Active clinical trials for "Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive"

Weight loss commonly occurs in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), negatively influencing their quality of life, treatment response and survival. Loss of muscle protein is generally a central component of weight loss in COPD patients. Attempts to reverse muscle loss in COPD by supplying large amounts of protein or calories to these patients have been unsuccessful. Gains in muscle mass are difficult to achieve in COPD unless specific metabolic abnormalities are targeted. The investigators recently observed that alterations in protein metabolism are present in normal weight COPD patients. Elevated levels of protein synthesis and breakdown rates were found in this COPD group indicating that alterations are already present before muscle wasting occurs. Furthermore, reduced plasma essential amino acid (EAA) levels were observed in COPD patients. These reduced EAA plasma levels were significantly related with the presence of muscle wasting in COPD. Until now, limited research has been done examining protein metabolism and the response to feeding in patients with COPD. Previous studies support the concept of essential amino acids (EAA) as an anabolic stimulus in the young and elderly and in insulin resistant states. Until yet no information is present on the anabolic effects of EAA in elderly COPD patients. It is therefore our hypothesis that a high-leucine essential amino acids mixture specifically designed to stimulate protein anabolism will target the metabolic alterations of COPD patients. In the present study, the acute effects of an EAA nutritional supplement on whole body, muscle and liver protein metabolism will be examined in COPD patients and compared to a supplement consisting of a balanced mixture of total amino acids. The principal endpoints will be the extent of stimulation of whole body protein synthesis as this is the principal mechanism by which either amino acid or protein intake causes muscle anabolism, and the reduction in endogenous protein breakdown. Both endpoints will be assessed by isotope methodology which is thought to be the reference method.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the most common pulmonary disease, responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality and is the third leading cause of death worldwide. As well as its consequences in the lungs, COPD is well recognized to be associated with a range of important systemic consequences and co-morbidities. Interestingly, skeletal muscle dysfunction is noted in both early and advanced disease, suggesting its origins may not be wholly pulmonary. Treatment strategies targeting lung function are, unfortunately, of limited value. Given the burden of disease, it is becoming increasingly important that investigative and therapeutic work now focuses on other systemic characteristics and sequelae which define the disease phenotype. This is a randomized controlled trial of the effect of 14 days of voluntary reduced activity on muscle mass, muscle strength, body composition, and atrophy signalling in patients with COPD and age-matched controls. The primary hypothesis upon which this study is based is that a short reduction in ambulation will induce a transient reduction in quadriceps muscle mass, quadriceps strength and physical performance in patients with COPD compared to matched COPD patients whose mobility has not been restricted. The secondary hypothesis is that the magnitude of the above changes will be greater in physically inactive COPD patients compared to physically inactive age-matched controls. The overall aim of this research is to use an in vivo human model of 14 days of voluntary reduced physical activity to test the above hypotheses. If the model proves feasible, this will allow for earlier proof of concept studies of novel therapeutic agents.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a condition defined as a disease state characterized by airflow limitation that is not fully reversible. The airflow limitation is usually progressive and is associated with an abnormal inflammatory response of lungs to noxious particles or gases, primarily caused by cigarette smoking. The accelerated decline in lung function is closely associated with an increased number of neutrophils in the sputum and hence with higher level of airway inflammation. It becomes clear that the inflammatory process potentiates as COPD progresses and exerts damage which is irreversible. Oxidative stress is inextricably linked to the inflammatory response. There is increasing evidence that an oxidant/antioxidant imbalance, in favor of oxidants, occurs in COPD. NAC has been reported to reduce the viscosity of sputum in both cystic fibrosis and COPD, facilitating the removal of pulmonary secretions. Moreover, by maintaining the airway clearance, it prevents bacterial stimulation of mucin production and hence mucus hypersecretion. The superiority of NAC over the other mucolytics may be in its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and its mucolytic actions. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of treatment with NAC long on oxidative stress marker change and also explore the effect of NAC to airway inflammatory, lung function test and CAT scores. Selected oxidative stress marker was defined as 8 - isoprostane, protein carbonyl, DNA damage.

The short chain fatty acid (SCFA) metabolism has not been studied in subjects suffering from COPD. The purpose of this study is to compare the SCFA metabolism in COPD patients to healthy matched controls. This protocol is an extension of recent studies about protein digestion and absorption abnormalities in COPD patients. The investigators hypothesize that SCFA production might be lower in COPD patients than in healthy subjects.

