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Oscillometry: clinical significance and applications

Respiratory oscillometry (or the forced oscillation technique) is a highly practical lung function test that can be applied in a wide range of clinical scenarios in children and adults, including the clinic, intensive care unit, patient home monitoring and emergency departments. Oscillometry measurements complement spirometry in detecting abnormal lung function, measuring effects of treatment such as inhaled corticosteroids or bronchodilators, and changes due to disease activity.

Can lung disease be averted by focusing on early-life inequities?

Shannon Simpson BMedSci (hons), PhD Head, Strong Beginnings Research, Co-head Foundations of Lung Disease 08 6319 1631 Shannon.simpson@thekids.org.au

Trajectories of prematurity-associated lung disease: lifelong lung health

Preterm birth is increasingly recognised as adversely influencing lifelong lung function. This Series paper on prematurity-associated lung disease reviews studies reporting longitudinal lung function measurements in individuals who were born preterm. Evidence suggests that preterm birth alters lung function trajectories from early life onwards, with implications for future respiratory morbidity. We propose that this population needs rigorous follow up that should include systematic monitoring of lung function across the lifespan, starting in childhood.

Lung Recruitment Before Surfactant Administration in Extremely Preterm Neonates: 2-Year Follow-Up of a Randomized Clinical Trial

To examine follow-up outcomes at corrected postnatal age (cPNA) 2 years of preterm infants previously enrolled in an RCT and treated with IN-REC-SUR-E or IN-SUR-E in 35 tertiary neonatal intensive care units.

Preterm lung disease: not just for neonatologists

Improvements in neonatal critical care have resulted in more people than ever reaching adulthood after being born prematurely. At the same time, it is becoming clearer that preterm birth can increase the risk of respiratory disease throughout a person’s lifetime. Awareness that a patient was born preterm can enable early specialist assessment and intervention when there is any concern about lung health. 

European Respiratory Society/American Thoracic Society technical statement: standardisation of the measurement of lung volumes, 2023 update

This document updates the 2005 European Respiratory Society (ERS) and American Thoracic Society (ATS) technical standard for the measurement of lung volumes. The 2005 document integrated the recommendations of an ATS/ERS task force with those from an earlier National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute workshop that led to the publication of background papers between 1995 and 1999 and a consensus workshop report with more in-depth descriptions and discussion.

The effect of moderate-to-late preterm birth on lung function over the first 5 years of life in a South African birth cohort

Preterm birth is associated with increased mortality and morbidity, particularly due to lung disease. Low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) have the highest rates of preterm birth. Infants born extremely preterm rarely survive, so the largest burden is amongst moderate-to-late preterm (MLP) infants. The long-term health impact on MLP children in LMIC is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of MLP birth on lung function trajectories from birth to 5 years in the Drakenstein Child Health Study.

MetaNeb Versus Usual Care During Exacerbations of Cystic Fibrosis: An RCT

During exacerbations, when symptom and treatment burden are increased, individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) are likely to prefer airway clearance techniques (ACTs) that require minimal effort. Therefore, in adults with CF who were hospitalised with an exacerbation, we sought to compare the effect of the MetaNeb with usual ACTs on respiratory function and expectorated sputum.

Does lung function in preschoolers help to predict asthma in later life?

The earliest respiratory function assessments, within or close to the neonatal period, consistently show correlations with lung function and with the development of asthma into adulthood. Measurements of lung function in infancy reflect the in utero period of lung development, and if early enough, show little influence of postnatal environmental exposures. 

Virome assembly reveals draft genomes of native Pseudomonas phages isolated from a paediatric bronchoalveolar lavage sample

We present lung virome data recovered through shotgun metagenomics in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from an infant with cystic fibrosis, who tested positive for Stenotrophomonas maltophilia infection. Using a bioinformatic pipeline for virus characterization in shotgun metagenomic data, we identified five viral contigs representing Pseudomonas phages classified as Caudoviricetes.