Relationship with inflammatory and clinical phenotypes and prognostic implications

Bronchial asthma is a chronic disease that affects individuals of all ages. It has a high prevalence and is associated with high morbidity and considerable levels of mortality. However, asthma is not a single disease, and multiple subtypes or phenotypes (clinical, inflammatory or combinations thereof) can be detected, namely in aggregated clusters. Most studies have characterised asthma phenotypes and clusters of phenotypes using mainly clinical and inflammatory parameters. These studies are important because they may have clinical and prognostic implications and may also help to tailor personalised treatment approaches. In addition, various metabolomics studies have helped to further define the metabolic features of asthma, using electronic noses or targeted and untargeted approaches. Besides discriminating between asthma and a healthy state, metabolomics can detect the metabolic signatures associated with some asthma subtypes, namely eosinophilic and non-eosinophilic phenotypes or the obese asthma phenotype, and this may prove very useful in point-of-care application. Furthermore, metabolomics also discriminates between asthma and other “phenotypes” of chronic obstructive airway diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or Asthma–COPD Overlap (ACO). However, there are still various aspects that need to be more thoroughly investigated in the context of asthma phenotypes in adequately designed, homogeneous, multicentre studies, using adequate tools and integrating metabolomics into a multiple-level approach.publishersversionpublishe

Measuring adherence to inhaled control medication in patients with asthma: Comparison among an asthma app, patient self‐report and physician assessment

Background Previous studies have demonstrated the feasibility of using an asthma app to support medication management and adherence but failed to compare with other measures currently used in clinical practice. However, in a clinical setting, any additional adherence measurement must be evaluated in the context of both the patient and physician perspectives so that it can also help improve the process of shared decision making. Thus, we aimed to compare different measures of adherence to asthma control inhalers in clinical practice, namely through an app, patient self-report and physician assessment. Methods This study is a secondary analysis of three prospective multicentre observational studies with patients (≥13 years old) with persistent asthma recruited from 61 primary and secondary care centres in Portugal. Patients were invited to use the InspirerMundi app and register their inhaled medication. Adherence was measured by the app as the number of doses taken divided by the number of doses scheduled each day and two time points were considered for analysis: 1-week and 1-month. At baseline, patients and physicians independently assessed adherence to asthma control inhalers during the previous week using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS 0–100). Results A total of 193 patients (72% female; median [P25–P75] age 28 [19–41] years old) were included in the analysis. Adherence measured by the app was lower (1 week: 31 [0–71]%; 1 month: 18 [0–48]%) than patient self-report (80 [60–95]) and physician assessment (82 [51–94]) (p 0.05). There was a moderate correlation between patient self-report and physician assessment (ρ = 0.596, p < 0.001). Conclusions Adherence measured by the app was lower than that reported by the patient or the physician. This was expected as objective measurements are commonly lower than subjective evaluations, which tend to overestimate adherence. Nevertheless, the low adherence measured by the app may also be influenced by the use of the app itself and this needs to be considered in future studies.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Identification of clusters of asthma control: A preliminary analysis of the inspirers studies

