Loading...
52 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 10 of 52
- Portuguese cork industry: filling the knowledge gap regarding occupational exposure to fungi and related health effectsPublication . Viegas, Carla; Dias, Marta; Pacífico, Cátia; Faria, Tiago; Clérigo, Anália Matos; Dias, Hermínia Brites; Caetano, Liliana Aranha; Carolino, Elisabete; Gomes, Anita Q.; Viegas, SusanaIntroduction: The presence of the Penicillium section Aspergilloides (formerly known as Penicillium glabrum) in the cork industry involves the risk of respiratory diseases such as suberosis. Methods: This study aimed to corroborate the predominant fungi presents in this occupational environment by performing a mycological analysis of 360 workers’ nasal exudates collected by nasal swabs. Additionally, evaluation of respiratory disorders among the cork workers was also performed by spirometry. Results: Penicillium section Aspergilloides was detected by qPCR in 37 out of the 360 nasal swabs collected from workers’ samples. From those, 25 remained negative for Penicillium sp. when using culture-based methods. A significant association was found between ventilatory defects and years of work in the cork industry, with those people working for 10 or more years in this industry having an approximately two-fold increased risk of having ventilatory defects compared to those working less time in this setting. Among the workers who detected the presence of Penicillium section Aspergilloides, those with symptoms presented slightly higher average values of CFU. Discussion: Overall, the results obtained in this study show that working in the cork industry may have adverse effects on worker’s respiratory health. Nevertheless, more studies are needed (e.g., using serological assays) to clarify the impact of each risk factor (fungi and dust) on disease etiology.
- Fisiopatologia respiratória: o ano em revista científica - Hot topicsPublication . Dias, Hermínia Brites
- PBL in healthcare sciences: a case study on curriculum innovationPublication . Dias, Hermínia Brites; Chagas, IsabelStudents of a Cardiopulmonary Sciences curriculum in a Portuguese higher education institution have shown poor learning outcomes and low satisfaction on a course about lung function tests. A transmissive pedagogical approach, mainly based on lectures, was the common teaching practice. Aiming for a change, PBL was considered as a powerful alternative and also as a contribution for progressively innovating the curriculum. Purpose: to create PBL activities in a lung function tests course. to describe their implementation, to analyse the effects of PBL integration in students’ performance and attitudes, to characterize the generated learning environment.
- Chronic airflow obstruction and ambient particulate air pollutionPublication . Amaral, Andre F.; Burney, Peter G.; Patel, Jaymini; Minelli, Cosetta; Mejza, Filip; Mannino, David M.; Seemungal, Terence A.; Mahesh, Padukudru Anand; Lo, Li Cher; Janson, Christer; Juvekar, Sanjay; Denguezli, Meriam; Harrabi, Imed; Wouters, Emiel F.; Cherkaski, Hamid; Mortimer, Kevin; Jogi, Rain; Bateman, Eric D.; Fuertes, Elaine; Al Ghobain, Mohammed; Tan, Wan; Obaseki, Daniel O.; El Sony, Asma; Studnicka, Michael; Aquart-Stewart, Althea; Koul, Parvaiz; Lawin, Herve; Nafees, Asaad Ahmed; Awopeju, Olayemi; Erhabor, Gregory E.; Gislason, Thorarinn; Welte, Tobias; Gulsvik, Amund; Nielsen, Rune; Gnatiuc, Louisa; Kocabas, Ali; Marks, Guy B.; Sooronbaev, Talant; Mbatchou Ngahane, Bertrand Hugo; Barbara, Cristina; Buist, A. Sonia; BOLD Collaborative Research Group; Dias, Hermínia BritesSmoking is the most well-established cause of chronic airflow obstruction (CAO) but particulate air pollution and poverty have also been implicated. We regressed the sex-specific prevalence of CAO from 41 Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease study sites against smoking prevalence from the same study, the gross national income per capita, and the local annual mean level of ambient particulate matter (PM2.5) using negative binomial regression. The prevalence of CAO was not independently associated with PM2.5 but was strongly associated with smoking and was also associated with poverty. Strengthening tobacco control and improving understanding of the link between CAO and poverty should be prioritized.
