Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Metabolic Syndrome: A Maltese Study on Biomarkers and Clinical Implications.

Purpose: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) are both characterized by inflammation and appear to be linked. The study aims to characterize COPD in Maltese individuals with diabetes and MetS for the first time. The research project also aims to identify biomarkers that are significantly associated with COPD endpoints in the study population having both COPD and MetS.

Rhinitis associated with asthma is distinct from rhinitis alone: The ARIA-MeDALL hypothesis.

Asthma, rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis (AD) are interrelated clinical phenotypes that partly overlap in the human interactome. The concept of "one-airway-one-disease," coined over 20 years ago, is a simplistic approach of the links between upper- and lower-airway allergic diseases. With new data, it is time to reassess the concept.

Secondhand smoke exposure in school children in Malta assessed through urinary biomarkers.

School children may be exposed to secondhand smoke (SHS) either at home, in transit or in social gatherings permitting smoking in their presence. Questionnaires about SHS often underestimate prevalence and extent of exposure. A more accurate tool is the use of biomarkers such as cotinine (COT) and trans-3'-hydrocycotinine (3HC) as biomarkers of SHS exposure, alongside 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL), a reduction product in the body of the tobacco-specific nitrosamine, 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), both potent carcinogens.