Future exacerbations and mortality rates among patients experiencing COPD exacerbations: a meta-analysis of results from the EXACOS/AVOIDEX programme.

Objectives: Exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can lead to reduced lung function and worse clinical outcomes. Previous studies have reported associations between severe exacerbations and increased risk of hospitalisation and/or mortality. This meta-analysis examined the impact of moderate exacerbations on the risk of future exacerbations and all-cause mortality.

No evidence of immune exhaustion after repeated SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in vulnerable and healthy populations.

Frequent SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in vulnerable populations has raised concerns that this may contribute to T cell exhaustion, which could negatively affect the quality of immune protection. Herein, we examined the impact of repeated SARS-CoV-2 vaccination on T cell phenotypic and functional exhaustion in frail older adults in long-term care (n = 23), individuals on immunosuppressive drugs (n = 10), and healthy adults (n = 43), in Canada. Spike-specific CD4 and CD8 T cell levels did not decline in any cohort following repeated SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, nor did the expression of exhaustion markers on spike-specific or total T cells increase.

Long-Term Functional Limitations and Predictors of Recovery After COVID-19: A Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Limited data exist on post-severe COVID-19 functional trajectory, particularly considering premorbid status. We characterized 1-year functional recovery post-hospitalization for COVID-19, highlighting predictors of long-term recovery.

Methods: We enrolled adult patients with lab-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and hospitalized for COVID-19 sequelae, from five major Ontario, Canada hospitals in a prospective cohort study.

Risk factors for recognized and unrecognized SARS-CoV-2 infection: a seroepidemiologic analysis of the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study.

There are limited data on individual risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection (including unrecognized infection). In this seroepidemiologic substudy of an ongoing prospective cohort study of community-dwelling adults, participants were thoroughly characterized pre-pandemic. The SARS-CoV-2 infection was ascertained by serology.

Association between impaired lung function and carotid intima-media thickness in children.

https://bit.ly/4657s2b.

Household Air Pollution and Adult Lung Function Change, Respiratory Disease, and Mortality across Eleven Low- and Middle-Income Countries from the PURE Study.

Background: Globally, household air pollution (HAP) is a major environmental hazard that affects respiratory health. However, few studies have examined associations between HAP and lung function decline and respiratory disease and mortality.

Methods: We used data from the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology study and examined adults residing in 240 rural communities in 11 low- and middle-income countries where HAP from cooking with solid fuels is common.

Prediction of Lung Function Status Using Handgrip Strength and Anthropometry among the Healthy Malay Population in Malaysia.

Lung function depends primarily on the strength of the intercostal muscles and the diaphragm, which is indirectly related to handgrip strength (HGS). This study aims to determine the predictability of lung functions using HGS among healthy adults of Malay ethnicity in Malaysia. This study also aims to compare the equation using HGS with equations without HGS, such as the Global Lung Initiative (GLI).

Differences and agreement between two portable hand-held spirometers across diverse community-based populations in the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study.

Introduction: Portable spirometers are commonly used in longitudinal epidemiological studies to measure and track the forced expiratory volume in first second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC). During the course of the study, it may be necessary to replace spirometers with a different model. This raise questions regarding the comparability of measurements from different devices.

Comparison of three dosing intervals for the primary vaccination of the SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccine (BNT162b2) on magnitude, neutralization capacity and durability of the humoral immune response in health care workers: A prospective cohort study.

Objectives: The dosing interval of a primary vaccination series can significantly impact on vaccine immunogenicity and efficacy. The current study compared 3 dosing intervals for the primary vaccination series of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, on humoral immune response and durability against SARS-CoV-2 ancestral and Beta variants up to 9 months post immunization.

Methods: Three groups of age- and sex-matched healthcare workers (HCW) who received 2 primary doses of BNT162b2 separated by 35-days, 35-42 days or >42-days were enrolled.

Hospitalised COVID-19 outcomes are predicted by hypoxaemia and pneumonia phenotype irrespective of the timing of their emergence.

Unlabelled: Despite the known clinical importance of hypoxemia and pneumonia, there is a paucity of evidence for these variables with respect to risk of mortality and short-term outcomes among those hospitalised with COVID-19.