- Overdiagnosis of COPD in subjects with unobstructed spirometryPublication . Sator, Lea; Horner, Andreas; Studnicka, Michael; Lamprecht, Bernd; Kaiser, Bernhard; McBurnie, Mary Ann; Buist, A. Sonia; Gnatiuc, Luisa; Mannino, David M.; Janson, Christer; Bateman, Eric D.; Burney, Peter; Zhong, NanShan; Liu, Shengming; Lu, Jiachun; Ran, Pixin; Wang, Dali; Zheng, Jingping; Zhou, Yumin; Kocabaş, Ali; Hancioglu, Attila; Hanta, Ismail; Kuleci, Sedat; Turkyilmaz, Ahmet Sinan; Umut, Sema; Unalan, Turgay; Studnicka, Michael; Dawes, Torkil; Lamprecht, Bernd; Sator, Lea; Bateman, Eric; Jithoo, Anamika; Adams, Desiree; Barnes, Edward; Freeman, Jasper; Hayes, Anton; Hlengwa, Sipho; Johannisen, Christine; Koopman, Mariana; Louw, Innocentia; Ludick, Ina; Olckers, Alta; Ryck, Johanna; Storbeck, Janita; Gislason, Thorarinn; Benedikdtsdottir, Bryndis; Jörundsdottir, Kristin; Gudmundsdottir, Lovisa; Gudmundsdottir, Sigrun; Gundmundsson, Gunnar; Nizankowska-Mogilnicka, Ewa; Frey, Jakub; Harat, Rafal; Mejza, Filip; Nastalek, Pawel; Pajak, Andrzej; Skucha, Wojciech; Szczeklik, Andrzej; Twardowska, Magda; Welte, Tobias; Bodemann, Isabelle; Geldmacher, Henning; Schweda-Linow, Alexandra; Gulsvik, Amund; Endresen, Tina; Svendsen, Lene; Tan, Wan C.; Wang, Wen; Mannino, David M.; Cain, John; Copeland, Rebecca; Hazen, Dana; Methvin, Jennifer; Dantes, Renato B.; Amarillo, Lourdes; Berratio, Lakan U.; Fernandez, Lenora C.; Francisco, Norberto A.; Garcia, Gerard S.; de Guia, Teresita S.; Idolor, Luisito F.; Naval, Sullian S.; Reyes, Thessa; Roa, Camilo C.; Sanchez, Ma. Flordeliza; Simpao, Leander P.; Jenkins, Christine; Marks, Guy; Bird, Tessa; Espinel, Paola; Hardaker, Kate; Toelle, Brett; Burney, Peter G.J.; Amor, Caron; Potts, James; Tumilty, Michael; McLean, Fiona; Wouters, E.F.M.; Wesseling, G.J.; Bárbara, Cristina; Rodrigues, Fátima; Dias, Hermínia Brites; Cardoso, João; Almeida, João; Matos, Maria João; Simão, Paula; Santos, Moutinho; Ferreira, Reis; Janson, Christer; Olafsdottir, Inga Sif; Nisser, Katarina; Spetz-Nyström, Ulrike; Hägg, Gunilla; Lund, Gun-Marie; Jõgi, Rain; Laja, Hendrik; Ulst, Katrin; Zobel, Vappu; Lill, Toomas-Julius; Koul, Parvaiz A.; Malik, Sajjad; Hakim, Nissar A.; Khan, Umar Hafiz; Chowgule, Rohini; Shetye, Vasant; Raphael, Jonelle; Almeda, Rosel; Tawde, Mahesh; Tadvi, Rafiq; Katkar, Sunil; Kadam, Milind; Dhanawade, Rupesh; Ghurup, Umesh; Harrabi, Imed; Denguezli, Myriam; Tabka, Zouhair; Daldoul, Hager; Boukheroufa, Zaki; Chouikha, Firas; Khalifa, Wahbi Belhaj; Idolor, Luisito F.; de Guia, Teresita S.; Francisco, Norberto A.; Roa, Camilo C.; Ayuyao, Fernando G.; Tady, Cecil Z.; Tan, Daniel T.; Banal-Yang, Sylvia; Balanag, Vincent M.; Reyes, Maria Teresita N.; Dantes, Renato B.; Juvekar, Sanjay; Hirve, Siddhi; Sambhudas, Somnath; Chaidhary, Bharat; Tambe, Meera; Pingale, Savita; Umap, Arati; Umap, Archana; Shelar, Nitin; Devchakke, Sampada; Chaudhary, Sharda; Bondre, Suvarna; Walke, Savita; Gawhane, Ashleshsa; Sapkal, Anil; Argade, Rupali; Gaikwad, Vijay; Salvi, Sundeep; Brashier, Bill; Londhe, Jyoti; Madas, Sapna; Obaseki, Daniel; Erhabor, Gregory; Awopeju, Olayemi; Adewole, OlufemiBackground: There are several reports on the underdiagnosis of COPD, while little is known about COPD overdiagnosis and overtreatment. We