ERJ Open Research

RationaleSevere SARS-CoV-2 infection induces disrupted oropharyngeal and gut microbiota during acute disease which may persist and contribute to the development of post-acute pulmonary sequelae. To date, it is unclear whether dysbiosis following severe disease is linked to long-term pulmonary function impairment. ObjectivesTo determine associations between oropharyngeal and gut microbiota composition with lung function after severe COVID-19. Methods16S and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rRN...

BackgroundBronchiectasis is a debilitating respiratory condition characterized by chronic cough with expectoration of thick sputum. It accounts for significant morbidity and mortality, especially when associated with exacerbations. Assessing the health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) of patients with bronchiectasis is important to ascertain the impact of the disease on day-to-day life, as well as to gauge the effect of targeted interventions. Conventionally used methods for assessing HR-QoL suc...

Background and AimsThe prognosis of interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) other than idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has not been studied as extensively as IPF. This study aimed to evaluate baseline factors associated with mortality in non-IPF ILD, including demographic characteristics, respiratory function test (RFT), comorbidities, and ILD subtypes. MethodsThis retrospective cohort study analysed prospectively collected data of patients with non-IPF ILD at a single tertiary centre in Malaysia...

Background: Interstitial lung abnormalities (ILA) are radiologic findings of increased lung density or fibrosis in individuals without clinical interstitial lung disease (ILD) and are associated with increased mortality and progression to ILD. Understanding physiologic trajectories of lung function preceding ILA diagnosis may illuminate early mechanisms of lung injury. Methods: We recruited participants from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Lung Study, a prospective ...

ObjectiveMyositis-associated interstitial lung disease (myositis-ILD) consists of two predominant radiologic patterns of lung injury--nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) and organizing pneumonia (OP)--that oftentimes coexist. However, it remains unclear whether either is associated with clinical outcomes. We aimed to assess the therapeutic response in patients with NSIP-compared to those with OP-predominant myositis-ILD. MethodsThis retrospective, single-center cohort study recruited part...

Respiratory monitoring in daily-life settings is important for health assessment, yet extracting physiologically interpretable information from breathing signals under natural conditions remains challenging, as breathing is inherently dynamic and strongly modulated by behavior. Here, a portable breathing monitoring device based on a flexible lead zirconate titanate sensor is developed to address this challenge. By exploiting polarity-opposed piezoelectric and pyroelectric responses through senso...

BackgroundRecurrent sore throat affects a small minority of adults but can cause substantial morbidity. Evidence to guide tonsillectomy eligibility in adults is limited, and current criteria are extrapolated from paediatric populations. We aimed to describe the epidemiology, management, and prognosis of adult sore throat in UK primary care. MethodsUsing CPRD Aurum (2010-2020 adults with a first coded episode of sore throat or tonsillitis were identified and matched to controls. Episode frequenc...

BackgroundReliable detection of latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection (LTBI) remains challenging, particularly in TB contacts and immunocompromised individuals, where interferon-{gamma} release assays (IGRAs) demonstrate variable sensitivity. IP-10, a chemokine produced at substantially higher concentrations than IFN-{gamma}, represents a promising immune marker. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of two IP-10 based assays RIDA(R)QUICK TB (lateral flow) and RIDA...

Smoking Cessation Efforts for Patients with Asthma and COPD IntroductionSmoking cessation can alter the natural history of both COPD and asthma by reducing the frequency and severity of exacerbations and slowing disease progression. Accordingly, the Global Initiative for Asthma and the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease recommend that clinicians address smoking cessation at every visit using counseling and pharmacotherapy. MethodsThe Mount Sinai Health System includes seven...

Functional capacity, muscle strength, and patient-reported outcome measures are important indicators of health. In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), these traits are often impaired beyond normal age-related decline. Substantial variability exists in both COPD and healthy populations, the biological basis of which remains poorly understood. Given the known contribution of genetics to complex traits, genetic factors may partly explain this variability. This study aimed to identify gene...