This work was funded by ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) through the operations: POCI- -01-0145-FEDER-029130 (“mINSPIRERS—mHealth to measure and improve adherence to medication in chronic obstructive respiratory diseases - generalisation and evaluation of gamification, peer support and advanced image processing technologies”) co-funded by the COMPETE2020 (Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização), Portugal 2020 and by Portuguese Funds through FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia).© 2020, Sociedade Portuguesa de Alergologia e Imunologia Clinica. All rights reserved. Aims: To identify distinct asthma control clusters based on Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test (CARAT) and to compare patients’ characteristics among these clusters. Methods: Adults and adolescents (≥13 years) with persistent asthma were recruited at 29 Portuguese hospital outpatient clinics, in the context of two observational studies of the INSPIRERS project. Demographic and clinical characteristics, adherence to inhaled medication, beliefs about inhaled medication, anxiety and depression, quality of life, and asthma control (CARAT, >24 good control) were collected. Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed using CARAT total score (CARAT-T). Results: 410 patients (68% adults), with a median (percentile 25–percentile 75) age of 28 (16-46) years, were analysed. Three clusters were identified [mean CARAT-T (min-max)]: cluster 1 [27(24-30)], cluster 2 [19(14-23)] and cluster 3 [10(2-13)]. Patients in cluster 1 (34%) were characterised by better asthma control, better quality of life, higher inhaler adherence and use of a single inhaler. Patients in clusters 2 (50%) and 3 (16%) had uncontrolled asthma, lower inhaler adherence, more symptoms of anxiety and depression and more than half had at least one exacerbation in the previous year. Further-more, patients in cluster 3 were predominantly female, had more unscheduled medical visits and more anxiety symp-toms, perceived a higher necessity of their prescribed inhalers but also higher levels of concern about taking these inhalers. There were no differences in age, body mass index, lung function, smoking status, hospital admissions or specialist physician follow-up time among the three clusters. Conclusion: An unsupervised method based on CARAT--T, identified 3 clusters of patients with distinct, clinically meaningful characteristics. The cluster with better asthma control had a cut-off similar to the established in the validation study of CARAT and an additional cut-off seems to distinguish more severe disease. Further research is necessary to validate the asthma control clusters identified.publishersversionpublishe

Patient‐centered digital biomarkers for allergic respiratory diseases and asthma: The ARIA‐EAACI approach – ARIA‐EAACI Task Force Report

Biomarkers for the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of patients with rhinitis and/ or asthma are urgently needed. Although some biologic biomarkers exist in specialist care for asthma, they cannot be largely used in primary care. There are no validated biomarkers in rhinitis or allergen immunotherapy (AIT) that can be used in clinical practice. The digital transformation of health and health care (including mHealth) places the patient at the center of the health system and is likely to optimize the practice of allergy. Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) and EAACI (European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology) developed a Task Force aimed at proposing patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) as digital biomarkers that can be easily used for different purposes in rhinitis and asthma. It first defined control digital biomarkers that should make a bridge between clinical practice, randomized controlled trials, observational real-life studies and allergen challenges. Using the MASK-air app as a model, a daily electronic combined symptom-medication score for allergic diseases (CSMS) or for asthma (e-DASTHMA), combined with a monthly control questionnaire, was embedded in a strategy similar to the diabetes approach for disease control. To mimic real-life, it secondly proposed quality-of- life digital biomarkers including daily EQ-5D visual analogue scales and the bi-weekly RhinAsthma Patient Perspective (RAAP). The potential implications for the management of allergic respiratory diseases were proposed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Rhinitis associated with asthma is distinct from rhinitis alone: TARIA‐MeDALL hypothesis

Asthma, rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis (AD) are interrelated clinical phenotypes that partly overlap in the human interactome. The concept of “one-airway-one-disease,” coined over 20 years ago, is a simplistic approach of the links between upper- and lower-airway allergic diseases. With new data, it is time to reassess the concept. This article reviews (i) the clinical observations that led to Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA), (ii) new insights into polysensitization and multimorbidity, (iii) advances in mHealth for novel phenotype definitions, (iv) confirmation in canonical epidemiologic studies, (v) genomic findings, (vi) treatment approaches, and (vii) novel concepts on the onset of rhinitis and multimorbidity. One recent concept, bringing together upper- and lower-airway allergic diseases with skin, gut, and neuropsychiatric multimorbidities, is the “Epithelial Barrier Hypothesis.” This review determined that the “one-airway-one-disease” concept does not always hold true and that several phenotypes of disease can be defined. These phenotypes include an extreme “allergic” (asthma) phenotype combining asthma, rhinitis, and conjunctivitis.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Características clínicas e polissonográficas de doentes com distúrbio respiratório do sono em REM Clinical and polysomnographic characteristics of patients with REM sleep disordered breathing

