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Sex and gender differences significantly influence lung parenchyma development, beginning as early as the embryonic stages of human life. Although this association is well known in the clinical manifestations of some relevant pulmonary diseases, there is less data available regarding their effects on cell biological programmes across different stages of body development. A deep understanding of these mechanisms could help in defining preventive strategies tailored to a fully personalised approach to respiratory medicine. From this perspective, this review aims to analyse the influence of sex and gender on bronchoalveolar and vascular compartments from embryonic and neonatal stages through to adolescence, adulthood and elder age., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: The authors have nothing to disclose., (Copyright ©The authors 2025.)

Objectives: Lung transplant is the ultimate treatment of many end-stage lung diseases. Calcineurin inhibitors, crucial in immunosuppression for lung transplant recipients, are linked to secondary hypertension, necessitating antihypertensive treatment. In addition, lung transplant recipients frequently experience orthostatic hypotension, occasionally stemming from autonomic dysfunction, but also commonly attributed as a negative side effect of antihypertensive treatment. Our study aimed to evaluate the frequency of orthostatic blood pressure irregularities and investigate the involvement of antihypertensive treatment as a potential risk factor in the occurrence among lung transplant recipients., Materials and Methods: Fifty-six consecutive lung transplant recipients, both inpatient and outpatient, at the University Hospital Zurich (Switzerland) were monitored from 1999 to 2013. Transplant recipients underwent a Schellong test (an active standing test). Our evaluation encompassed their initial traits, such as the existence of supine hypertension. We computed the odds ratio for the comparison of the likelihood of experiencing orthostatic hypotension while using a minimum of 1 type of antihypertensive medication versus absence of antihypertensive drugs., Results: Of the lung transplant recipients, 25% showed a positive Schellong test. Within this group, 64% had supine hypertension, and 29% displayed symptoms of orthostatic hypotension. Among the patients, 71% were using at least 1 type of antihypertensive medication. The odds ratio for showing orthostatic hypotension while taking at least 1 type of antihypertensive drug versus the absence of antihypertensive medications was 1.64 (95% exact CI, 0.39-6.90) with P = .50. This finding remained consistent regardless of age, sex, inpatient or outpatient status, and the duration since transplant., Conclusions: Orthostatic blood pressure dysregulation is prevalent among lung transplant recipients, frequently without noticeable symptoms. In our cohort, the use of antihypertensive medications did not elevate the risk of orthostatic hypotension.

The topic of sleep-related breathing disorders is always evolving, and during the European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress 2023 in Milan, Italy, the latest research and clinical topics in respiratory medicine were presented. The most interesting issues included new diagnostic tools, such as cardiovascular parameters and artificial intelligence, pathophysiological traits of sleep disordered breathing from routine polysomnography or polygraphy signals, and new biomarkers and the diagnostic approach in patients with excessive daytime sleepiness. This article summarises the most relevant studies and topics presented at the ERS International Congress 2023. Each section has been written by early career members of ERS Assembly 4., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: M. Bradicich reports an ERS faculty participation grant for the ERS International Congress 2023, outside the submitted work; payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers’ bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events from ERS faculty participation grant for the ERS International Congress 2023, outside the submitted work; support for attending meetings and/or travel from ERS faculty participation grant for the ERS International Congress 2023, outside the submitted work; and is ERS ECMC Representative for Assembly 4, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: D. Testelmans reports payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers’ bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events from Resmed and Nyxoah, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: M. Sánchez-de-la-Torre reports grants or contracts from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Spain Goverment), outside the submitted work; payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers’ bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events from Jazz Pharmaceuticals and Philips, outside the submitted work; and support for attending meetings and/or travel from Jazz Pharmaceuticals and Resmed, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: W. Randerath is an associate editor of this journal. Conflict of interest: E.I. Schwarz reports grants or contracts from Philips Respironics, Löwenstein and the Swiss National Science Foundation, outside the submitted work; payment or honorara for lectures, presentations, speakers’ bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events from ResMed, outside the submitted work; leadership or fiduciary role in other board, society, committee or advocacy group, paid or unpaid for ERS Secretary of Assembly 4, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: S. Schiza reports being ERS secretary of Assembly 4 (until September 2023), unpaid, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: The remaining authors have nothing to disclose., (Copyright ©The authors 2024.)

Sleep abnormalities may represent an independent risk factor for neurodegeneration. An international expert group convened in 2021 to discuss the state-of-the-science in this domain. The present article summarizes the presentations and discussions concerning the importance of a strategy for studying sleep- and circadian-related interventions for early detection and prevention of neurodegenerative diseases. An international expert group considered the current state of knowledge based on the most relevant publications in the previous 5 years; discussed the current challenges in the field of relationships among sleep, sleep disorders, and neurodegeneration; and identified future priorities. Sleep efficiency and slow wave activity during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep are decreased in cognitively normal middle-aged and older adults with Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Sleep deprivation increases amyloid-β (Aβ) concentrations in the interstitial fluid of experimental animal models and in cerebrospinal fluid in humans, while increased sleep decreases Aβ. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a risk factor for dementia. Studies indicate that positive airway pressure (PAP) treatment should be started in patients with mild cognitive impairment or AD and comorbid OSA. Identification of other measures of nocturnal hypoxia and sleep fragmentation could better clarify the role of OSA as a risk factor for neurodegeneration. Concerning REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), it will be crucial to identify the subset of RBD patients who will convert to a specific neurodegenerative disorder. Circadian sleep-wake rhythm disorders (CSWRD) are strong predictors of caregiver stress and institutionalization, but the absence of recommendations or consensus statements must be considered. Future priorities include to develop and validate existing and novel comprehensive assessments of CSWRD in patients with/at risk for dementia. Strategies for studying sleep-circadian-related interventions for early detection/prevention of neurodegenerative diseases are required. CSWRD evaluation may help to identify additional biomarkers for phenotyping and personalizing treatment of neurodegeneration., (© 2023. Fondazione Società Italiana di Neurologia.)