describe the overdiagnosis and the prevalence of spirometrically defined false-positive COPD, as well as their relationship with overtreatment across 23 population samples in 20 countries participating in the BOLD Study between 2003 and 2012. Methods: A false-positive diagnosis of COPD was considered when participants reported a doctor's diagnosis of COPD, but postbronchodilator spirometry was unobstructed (FEV1/FVC > LLN). Additional analyses were performed using the fixed ratio criterion (FEV1/FVC < 0.7). Results: Among 16,177 participants, 919 (5.7%) reported a previous medical diagnosis of COPD. Postbronchodilator spirometry was unobstructed in 569 subjects (61.9%): false-positive COPD. A similar rate of overdiagnosis was seen when using the fixed ratio criterion (55.3%). In a subgroup analysis excluding participants who reported a diagnosis of "chronic bronchitis" or "emphysema" (n = 220), 37.7% had no airflow limitation. The site-specific prevalence of false-positive COPD varied greatly, from 1.9% in low- to middle-income countries to 4.9% in high-income countries. In multivariate analysis, overdiagnosis was more common among women, and was associated with higher education; former and current smoking; the presence of wheeze, cough, and phlegm; and concomitant medical diagnosis of asthma or heart disease. Among the subjects with false-positive COPD, 45.7% reported current use of respiratory medication. Excluding patients with reported asthma, 34.4% of those with normal spirometry still used a respiratory medication. Conclusions: False-positive COPD is frequent. This might expose nonobstructed subjects to possible adverse effects of respiratory medication.
- Estudo da função respiratória: dos modelos físicos à avaliação de sinais fisiológicosPublication . Dias, Hermínia Brites
- Influence of ultrasound settings on laboratory vertical artifactsPublication . Leote, Joao; Muxagata, Tiago; Guerreiro, Diana; Francisco, Cláudia; Dias, Hermínia Brites; Loução, Ricardo; Bacariza, Jacobo; Gonzalez, FilipeObjective: The aim of the work described here was to analyze the relationship between the change in ultrasound (US) settings and the vertical artifacts' number, visual rating, and signal intensity METHODS: An in vitro phantom consisting of a damp sponge and gelatin mix was created to simulate vertical artifacts. Furthermore, several US parameters were changed sequentially (i.e., frequency, dynamic range, line density, gain, power, and image enhancement) and after image acquisition. Five US experts rated the artifacts for number and quality. In addition, a vertical artifact visual score was created to determine the higher artifact rating ("optimal") and the lower artifact rating ("suboptimal"). Comparisons were made between the tested US parameters and baseline recordings. Results: The expert intraclass correlation coefficient for the number of vertical artifacts was 0.694. The parameters had little effect on the "optimal" vertical artifacts but changed their number. Dynamic range increased the number of discernible vertical artifacts to 3 from 36 to 102 dB. Conclusion: The intensity did not correlate with the visual rating score. Most of the available US parameters did not influence vertical artifacts.