A síndroma de apneia obstrutiva do sono (SAOS) associada ao sono REM tem uma incidência de 10-36% na população com SAOS. Estudos anteriores têm sugerido, nestes doentes, um aumento de prevalência de distúrbios psiquiátricos, bem como um efeito da idade e do género. Propusemo-nos, por isso, estudar as características clínicas e polissonográficas de doentes com o referido diagnóstico. Os critérios de inclusão foram a identificação de SAOS em REM, por polissonografia (PSG), definida como IAH em REM &#8805;5/h, IAH em sono não REM (NREM) &#8804; 15/h, IAH REM/NREM &#8805; 2. Foram ainda analisados alguns parâmetros do sleep disorders questionnaire (SDQ) versão 1.02, nomeadamente os relacionados com ansiedade ou depressão. Foram estudados 19 doentes com média de idades de 54,0 anos (SD 13,97) e média de IMC de 29,01 (SD Dev 4,10). A razão entre género feminino/masculino foi de 0,58. O valor médio da escala de Epworth foi de 12,74 (SD 4,86). Em relação à gravidade da SAOS, a média do IAH foi de 9,16/h (SD 4,09) e a do IAH em REM de 37,08/h (SD 25,87). Para a relação IAH -REM/IAH -NREM obtivemos a média de 8,86 (SD 8,63). A prevalência do distúrbio de ansiedade foi de 33,3% (44,4% no sexo feminino e 16,7% no sexo masculino). Na população estudada, o tempo de sono profundo foi de 20,7% (SD 10,42) e de sono REM de 15,45% (SD 9,96), com uma eficiência de sono de 85,3% (SD 8,70). Não se verificou qualquer correlação estatisticamente significativa entre o índice de IAH REM/NREM e a sintomatologia ansiosa, a sonolência diurna e a qualidade do sono (percentagem de sono profundo e de sono REM). Concluímos que a subpopulação estudada apresenta características que divergem das descritas para a população com SAOS; em média, não são doentes obesos, as mulheres são mais afectadas, a sintomatologia não é tão exuberante, nomeadamente a hipersonia diurna. Observa-se, também, uma redução do sono profundo e um aumento do sono REM neste grupo de doentes versus a população geral, estando a eficiência do sono no limite inferior da normalidade. Ainda o distúrbio de ansiedade apresenta maior prevalência em relação à descrita para a população geral (3%) e em relação à descrita para a população com SAOS.There is a 10-36% rate of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) associated with rapid eye movement (REM) in the OSAS population. Prior studies have suggested an increased prevalence of psychiatric disorders and an effect of gender and age on these patients. Our aim was to study the clinical and polysomnograph (PSG) characteristics of our patients with REM-related sleep disordered breathing (REM SDB). Inclusion criteria was the identification of REM SDB detected by PSG defined as apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) in REM sleep .5h, AHI in non-REM sleep (NREM) . 15h and REM/NREM AHI .2. Several Sleep Disorders Questionnaire (SDQ) version 1.02 parameters were analysed. The study comprised 19 patients with a mean age of 54.0 (SD±13.97), a mean BMI of 29.01 (SD ± 4.10) and a 0.58 female / male ratio. The mean Epworth Sleepiness Scale score was 12.74 (SD ±4.86). Mean AHI was 9.16/h (SD 4.09); mean AHI in REM sleep 37.08/h (SD 25.87) and mean REM -AHI/NREM-AHI 8.86 (SD 8.63). The anxiety disorder rate was 33.3%; 44.4% in females, 16.7% in males. The average deep sleep was 20.7% (SD 10.42) and REM sleep 15.45% (SD 9.96), with a sleep efficiency of 85.3 (SD 8.70). No significant statistical correlation was found between the REM/NREM AHI index and anxiety symptoms, daytime sleepiness and sleep quality (REM and deep sleep percentages). These patients differ from the general OSAS population: on average, they are not obese, there are a greater number of females affected and they do not present a very significant diurnal hypersomnia. Reduced deep sleep and increased REM sleep were also present versus general population data, and sleep efficiency was just below the normal limit. Anxiety disorders were more prevalent in this group than described for the general population (3%) and OSAS patients

Risco de quedas em mulheres idosas com incontinência urinária institucionalizadas

