BACKGROUND Abnormal lung function is commonly identified by comparing observed spirometric values to corresponding reference values. It is recommended that such reference values for spirometry are evaluated and updated frequently. The aim of this study was to estimate new reference values for Swedish adults by fitting a multivariable regression model to a healthy non-smoking general population ...

Contradictory results from randomised controlled trials of acupuncture in asthma suggest both a beneficial and detrimental effect. The authors conducted a formal systematic review and meta-analysis of all randomised clinical trials in the published literature that have compared acupuncture at real and placebo points in asthma patients. The authors searched for trials published in the period 197...

OBJECTIVE To determine the agreement between devices and repeatability within devices of the forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), peak expiratory flow (PEF) and forced expiratory flow at 50% of FVC (FEF50) values measured using the four spirometers included in the study. METHODS 50 (24 women) participants (20-64 years of age) completed maximum forced expiratory...

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to quantify the time-varying changes in pulmonary function with exposure to prolonged sitting. METHODS Twenty-one healthy volunteers were recruited. The pulmonary function of all participants was measured three times in order to assess changes over time; pulmonary function was measured before sitting, after participants had been seated for 1 hour, and ...

The bronchomotor effects of a deep inhalation (DI) may provide relevant information about the mechanisms of exercise-induced airway obstruction in children and may be assessed by respiratory conductance (Grs) measured using the forced oscillation technique. The aims of the present study were to assess the effect of DI on Grs after exercise in relationship to the lung function response to exerci...

OBJECTIVE To analyze and compare lung function of obese and healthy, normal-weight children and adolescents, without asthma, through spirometry and volumetric capnography. METHODS Cross-sectional study including 77 subjects (38 obese) aged 5-17 years. All subjects underwent spirometry and volumetric capnography. The evaluations were repeated in obese subjects after the use of a bronchodilator...

OBJECTIVES Farming as an occupation is considered a risk factor for asthma and reduced lung function. By contrast, living on a farm during infancy has been reported to be associated with lower risk of asthma in adulthood. However, little is known about the association between farming environment during infancy and lung function in adulthood. We aimed to study the prospective longitudinal associ...

Background To analyze and summarize the effect of continuous care on the life quality and control of asthma of pediatric patients with asthma discharged from multiple hospitals. Methods Retrospective analysis was carried out on 172 pediatric patients with asthma aged between 6 and 11 yr old randomly selected from those admitted to five hospitals between January 2014 and December 2015. Among t...

Respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function were examined among 89 rubberwood furniture factory workers. Acute and chronic irritant symptoms were assessed, lung function was measured both pre- and post-shift and personal inhalable dust exposure determined. The only symptoms with a significant increase among high dust level-exposed workers (>1 mg/m(3)) were those related to nasal irritation. Hig...

We refer to the recent study by OOSTVEEN et al. [1] on bronchodilator response in 4-yr-old children with different wheezing phenotypes. The forced oscillation technique is particularly suited to 2–7-yr-old children, and its suitability to assess bronchodilator responsiveness is still being investigated. Thus, the study is of great clinical relevance and, though of a narrow age range, is a welco...