High frequency of the R75Q CFTR variation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

AbstractWe performed the complete screening of the CFTR gene in a group of 31 patients with COPD in order to investigate the impact of mutations and polymorphisms in the CFTR gene. The cumulative frequency of CFTR mutations (17.74%) was significantly higher than in our general population (P<0.0001). The R75Q was significantly overrepresented in COPD patients (8.06%; P=0.002). In all patients carrying the R75Q chronic bronchitis was a dominant symptom of COPD, and all were homozygous for the V470 allele. These findings suggest that R75Q mutation could be characteristic CFTR variant for COPD patients

Illness perception in tuberculosis by implementation of the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire : a TBNET study

How patients relate to the experience of their illness has a direct impact over their behavior. We aimed to assess illness perception in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) by means of the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ) in correlation with patients’ demographic features and clinical TB score. Our observational questionnaire based study included series of consecutive TB patients enrolled in several countries from October 2008 to January 2011 with 167 valid questionnaires analyzed. Each BIPQ item assessed one dimension of illness perceptions like the consequences, timeline, personal control, treatment control, identity, coherence, emotional representation and concern. An open question referred to the main causes of TB in each patient’s opinion. The over-all BIPQ score (36.25 ± 11.054) was in concordance with the clinical TB score (p ≤ 0.001). TB patients believed in the treatment (the highest item-related score for treatment control) but were unsure about the illness identity. Illness understanding and the clinical TB score were negatively correlated (p < 0.01). Only 25% of the participants stated bacteria or TB contact as the first ranked cause of the illness. For routine clinical practice implementation of the BIPQ is convenient for obtaining fast and easy assessment of illness perception with potential utility in intervention design. This time saving effective personalized approach may improve communication with TB patients and contribute to better behavioral strategies in disease control

Knowledge and awareness of tuberculosis among Roma population in Belgrade: a qualitative study

Abstract Background Tuberculosis (TB) remains an important health problem in the Roma population in Serbia. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of increasing awareness of TB and reducing the associated stigmas to reduce the incidence of TB and enable earlier diagnosis and effective treatment. This study investigated the knowledge and beliefs about transmission, symptoms and treatment of TB as well as attitudes towards patients with TB among the Roma population in Belgrade. Methods The focus-group method was considered to be appropriate for investigating knowledge and beliefs about TB. A total of 24 Roma people aged 19-55 years participated in three focus-group discussions. Results All participants knew that TB was a pulmonary disease and could be contagious. Saliva was the most commonly mentioned mode of transmission. Some individuals thought, albeit hesitantly, that TB could be transmitted by shaking hands with an infected individual. Of factors contributing to TB, participants mentioned bad living conditions, low quality and lack of food, and stress. Participants quoted chest pain, cough, haemoptysis, loss of appetite, loss of weight, weakness and sweating as basic symptoms of TB. Participants believed that effective treatment should include resting, taking prescribed medicines, inhaling fresh air and eating "strong" food such as bacon and pork; these approaches were considered as important as taking antibiotics). In addition, participants mentioned that they use some folk medicines. Relatives and friends, and to a lesser extent television, were the main sources of information about TB. Participants most appreciate personal contact with doctors as a source of information. Conclusions We concluded that participants were aware of the seriousness TB as well as some of the modes of transmission; however, they had some misconceptions. An important finding was the confidence in doctors expressed by the Roma people.</p

Lifestyle and perceived health in subjects with chronic bronchitis or emphysema: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background The study aim was to compare lifestyle behaviors, body mass index (BMI) and perceived health in subjects with and without chronic bronchitis or emphysema, and to explore if these comparisons differed between demographic subgroups. Methods A stratified two-stage sample of the population of Serbia was used; 14.522 adults aged ≥20 years were interviewed. Results Compared with controls, respondents with chronic bronchitis or emphysema reported a 23% increased likelihood of eating fresh vegetables every day (CI 1.02-1.48), 58% increased likelihood of currently smoking (CI 1.32-1.88) and more likely to perceive their health as very bad or bad (OR 4.67, CI 3.64-5.98). After stratification for sex, education, and type of settlement, smoking was significantly associated with chronic bronchitis or emphysema in all subgroups except males. The increased likelihood of very bad or bad perceived health in respondents with chronic bronchitis or emphysema was significant in all subgroups, and was highest for respondents ≤65 years of age (adjusted OR 6.51; CI 4.87-8.72) and lowest for respondents >65 years of age (adjusted OR 3.25; CI 2.12-4.97). Conclusion Efforts to enhance perceived health and healthy lifestyle behaviors in subjects with chronic bronchitis or emphysema are necessary. Special attention should be paid to smoking cessation in almost all demographic subgroups.</p

Gene–Gene Interactions Between Glutathione S-Transferase M1

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex disorder influenced by multiple genetic and environmental factors, as well as their interactions. Since elevated oxidative stress and protease activity characterize the pathogenesis of COPD, variants of genes that can affect these processes have been commonly studied in COPD. However, interactions among genes that can influence oxidative stress and protease activity remain poorly investigated in COPD. The aim of this study was to look into the role of functional variants in matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) 1, 9, and 12 in the occurrence and/or modulation of COPD, and to analyze their interactions with glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) M1, T1, and P1 in the pathogenesis of COPD in Serbians. The MMP1 rs1799750 G > GG, MMP9 rs3918242 C > T, and MMP12 rs2276109 A > G variants were analyzed by direct detection methods. Gene-gene interactions between variants in MMPs and GSTs were assessed using a case-control model. Our results showed association of the MMP1 GG/GG genotype with COPD (p = 0.036, OR = 2.50). Gene-gene interactions between the GSTM1 null and MMP1 GG (p = 0.028, OR = 2.99) and the GSTM1 null and MMP12 AA variants (p = 0.015, OR = 3.82) were found to significantly increase the risk of COPD occurrence. Furthermore, the MMP12 G variant was found to modify the age of COPD onset (p = 0.025, OR = 3.30), while interaction between the GSTM1 null and MMP9 T variants was found to modify the severity of disease (p = 0.019, OR = 4.83). To our best knowledge, this is the first study revealing several gene-gene interactions affecting oxidative stress and protease activity in the pathogenesis of COPD