Objective: Describe the prevalence and clinical course of patients hospitalised with COVID-19 based on oxygenation and pneumonia status at presentation and determine the incidence of emergent hypoxaemia or radiographic pneumonia during admission.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted using a Canadian regional registry.

Regional differences in the contribution of smoking, dietary and cooking behaviours to airflow obstruction in China: A population-based case-control study.

Background And Objective: The major contributing risk factors to airflow obstruction (AO) in China remain largely unknown. We examined the environmental and lifestyle risk factors of unrecognized AO in the baseline of a population-based cohort drawn from 115 urban and rural communities across 12 provinces in China.

Methods: Amongst 46,285 adults recruited from 2005 to 2009, 3686 were identified with AO on spirometry (defined by the ratio of forced expiratory volume in the first second to forced vital capacity <0.

Prevalence and burden of COPD misclassification in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA).

Introduction: To examine the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) misclassification and the associated burden of symptoms, healthcare utilisation and physical performance status in the Canadian general population. This information is presently lacking from large population-based studies with high-quality spirometry data that can be generalised to the general population.

Methods: The prevalence of self-reported physician-diagnosed COPD and the concordance with spirometry airflow obstruction (AO) were assessed in a cross-sectional cohort of Canadian older adults.

Associations between lung function and physical and cognitive health in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA): A cross-sectional study from a multicenter national cohort.

Background: Low lung function is associated with high mortality and adverse cardiopulmonary outcomes. Less is known of its association with broader health indices such as self-reported respiratory symptoms, perceived general health, and cognitive and physical performance. The present study seeks to address the association between forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), an indicator of lung function, with broad markers of general health, relevant to aging trajectory in the general population.

Variations in risks from smoking between high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries: an analysis of data from 179 000 participants from 63 countries.

Background: Separate studies suggest that the risks from smoking might vary between high-income (HICs), middle-income (MICs), and low-income (LICs) countries, but this has not yet been systematically examined within a single study using standardised approaches. We examined the variations in risks from smoking across different country income groups and some of their potential reasons.

Methods: We analysed data from 134 909 participants from 21 countries followed up for a median of 11·3 years in the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) cohort study; 9711 participants with myocardial infarction and 11 362 controls from 52 countries in the INTERHEART case-control study; and 11 580 participants with stroke and 11 331 controls from 32 countries in the INTERSTROKE case-control study.

Functional recovery following hospitalisation of patients diagnosed with COVID-19: a protocol for a longitudinal cohort study.

Introduction: COVID-19 is an international public health crisis with more than 132 million infections worldwide. Beyond acute infection, emerging data indicate patients diagnosed with COVID-19 may experience persistent sequelae similar to survivors of sepsis or acute respiratory syndromes, including mobility limitations and fatigue. However, there is limited evidence on the trajectory of functional recovery in those hospitalised with COVID-19.

Impact of electronic cigarette ever use on lung function in adults aged 45-85: a cross-sectional analysis from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

Objective: To describe the sociodemographic characteristics associated with e-cigarette ever use and to examine the impact of e-cigarette ever use on lung function impairment in an ageing population.

Design: A cross-sectional analysis of data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

Setting: A national stratified sample of 44 817 adults living in Canadian provinces.

Respiratory Symptoms Are Associated With Frailty in Older Adults With Normal Spirometry, Independent of Smoking, in the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging.

Background: Recent studies have demonstrated that even in the absence of lung impairment as determined by spirometry, smoking and respiratory symptoms are associated with poor overall health and well-being. However, this relationship is not well defined; and it remains unclear the degree to which symptoms are related to poor health, independent of smoking. This is of particular importance to older adults, as they are more likely to exhibit respiratory symptoms and are, therefore, at risk of not receiving appropriate treatment if they have never smoked and have normal spirometry.

External validation of the 4C mortality score among COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital in Ontario, Canada: a retrospective study.

Risk prediction scores are important tools to support clinical decision-making for patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The objective of this paper was to validate the 4C mortality score, originally developed in the United Kingdom, for a Canadian population, and to examine its performance over time. We conducted an external validation study within a registry of COVID-19 positive hospital admissions in the Kitchener-Waterloo and Hamilton regions of southern Ontario between March 4, 2020 and June 13, 2021.