Respiratory Research Review

Dr. Lutz Beckert

Welcome to the last edition of Research Review for 2008. It is a good opportunity to thank all readers for their feedback and suggestions. It is an honour to be involved with the Research Reviews.

This edition is focussed on COPD. For an outsider it will be surprising how much the definitions of COPD vary. Two papers warn against using fixed cut-offs to make a diagnosis, which may underestimate the prevalence of airway obstruction in a younger population by about 50%. Maureen Swanney from Christchurch, New Zealand and her colleagues have produced a landmark paper arguing that COPD may be overestimated by up to 60% when one doesn't use the lower limits of normal to make a diagnosis.

Only Australian researchers will know how to predict a patient's lung disease, if they state that they "feel like a cow in a paddock... ". American researchers found a significant survival advantage for COPD patients with vascular disease on β-blockers and researchers from Taiwan deliver a very successful rehabilitation course via cell phone. However, it could only be an Italian group who published that oxygen saturation improves during sexual intercourse.

Kind regards,

Dr. Lutz Beckert
lutzbeckert@researchreview.co.nz

Respiratory Research Review	Contents
Issue 27 (2008)	LLN of FEV₁/FVC ratio reduces airway obstruction misclassification FEV₁/FVC <70% underestimates airflow obstruction Driving performance not improved by O₂ therapy in hypoxaemia Modified BODE: validation with mortality in COPD 6MWD as a predictor of mortality in stable COPD Language differentiates between adults with and without COPD A cell phone-based exercise programme for COPD SaO₂ during sex in COPD Medications for recently diagnosed COPD and risk for death Long-term erythromycin decreases COPD exacerbations β-blockers and mortality in COPD patients with atherosclerosis P. aeruginosa transmission: infrequent in NZ CF clinics
Issue 26 (2008)	Paracetamol use and asthma Risks with paracetamol use in infancy/childhood Home heating and asthma in children Asthma self-management education: nurses vs. lay people Alcohol levels with hydrofluoroalkane-ethanol inhalers The burden of chronic cough for families Improved O2 systems for childhood pneumonia Indirect effect of 7-valent PCV on unvaccinated household members PPIs and risk of CAP Statin use and pneumonia outcomes
Issue 25 (2008)	RV contractility in SSc- and idiopathic PAH HRCT in symptomatic scleroderma-related interstitial lung disease Clinical PAH outcomes with BMPR2 mutation Long-term sildenafil in inoperable CTEPH Treating mildly symptomatic PAH with bosentan Bosentan in severe COPD: an RCT Bosentan in PAH: the relationship between 6MWD and QOL Improved outcomes In CTEPH H-FABP for assessing risk in CTEPH Survival and prognosis in PoPH
Issue 24 (2008)	CPAP vs. BVS in obesity hypoventilation syndrome Effect of CPAP on vascular function in OSAHS 'Tennis ball technique' vs. nCPAP in position-dependent OSA Acylated ghrelin levels before and after nasal CPAP Motor vehicle crashes in patients with OSA/H Persistence of OSA after surgical weight loss Sleep-disordered breathing and postoperative complications Health belief model predicts adherence to CPAP Comparison of oral appliances for mild sleep apnoea A titration strategy for oral appliances prescriptions for OSA
Issue 23 (2008)	Varenicline vs. NRT for smoking cessation Salmeterol/fluticasone propionate plus tiotropium bromide Tiotropium with placebo, salmeterol or salmeterol + fluticasone Tiotropium plus formoterol vs. salmeterol plus fluticasone Magnesium: a predictor of frequent COPD readmissions Short-course antibiotics in exacerbations of chronic bronchitis and COPD Exertional dyspnoea in obese women: an increased O2 cost of breathing Azithromycin: effects on phagocytosis and mannose receptors Panic attacks and inspiratory resistive load perception Carbocisteine in COPD acute
Issue 22 (2008)	Preschool children with wheeze: long-term prognosis Aspirin and risk of adult-onset asthma in women Effect of dietary antioxidants on asthma Predictors for wheezing phenotypes during first decade of life Treatment adherence in young children with asthma Effect of obesity on respiratory function in female asthmatics Longitudinal study of airway function in ex-preterms Clinical outcomes of PAH in BMPR2 mutation carriers Pulmonary manifestations in POEMS syndrome d-MPH for sarcoidosisassociated fatigue
Issue 21 (2008)	Diagnosing pulmonary MAC with enzyme immunoassay Antituberculosis drug resistance in the UK Predictive value of IFN-γ assay in recent TB infection IFN-γ release assay to diagnose latent TB infection QuantiFERON TB-2G test in elderly TB patients Model for efficient screening of TB contacts Nortriptyline plus NRT in smoking cessation Safety of LABAs in stable COPD Pneumonia in elderly patients with COPD Diagnosing PE by multidetector CT +/- venous ultrasound
Issue 20 (2008)	Time to antibiotics and pneumonia diagnosis Chest x-ray and time to antibiotics in pneumonia PPV and CAP outcomes Thin-section CT and lung tumour prognosis Hypoxia test cut-offs in neonatal CLD Hypoxia tests to predict in-flight hypoxaemia HCT for predicting in-flight hypoxia in preterms Extrapulmonary COPD effects and physical activity Dust mite control in asthma Chronic community beryllium exposure LB and lung transplant outcomes
Issue 19 (2008)	Dyspnoea and airway responses in obesity Single versus bilateral lung transplantation Cotton dust exposure and lung function Wood dust effects on lung function Variations in COPD exacerbation analyses Snoring and chronic bronchitis Effect of macrolides on airway hypersecretion β-blocker use for CV disease in COPD FEV₆ and FVC for predicting lung capacity rhDNase for acute asthma in children
Issue 18 (2008)	VTE risk in acute hospitalisation VTE risk with minor injuries Assessing LV/RV ratio in PE Concomitant coumarins and SSRIs Outcomes following DVT and PE Thrombocytopenia with heparin: incidence and impact TE risk with warfarin interruptions Cannabis and lung cancer risk Cannabis and bullous lung disease Lung clearance index in CF
Issue 17 (2008)	Young people, money & access to tobacco ICU outcome & prognosis for lung cancer patients Spirometry in general practice Management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax Nasal surgery in OSA Auto-CPAP versus fixed-CPAP in OSA Chronic sleep restriction & daytime sleepiness Salmeterol/fluticasone vs tiotropium for COPD exacerbations Bosentan for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis Cyclophosphamide in scleroderma interstitial lung disease
Issue 16 (2008)	Lung disease and safety of air travel Diagnosis of PE in hospitalised patients CTPA vs VQ for suspected PE Fatal PE risk after cessationof VTE anticoagulant therapy ADRB2 polymorphisms and response to long-acting ß2-agonists Flexible bronchoscopy in patients with chronic cough Second-hand smoke and quality of life Hospitalisation rates for COPD in Australia Predictors of hospital admission for COPD Range and severity of COPD symptoms in older adults
2007 Archive
2006 Archive