Active clinical trials for "Lung Diseases"

The study contains the result from a comparison of diagnostic outcomes about lung collapse by using lung ultrasonography as a new diagnostic test compares to fiberoptic bronchoscopy as the standard test.

This study aims to analyze the impact of a brief psychological support intervention in the promotion of the adherence to Non Invasive Ventilation (NIV) among people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The investigators expect to see a positive impact of this intervention on both physical and psychological well-being, and consequently, a reduction of health costs.

High-flow nasal cannula is an oxygenation technique increasingly used for patients admitted for acute respiratory failure. Literature essentially concerns "de novo" acute hypoxemic failure and the interest of high-flow during take care of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients is few studied. Physiological studies reported potential benefits of high-flow nasal cannula oxygenation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients including dead space clearance and decrease of respiratory, which lead to decrease work of breathing. As inhaled bronchodilators are part of treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation, nebulization could be also provided through high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy. The aim of our study is to determine whether a beta-2 agonist nebulization administered through High-flow nasal cannula is efficient to improve spirometry of patients for admitted hronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation.

In this study, 20 COPD patients will undergo a high-resolution/multi slice CT scan and lung function tests to obtain patient specific geometries of the central and peripheral small airways and patient specific boundary conditions. With Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), the investigators will be able to reconstruct the geometry and measure the resistance of the peripheral airways. In a later stage, CFD will be used to simulate the reaction of the airways on various inhalation medications.

The purpose of this study is to check the accuracy of a procedure called exhaled carbon monoxide (eCO) testing. Exhaled carbon monoxide is used by physicians to help assess breathing in people with conditions like asthma and emphysema. eCO may be used to correct another breathing test (called diffusing capacity, or DLCO). Blood collection is usually required to correct the DLCO, so validation of the eCO test may help avoid that blood collection.

Aim: To investigate whether patients with pulmonary hypertension have reduced absorption capacity compared to COPD patients without cor pulmonale potentially due to venous obstruction in the portal vein system. The presence of cor pulmonale was determined by echocardiography. The concentration of D-xylose and zinc were measured in peripheral blood one, two and three hours after ingestion and used as markers of absorption. Furthermore, urine was collected for five hours to determine the amount of excreted D-xylose.

Magnesium (Mg) is involved in several pathways that could be affected in chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPDs), namely in the contractility and excitability of neuro-muscolar endothelial cells and low-grade inflammation, a typical state of COPD. In this sense, several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) confirmed a positive role of Mg in asthma since long-period oral supplementation of Mg leads to a clinical and spirometric improvement. Subjects with COPD seem to have a reduced bioavailability of Mg probably due to the use of drugs that may increase Mg losses (e.g. beta-agonists and cortisones), to a reduced dietary Mg intake, and heavy smoking. A recent study showed that the administration of endovenous or aerosol Mg sulphate with beta-agonists acutely improve maximum expiratory flow during COPD relapses as well as the prolonged treatment with endovenous sulphate Mg led to a reduction in pulmonary hyperinflation and increase in muscles involved in respiration, with a consequent clinical and instrumental improvement. These evidences suggest that a chronic supplementation with Mg could improve COPD in clinical and instrumental parameters, but, at the best of our knowledge, no study was available in this sense.

The investigators aim to use hyperpolarized xenon gas magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography to develop a new technique capable of objectively and quantitatively describing regional and structural lung abnormality. Since this is a relatively novel technique, the investigators first need to acquire imaging and clinical data from a group of participants with normal lungs. The investigators hope to generate an "atlas" of normality, which will form the foundation of future studies to compare with patients suffering from chronic respiratory disease. The investigators also aim to validate the new technique in terms of intra-subject reproducibility.

Two - four 6MWT performed according to ATS standards. Each walk however had specifically altered wording and coaching performed in random order to determine differences in outcomes. One walk was done in the standard ATS fashion. One was done coaching to walk as fast as the patient can walk. One was coached to walk at the patients normal walking pace. One was coached to walk at the patient's leisure walking pace.

Whole body vibration training seems to be a useful adjunct in exercise training in patients with severe COPD. The basic principle relies on reflectory muscle contractions caused by a vibration stimulus. Until now the impact of whole body vibration training on cardiopulmonary parameters remained unknown. Therefore aim of this study is to investigate cardiopulmonary parameters during whole body vibration training in patients with chronic lung disease.