- Association of respiratory symptoms and lung function with occupation in the multinational Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) studyPublication . Ratanachina, Jate; Amaral, Andre F.S.; De Matteis, Sara; Lawin, Herve; Mortimer, Kevin; Obaseki, Daniel O.; Harrabi, Imed; Denguezli, Meriam; Wouters, Emiel F.M.; Janson, Christer; Nielsen, Rune; Gulsvik, Amund; Cherkaski, Hamid Hacene; Mejza, Filip; Mahesh, Padukudru Anand; Elsony, Asma; Ahmed, Rana; Tan, Wan; Loh, Li Cher; Rashid, Abdul; Studnicka, Michael; Nafees, Asaad A.; Seemungal, Terence; Aquart-Stewart, Althea; Al Ghobain, Mohammed; Zheng, Jinping; Juvekar, Sanjay; Salvi, Sundeep; Jogi, Rain; Mannino, David; Gislason, Thorarinn; Buist, A. Sonia; Cullinan, Paul; Burney, Peter; BOLD Collaborative Research Group; Dias, Hermínia BritesBackground: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has been associated with exposure in the workplace. We aimed to assess the association of respiratory symptoms and lung function with occupation in the Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease study. Methods: We analysed cross-sectional data from 28 823 adults (≥40 years) in 34 countries. We considered 11 occupations and grouped them by likelihood of exposure to organic dust, inorganic dust, and fumes. The association of chronic cough, chronic phlegm, wheeze, dyspnoea, forced vital capacity (FVC), and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)/FVC with occupation was assessed, per study site, using multivariable regression. These estimates were then meta-analysed. Sensitivity analyses explored differences between sexes and gross national income. Results: Overall, working in settings with potentially high exposure to dust or fumes was associated with respiratory symptoms but not lung function differences. The most common occupation was farming. Compared to people not working in any of the 11 considered occupations, those who were farmers for ≥20 years were more likely to have a chronic cough (OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.19-1.94), wheeze (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.16-1.63) and dyspnoea (OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.53-2.20), but not lower FVC (β=0.02 L, 95% CI -0.02-0.06 L) or lower FEV1/FVC (β=0.04%, 95% CI -0.49-0.58%). Some findings differed by sex and gross national income. Conclusion: At a population level, the occupational exposures considered in this study do not appear to be major determinants of differences in lung function, although they are associated with more respiratory symptoms. Because not all work settings were included in this study, respiratory surveillance should still be encouraged among high-risk dusty and fume job workers, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
- Estudo da função respiratória em indivíduos com traqueostomiaPublication . Ferreira, Ana Margarida; Dória, Constança; Ryhaylo, Iryna; Dias, Hermínia Brites; Pereira, MarcoA traqueostomia é um procedimento invasivo realizado em doentes em estado crítico com necessidade de desobstrução das vias aéreas superiores. Não é muito frequente a realização da prova de função respiratória a estes indivíduos na generalidade dos laboratórios, mas, quando tem de ser realizada, confronta o técnico com desafios e procedimentos específicos. O objetivo deste trabalho é descrever as especificidades e os procedimentos da prova de função respiratória em indivíduos traqueostomizados. A traqueostomia é um procedimento cirúrgico preventivo, curativo ou paliativo que envolve uma intubação endotraqueal na traqueia anterior com o objetivo de desobstrução das vias aéreas na sequência de tumores, traumas, cirurgias, infeções, entre outros. Ao nível da função respiratória, seria presumível que as vias aéreas superiores, ao não serem utilizadas, originassem uma redução do espaço morto e uma diminuição da resistência das vias aéreas. No entanto, devido à colocação de uma via aérea patente com um raio inferior à via aérea anatómica, ocorre o aumento da resistência das mesmas. Estas alterações anatomofisiológicas são impactantes na prova de função respiratória, sendo expectável que ocorra a redução da capacidade vital, incremento do volume residual e, ainda, uma diminuição do volume corrente. Consequentemente, o volume minuto irá sofrer um decremento dado que é diretamente proporcional ao volume corrente, podendo ocorrer um mecanismo compensatório através da frequência respiratória para manter um valor estável de volume minuto. Não existe um equipamento standard para a realização de provas de função respiratória nestes indivíduos. No entanto, a colocação de uma base adesiva no tubo da traqueostomia permite a adaptação ao bucal e ao sensor de débito de forma a prevenir fugas de ar, promovendo uma medição mais correta dos volumes pulmonares. Embora a realização da manobra expiratória seja um desafio nestes indivíduos, foi demonstrado que é possível realizar uma prova de função respiratória cumprindo os critérios de repetibilidade e a maioria dos critérios de aceitabilidade. Nem todas as técnicas podem ser realizadas nestes indivíduos e a interpretação dos resultados é mais complexa, devido às alterações anatomofisiológicas originadas por este procedimento e as comorbilidades que apresentam. Contudo, é possível obter-se uma prova de função de respiratória de qualidade se forem assegurados os requisitos específicos da sua realização e interpretação.
- Espirometria: avaliação de alterações ventilatórias relacionadas com o consumo do tabacoPublication . Dias, Hermínia BritesA doença pulmonar obstrutiva crónica é a 6ª causa de morte em 1990 e a 3ª causa de morte em 2020.