs and six unused donor lungs (as controls) were systematically sampled (4 samples/lung). According to microcomputed tomography measures, fHP cores were clustered into mild, moderate, and severe fibrosis groups. Gene expression profiles were assessed using weighted gene co-expression network analysis, xCell, gene ontology, and structure enrichment analysis. Gene expression of the prevailing molecular traits was also compared with idiopathi…
Determinants of physical activity in daily life in candidates for lung transplantation
BACKGROUND: Participation in daily physical activity (PA) has never been objectively assessed in candidates for lung transplantation (LTx). The main research questions were: 1) How active are LTx-candidates in daily life? 2) What are determinants of activity behavior before LTX? METHODS: Ninety-six candidates for LTx (diagnosis of COPD or interstitial lung disease; mean age 55 ± 7 years) underwent measurements of PA, pulmonary function, 6-min walking distance (6MWD), muscle force and health-status (SF-36 scale). RESULTS: Patients were markedly inactive (5% of waking hours walking, 26% standing and 69% sedentary). Backward multiple regression identified 6MWD (expressed as % of predicted valu…