Enquadramento: As mulheres que apresentam a chamada incontinência de urgência apresentam um risco mais elevado de quedas e fraturas. Pessoas com esta condição sentem uma necessidade inadiável de esvaziar a bexiga. Os músculos pélvicos enfraquecidos, disfunção da bexiga e alguns medicamentos podem estar subjacentes ao problema. Objetivos: Caracterizar os indicadores sociodemográficos, clínicos, obstétricos e ginecológicos e verificar se têm influência no risco de quedas das mulheres com incontinência uriária (IU) institucionalizadas; Caracterizar o impacto da incontinência e as atividades instrumentais de vida diária e verificar se têm influência no risco de quedas das mulheres com IU institucionalizadas. Metodo: Estudo exploratório, descritivo e transversal com componente correlacional. Amostra por conveniência constituída por 67 mulheres idosas (X= 75,51 anos de idade), do Centro Hospitalar Baixo Vouga. Foram recolhidos dados socio-demográficos, obstétricos, ginecológicos, clínicos, sobre o impacto de IU (International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire - Short Form (ICIQ-SF), sobre as Actividades Instrumentais de Vida Diária (Lawton & Brody, 1969; Versão Portuguesa de Sequeira, 2007) e sobre o risco de quedas ( escala de Morse J., 1997). Resultados: Das mulheres idosas institucionalizadas 68, 7 % têm companheiro; 49,3% com baixa escolaridade; 53,7% têm pré-obesidade; em 74,6% prevalecem doenças cardiovasculares; 79,1% tomam 5 ou mais medicamentos; 94 % sofrem de IU; 95,5 % manifestaram obstipação; 83, 6 % das mulheres com IU institucionalizadas tem risco de queda elevado. As mulheres com elevado risco de quedas tendem a concentrar-se na zona rural (c2=5,416; p=0,020), e tiveram trabalho de parto com mais de 10 horas. As mulheres com risco baixo tendem a transportar pesos superiores a 3Kg com frequência. Os níveis de risco de quedas não é influenciado pela idade, estado civil, habilitações literárias, profissão, IMC, nº de gravidezes, nº de filhos, tipo de parto, existência de laceração ou rasgadura, o local onde o parto foi realizado, a quantidade de medicamentos que tomam, a perda de urina, os anos de perda, a existência de infeções urinárias, o nº de micções, o uso de pensos absorventes, a obstipação das mulheres com IU institucionalizadas. O impacto da incontinência urinária nas mulheres institucionalizadas é considerado muito grave, influenciado pela residência, a zona rural com valores mais elevados. Quanto maior o impacto da IU mais pensos absorventes têm que usar diariamente. As mulheres que não sofrem de obstipação têm um impacto de IU grave. A ocorrência de infeções urinárias tende a ter impacto de IU moderado. As mulheres que transportam com frequência pesos superiores a 3Kg tendem apresentar impacto de IU leve. O impacto da IU não é influenciado pela idade, pelo estado civil, pelas habilitações literárias nem pela profissão, pelo IMC, pelo nº de gravidezes, pelo nº de filhos, pelo tipo de parto ou pela existência de laceração ou rasgadura e pelo nº de horas necessárias para o trabalho de parto e o local onde foi realizado e pela toma de medicação das mulheres institucionalizadas. As mulheres com IU têm uma dependência nas AIVD moderada ou severa. As mulheres com dependência severa tendem a ter idades entre os 75 e os 95 anos e vivem sem companheiro. Quanto maior o impacto da IU das mulheres institucionalizadas maior é o seu risco de quedas e maior o seu grau de dependência nas AIVD. O impacto da IU tem um peso preditivo de 14% sobre o risco de quedas. Conclusão: Defendemos que a intervenção de enfermagem seja direcionada para a prevenção e educação, num trabalho colaborativo e articulado