This paper presents some of the highlights of the Sleep and Breathing Conference 2023 https://bit.ly/46MxJml., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: M. Bradicich reports receiving support to attend meetings and/or travel from the European Respiratory Society as an ERS officer and ERS International Congress faculty; and is the early career member representative of ERS Assembly 4, disclosure made outside the submitted work. W. Randerath reports payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers’ bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events from Heinen & Löwenstein, Philips Respironics, and Habel Medizintechnik, outside the submitted work; and is Head of ERS Assembly 4, Sleep Disordered Breathing (unpaid position) and the German Respiratory Society Secretary General (unpaid position), disclosures made outside the submitted work. J. Cruz is the early career member representative of ERS Assembly 9, disclosure made outside the submitted work. The remaining authors have nothing to disclose., (Copyright ©ERS 2023.)

During the European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress 2022 in Barcelona, Spain, the latest research and clinical topics in respiratory medicine were presented. The sleep medicine-focused presentations and symposia provided novel insights into the pathophysiology of sleep disordered breathing, its diagnostics, and new trends in translational research and clinical applications. The presented research trends focused mainly on the assessment of sleep disordered breathing-related intermittent hypoxia, inflammation and sleep fragmentation, and their implications, especially cardiovascular. The most promising methods for assessing these aspects encompass genomics, proteomics and cluster analysis. The currently available options include positive airway pressure and a combination of it and pharmacological agents ( e.g. sulthiame). This article summarises the most relevant studies and topics on these subjects presented at the ERS International Congress 2022. Each section has been written by Early Career Members of the ERS Assembly 4., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: M. Bradicich declares support from the European Respiratory Society for acting as faculty at the society's 2022 International Congress; and an unpaid role as Early Career Member Representative for European Respiratory Society Assembly 4 (Sleep Disordered Breathing). W. Randerath declares payment or honoraria from Heinen & Löwenstein, Resmed, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inspire, Philips Respironics, Bioprojet and Westfalen Medical; support for attending meetings and/or travel from Heinen & Löwenstein, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Philips Respironics and Bioprojet; and participation on a data safety monitoring or advisory board from Bioprojet, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Philips Respironics and Procter & Gamble, all in the 36 months prior to manuscript submission; as well as an unpaid role as head of European Respiratory Society Assembly 4 (Sleep Disordered Breathing). He is an associate editor of this journal. All other authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright ©The authors 2023.)

In this article, we provide a brief description of the @EuroRespSoc 2023 Lung Science Conference and the Sleep and Breathing Conference https://bit.ly/3WsCzj6., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: S. Cuevas Ocaña is a European Respiratory Society Officer (representative of the Early career members of Assembly 3 and the Chair of the Early career member committee). M. Bradicich is a European Respiratory Society Officer. J. Cruz is a European Respiratory Society Officer (representative of the Early career members of Assembly 9)., (Copyright ©ERS 2023.)

Reliable detection of sleep positions is essential for the development of technical aids for patients with position-dependent sleep-related breathing disorders. We compare personalized and generalizable sleeping position classifiers using unobtrusive eight-channel pressure-sensing mats. Data of six male patients with confirmed position-dependent sleep apnea was recorded during three subsequent nights. Personalized position classifiers trained using leave-one-night-out cross-validation on average reached an F1-score of 61.3% for supine/non-supine and an F1-score of 46.2% for supine/lateral-left/lateral-right classification. The generalizable classifiers reached average F1-scores of 62.1% and 49.1% for supine/non-supine and supine/lateral-left/lateral-right classification, respectively. In-bed presence ("bed occupancy") could be detected with an average F1-score of 98.1%. This work shows that personalized sleep-position classifiers trained with data from two nights have comparable performance to classifiers trained with large interpatient datasets. Simple eight-channel sensor mattresses can be used to accurately detect in-bed presence required for closed-loop systems but their use to classify sleep-positions is limited.

This article presents the views of the past and current Presidents of the ERS regarding their role, perspectives on career development and vision for the Society, along with important messages to inspire ECMs to build their own successful career. https://bit.ly/3kAvxIM., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: M. Siciliano has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: E. Schiavi has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: S. Cullivan is the Janssen Pharmaceuticals Newman Fellow in Pulmonary Hypertension and Translational Medicine; this is unrelated to the submitted work. Conflict of interest: M. Bradicich has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: M. Lichtblau has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: J. Cruz has nothing to disclose., (Copyright ©ERS 2022.)

In this article, we provide an overview of the impact that being part of the @EuroRespSoc activities can have on a professional career, through the voices of Early Career Members (@EarlyCareerERS) https://bit.ly/32sHNW2., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: A.G. Mathioudakis has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: C. Osadnik reports receiving grants or contracts from Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and Pat Cosh Trust Fund. Payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers’ bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events received from Novartis, Australia. Disclosures made outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: A.W. Boots has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: M. Bradicich reports receiving payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers’ bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events from ERS International Congress 2021. Support for attending meetings and/or travel from ERS International Congress 2021. Disclosures made outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: S. Bartel reports receiving consulting fees from Bencard Allergie GmbH, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: R. Gloeckl has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: J. Cruz has nothing to disclose., (Copyright ©ERS 2022.)