June 2011
SPOY Alert! July 31, 2011
This year’s deadline for Specialty Practitioner of the Year comes a
little earlier than usual (because of our earlier AARC Congress). You
have until July 31 to nominate a fellow section member for that annual
recognition award. This is a great way to reward the colleagues in your
life who go above and beyond every day, so consider who you’d like to
honor and then nominate him/her via our ONLINE NOMINATION FORM.
Early Lung Resection Doesn’t Significantly Impact PFTs for Most Children
Most children who undergo resection for asymptomatic congenital lung lesions in infancy have normal pulmonary function results at age five, report Canadian researchers publishing in the May issue of the Journal of Pediatric Surgery. Their results showed normal forced vital capacity in 93% of 15 kids and normal FEV1 in 86%. Diffusion capacity and respiratory muscle strength were normal in all of the children tested. The authors believe these findings support early lung resection for children with lung lesions in infancy. READ ABSTRACT
Educational Levels Linked to FEV1
A new study out of the University of Wisconsin finds people with more education tend to have better FEV1 results. The research was based on data from whites and African-Americans between the ages of 20 and 80 who took part in NHANES III. Overall, high school completion was associated with a mean 69.13 ml increase in FEV1 for males and a mean 50.75 ml increase in FEV1 for females. College completion was associated with an additional increase in FEV1 for white males (70.36–250.76 ml) and white females (57.87–317.77 ml). A significant racial difference in the association between high school completion and FEV1 varied across the distribution in a quantile regression analysis for both males and females, and routine exclusion criteria differentially excluded individuals by age, race, and education. The FEV1 association with high school completion lost significance in the restricted sample. The study was published ahead of print by the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine on May 11. READ ABSTRACT
Airway Inflammation May be Gauged by Exhaled Breath Temperature Measurements
Exhaled breath temperature measurements may provide a noninvasive way to assess airway inflammation. That’s the take home message from Australian researchers who assessed the effects of room temperature and lung volume in 60 healthy children aged 9-11 years. Among the findings:
- End plateau temperature was shown to be proportionally affected by room temperature, whereas slope and normalized plateau temperature (nPLET—defined as plateau temperature minus inspired air temperature) decreased with increasing room temperature.
- After adjusting for room temperature, height, and age, the total lung capacity and slow vital capacity (SVC) were found to be the strongest predictors of end PLET in healthy children.
- When all factors were included in a multiple regression model, SVC and room temperature were the only predictors of plateau and nPLET. Slope was only influenced by room temperature.
The authors conclude, “Exhaled breath temperature measurements are highly feasible in children with a 95% success rate in this healthy population.” The study was published ahead of print by Pediatric Pulmonology on May 27. READ ABSTRACT
FeNO Doesn’t Predict Response to ICS in Wheezing Preschoolers
Dutch researchers who set out to determine whether fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) could be used to predict which wheezing preschool children would respond to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) came up short. Their results found no convincing evidence that either FeNO or exhaled breath condensate markers were linked to ICS response in 93 children on becolmethasone who were followed for eight weeks. Airway resistance and symptoms were mildly improved after ICS treatment, but only IL-10 and atopy were linked to the response, and then only in terms of symptoms and only on a limited basis. The study was published ahead of print by Clinical and Experimental Allergy on May 30. READ ABSTRACT |