com as pacientes no hospital e em casa. Palavra-Chave: Atividades instrumentais de vida diária; Incontinência urinária; Risco de quedas; Saúde da mulher; Enfermagem.Abstract Framework: Women who have the call urgency incontinence have a higher risk of falls and fractures. People with this condition feel an urgent need to empty their bladders. The weakened pelvic muscles, bladder dysfunction, and some medications may underlie the problem. Objectives: To characterize the sociodemographic indicators, clinical, obstetric and gynecological and verify that influence the risk of falls among women with uriária incontinence (UI) institutionalized; characterize the impact of incontinence and instrumental activities of daily living and see if they have influence on the risk of falls among institutionalized women with UI. Method: Exploratory, descriptive and correlational cross-sectional component. Convenience sample consisting of 67 elderly women (X = 75.51 years old), the Hospital Center Baixo Vouga. Data were collected socio-demographic, obstetric, gynecological, clinical, on the impact of IU (International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire - Short Form (ICIQ-SF) on Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (Lawton & Brody, 1969; Portuguese Version Sequeira, 2007) and on the risk of falls (scale J. Morse, 1997). Results: Institutionalized elderly women 68.7% have partner; 49.3% with low education, 53.7% have pre-obesity, 74.6% prevalent cardiovascular disease, 79.1% take five or more medications, 94% suffer UI, 95.5% expressed constipation, 83.6% of women with UI have institutionalized high risk of falling. Women at high risk of falls tend to be concentrated in rural areas (c 2 = 5.416, p = 0.020), and had labor over 10 hours. Women with low risk weights tend to carry more than 3kg frequently. Levels of risk of falls is not influenced by age, marital status, educational attainment, occupation, BMI, number of pregnancies, number of children, type of birth, existence of laceration or tear, where the birth took place, the amount drug taking, urine loss, years of loss, the existence of urinary infections, the number of voids, the use of absorbent pads, constipation institutionalized women with UI. The impact of urinary incontinence in women is institutionalized considered very serious, influenced by the residence, the countryside with higher values. The higher the impact of UI more absorbent pads have to use daily. Women who do not suffer from constipation have a serious impact UI. The occurrence of urinary infections tend to have moderate impact of UI. Women often carry more than 3kg weights tend to present the impact of UI lightweight. The impact of the UI is not influenced by age, marital status, the qualifications nor the profession, BMI, the number of pregnancies, the number of children, type of birth or by the existence of laceration or tear and the number of hours necessary for labor and the place where it was done and by taking medication institutionalized women. Women with UI have a dependency in IADL moderate or severe. Women with severe addiction tend to be aged between 75 and 95 years and living without a partner. The greater the impact of UI women institutionalized greater your risk of falls and increased the degree of dependence in IADL. The impact of UI has a weight of 14% predictive of the risk of falls. Conclusion: We argue that nursing intervention is directed toward prevention and education, in a collaborative and coordinated with the patients in the hospital and at home. Key word: Instrumental activities of daily life; Urinary incontinence; Risk of falls; The woman's health; Nursing

