Dietary intake of patients with moderate to severe COPD in relation to fat-free mass index: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Fat-free mass (FFM) depletion has been shown to be a better predictor of mortality than BMI in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. The specific aim of the current study was to assess the nutritional status of stable COPD patients in relation to fat free mass index profiles. METHODS: We investigated 65 male moderate-to-severe stable COPD patients. A self-reported questionnaire was applied about general characteristics and smoking history. Nutritional intake was assessed by using a 54-item quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Weight, height, mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), waist circumference (WC), handgrip strength and body composition measurements were taken by a trained dietitian. The data were analyzed with SPSS 15.0 software. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 62.1 ± 8.9 years. Among all of the patients 13.8% was underweight (BMI < 21 kg/m(2)) and 18.5% had a low fat-free mass index (FFMI < 16 kg/m(2)). The percentages of the patients who did not meet the daily recommended intakes (RNI) were highest for magnesium (93.8%) and calcium (92.3%). Mean daily consumptions of milk-yogurt, red meat and fruits were significantly low in the low FFMI group compared to normal FFMI group (for all; p < 0.05). Patients with normal FFMI had significantly higher weight, height, WC, MUAC, handgrip strength, fat and fat-free mass than the patients with low FFMI (for all; p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Dieticians should be aware of COPD patients with low FFMI in order to evaluate the nutritional intake and therefore plan nutritional strategies to improve prognosis of the disease.

[Storage mite sensitivity and related factors in asthmatic patients]. / Astimli hastalarda depo akari duyarliligi ve iliskili faktörler.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study was to investigate the storage mite sensitivity and related factors in patients with asthma or asthma and rhinitis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 149 patients with asthma or asthma and rhinitis were included to the study. Prick test was performed after addition of Acarus siro (A. siro), Lepidoglyphus destructor (L. destructor), Glycophagus domesticus (G. domesticus) and Tyrophagus putrescentiae (T. putrescentiae) to the standart prick test. Living conditions, smoking history, allergic diseases status, seasonal variations in symptoms were evaluated by a questionnaire. Besides, respiratory screening spesific IgE, L. destructor spesific IgE was examined in a group of patients who were allergic to storage mites according to prick tests. RESULT: Prick test results showed that; 115 of the patients were sensitized while 34 of them were not. House dust mite sensitivity was detected as mite 58.3%.The storage mite sensitivity for at least one of the studied species was detected in 61.7% of patients. The sensitivity rates were 50.4%, 48.7%, 47%, %40 for A. siro, L. destructor, G. domesticus and T. putrescentiae, respectively. The storage mite sensivity was found higher in the patients from the rural areas (p< 0.05). L. destructor IgE positiveness was detected in 9.1% of the group that antibody levels were examined. Positive reaction was detected for at least one of the storage mite species in %22.7 of the patients who were considered as not sensitized according to the results of the standart prick tests. CONCLUSIONS: As a result, storage mites are important allergens in subjects who live in rural areas and close contact with barn, haymow, bin and pantry. Addition of storage mite allergens to the standart prick test panel of patients living in rural area is suitable.

C-reactive protein levels are raised in stable Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients independent of smoking behavior and biomass exposure.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this case control study is to assess the relationship between serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and well-known clinical parameters in Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) considering the impact of smoking behavior, biomass exposure and accompanying clinical entities, namely pulmonary hypertension, systemic hypertension and diabetes mellitus. METHODS: Spirometry, echocardiography, arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2) measurements, BODE scores and serum CRP levels were investigated in stable COPD patients. Associations between CRP levels and clinical parameters were evaluated. RESULTS: CRP levels are significantly higher in COPD patients than in healthy controls. CRP levels were not significantly different between COPD patients treated with inhaled corticosteroids and those not treated. CRP levels significantly correlated with age, FEV1% predicted, FVC% predicted, SpO2, MMRC, 6 minute walk distance, BODE scores and haemoglobin levels. In multivariate analysis BODE scores and concomitant systemic hypertension manifested the strongest association with CRP levels. CRP levels in COPD patients with and without pulmonary hypertension were significantly different. CRP levels did not differ significantly according to smoking status or biomass exposure, moreover COPD cases due to biomass exposure who never smoked also had higher CRP levels compared to healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: Systemic inflammation is inherent to COPD independent of ever-smoking status and correlates with disease severity, concomitant systemic hypertension and pulmonary hypertension.

Correlation of plasma transforming growth factor beta 1 with asthma control test.

Assessment of asthma with a control test is suggested as a relevant approach for recent years. Ideally, an asthma control test should apply not only to clinical manifestations but also to laboratory markers of inflammation as well. Until now, this could not be performed because of the lack of a confirmed marker which indicates inflammation. A fibrotic mediator TGF-beta 1 has been reported as a key mediator of remodeling in asthma. The aim of this study is to evaluate plasma TGF-beta 1 level in stable asthmatic sufferers and to investigate its correlation with the asthma control test. Stable asthmatic sufferers and healthy controls were recruited for this study. After obtaining demographic information, skin prick and asthma control tests were performed. Blood samples were collected for plasma TGF-beta 1 level. Any contributing factors that may affect plasma TGF-beta 1 level were excluded from both groups. Thirty-five atopic, 35 nonatopic asthmatic sufferers and 15 healthy control subjects were included for this study. The mean age was 38 +/- 10 (years) and 61% were female. When the asthmatic group compared with the control group, plasma TGF-beta 1 level was significantly higher in the asthmatic group (41.7 +/- 12.6 ng/mL versus 27.6 +/- 13 ng/mL) (p < 0.05) whereas it was similar among the atopic and nonatopic groups (41.8 +/- 14.2 ng/mL versus 41.6 +/- 11 ng/mL) (p > 0.05). Spearman Correlation Analysis results pointed positive correlation between uncontrolled asthma and plasma TGF-beta 1 level. This study shows that plasma TGF-beta 1 level may be a systemic marker of asthma control.

