Search results for "Breath Test"

Factors that influence exhaled nitric oxide in Italian schoolchildren

2008

Conflicting results exist about the meaning of exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) in epidemiologic studies, mainly because of the numerous factors that may affect the measurement.To evaluate the role of the factors that influence eNO levels in a sample of schoolchildren with or without respiratory diseases. We studied 335 schoolchildren, ages 10 to 16 years, from 8 schools in Palermo, Italy. After a respiratory questionnaire was completed, spirometry, skin tests, and eNO measurements were performed.Among 335 children, 13.7% reported symptoms of bronchial asthma, 46.9% reported symptoms of rhinitis, and 39.4% were asymptomatic. The ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 second to forced vital capaci…

Assessment of lung microstructure with magnetic resonance imaging of hyperpolarized Helium-3

2005

Magnetic resonance imaging of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of hyperpolarized Helium-3 is a new technique for probing pulmonary microstructure in vivo. The aim of this study was the assessment of potential sources of systematic errors of the ADC measurement. The influence of macroscopic motion was determined by measurements at two different delays after initiating the breath-hold, and before and after cardiac arrest. An intercentre comparison was performed in two age- and lung function-matched groups of lung-healthy volunteers at two research sites. Moreover, measurements of diffusion anisotropy were performed. We found no dependency of the ADC as a function of the delay after st…

Pathologies currently identified by exhaled biomarkers.

2013

Ancient Greek physicians already knew that the smell of human breath could provide a clue to the pathology. Nowadays, volatile breath biomarkers are known to be released in a broad range of diseases. However, their identification, isolation, and quantification as indicative of relevant alterations in clinical status have required the development of new techniques and analytical methods. Breath sample analysis encounters several obstacles. Particularly, there is a need of a system that could work in a continuous manner, with the low concentration and small volume of a sample. Herein we review, in the light of literature and our experience, clinical applications of the metal oxide semiconduct…

Assessing and accessing the small airways; implications for asthma management

2013

Despite the wealth of experience in the management of asthma, the disease remains inadequately controlled in some patients, who face long-term respiratory impairment and disability. The disease has been characterised as an inflammatory condition affecting first the larger airways and eventually the smaller airways, but there is evidence that peripheral airway involvement defines a particular and more severe phenotype of asthma. For this reason, assessing functional and biological parameters reflective of small airways involvement is important prognostically. No assessment method is universally and directly representative of peripheral airway function, but the traditional spirometric tests, …

Reply to the Letter Entitled "FeNO Variability when Using Different Analyzers at the Joint ATS/ERS Guideline Cutoff".

2019

The potential role of SP-D as an early biomarker of severity of asthma

2021

Surfactant decreases the surface tension of peripheral airways and modulates the immunological responses of the lung. The alterations of surfactant due to the airway inflammation suggest a role in the pathogenesis of asthma. We aim to test the hypothesis that serum levels of SP-A (Surfactant Protein A) and SP-D (Surfactant Protein-D) are altered in patients with mild asthma compared to healthy controls and those alterations are related to functional abnormalities of peripheral airways, which are an early marker of progression of asthma. In this pilot study, we recruited 20 mild asthmatics and 10 healthy controls. We measured serum SP-A and SP-D and all subjects underwent clinical, lung func…

Ultrasensitive Silicon Nanowire for Real-World Gas Sensing: Noninvasive Diagnosis of Cancer from Breath Volatolome

2014

We report on an ultrasensitive, molecularly modified silicon nanowire field effect transistor that brings together the lock-and-key and cross-reactive sensing worlds for the diagnosis of (gastric) cancer from exhaled volatolome. The sensor is able to selectively detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are linked with gastric cancer conditions in exhaled breath and to discriminate them from environmental VOCs that exist in exhaled breath samples but do not relate to the gastric cancer per se. Using breath samples collected from actual patients with gastric cancer and from volunteers who do not have cancer, blind analysis validated the ability of the reported sensor to discriminate betw…

Nylon-Supported Plasmonic Assay Based on the Aggregation of Silver Nanoparticles: In Situ Determination of Hydrogen Sulfide-like Compounds in Breath …

2019

A procedure for supporting silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on nylon is proposed. Besides, the membrane has been developed as a solid-phase colorimetric plasmonic sensor for volatile sulfide compounds (VSCs) like H2S, CH3SH, and (CH3)2S. AgNP behavior in the membrane has been studied by UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectrometry, Raman spectrometry, High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The sensor responded by changing its color from yellow in absence of VSCs to several orange/brown colors in the function of VSC concentration as occurs in solution; an increase in the hydrodynamic diameter, estimated by both asymmetrical flow field-flow f…

Biomarkers to disclose recent intake of alcohol: potential of 5-hydroxytryptophol glucuronide testing using new direct UPLC-tandem MS and ELISA metho…

2007

Aims: This study compared two new methods for direct determination of 5-hydroxytryptophol glucuronide (GTOL) in urine, a biomarker for detection of recent alcohol consumption. Methods: Urine samples were collected from ten alcoholic patients during recovery from intoxication. A direct injection ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method for measurement of the urinary GTOL to 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) ratio, and an ELISA assay for direct measurement of GTOL, were used. Comparison was made with the urinary ethanol and ethyl glucuronide (EtG) concentrations. Results: The breath ethanol concentration on admission ranged between 1.0-3.1 g/l. Th…

Comparison of magnetic resonance imaging of inhaled SF6 with respiratory gas analysis

2008

Magnetic resonance imaging of inhaled fluorinated inert gases ((19)F-MRI) such as sulfur hexafluoride (SF(6)) allows for analysis of ventilated air spaces. In this study, the possibility of using this technique to image lung function was assessed. For this, (19)F-MRI of inhaled SF(6) was compared with respiratory gas analysis, which is a global but reliable measure of alveolar gas fraction. Five anesthetized pigs underwent multiple-breath wash-in procedures with a gas mixture of 70% SF(6) and 30% oxygen. Two-dimensional (19)F-MRI and end-expiratory gas fraction analysis were performed after 4 to 24 inhaled breaths. Signal intensity of (19)F-MRI and end-expiratory SF(6) fraction were evaluat…