The ANM is the first initiative that puts advanced pharmaceutical care into practice in Andalusia (Spain). The aim of this is study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention Assistance to New Medicines (ANM) in the improvement of adherence to treatment in community pharmacies.

Behavioral problems are part of many of the chronic diseases that cause the majority of illness, disability and death. Tobacco, diet, physical inactivity, alcohol, drug abuse, failure to take treatment, sleep problems, anxiety, depression, and stress are major issues, especially when chronic medical problems such as heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, or kidney disease are also present. These behavioral problems can often be helped, but the current health care system doesn't do a good job of getting the right care to these patients. Behavioral health includes mental health care, substance abuse care, health behavior change, and attention to family and other psychological and social factors. Many people with behavioral health needs present to primary care and may be referred to mental health or substance abuse specialists, but this method is often unacceptable to patients. Two newer ways have been proposed for helping these patients. In co-location, a behavioral health clinician (such as a Psychologist or Social Worker) is located in or near the primary practice to increase the chance that the patient will make it to treatment. In Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH), a Behavioral Health Clinician is specially trained to work closely with the medical provider as a full member of the primary treatment team. The research question is: Does increased integration of evidence-supported behavioral health and primary care services, compared to simple co-location of providers, improve outcomes? The key decision affected by the research is at the practice level: whether and how to use behavioral health services. The investigators plan to do a randomized, parallel group clustered study of 3,000 subjects in 40 practices with co-located behavioral health services. Practices randomized to the active intervention will convert to IBH using a practice improvement method that has helped in other settings. The investigators will measure the health status of patients in each practice before and after they start using IBH. The investigators will compare the change in those outcomes to health status changes of patients in practices who have not yet started using IBH. The investigators plan to study adults who have both medical and behavioral problems, and get their care in Family Medicine clinics, General Internal Medicine practices, and Community Health Centers.

This project is aimed to assess the responsiveness of the Glittre ADL-test and the 1-Minute Sit-to-Stand test (1-Minute STST) to acute bronchodilation in patients with COPD. We also aim to investigate the physiological and perceptual response to bronchodilation of the Glittre ADL-test and the 1-minute STST. The specific objectives are 1)To measure the changes in time for completion of the Glittre ADL-test and the number of standing up during the 1-minute STST induced by a single dose of nebulized ipratropium bromide/salbutamol sulfate against those induced by a placebo in patients with moderate to severe COPD and 2)To compare in patients with moderate to severe COPD the CR (minute ventilation (VE), oxygen uptake (VO2), carbon dioxide production (VCO2) and heart rate) and symptomatic (dyspnea and leg fatigue perception) responses during the Glittre ADL-test and the 1-Minute STST following a single dose of ipratropium bromide/salbutamol sulfate or placebo. We suppose among others that the Glittre test completion time will be lesser, that the number of repetitions in the 1-Minute STST will be higher and symptoms intensity will be lesser among patients with COPD receiving bronchodilators.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is characterized by chronic systemic hypoxia and low-grade inflammation as well as by an alteration of arginine (ARG) metabolism. As ARG is synthetized from circulating citrulline (CIT), an alteration of CIT homeostasis, particularly its production by ornithine transcarbamylase (OCT) in small intestine could be involved. We hypothesized that hypoxia +/- inflammation, classically associated to COPD, has effects on OCT regulation in enterocytes. This study aims at exploring the effects of hypoxia and inflammation on the production of citrulline by ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) activity in enterocytes from explant cultures of duodenal tissue.

the aim of this study to assess the relationship and compare physiological response between spot marching exercise test and 6 minute walk test in patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a preventable and treatable condition, is a major healthcare problem with huge human and economic costs. It affects 3 million people, results in 1.4 million consultations, causes 30,000 deaths, and costs £800M per year in the UK. Considerable research expenditure is devoted to finding new and expensive interventions. However pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is an available therapeutic option with good evidence of benefit for patients in terms of quality of life and daily functioning. The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of the addition of a maintenance programme following pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with COPD when compared to standard care. The secondary objective is to identify baseline characteristics that will predict improvement in pulmonary rehabilitation programmes and adherence to maintenance strategies. By measuring a series of demographic, clinical, physiological, psychological and biochemical parameters the researchers hope to be able to predict those patients who are likely to receive the greatest benefit from pulmonary rehabilitation. An additional objective will be to prepare a detailed maintenance programme manual. This will be available to other centres providing pulmonary rehabilitation at the conclusion of the study