March 2010

Coming Soon: New and Improved Section Listserve
The AARC is getting ready to launch an exciting new social networking site for members called AARC Connect, and our section’s listserve will be moving to the new site as soon as it’s up and running. Now we’ll not only be able to communicate with each other in real time, we’ll also be able to view specific threads with ease, view posts by specific members, and much, much more.

VO2 Max Linked to Genes
Is VO2 max all in the genes? A group of international researchers publishing in the Journal of Applied Physiology believe it may be. They combined the results of two exercise studies conducted in Europe and one in the U.S. in which participants were asked to undergo rigorous aerobic training. Results showed nearly one in five had less than a 5% increase in VO2 max, and nearly 30% had no increase in insulin sensitivity. An analysis of muscle tissue samples taken before and after the exercise identified a set of about 30 genes that predicted the increase in VO2 max, and 11 showed differences in DNA sequences among the participants. Participants with a favorable DNA sequence at these genes increased VO2 max the most, while participants with an alternate DNA sequence did not benefit as much or at all. READ PRESS RELEASE

Spirometry Follow Up in Kids with Hemato-Oncologic Diseases
Israeli investigators conducted forced spirometry measurements in 42 children age three to seven with hemoto-oncologic diseases before definitive treatment and up to three years after, finding 38 of the children showed only minor long term airflow impairment. Among eight children who had severe airflow limitation prior to treatment, four resumed normal pulmonary function. In the other four children, spirometry values deteriorated further in association with GVHD and bronchioloitis obliterans. The study appeared in the Feb. 26 edition of Medical Science Monitor. READ ABSTRACT

Lung Function in PCD
Early diagnosis may not protect against lung function decline in people with primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), report Danish researchers. They observed 74 children and adults with PCD for a median of 9.5 years, finding a first measured FEV1 of <80% of predicted in a third of children diagnosed at preschool age. Over the follow up, 34% lost >10 percentage points in FEV1, 57% were stable, and 10% improved >10 percentage points. Lung function after diagnosis was linked to neither age at diagnosis nor initial level. “Our study strongly suggests that PCD is a disease of serious threat to lung function already at preschool age, and with a high degree of variation in courses of lung function after diagnosis that was not linked to either age or level of lung function at diagnosis,” write the authors. “Early diagnosis did not protect against decline in lung function.” The study appeared in the Feb. 18 Epub edition of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. READ ABSTRACT

Misdiagnosis of Asthma in the Obese
A new study out of Canada that set out to explore the reasons for misdiagnosis of asthma in obese individuals found those who make urgent visits for respiratory symptoms are more likely to be misdiagnosed with the condition. The study was conducted among 242 obese and 254 normal weight people who reported physician-diagnosed asthma. In 346, asthma was confirmed with sequential lung testing but in 150, testing ruled asthma out. The findings showed:

• Obese asthmatics were significantly more likely to be male, have a history of hypertension and GERD, and have a lower FEV1 compared to normal-weight asthmatics.
• Older subjects, males, and subjects with higher FEV1 were more likely to have been misdiagnosed with asthma.
• The odds ratio for being misdiagnosed with asthma, for obese individuals as compared to normal-weight individuals, was 4.08 for those with urgent visits in the past 12 months.

The research was published in the Feb. 12 edition of CHEST. READ ABSTRACT