A new paper by ERS published on the ERJ aims to update previous publications on bronchial challenge testing and the performance of the methacholine challenge test. This report focuses on general considerations for bronchial challenge testing, then specifically on the performance of the methacholine challenge test (MCT). Direct airway challenge...

Interesting literature review on the Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutic Journal focusing on the role of cardio pulmonary exercise test (CPET) in cirrhosis patients. The prognostic value of CPET for pre-and post-transplant mortality is evaluated in patients with cirrhosis listed for liver transplantation. In particular, this review analyses...

A new review study published on the ERS European Respiratory Review describes the importance of Cardio Pulmonary Exercise Test to evaluate dyspnoea symptoms in Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) patients. This review describes the respiratory physiology of ILD, both at rest and during exercise, and aims to provide comprehensive and updated evide...

A new study investigates the applicability of predictive equations for resting energy expenditure (REE) in obese individuals with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and the effects of OSA severity on REE. The aim of the present study was to compare the REE measured by indirect calorimetry with prediction equations in obese OSA patients and, as a sec...

The role of spirometry and forced oscillation technique (FOT) in asthmatic young patients has been investigated in a study published on the European Respiratory Journal. Spirometry is the most common pulmonary function test used in asthma diagnosing. However, it requires good patient co-operation. FOT has gained increasing attention for the mea...

This study published on the Heart Journal analyses the diagnostic role of cardiopulmonary exercise test for detecting and ruling of systemic sclerosis pulmonary arterial hypertension (SSC-associated PAH). Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a devastating disease with limited survival and occurs as a frequent complication in patients with s...

A new systematic review on the relationship between maternal diabetes in pregnancy and offspring adiposity was published in the ADC Fetal % Neonatal Journal. The aim of the study was provide a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare adiposity in infants of diabetic mothers (IDM) and infants of mothers without diabetes (NIDM). The paper ...

An interesting article on Sport Medicine Online reviewed 321 scientific articles to analyze the alterations of total energy expenditure (TEE), energy intake, and body composition during different seasonal training phases. The purpose of this study was to (1) systematically analyze TEE, energy intake, and body composition in highly trained athle...

A new study on the Nutrition Journal analyzes the accuracy of predictive equations to estimate energy expenditure in postpartum women. The study aimed to evaluate the resting energy expenditure (REE) of postpartum women by indirect calorimetry (IC) and provide the most appropriate predictive equations to estimate it. REE of 79 women in a matern...

A study on the Journal of Physical Therapy Science investigates how inspiratory and expiratory training can improve cough capacity in stroke patients, which can reduce pulmonary complications. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between respiratory muscle strength improvement through respiratory training and cough capac...

A new paper on the Journal of Applied Physiology examines the so-called secondary criteria used to validate VO2max iin particular with exercise naïve, unmotivated and/or clinical populations. This article is part of the new Cores of Reproducibility in Physiology (CORP), an American Physiology Society(APS)-wide initiative responsive to a growing...

A useful scientific review has been published in the Multidisciplinary Respiratory Medicine Journal describing how different physiological/pathological conditions can affect static lung volumes measurement. This review intends to update the reader with the physiological basis, clinical significance and interpretative approaches of the standard ...

This study, published in the Clinical Nutrition Journal, tries to show how abnormal basal energy metabolism can be associated with higher risk in anticancer treatments (like chemotherapy). Alterations of nutritional and performance status (PS) are associated with higher risk of chemotherapy toxicity. Increased resting energy expenditure (REE) i...

The Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition hosts a study analyzing the body composition trajectories from birth to preschool age. The aim of the study was to longitudinally characterize infancy to preschool body composition trajectories and the association of early fat and fat-free mass gains with preschool age body composition in ...

A new study on the American Journal of Critical Care demonstrates the limited reliability of the Harris Benedict Equation as a substitute to indirect calorimetry in critically ill patients undergoing mechanical ventilation. This observational transversal study (sample comprised 205 patients) compared REEIC (measured with indirect calorimetry) w...

A new essay published on Children Jornal highlights the clinical relevance of cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Much of what is known about exercise physiology has been derived from studies done in adults, yet every pediatrician knows that lessons learned from research in adults do not necessarily apply to children or even to adolescents. There...

A new study on the Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition has been published showing the importance of indirect calorimetry measurements to accurately indicate the true caloric requirements of patients suffering from severe brain damage and requiring mechanical ventilation. The purpose of this present study was to determine the true calori...

The International Journal of Cardiology hosts a paper confirming the validity of Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing on patients with asymptomatic aortic stenosis. The assessment of maximal aerobic capacity using peak oxygen consumption (peak VO2) can be helpful in the management of patients with asymptomatic aortic stenosis (AS). This study explo...

ATS/ERS published on the European Respiratory Journal an update to the 2005 technical standards for single-breath carbon monoxide uptake in the lung. A joint taskforce appointed by the ERS and ATS reviewed the recent literature on the measurement of DLCO and surveyed the current technical capabilities of instrumentation being manufactured aroun...

This study published in Cogent Engineering Journal analyses the capacity of COSMED K4b2 portable metabolic system in detecting small physiologic changes within a day on healthy adults. The efficacy of assistive devices used during walking is often measured as a reduction in metabolic cost. Metabolic cost is typically assessed within a day or on...