Distancing Measures in COVID-19 Pandemic: Loneliness, More than Physical Isolation, Affects Health Status and Psycho-Cognitive Wellbeing in Elderly Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Since the outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in 2020, many governments have been imposing confinement and physical distancing measures. No data exist on the effects of lockdowns on the health status of patients affected by chronic pathologies, specifically those with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Our study aims to establish variations across the psychological and cognitive profile of patients during the isolation period in Italy, in a cohort of patients affected by COPD, between February and May 2020. Forty patients with established COPD were comprehensively evaluated by geriatric multidimensional assessment before the spread of the epidemic in Italy, and submitted to a second evaluation during the subsequent lockdown. We assessed functional ability, basic and instrumental Activities of Daily Living (ADL and IADL), cognition and mood status. We compared the scores obtained at baseline against those obtained during the pandemic, and used mean differences for correlation with major clinical and functional indexes. The score differences from MMSE, ADL and IADL were statistically significant. Such differences were correlated to the presence of a caregiver and to the total number of family members living together. Remarkably, the loneliness dimension, more than the restrictions themselves, seemed to represent the major determinant of altered health status and depressed psycho-cognitive profile in our population. Also remarkably, we detected no correlation between the score variation and the respiratory function indexes of disease severity. The isolation measures adopted during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic have triggered the classic clinical string associated to geriatric isolation, which leads to a deterioration of cognitive functions, independence and frailty levels in a population affected by a chronic degenerative disease, such as COPD. If considered from a multidimensional geriatric point of view, the individual benefit of isolation measures could be small or non-existent

Correspondence re L. J. Wirth et al., Induction Docetaxel and Carboplatin Followed by Weekly Docetaxel and Carboplatin with Concurrent Radiotherapy, Then Surgery in Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: a Phase I Study. Clin Cancer Res 2003;9:1698–704.

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Full-length TrkB variant in NSCLC is associated with brain metastasis

Despite remarkable therapeutic advances have been made in the last few decades, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is still one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Brain metastases are a common complication of a wide range of human malignancies and in particular NSCLC. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), binding its high-affinity tyrosine kinase B receptor, has been shown to promote cancer progression and metastasis. We hereby investigated the expression of the BDNF and its TrkB receptor in its full-length and truncated isoform T1, in samples from primary adenocarcinomas (ADKs) of the lung and in their metastasis to evaluate if their expression was related to preferential tumor entry into the central nervous system (CNS). By immunohistochemistry, 80% of the ADKs that metastasize to central nervous system expressed TrkB receptor compared to 33% expressing of ADKs without CNS metastasis. Moreover, ADKs with CNS metastasis showed an elevated expression of the full-length TrkB receptor. The TrkB receptor FL/T1 ratio was statistically higher in primary ADKs with brain metastasis compared to ADKs without brain metastasis. Our data indicate that TrkB full-length isoform expression in primary ADK cells may be associated with higher risk to develop brain metastasis. Therefore, TrkB receptor may possess prognostic and therapeutic implications in lung ADK

Metabolic Disorder in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Patients: Towards a Personalized Approach Using Marine Drug Derivatives

Metabolic disorder has been frequently observed in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. However, the exact correlation between obesity, which is a complex metabolic disorder, and COPD remains controversial. The current study summarizes a variety of drugs from marine sources that have anti-obesity effects and proposed potential mechanisms by which lung function can be modulated with the anti-obesity activity. Considering the similar mechanism, such as inflammation, shared between obesity and COPD, the study suggests that marine derivatives that act on the adipose tissues to reduce inflammation may provide beneficial therapeutic effects in COPD subjects with high body mass index (BMI)

Cognitive Impairment in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): Possible Utility of Marine Bioactive Compounds

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by long-term airflow limitation. Early-onset COPD in non-smoker subjects is ≥60 years and in the elderly is often associated with different comorbidities. Cognitive impairment is one of the most common feature in patients with COPD, and is associated with COPD severity and comorbidities. Cognitive impairment in COPD enhances the assistance requirement in different aspects of daily living, treatment adherence, and effectual self-management.This review describes various bioactive compounds of natural marine sources that modulate different targets shared by both COPD and cognitive impairment and hypothesizes a possible link between these two syndromes

Microbiome in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Role of Natural Products Against Microbial Pathogens

