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Purpose: Subjects with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) exhibit systemic and upper airway oxidative stress and inflammation, which cause mitochondrial dysfunction. The intend of this study is to estimate mitochondrial function (mitochondrial DNA/nuclear DNA [Mt/N] ratio) and protein levels of peroxisome proliferator-coactivated receptor gamma co-activator 1-alpha (PGC1-α) in the exhaled breath condensate (EBC) and plasma before and after continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment. Materials and methods: Twenty healthy individuals (control) and 40 subjects with severe or moderate OSA were recruited to undergo CPAP treatment and evaluation in a sleep study. The Mt/N ratio in the EBC and blood were assayed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure the protein concentration of PGC1-α in the EBC and plasma. All experiments were performed after 3 months of CPAP treatment in subjects with OSA. Results: We observed no noteworthy differences between the control and treatment groups. Moreover, there were no differences in the Mt/N ratio in the blood and plasma levels of PGC1-α in subjects with OSA before and after treatment. However, the Mt/N ratio and protein levels of PGC1-α in the EBC of OSA subjects were higher than those in the control group and returned to normal levels after CPAP treatment. Conclusions: We successfully treated subjects with OSA by CPAP, which restored the Mt/N ratio and levels of PGC1-α in the EBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Chronic asthma is characterized by airway inflammation and remodeling. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of aminophylline on airway epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Materials and methods: Two experimental groups of brown Norway rats that were repeatedly challenged with aerosolized ovalbumin (OA) were given oral aminophylline (OA-aminophylline group) or saline only (OA-saline group). A third group was challenged by saline as a control. The rats were anesthetized and pulmonary function were performed. Immuno-histochemical staining of epithelial markers (zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1)) and mesenchymal markers (vimentin) in the airway were performed. The protein expressions of ZO-1, E-cadherin, vimentin, fibronectine, TGF-ß1, SMAD 2/3, JNK, and p38 MAPK were examined by western blot. Results: Aminophylline had beneficial effects on airway inflammation, and airway remodeling in the OA-aminophylline group compared to the OA-saline group. The OA-saline group had decreased ZO-1 but increased vimentin according to immuno-histochemical staining. The protein expression indicated decreases in ZO-1 and E-cadherin but increases in vimentin, fibronectine, TGF-ß1, SMAD 2/3, JNK, and p38 MAPK in comparison to the other two groups. The OA-aminophylline group had higher ZO-1 but lower vimentin in immuno-histochemical staining compared to the OA-saline group. The protein expression showed higher ZO-1 and E-cadherin but lower vimentin, fibronectine, TGF-ß1, SMAD 2/3, JNK, and p38 MAPK when compared to the OA-saline group. Conclusions: Ovalbumin increases airway remodeling and airway EMT. Aminophylline is effective in preventing airway remodeling and airway EMT in Brown Norway rats after repeated allergen challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To evaluate the incidence of pulmonary embolism (PE) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Taiwan. Methods: This was a retrospective population-based cohort study using data retrieved from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database (2000 to 2008), which contains 99% of Taiwanese healthcare data. The evaluations included 355,878 COPD patients and 355,878 non-COPD patients for comparison. Results: The incidence of PE in the COPD cohort was 12.31 per 10,000 person-years (1.37/10,000 persons/y), which was approximately 4-times higher than in the comparison cohort (0.35/10,000 persons/y). In the COPD cohort, risk of PE was higher in the young age group (20-59 y, HR 4.64, 95% CI 3.06-7.03) than in other age groups. Risk of PE was higher in patients with COPD combined with hypertension, coronary artery disease, and cancer, or those with previous operation (HR 4.16, 4.75, 4.56, and 4.50 respectively) than in those with COPD and no comorbidity. Conclusions: The overall incidence of PE is lower in Taiwan than in western countries. However, the prevalence of PE in COPD patients is higher than in non-COPD patients and increases with age. It is crucial to incorporate PE into the differential diagnosis of COPD exacerbation for clinical physicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]