Antioxidants in the lung have a protective role against oxidative damage. We have investigated whether dietary antioxidant intake in elderly people is related to lung function. Dietary intakes of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) and lung function were assessed in 178 men and women aged 70 to 96 yr selected on the basis of reported respiratory symptoms. After adjustment for age, gender, height, smoking habits, total energy intake, and vitamin C intake by multiple linear regression, vitamin E intake was significantly associated with FEV1 p = 0.012 and FVC p = 0.003. There was no evidence of any interaction between vitamin E intake and current tobacco smoking as determinants of lung function. For every extra milligram increase in vitamin E in the daily diet, FEV1 increased by an estimated 42 ml and FVC by an estimated 54 ml. These results suggest that dietary intake of vitamin E may influence lung function in the elderly, but food frequency questionnaires in this study were not of sufficient sensitivity to explore this hypothesis further.

BackgroundThe Air-Smart Spirometer is the first portable device accepted by the European Community (EC) that performs spirometric measurements by a turbine mechanism and displays the results on a smartphone or a tablet.MethodsIn this multicenter, descriptive and cross-sectional prospective study carried out in 2 hospital centers, we compare FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC ratio measured with the Air Smart-Spirometer device and a conventional spirometer, and analyze the ability of this new portable device to detect obstructions. Patients were included for 2 consecutive months. We calculate sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value (PPV and NPV) and likelihood ratio (LR +, LR-) as well as the Kappa Index to evaluate the concordance between the two devices for the detection of obstruction. The agreement and relation between the values of FEV1 and FVC in absolute value and the FEV1/FVC ratio measured by both devices were analyzed by calculating the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and the Pearson correlation coefficient (r) respectively.Results200 patients (100 from each center) were included with a mean age of 57 (± 14) years, 110 were men (55%). Obstruction was detected by conventional spirometry in 73 patients (40.1%). Using a FEV1/FVC ratio smaller than 0.7 to detect obstruction with the Air Smart-Spirometer, the kappa index was 0.88, sensitivity (90.4%), specificity (97.2%), PPV (95.7%), NPV (93.7%), positive likelihood ratio (32.29), and negative likelihood ratio (0.10). The ICC and r between FEV1, FVC, and FEV1 / FVC ratio measured by the Air Smart Spirometer and the conventional spirometer were all higher than 0.94.ConclusionThe Air-Smart Spirometer is a simple and very precise instrument for detecting obstructive airway diseases. It is easy to use, which could make it especially useful non-specialized care and in other areas.

The application of these new cut-points would reclassify about one-third of the patients with COPD and, thus, would impact on individual disease management. Further validation in prospective studies of these new values are needed.

No abstract

Introduction Due to the importance of lung cancer early treatment because of its severity and extent worldwide a systematic literature review was conducted about the impact of delays in waiting times on the disease prognosis. Materials and Methods We conducted a systematic search of observational studies (2010-2020) including adult patients diagnosed with lung cancer and reporting healthcare timelines and their clinical consequences. Results We included 38 articles containing data on waiting times and prognosis; only 31 articles linked this forecast to a specific waiting time. We identified 41 healthcare time intervals and found medians of 6-121 days from diagnosis to treatment and 4-19.5 days from primary care to specialist visit: 37.5% of the intervals indicated better prognosis with longer waiting times. Conclusions All articles emphasized that waiting times must be reduced to achieve good management and prognosis of lung cancer. Further prospective studies are needed on the relationship between waiting times and prognosis of lung cancer.