8noThe "microbiome" is the operative term to refer to a collection of all taxa constituting microbial communities, such as bacteria, archaea, fungi and protists (originally microbiota). The microbiome consists of the indigenous microbial communities and of the host environment that they inhabit. Actually, it has been shown that there is a close relationship between the microbiome and the human health and disease condition. Although, initially, lung was considered sterile, actually, the existence of a healthy lung microbiome is usually accepted. Lung microbiome changes are reported in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and in its exacerbation. Viral and bacterial infections of the respiratory system are a major cause of COPD exacerbations (AECOPD) leading increased local and systemic inflammation. Detection rates of virus in AECOPD are variable between 25-62% according to detection method. Study of human airway and lung disease virome are quite recent and still very limited. The purpose of this review is to summarize recent findings on the lung microbiome composition with a special emphasis to virome in the COPD and in AECOPD. Some drugs of natural origins active against resistant bacteria and virus are described.nonemixedSantoro, Alessia; Tomino, Carlo; Prinzi, Giulia; Cardaci, Vittorio; Fini, Massimo; Macera, Lisa; Russo, Patrizia; Maggi, FabrizioSantoro, Alessia; Tomino, Carlo; Prinzi, Giulia; Cardaci, Vittorio; Fini, Massimo; Macera, Lisa; Russo, Patrizia; Maggi, Fabrizi

Use of functional independence measure in rehabilitation of inpatients with respiratory failure.

Most outcomes do not deeply express the degree of disability in patients with respiratory failure (RF) following inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation (IPR). The aim of our study was to evaluate the efficacy of an IPR in patients with confirmed COPD and RF using functional independence measure (FIM) that determines the degree of disability experienced by patients and the progress they make during rehabilitation. This scale includes several items: self care, mobility, locomotion, communication and social recognition. Twenty-two patients (age 70+/-2 years, PO(2) 58.18+/-7.63mmHg, PCO(2) 46.82+/-9.11mmHg) were prospectively observed and studied. IPR included respiratory and peripheral muscle training, mucus evacuation techniques, and energy conservation techniques. FIM, Medical Research Council dyspnoea scale (MRC), St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), and 6-min walking distance (6-MWD) were assessed on admission (pre) and discharge (post) from IPR. After IPR there was a statistically significant improvement (p<0.01) in all the FIM items (total score in self care, mobility, locomotion, social recognition) except for communication. Changes of MRC (pre 4.32+/-0.84; post 3.00+/-1.15, p<0.001), SGRQ (\%) (pre 69.86+/-4.62; post 46.50+/-11.94, p<0.001), and 6-MWD (pre 164.54+/-98.63; post 214.32+/-97.64, p<0.001) paralleled those improvements. An inverse correlation between MRC and FIM (r=-0.5042, p=0.016) was observed. Our preliminary study has shown that the benefits of IPR in COPD with RF do not only translate in dyspnoea, exercise capacity and quality of life but also within neuromotor disabilities as assessed by FIM. Our results warrant future studies in pulmonary rehabilitation using FIM as an outcome measure

Daily Vegetables Intake and Response to COPD Rehabilitation. The Role of Oxidative Stress, Inflammation and DNA Damage

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a respiratory disease associated with airways inflammation and lung parenchyma fibrosis. The primary goals of COPD treatment are to reduce symptoms and risk of exacerbations, therefore pulmonary rehabilitation is considered the key component of managing COPD patients. Oxidative airway damage, inflammation and reduction of endogenous antioxidant enzymes are known to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of COPD. Recently, also natural antioxidants have been considered as they play an important role in metabolism, DNA repair and fighting the effects of oxidative stress. In this paper we evaluated the response of 105 elderly COPD patients to pulmonary rehabilitation (PR), based on high or low vegetable consumption, by analyzing clinical parameters and biological measurements at baseline and after completion of the three weeks PR. We found that daily vegetable intake in normal diet, without any specific intervention, can increase the probability to successfully respond to rehabilitation (65.4% of responders ate vegetables daily vs. 40.0% of non-responders, p = 0.033). The association was especially evident in subjects ≥ 80 year of age (OR = 17.0; p &lt; 0.019). Three weeks of pulmonary rehabilitation are probably too short to reveal a reduction of the oxidative stress and DNA damage, but are enough to show an improvement in the patient’s inflammatory state