Respiratory Function Levels Research Articles

Effectiveness of an Occupational Therapy Program on Cancer Patients with Dyspnea: Randomized Trial

Background: Dyspnea is one of the leading causes of loss of autonomy among patients with advanced cancer. The management of these symptoms relies exclusively on pharmacological measures.Aims: To assess the effectiveness of a “occupational therapy program” to improve both personal functionality and respiratory function in patients with dyspnea.Methods: Experimental, prospective, longitudinal, and randomized study. A total of 102 individuals from the inpatient oncology unit of the University Salamanca Hospital Complex were participated in this study. In addition to pharmacological treatment, the intervention group participated in the occupational therapy program.Results: The study yielded statistically significant differences between the members of the experimental group and those of the control group in functionality levels, as well as statistically significant differences in the BODE global respiratory index scores (p < 0.001), and in the dyspnea level scores (p < 0.001) between both groups.Conclusions: Comprehensive respiratory rehabilitation program from an occupational therapy perspective improve functionality and overall respiratory function levels in cancer patients suffering from dyspnea.

Frontal assessment battery for detecting executive dysfunction in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis without dementia: a retrospective observational study

ObjectiveThe frontal assessment battery (FAB) is a quick and reliable method of screening to evaluate frontal lobe dysfunction in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, previous studies were generally conducted on...

Cessation and resuming of alglucosidase alfa in Pompe disease: a retrospective analysis.

Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with recombinant human alglucosidase alfa (rhGAA) in late-onset Pompe disease is moderately effective. Little is known about the clinical course after treatment termination and the resumption of ERT. In Switzerland, rhGAA therapy for Pompe disease was temporarily withdrawn after the federal court judged that the treatment costs were greatly out of proportion compared to the benefits. Re-treatment was initiated after the therapy was finally licensed. We retrospectively analysed seven Pompe patients, who underwent cessation and resumption of ERT (median age 43years). The delay from first symptoms to final diagnosis ranged from 4 to 20years. The demographics, clinical characteristics, assessments with the 6-min walking test (6-MWT), the predicted forced vital capacity (FVC) and muscle strength were analysed. Before initiation of ERT, all patients suffered from proximal muscle weakness of the lower limbs; one was wheelchair-bound and two patients received night-time non-invasive ventilation. Initial treatment stabilised respiratory function in most patients and improved their walking performance. After treatment cessation, upright FVC declined in most and the 6-MWT declined in all patients. Two patients needed additional non-invasive ventilatory support. Twelve months after resuming ERT, the respiratory and walking capacity improved again in most patients. However, aside for one patient, none of the patients reached the same level of respiratory function or distance walked in 6min, as at the time of ERT withdrawal. We conclude that cessation of ERT in Pompe disease causes a decline in clinical function and should be avoided. Resuming treatment only partially recovers respiratory function and walking capacity.

Respiratory function of university students living at high altitude.

[Purpose] This study compared the respiratory function and oxygen saturation levels of university students living at high altitude, to present a new approach for improving respiratory function using high altitudes above sea level. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects were 100 female students attending a university located approximately 850 m above sea level and 104 female students attending a university located at low altitude. Oxygen saturation, heart rate (HR), and respiratory function levels were measured. [Results] For the students living at high altitude, HR, PEF, and FEV1/FVC levels were low. In contrast, their oxygen saturation, FEV1, and FVC levels were higher than the levels found in students living at low altitude. Differences in respiratory function were revealed in first- and second-year students living at high and low altitudes. On the other hand, no significant differences in respiratory function were found between third- and fourth-year students. [Conclusion] University students living at high altitude had a slower HR and higher oxygen saturation levels as well as higher lung and inspiratory capacity levels. Thus, physiological improvement in oxygen saturation levels and pulmonary function were seen in the individuals living at high altitude.

Brain White Matter Hyperintensities: Relative Importance of Vascular Risk Factors in Nondemented Elderly People

To prospectively determine whether there is an association between brain white matter signal hyperintensities on magnetic resonance (MR) images and potential risk factors for cerebral ischemia in a well-characterized narrow age cohort of nondemented community-dwelling elderly people. The study population consisted of surviving members of the Aberdeen 1921 Birth Cohort, a subsample of participants in the 1932 Scottish Mental Survey who were born in 1921. With the permission of the local ethics committee and with informed written consent, 106 nondemented subjects (62 men, 44 women) aged 78-79 years underwent T2-weighted brain MR imaging. Brain MR images were scored semiquantitatively for deep white matter hyperintensities and periventricular hyperintensities. Vascular risk factors and clinical measures potentially associated with cerebral ischemia included hypertension, diabetes, cerebrovascular disease, smoking, body mass index grade, respiratory function levels (forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1], forced vital capacity [FVC], and peak expiratory flow rate [PEFR]) normalized for subject's height, plasma lipid levels (cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, and low-density lipoprotein), glycated hemoglobin level, and mean fasting blood glucose level. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated for correlations between potential vascular risk factors and scores for deep white matter and periventricular hyperintensities, and stepwise multiple linear regression analysis was performed for factors with a statistically significant correlation. Significant Pearson correlations with deep white matter hyperintensities were found for glycated hemoglobin level (r = 0.31), hypertension (r = 0.27), normalized FEV1 (r = -0.27), normalized FVC (r = -0.22), normalized PEFR (r = -0.27), low-density lipoprotein (r = 0.24), and cholesterol (r = 0.20), and with periventricular hyperintensities for glycated hemoglobin level (r = 0.28) and normalized PEFR (r = -0.23). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that glycated hemoglobin level and hypertension were predictive of 16.2% of the variance in deep white matter hyperintensities. When subjects with non-insulin-dependent (type 2) diabetes mellitus (n = 11) were excluded, hypertension and decreased normalized PEFR were predictive of 11.7% of the variance. White matter hyperintensities are associated with elevated levels of glycated hemoglobin in nondemented community-dwelling elderly subjects. Hypertension and decreased normalized PEFR are the principal predictors of deep white matter hyperintensities in nondiabetic subjects.