Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) remains grossly underutilised by suitable patients worldwide. We investigated whether home-based maintenance tele-rehabilitation will be as effective as hospital-based maintenance rehabilitation and superior to usual care in reducing the risk for acute chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations, hospitalisations and emergency department (ED) visits.Following completion of an initial 2-month PR programme this prospective, randomised controlled trial (between December 2013 and July 2015) compared 12 months of home-based maintenance tele-rehabilitation (n=47) with 12 months of hospital-based, outpatient, maintenance rehabilitation (n=50) and also to 12 months of usual care treatment (n=50) without initial PR.In a multivariate analysis during the 12-month follow-up, both home-based tele-rehabilitation and hospital-based PR remained independent predictors of a lower risk for 1) acute COPD exacerbation (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 0.517, 95% CI 0.389-0.687, and IRR 0.635, 95% CI 0.473-0.853), respectively, and 2) hospitalisations for acute COPD exacerbation (IRR 0.189, 95% CI 0.100-0.358, and IRR 0.375, 95% CI 0.207-0.681), respectively. However, only home-based maintenance tele-rehabilitation and not hospital-based, outpatient, maintenance PR was an independent predictor of ED visits (IRR 0.116, 95% CI 0.072-0.185).Home-based maintenance tele-rehabilitation is equally effective as hospital-based, outpatient, maintenance PR in reducing the risk for acute COPD exacerbation and hospitalisations. In addition, it encounters a lower risk for ED visits, thereby constituting a potentially effective alternative strategy to hospital-based, outpatient, maintenance PR.

BACKGROUND Although the use of e-cigarettes is increasing worldwide, their short and long-term effects remain undefined. We aimed to study the acute effect of short-term use of e-cigarettes containing nicotine on lung function and respiratory symptoms in smokers with airways obstructive disease (COPD, asthma), "healthy" smokers, and healthy never smokers. METHODS Respiratory symptoms, vital signs, exhaled NO, airway temperature, airway resistance (Raw), specific airway conductance (sGaw) and single nitrogen breath test were assessed before and immediately after short term use of an e-cigarette containing 11mg of nicotine among adults with COPD, asthma, ''healthy" smokers, and never-smokers. The effect of the use of nicotine-free e-cigarettes among ''healthy" never smokers was also studied. RESULTS The majority of participants reported acute cough. Short term use of nicotine e-cigarettes was associated: a) with increased heart rate in all subjects except in the COPD group, b) decreased oxygen saturation in "healthy" and COPD smokers, c) increased Raw in asthmatic smokers, "healthy" smokers, and healthy never smokers, d) decreased sGaw in healthy subjects, and e) changed slope of phase III curve in asthmatic smokers. Short-term use of nicotine-free e-cigarettes increased Raw and decreased sGaw among healthy never smokers. CONCLUSIONS Short-term use of an e-cigarette has acute effects on airways physiology and respiratory symptoms in COPD smokers, asthmatic smokers, "healthy" smokers and healthy never smokers. E-cigarette use was associated with effects in ''healthy" never smokers irrespectively of nicotine concentration. More studies are needed to investigate both short and long-term effects of e-cigarette use

Background. Respiratory symptoms are usually underestimated in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing maintenance hemodialysis. Therefore, we set out to investigate the prevalence of patients chronic dyspnea and the relationship of the symptom to lung function indices. Methods. Twenty-five clinically stable hemodialysis patients were included. The mMRC dyspnea scale was applied before and after hemodialysis. Spirometry, single breath nitrogen test, arterial blood gases, static maximum inspiratory (P imax⁡) and expiratory (P emax⁡) muscle pressures, and mouth occlusion pressure (P 0.1) were also measured. Results. Despite normal spirometry, all patients (100%) reported mild to moderate degree of chronic dyspnea pre which was reduced after hemodialysis. The sole predictor of (Δ) mMRC was the (Δ) P 0.1 (r = 0.71, P < 0.001). The P imax⁡ was reduced before and correlated with the duration of hemodialysis (r = 0.614, P < 0.001), whilst after the session it was significantly increased (P < 0.001). Finally (Δ) weight was correlated with the (Δ) P imax⁡  %pred (r = 0.533, P = 0,006) and with the (Δ) CV (%pred) (r = 0.65, P < 0.001). Conclusion. We conclude that dyspnea is the major symptom among the CKD patients that improves after hemodialysis. The neuromechanical dissociation observed probably is one of the major pathophysiologic mechanisms of dyspnea.

Most group O smokers exhibit increased phase III. With overt COPD there is a progressive increase in phase III and reduction of FEV(1)/FVC ratio from GOLD I to IV. A reduction of FEV(1) occurs from GOLD stage II. As the disease progresses from moderate to severe, there is an increasing presence of AC(T). Tidal EFL, with dynamic hyperinflation and severe dyspnea is present only in GOLD III and IV.