August 2012
AARC Congress 2012 Program Posted
The AARC will head to New Orleans this Nov. 10–13 for AARC Congress 2012. Read through the offerings for our section and see all this year has to offer. You can peruse the program, plus make your hotel arrangements now. VISIT PROGRAM
Microsite Provides a Window on AARC Congress 2012 Venue
You can take a tour of the city right now through our new microsite, set up especially for the Association by the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau. VISIT SITE
Smoking and Sarciodosis
Researchers from Wayne State University and Detroit Medical Center are clarifying the role smoking plays in patients with sarcoidosis. Their study examined the effects of smoking on 518 patients who underwent pulmonary function testing and were analyzed for gender specific differences. Results showed:
- Smokers had significantly lower FEV1 and FEV1/FVC values.
- Total lung capacity was not significantly different between smokers and nonsmokers, but DLCO was significantly reduced in smokers.
- Gender-based statistical analysis showed a marked decrease in DLCO values among female smokers.
- Smokers had a higher incidence of extrapulmonary involvement as demonstrated by multivariate regression analysis showing both smoking and female gender are significantly associated with the development of extrapulmonary manifestations.
The authors speculate the gender differences noted in their study could be the result of differences in the inflammatory response between men and women. They call for further study to shed more light on mechanisms involved. The study was published ahead of print in Lung on July 8. READ ABSTRACT
Type of Adioposity Doesn’t Affect Asthma Risk in Obese
Obesity and asthma have been linked, but does it matter where the extra fat is located? Danish investigators decided to find out by measuring visceral adipose tissue and subcutaneous adipose tissue, along with fat percentage, in 3471 people between the ages of 19 and 72, then comparing the results to their pulmonary function test results. FVC and FEV1 decreased significantly with increasing adiposity in both atopics and non-atopics, but the strongest adiposity-asthma link was seen in those without allergies. “The effect of adiposity on asthma was mainly seen in non-atopics and did not appear to depend on the distribution of adiposity as reflected by the adiposity measures used in the present study,” write the authors. “Increasing adiposity was associated with lower lung function independent of atopic status.” The study appears in this month’s Clinical and Experimental Allergy. READ ABSTRACT
DOSE Index Predicts COPD Mortality
A new study out of Sweden finds the Dyspnoea, Obstruction, Smoking, Exacerbation (DOSE) index can effectively predict mortality in patients with COPD. The index is based on the MRC dyspnea scale, FEV1 as percentage of predicted, smoking status, and exacerbation rate. The researchers tested its ability to assess disease severity in 562 patients for whom data on all of the DOSE measures were available. One hundred and sixteen patients, or 20.6% of the total, died over five years, and mortality was more likely among those with a DOSE index of >4. The higher the DOSE index, the higher the hazard ratio for mortality. “The DOSE index is associated with mortality in COPD patients in primary and secondary care and can be used to assess prognosis in addition to other clinically relevant issues,” write the authors. The study was published ahead of print in the Primary Care Respiratory Journal on July 11. READ ABSTRACT
Bronchial and Alveolar NO in Kids with EIB
Italian investigators who assessed the correlation between alveolar production (C(alv)) and bronchial flux (J(NO) ) of nitric oxide (NO) and exercise induced bronchospasm (EIB) in 36 allergic children with intermittent asthma conclude that inflammation is present in the central and peripheral airways of these children and is associated with the severity of EIB. The severity of EIB was expressed as the maximum change in percentage from the baseline value of lung function ((ΔFEV1; ΔFEF(25-75)). Specific results showed:
- ΔFEV1was ≥10% in 44.4% and ≥15% in 22.2%
- ΔFEF(25-75) was ≥26% in 25%.
- A significant correlation was observed between severity of EIB and FeNO(50) , J(NO), and C(alv).
- EIB was significantly more severe in children sensitive to indoor allergens vs. those with outdoor allergens only.
- Children sensitive to indoor allergens also had higher C(alv) and J(NO) levels.
The study appears in this month’s Clinical and Experimental Allergy. READ ABSTRACT
