BackgroundAlterations in body composition, including a low fat-free mass index (FFMI), are common in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and occur regardless of body weight.Research questionIs the impact of low FFMI on exercise capacity, health-related quality of life (HRQL) and systemic inflammation different among COPD patients stratified in different body mass index classifications?Study …
Category: Pneumology
Persistent Asthma Is Associated With Carotid Plaque in MESA
BackgroundAsthma and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease share an underlying inflammatory pathophysiology. We hypothesized that persistent asthma is associated with carotid plaque burden, a strong predictor of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease events.Methods and ResultsThe MESA (MultiβEthnic Study of Atherosclerosis) enrolled adults free of known atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease at baseline. Subtype of asthma was determined at examination 1. Persistent …
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Chest CT Findings in Marijuana Smokers
BackgroundGlobal consumption of marijuana is increasing, but there is a paucity of evidence concerning associated lung imaging findings.PurposeTo use chest CT to investigate the effects of marijuana smoking in the lung.Materials and MethodsThis retrospective case-control study evaluated results of chest CT examinations (from October 2005 to July 2020) in marijuana smokers, nonsmoker control patients, and …
Association Between Aluminum Exposure From Vaccines Before Age 24 Months and Persistent Asthma at Age 24 to 59 Months
ObjectiveTo assess the association between cumulative aluminum exposure from vaccines before age 24 months and persistent asthma at age 24 to 59 months.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted in the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD). Vaccination histories were used to calculate cumulative vaccine-associated aluminum in milligrams (mg). The persistent asthma definition required one inpatient or 2 outpatient asthma …
Evaluating triple ICS/LABA/LAMA therapies for COPD patients: a network meta-analysis of ETHOS, KRONOS, IMPACT, and TRILOGY studies
In some studies comparing triple with dual combination therapies in COPD there might be a possible effect of inhaler bias resulting from different inhaler devices being used in comparator arms. The aim of this study was a quantitative synthesis by considering the studies that directly compared triple ICS/LABA/LAMA vs. either dual LABA/LAMA or ICS/LABA therapies …