Helicobacter pylori in bronchiectasis: a polymerase chain reaction assay in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and bronchiectatic lung tissue.

BACKGROUND: A number of studies have implicated an association between H. pylori and diverse extra-gastroduodenal pathologies. Chronic inflammation and increased immune response have been observed in bronchiectasis, likely gastroduodenal inflammatory diseases. H. pylori has been found in the trachea-bronchial aspirates of mechanically ventilated patients. Furthermore, the seroprevalence of H. pylori was found to be significantly higher in patients with bronchiectasis than in the control group. The present study was performed to investigate the possible role of H. pylori in the pathogenesis of bronchiectasis. METHODS: Prospectively, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was obtained from patients with bronchiectasis (n=26) and control (n=20). BALF was subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to determine the presence of H. pylori and serum IgG against H. pylori was determined with micro-ELISA kit. In addition, PCR was performed to determine H. pylori in surgically removed lung tissues from patients with bronchiectasis (n=97). RESULTS: H. pylori DNA was not detected in the BALF or in lung tissue samples. In addition, anti-H. pylori IgG level in patients with bronchiectasis did not show statistically significant difference from that of the control. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provided evidence that there might be no direct association between H. pylori and bronchiectasis; however, the indirect role of soluble products of H. pylori could not be excluded.

Evaluation of the relationship between cockroach sensitivity and house-dust-mite sensitivity in Turkish asthmatic patients.

Exposure to cockroach has been identified as an important source of indoor allergens in patients with asthma and allergic rhinitis. We evaluated the relationship between cockroach sensitivity and other allergens in patients with asthma. A total of 114 patients, defined asthma according to GINA, were enrolled in this study. A questionnaire including age, sex, duration of asthma, history of cockroach presence at home, and total IgE, blood eosinophil count, pulmonary function tests, standard skin prick test additional cockroach and shrimp allergen were performed. There were 84 (73.7%) female and 30 (26.3%) male patients with a mean age of 38.1+10.1 years. The average duration of asthma was 7.7+7.2 years. Sixty five (57%) patients were determined atopic and 49 (43%) nonatopic. Pollen allergen was the most common allergen in 59 (51.8%) patients with asthma, and second common allergen was mite allergen in 43 (37.7%) patients. Cockroach sensitivity were detected in 23 (20.2%) of 114 all asthmatics and 23 (35%) of atopic asthmatics. High rates of house-dust-mite allergy (73.9%) was determined in patients with cockroach sensitivity (P<0.05), while we found no relationship with other allergens. There was no difference for cockroach sensitivity between rural and urban population. Cockroach sensitivity was more common in mild bronchial asthmatics and a female predominance was observed. In addition, there was no association between shrimp and cockroach sensitivity. As a result, a high rate of cockroach sensitivity alone or with mite sensitivity was seen in patients with bronchial asthma in Turkish population. Because of cross-reactivity between mites and cockroach, cockroach sensitivity should be investigated in patients with house-dust-mite allergy. In addition, a high rate of cockroach sensitivity, in terms of IgE sensitization, may be important for the development of new sensitizations.

The assessment of validity of different asthma diagnostic tools in adults.

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of asthma is based on the presence of symptoms. Lung function measurements such as forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), peak expiratory flow (PEF) variability and airway hyperresponsiveness support the clinical diagnosis. However, asthma is still an under- or overdiagnosed disease. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to identify which test(s) is the most valuable for making the diagnosis of asthma by using patients with asthma-like symptoms as a reference population. METHODS: One hundred patients admitted to an asthma outpatient clinic of an education and research hospital and 23 non-smoking healthy control subjects were included in this study. An asthma questionnaire, spirometric tests, monitoring of PEF variability during two weeks, non-specific bronchial challenge test with methacoline, skin prick tests (SPT) with common aeroallergens, measurements of serum total IgE and blood eosinophil counts were applied to all cases. RESULTS: Sixty of one hundred patients were diagnosed with asthma, whereas the 40 remaining participant were accepted as pseudoasthma due to a diagnosis of another cause for their symptoms. The sensitivity and specificity of the methacholine challenge test was 96.5% and 78.4%, respectively. While the most sensitive test was a methacholine challenge test, the most specific test was the reversibility test. The test with the highest correlation of a positive result and asthma was the reversibility test. However, the highest correlation with a negative result was found with the methacholine challenge test. SPT positivity, serum total IgE and eosinophilia had low sensitivity and moderate specificity. The most specific question was "have you had an attack of shortness of breath that came on during the day when you were at rest at any time?", whereas the most sensitive question was "have you had an attack of shortness of breath that came on following strenuous activity at any time?" In addition, the questions "have you had an attack of shortness of breath that came on following strenuous activity at any time?" and "have you woken up with an attack of wheezing at any time?" had significant correlation with the results of the methacholine challenge test. CONCLUSIONS: We have shown that the methacholine challenge test is the most valuable diagnostic tool for asthma. In addition, there is a significant correlation between the methacholine challenge test and some patient symptoms.