Search results for "RESPIRATORY"
showing 10 items of 5091 documents
Associations of physical activity, fitness, and body composition with heart rate variability–based indicators of stress and recovery on workdays: a c…
2014
Background. The purpose of this study was to investigate how physical activity (PA), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and body composition are associated with heart rate variability (HRV)-based indicators of stress and recovery on workdays. Additionally, we evaluated the association of objectively measured stress with self-reported burnout symptoms. Methods. Participants of this cross-sectional study were 81 healthy males (age range 26–40 y). Stress and recovery on workdays were measured objectively based on HRV recordings. CRF and anthropometry were assessed in laboratory conditions. The level of PA was based on a detailed PA interview (MET index [MET-h/d]) and self-reported activity class…
Role of biomarkers in the management of antibiotic therapy: an expert panel review II: clinical use of biomarkers for initiation or discontinuation o…
2013
Abstract Biomarker-guided initiation of antibiotic therapy has been studied in four conditions: acute pancreatitis, lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI), meningitis, and sepsis in the ICU. In pancreatitis with suspected infected necrosis, initiating antibiotics best relies on fine-needle aspiration and demonstration of infected material. We suggest that PCT be measured to help predict infection; however, available data are insufficient to decide on initiating antibiotics based on PCT levels. In adult patients suspected of community-acquired LRTI, we suggest withholding antibiotic therapy when the serum PCT level is low (<0.25 ng/mL); in patients having nosocomial LRTI, data are insuf…
Clinical Development of Mepolizumab for the Treatment of Severe Eosinophilic Asthma: On the Path to Personalized Medicine.
2021
The development of mepolizumab, an anti-IL-5 monoclonal antibody for the treatment of severe eosinophilic asthma, is an example of a clinical development program that evolved over time based on sound, basic scientific principles. Initial clinical data on the effects of mepolizumab on lung function in a general asthmatic population were disappointing. However, it became clear that mepolizumab may be more effective against other clinical endpoints, particularly asthma exacerbations, in patients with more severe disease. Furthermore, a developing understanding of asthma disease pathobiology led to the identification of an appropriate target population and predictive biomarker for mepolizumab t…
Dimensional analysis of the upper airway in obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome patients treated with mandibular advancement device: A bi‐ and three‐di…
2020
BACKGROUND The efficiency of the mandibular advancement device (MAD) in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) has been demonstrated. Nevertheless, the behaviour of the upper airway once MAD is placed and titrated, and its correlation with the apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) is still under discussion. OBJECTIVES To analyse the morphological changes of the upper airway through a bi- and three-dimensional study and correlate it with the polysomnographic variable, AHI. METHODS Patients were recruited from two different hospitals for the treatment of OSAS with a custom-made MAD. A cone-beam computer tomography and a polysomnography were performed at baseline and once the MAD was ti…
Influence of Antisynthetase Antibodies Specificities on Antisynthetase Syndrome Clinical Spectrum Time Course
2019
Antisynthetase syndrome (ASSD) is a rare clinical condition that is characterized by the occurrence of a classic clinical triad, encompassing myositis, arthritis, and interstitial lung disease (ILD), along with specific autoantibodies that are addressed to different aminoacyl tRNA synthetases (ARS). Until now, it has been unknown whether the presence of a different ARS might affect the clinical presentation, evolution, and outcome of ASSD. In this study, we retrospectively recorded the time of onset, characteristics, clustering of triad findings, and survival of 828 ASSD patients (593 anti-Jo1, 95 anti-PL7, 84 anti-PL12, 38 anti-EJ, and 18 anti-OJ), referring to AENEAS (American and Europea…
Activation of Astrocytes in the Persistence of Post-hypoxic Respiratory Augmentation
2021
Acute hypoxia increases ventilation. After cessation of hypoxia loading, ventilation decreases but remains above the pre-exposure baseline level for a time. However, the mechanism of this post-hypoxic persistent respiratory augmentation (PHRA), which is a short-term potentiation of breathing, has not been elucidated. We aimed to test the hypothesis that astrocytes are involved in PHRA. To this end, we investigated hypoxic ventilatory responses by whole-body plethysmography in unanesthetized adult mice. The animals breathed room air, hypoxic gas mixture (7% O2, 93% N2) for 2min, and again room air for 10min before and after i.p. administration of low (100mg/kg) and high (300mg/kg) doses of a…
SARS-CoV-2 RNA load in the lower respiratory tract, viral RNAemia and N-antigenemia in critically ill adult COVID-19 patients: relationship with biom…
2021
ABSTRACTBackgroundLittle is known about the comparative kinetics of SARS-CoV-RNA load in the lower respiratory tract and in blood compartment in patients admitted to the intensive care unit, and how these relate to biomarkers of COVID-19 severity.MethodsSeventy-three consecutive critically ill COVID-19 patients (median age, 65 years) were recruited. Serial lower respiratory tract (n=165) and plasma (n=340) specimens were collected. RT-PCR and lateral flow immunochromatography assay were used for SARS-CoV-2 RNA quantitation and N protein detection in plasma, respectively. Serum levels of inflammatory and tissue-damage biomarkers in paired specimens were analyzed.ResultsSARS-CoV-RNA was detec…
Myocardial blood flow and adenosine A2Areceptor density in endurance athletes and untrained men
2008
Previous human studies have shown divergent results concerning the effects of exercise training on myocardial blood flow (MBF) at rest or during adenosine-induced hyperaemia in humans. We studied whether these responses are related to alterations in adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) density in the left-ventricular (LV) myocardium, size and work output of the athlete's heart, or to fitness level. MBF at baseline and during intravenous adenosine infusion, and A2AR density at baseline were measured using positron emission tomography, and by a novel A2AR tracer in 10 healthy male endurance athletes (ET) and 10 healthy untrained (UT) men. Structural LV parameters were measured with echocardiography.…
Pulmonary embolism in an emergency care unit of Southern Italy: Evaluation of predictive factors from clinical history and physical exam
2016
An early diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) improves outcome. Therefore, PE should be diagnosed in Emergency Care Units (ECU) at admission. Clinical algorithms support the clinician in this task, although performance is biased by differences in risk factors prevalent in different populations. The clinical conditions predictive of PE were evaluated in subjects from Southern Italy accessing ECU for dyspnea/chest pain. Retrospective clinical data were obtained by electronic retrieving from a hospital database. Data from 8177 patients (age 18-90 years, 54 with PE) were collected from years 2007-2013. Previous history of PE, thrombosis and/or phlebitis, rheumatic diseases, respiratory failure,…