Efeito da exposição prolongada a ruído ocupacional na função respiratória de trabalhadores da indústria têxtil

Impact of sports activities on respiratory function and mechanics in children

Abstract Introduction: Being physically active in childhood may improve the quality of life in adulthood. So, it is extremely important to evaluate the respiratory function and mechanics of children who participate in sports activities, in order to determine the impact of physical activity on airway resistance. Objective: To analyze measures of respiratory function and mechanics in children who participate (PG) and who do not participate (CG) in sports activities regularly, as well as to compare and correlate the results. Methods: This is a cross-sectional analytical study of healthy school-aged children aged 6 to 12 years, assessed by impulse oscillometry tests (IOS) and spirometry. The sample was divided into PG and CG. The Student’s t-Test or Mann-Whitney test was used to compare the groups according to normality of data tested by the Shapiro-Wilk test. The correlation between the tests and age, sex, weight, height and body mass index (BMI) was performed using Pearson’s and Spearman correlation coefficient. Statistical data were processed by the SPSS® software, considering significance level at p < 0.05. Results: Forty children participated in the study, 20 in each group, with no differences regarding age, sex, weight, height and BMI. There were significant differences in FEF25-75% (CG: 94.19% ± 13.08 x PG: 101.75% ± 17.44, p = 0.049), and oscillometry data did not differ between both groups. Sex correlated with total airway resistance (R5 - p = 0.049, r = 0.314). Conclusion: In the group with children who participated in sports activities, FEF25-75% was higher, compared to the control group.

Exhaled carbon monoxide as a biomarker of inflammatory lung disease

Carbon monoxide (CO) can be detected on the exhaled breath of humans. Exhaled CO (E-CO) originates from the inspiration of ambient CO and from endogenous metabolic sources that include heme metabolism catalyzed by heme oxygenase (HO) enzymes. HO occurs in both constitutive (HO-2) and inducible (HO-1) forms; the latter responds to pro-inflammatory or pro-oxidative stimuli. E-CO may arise in the airways from inducible HO-1 activity in the bronchial epithelium, alveolar macrophages and other lung cell types, as a consequence of local inflammation, and from the alveolae in equilibrium with carboxyhemoglobin (Hb-CO) in the pulmonary circulation. Elevations in Hb-CO in turn may reflect increases in ambient CO, as well as increased HO activity in systemic tissues. E-CO increases dramatically in active smokers and can be used to monitor the smoking habit. Elevations in E-CO have been observed in critically ill or post-surgical patients and those with various pulmonary diseases associated with inflammation, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, cystic fibrosis and infections. Despite improvements in the standardization and sensitivity of methods to detect E-CO, the predictive value of this measurement as a diagnostic tool remains unclear.