Procedure per gestire i rifiuti agricoli

Ankle sprain is a frequent sports injury among volley and basketball players, and identifying risk factors is necessary to prevent injuries and prolong their careers. Objective: To identify intrinsic and extrinsic factors in basketball and volleyball players related to the risk of ankle sprain injury over a five-month follow-up period. Methods: Ninety-four Brazilian young competitive athletes (15.8±1.7 years, 47 basketball and 47 volleyball players) participated in this study. They were evaluated for intrinsic risk factors (previous history of ankle sprain, dominant lower limb, ankle ligament laxity, range of motion of the ankle-foot complex, electromyographic response time of ankle evertors, postural control and muscular torque of ankle invertors and evertors) and extrinsic risk factors (type of shoes worn, use of orthosis, previous injuries while training or competing, and the players’ position). Results: During the study period, 18 (19%) athletes suffered unilateral sprains. Multivariate logistic regression analysis gave a final regression with four factors: dominant leg (p=0.161), type of shoes worn (p=0.049), player’s position (p=0.153), and peroneus brevis muscle reaction time (p=0.045). There was an 86.1% probability of an ankle sprain if the athlete had a left dominant leg, wore shoes without vibration dampeners, or played in the small forward, wing/hitter spiker, middle blocker, or opposite spiker positions, and had a peroneus muscle reaction time longer than 80ms. However, only the player’s position was significantly (p=0.046) associated with lesion occurrence. Conclusion: The player’s position appeared to be a risk factor in both sports, and this result may help professionals to prevent ankle sprains. Level of Evidence I; High quality randomized clinical trial with or without statistically significant difference but with narrow confidence intervals.A entorse de tornozelo é uma lesão esportiva frequente em jogadores de vôlei e basquete, e a identificação dos fatores de risco é necessária para prevenir lesões e prolongar a carreira. Objetivo: Identificar fatores intrínsecos e extrínsecos em jogadores de basquetebol e vôlei relacionados com o risco de entorse de tornozelo ao longo de cinco meses de acompanhamento. Métodos: Noventa e quatro atletas brasileiros jovens e competitivos (15,8 ± 1,7 anos, 47 jogadores de basquete e 47 de voleibol) participaram do estudo. Foram avaliados os fatores de risco intrínsecos (história prévia de entorse de tornozelo, membro inferior dominante, frouxidão ligamentar do tornozelo, amplitude de movimento do complexo tornozelo-pé, tempo de resposta eletromiográfica dos músculos do tornozelo, controle postural e torques musculares dos inversores e eversores de tornozelo) e os fatores extrínsecos (tipos de calçado, uso de órteses, lesões prévias durante treinamento ou competição e posição dos jogadores). Resultados: Durante o período do estudo, 18 (19%) atletas sofreram entorses unilaterais. A análise de regressão logística multivariada forneceu a regressão final com quatro fatores: perna dominante (p = 0,161), tipo de calçado (p = 0,049), posição do jogador (p = 0,153) e tempo de reação do músculo fibular curto (p = 0,045). Constatou-se uma probabilidade de 86,1% de entorse de tornozelo se o membro inferior esquerdo fosse o dominante, se o calçado não tivesse amortecedores ou se a posição de jogo fosse ala, ponta, saída de rede, oposto e tivesse um tempo de reação dos músculos fibulares maior que 80 ms. No entanto, apenas a posição do jogador foi significativamente (p = 0,046) associada à ocorrência de lesão. Conclusão: A posição de jogo apareceu como um fator de risco em ambos os esportes e esse resultado pode ajudar os profissionais a prevenir entorses de tornozelo. Nível de evidência I; Estudo clínico randomizado de alta qualidade com ou sem diferença estatisticamente significante, mas com intervalos de confiança estreitos.El esguince de tobillo es una lesión deportiva frecuente en los jugadores de voleibol y baloncesto, y la identificación de los factores de riesgo es necesaria para prevenir lesiones y prolongar la carrera. Objetivo: Identificar factores intrínsecos y extrínsecos relacionados con el riesgo de esguince de tobillo a lo largo de cinco meses de seguimiento. Métodos: Noventa y cuatro atletas brasileños jóvenes y competitivos (15,8 ± 1,7 años, 47 jugadores de baloncesto y 47 de voleibol) participaron del estudio. Se evaluaron los factores de riesgo intrínsecos (historia previa de esguince de tobillo, extremidad inferior dominante, lasitud del ligamento del tobillo, rango de movimiento del complejo tobillo-pie, tiempo de respuesta electromiográfica de los músculos del tobillo, control postural y el torque muscular de los inversores y eversores del tobillo) y los factores de riesgo extrínsecos (tipo de zapato, uso de ortesis, lesiones previas durante entrenamiento o competición y posición de los jugadores). Resultados: Durante el período del estudio, 18 (19%) atletas sufrieron esguinces unilaterales. El análisis de regresión logística multivariada proporcionó la regresión final con cuatro factores: pierna dominante (p = 0,161), tipo de calzado (p = 0,049), posición del jugador (p = 0,153) y tiempo de reacción del músculo peroneo corto (p = 0,045 ) Se constató una probabilidad de esguince de tobillo de 86,1% si la extremidad inferior izquierda era la dominante, si el zapato no tenía amortiguadores o si la posición de juego fuera alero, punta, delantero de red, opuesto y tuviera un tiempo de reacción de los músculo del peroneo de más de 80 ms. Sin embargo, solo la posición del jugador fue significativamente (p = 0,046) asociada a la ocurrencia de lesión. Conclusión: La posición de juego apareció como un factor de riesgo en ambos deportes y este resultado puede ayudar a los profesionales a prevenir esguinces de tobillo. Nivel de evidencia I; Estudio clínico aleatorizado de alta calidad con o sin diferencia estadísticamente significativa, pero con intervalos de confianza estrechos