The genetic relationship between asthma and lung function may be dependent on age-at-onset (AAO) of asthma. We investigated whether the shared genetics between asthma AAO and lung function is dependent on AAO. Asthma cases from UK Biobank were subset according to their AAO and genetic correlation was used to obtain genetically homogeneous groups, i.e., [≤]20 (LT20), 20-40, and >40 (GT40) years. Association analysis and fine-mapping were performed to identify shared genetics between AAO groups...

BackgroundPediatric eczema is a highly prevalent condition that often causes substantial suffering among affected children and their families. Numerous modifiable lifestyle and environmental risk factors for the condition have been identified, although these risk factors and related interventions have generally been studied in isolation. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of an integrative program for parents of children with eczema that simultaneously addressed multiple lifestyl...

BackgroundAsthma is a frequent comorbidity in children with sickle cell disease and has been associated with an increased risk of acute complications, particularly vaso-occlusive crises and acute chest syndrome. However, determinants of clinical severity among children with sickle cell disease and confirmed asthma remain poorly characterized, especially in tropical settings. This study aimed to identify factors associated with clinical severity in this population. MethodsWe conducted an observa...

BackgroundLung cancer compensation systems for occupational exposure to asbestos commonly apply Helsinki criteria, which assume 4% excess lung cancer risk per fibre-year of asbestos exposure. The Probability of Causation (PoC) is [≥]50% at 25 fibre-years (risk doubling threshold). Large case-control studies have suggested steeper exposure-response relations at lower exposures. We aimed to estimate PoC of asbestos-related lung cancer to evaluate exposure thresholds for compensation of lung ca...

Importance: Lung cancer mortality in the United States has fallen substantially in recent decades, yet the relative influence of behavioral, environmental, socioeconomic, and therapeutic factors and their sex specific contributions remains unclear. Understanding these drivers is essential to sustain progress and reduce persistent disparities. Objective: To quantify how behavioral, environmental, socioeconomic, and therapeutic determinants collectively shaped US lung cancer mortality from 1994 to...

BackgroundSalbutamol is the most commonly prescribed inhaler for adults discharged from the Emergency Department (ED) with uncontrolled asthma. However newer options, e.g. Maintenance and Reliever Therapy (MART), are now recommended due to growing concerns over risks linked to salbutamol over-prescription. Transitioning to new inhalers requires support for both patients and healthcare professionals (HCP). This paper outlines how we developed an implementation package based on evidence, theory an...

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a progressive condition characterized by increased pulmonary arterial pressure. Endothelial cell dysfunction is one important characteristic of PH. Recently, capillary endothelial cells, including aerocytes (aCaps) and general capillary cell (gCaps), have been detected in developing lungs but their role and the regulatory mechanisms underlying PH remain poorly understood. The goal of this study was to identify changes in Caps and their effects on hypertensive pulm...

Identification of early interventions to reduce/eliminate asthma - the most common chronic disease among children - could significantly reduce burden on the healthcare system. Large-scale asthma Exposome-Wide Association Studies (ExWAS) could identify potential interventions, however integration of diverse data is required to address association confounders. The CHILD Cohort Study has followed 3,454 healthy Canadian children and their families from early pregnancy, collecting exceptionally diver...

RationaleIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a rare, chronic, progressive lung disease with high mortality and few treatment options. Using an additive genetic model, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified multiple risk loci highlighting new genes and pathways of interest. Since IPF risk could also be influenced by non-additive effects, we hypothesised that association analyses using alternative genetic models may provide additional mechanistic insight. ObjectivesTo perform G...

BackgroundAir pollution is a potentially modifiable risk factor for dementia with a population attributable risk fraction of 3%. Little is known about the causal mechanisms behind the association, so we aimed to investigate this. MethodsData from the UK Biobank were used to investigate the association between six measures of air pollution (NO2, NOx, PM2{middle dot}5-10, PM2{middle dot}5, PM2{middle dot}5 absorbance and PM10) and dementia incidence. Indirect pathways through four mediators (card...