Active clinical trials for "Lung Diseases, Obstructive"

Recently, direct evidences point to the contributing role of peripheral muscle fatigue in exercise tolerance among patients with COPD. However, the physiological mechanisms by which peripheral muscle fatigue impairs exercise tolerance are still unknown, as factors regulating peripheral muscle fatigue in COPD may be complex. One possible link between limb muscle fatigue and exercise intolerance could be enhanced afferent signals from the active limb muscles to the central command, thereby limiting central motor output and eventually leading to exercise termination. A direct method to investigate the regulation of peripheral muscle fatigue during exercise in patients with COPD is the blockade of peripheral neural afferents via lumbar anesthesia. Consequently, investigating the interplay between the peripheral muscular component and the central motor command during self-paced exercise could shed light on the regulation of peripheral muscle fatigue in COPD and its implication in exercise intolerance.

The objective of this study is to compare the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and direct healthcare costs of managing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in primary care patients with evidence of COPD who either initiate inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) therapy, or have an increase in their ICS dose, as hydrofluoroalkane (HFA) beclometasone dipropionate (BDP) (hereafter Qvar®), CFC-BDP (hereafter BDP) and fluticasone propionate (FP) via pressurised metered-dose inhalers.

Proprioceptive weighting changes may explain differences in postural control performance. In addition, the respiratory movement has a disturbing effect on postural balance. Postural balance seems to be impaired in individuals with respiratory disorders. Increased risk of falling is reported in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Besides the essential role of respiration, the diaphragm may also play an important role in the control of the trunk and postural balance. The aim of the study is to clarify whether proprioceptive postural control is impaired in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

This study is aiming at evaluating the characteristics of particle emission in subjects with different stages of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) compared with healthy smokers.

The hypotheses of this study are that: Production and release of inflammatory substances called leukotrienes are increased during heart surgery with use of a heart-lung machine in humans; The increase in these leukotrienes levels after heart surgery is higher in patients with bronchitis and/or emphysema than in patients without previous history of lung disease; Levels of leukotrienes are directly correlated with worsening of lung function during and after heart surgery.

The main objective is to study important factors in the patho-physiology of osteoporosis in patients with COPD. Therefore, the investigators will study biological markers in plasma and urine and correlate them to markers of bone turnover and clinical data.

ADL training of copd patients results in better execution of activities of daily living.

This project aims to characterize the independent effect of domestic endotoxin exposure on health status, as well as pulmonary and systemic inflammation, in former smokers with COPD. Positive findings from this study would be clinically relevant, as they would provide evidence to support aggressive reduction of ongoing endotoxin exposure in patients with COPD. The investigators also hope to make a methodological advance in the field of endotoxin exposure assessment by elucidating whether settled dust and/or airborne endotoxin measurements are the more relevant exposure of interest in epidemiological studies of respiratory disease. To fulfill the specific aims, the investigators will conduct a longitudinal study, including 75 former smokers with COPD. All subjects will have indoor air monitoring, in-home settled dust collections, home inspections as well as assessments of health status, quality of life (QOL), lung function and pulmonary and systemic inflammation.

Despite emerging implications for ADAMs (and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)) in disease progression, the mechanisms that lead to activation of specific ADAMs (and MMPs) and their actions in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are still incompletely understood. In the current study, the researchers aim to investigate the effects of cigarette smoke on cellular parameters that are relevant for development of COPD and the involvement of ADAM activity in these effects. By studying the effects of ADAM inhibition, the researchers aim to provide novel insights in the role of ADAMs in the development of COPD, which may offer new therapeutic targets for the treatment of COPD.

The specific aim of this proposed pilot study is to compare two standardized processes (paper and electronic) to deliver a customized MedlinePlus health information prescription.