Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) frequently experience activity restrictions and discomfort during activities of daily living (ADL). Functional status refers to the capacity to perform ADL. Available tests only partly measure this domain. Our aim was therefore to establish an assessment tool for functional status in COPD, the Glittre ADL-test. This field test includes a standardised set of ADL-like activities: Walking stairs, carrying, lifting objects, bending down and rising from a seated position. The primary variable was time to complete the test (ADL-time). Validity was investigated in 57 COPD patients by correlating ADL-time to pulmonary function, 6-min walking distance (6MWD) and questionnaires addressing health-related quality of life. Responsiveness was investigated in another 40 patients comparing ADL-time before and after rehabilitation. Median ADL-time was 4.16 min (range 2.57-14.47). Spearman rho=0.93 for test-retest reliability. ADL-time correlated with forced expiratory volume in 1s (rho=-0.61), St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire activity subscore (rho=0.43), dyspnoea during ADL (rho=0.35) and hospitalisation rate (rho=0.35). Despite a close overall correlation with 6MWD (rho=-0.82), variability was substantial, particularly for the more disabled patients. ADL-time improved significantly after rehabilitation. Glittre ADL-test yields information complementary to 6MWD. It is a valid and reliable measure of functional status, useful for assessment of individual patients and rehabilitation programs.

Development of severe hypoxaemia in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients at 2,438m (8,000 ft) altitude. C.C. Christensen, M. Ryg, O.K. Refvem, O.H. Skjùnsberg. #ERS Journals Ltd 2000. ABSTRACT: The arterial oxygen tensions (Pa,O 2 ) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients travelling by air, should, according to two different guidelines, not be lower than 7.3 kPa (55 mmHg) and 6.7 kPa (50 mmHg), respectively, at a cabin pressure altitude of 2,438 m (8,000 ft). These minimum in-flight Pa,O 2 values are claimed to correspond to a minimum Pa,O 2 of 9.3 kPa (70 mmHg) at sea-level. The authors have tested whether this limit is a safe criterion for predicting severe in-flight hypoxaemia.The authors measured arterial blood gases at sea-level, at 2,438 m and at 3,048 m (10,000 ft) in an altitude chamber at rest and during light exercise in 15 COPD patients with forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) <50% of predicted, and with sea-level Pa,O 2 >9.3 kPa.Resting Pa,O 2 decreased below 7.3 kPa and 6.7 kPa in 53% and 33% of the patients, respectively, at 2,438 m, and in 86% and 66% of the patients at 3,048 m. During light exercise, Pa,O 2 dropped below 6.7 kPa in 86% of the patients at 2,438 m, and in 100% of the patients at 3,048 m. There was no correlation between Pa,O 2 at 2,438 m and preflight values of Pa,O 2 , FEV1 or transfer factor of the lung for carbon monoxide.In contrast to current medical guidelines, it has been found that resting arterial oxygen tension >9.3 kPa at sea-level does not exclude development of severe hypoxaemia in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients travelling by air. Light exercise, equivalent to slow walking along the aisle, may provoke a pronounced aggravation of the hypoxaemia. Eur Respir J 2000; 15: 635±639.

The distribution of blubber in ringed seals (Phoca hispida) and relationships between surface area, body mass, and linear dimensions are described. The blubber was distributed in such a way that the ratio of blubber thickness to body radius is nearly constant over the body, maximizing the available blubber for insulation. The hind part of the body has a higher thickness to radius ratio and is thus "overinsulated." During periods of mass loss, fat is lost fastest from this overinsulated region, thus reducing the negative thermal effects of the fat loss. We present formulae for calculating body surface area and an effective, or "equivalent blubber thickness," for calculations of heat loss and suggest that these formulae are independent of size and shape. By combining these equations, we arrive at a general formula for calculating a lower limit for heat loss from marine mammals. According to this formula, thermal stability can be maintained when blubber is lost if mass is simultaneously lost from the body core.

Seasonal changes in body mass and body composition of ringed seals (Phoca hispida) from the Svalbard Islands are described. The blubber content of adult females decreased from a high of about 50% at the beginning of the pupping season in March–April to a low of 31% during moulting in June. In adult males, the blubber content decreased from 41% in March to 29% in June. By estimating an individual seal's body mass by 1 April from its standard body length, we calculated an average daily loss of body mass of 160 g/day in adult females and 100 g/day in adult males from the start of lactation to the middle of moulting. The blubber content of sexually immature seals was less in June and July than in April, but the seasonal changes were smaller than in adult seals. We found no evidence of significant changes in core mass in adult seals, and suggest that the seasonal body mass changes are mostly due to changes in body fat content.

ABSTRACT. Stomachs of 134 ringed seals from West Svalbard (Kongsfjorden) and East Svalbard (drift ice) were examined. Twenty-four prey taxa were found. The most important items were arctic cod (Boreogadus suida), shrimp (Pandalus boteulis), krill (Z'hyxunoessa inermis) and the arnphipod Themisto libellula. In spring young redfish (Sebastes sp.) was an important food item; in summer seals fed on dense aggregations of krill in front of glaciers. Mysids, amphipod crustaceans and small size classes of coastal fish species were abundant in KongsfJorden, but seals take them as secondary food items only.Key words: ringed seals, Phoca hispida, arctic food web, fjord ecology, Svalbard, prey taxa R6SUMfi. On a etudit l'estomac de 134 phoques annelds du Svalbard occidental (Kongstjorden) et du Svalbard oriental (glace de dtrive). On a recensk 24 esptces-proies. Les plus importantes ttaient la morue arctique (Boreogadus snida), la crevette (Pandalus borealis), le krill mysanoessa inermis) et l'amphipode Themisto libellula. Au printemps, la stbaste juvtnile (sp. Sebastes) reprtsentait une importante source alimentaire; en kt& les phoques se nourrissaient du krill trouvt en forte concentration au pied des glaciers. Dans le Kongsfjorden, il y avait en abondance des mysis, des amphipodes et des espkces de poissons cbtiers de petite taille, mais qui ne constituaient pour les phoques qu'une source alimentaire secondaire.Mots clds : phoques annelks, Phoca hispida, rtseau trophique de l'Arctique, tcologie de Qord, Svalbard, esptce-proie Traduit pour Arctic par Nksida Loyer.