https://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Index ${session.getAttribute("locale")} 5 https://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:26396 2.5), moderate/severe versus mild (VAS>6 vs <5), atopic versus non-atopic and pregnancy rhinitis. At baseline, women completed the 20-Item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT20), asthma-specific (AQLQ-M) QoL questionnaires and the Six-Item Short-Form State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-6). Asthma control was assessed using the asthma control questionnaire (ACQ). Perinatal outcomes were collected after delivery. Results: Current rhinitis was present in 142 (65%) women including 45 (20%) women who developed pregnancy rhinitis. Women with current rhinitis had higher scores for ACQ (p=0.004), SNOT20 (p<0.0001) and AQLQ-M (p<0.0001) compared to women with no rhinitis. Current rhinitis was associated with increased anxiety symptoms (p=0.002), rhinitis severity was associated with higher ACQ score (p=0.004) and atopic rhinitis was associated with poorer lung function (p=0.037). Rhinitis symptom severity improved significantly during gestation (p<0.0001). There was no impact on perinatal outcomes. Improved asthma control was associated with improvement in rhinitis. Conclusion: Rhinitis in pregnant women with asthma is common and associated with poorer asthma control, sino-nasal and asthma-specific QoL impairment and anxiety. In the context of active asthma management there was significant improvement in rhinitis symptoms and severity as pregnancy progressed.]]> Wed 11 Apr 2018 17:22:04 AEST ]]> https://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:22258 Wed 11 Apr 2018 16:35:43 AEST ]]> https://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:29974 2) COPD patients received a 12 week weight reduction programme involving meal replacements, dietary counselling by a dietitian and resistance exercise training prescribed and supervised by a physiotherapist. Patients were reviewed face to face by the dietitian and physiotherapist every 2 weeks for counselling. Results: Twenty-eight participants completed the intervention. Mean (standard deviation) body mass index was 36.3 kg/m2 (4.6) at baseline and reduced by 2.4 kg/m2 ((1.1) P < 0.0001) after the intervention. Importantly, skeletal muscle mass was maintained. Clinical outcomes improved with weight loss including exercise capacity, health status, dyspnea, strength and functional outcomes. There was also a significant reduction in the body mass index, obstruction, dyspnea and exercise score (BODE). Systemic inflammation measured by C-reactive protein however did not change. Conclusion: In obese COPD patients, dietary energy restriction coupled with resistance exercise training results in clinically significant improvements in body mass index, exercise tolerance and health status, whilst preserving skeletal muscle mass. This novel study provides a framework for development of guidelines for the management of obese COPD patients and in guiding future research.]]> Wed 09 Mar 2022 15:59:32 AEDT ]]> https://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:14595 Wed 04 Sep 2019 11:33:48 AEST ]]> https://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:37411 Wed 02 Mar 2022 14:26:42 AEDT ]]> https://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:437 Thu 25 Jul 2013 09:10:00 AEST ]]> https://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:30509 18 years) with obesity (body mass index; BMI = 30 kg/m²) and COPD, using a low-calorie diet coupled with a partial meal replacement plan and resistance exercise training, which resulted in a 6.4% reduction in weight while maintaining skeletal muscle mass and improving health status. This sub-study aims to evaluate the intervention by (a) examining changes in dietary intake and nutritional biomarkers and (b) examining predictors of weight loss. Dietary intake was evaluated using four-day food diaries, and analysis of plasma fatty acids and plasma carotenoids as biomarkers of dietary fat intake and fruit and vegetable intake, respectively. Twenty-eight obese COPD subjects (n = 17 males, n = 11 females) with a mean (standard deviation; SD) age of 67.6 (6.3) years completed the 12-week weight loss intervention. Pre-intervention, mean (SD) BMI was 36.3 (4.6) kg/m². Micronutrient intake improved from pre- to post-intervention, with the percentage of subjects meeting the Nutrient Reference Values increased for all micronutrients. Post-intervention, significant decreases in total (p = 0.009) and saturated fat intake (p = 0.037), and corresponding decreases in total (p = 0.007) and saturated plasma fatty acids (p = 0.003) were observed. There was a trend towards higher total carotenoids post-intervention (p = 0.078). Older age (p = 0.025), higher pre-intervention uncontrolled eating (p < 0.001) and plasma carotenoids (p = 0.009) predicted weight loss. This demonstrates the efficacy of a weight loss intervention in improving diet quality of obese COPD adults.]]> Thu 24 Mar 2022 11:34:09 AEDT ]]> https://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:25524 29 parts per billion (ppb), decrease in dose when FENO <19 ppb, and no change when FENO is between 19 and 29 ppb). A long acting beta agonist (LABA) will be added when symptoms remain uncontrolled. Both the control and intervention groups will report on exacerbations at a postpartum phone interview. The primary outcome is adverse perinatal outcome (a composite measure including preterm birth, intrauterine growth restriction, neonatal hospitalisation at birth or perinatal mortality), assessed from hospital records. Secondary outcomes will be each component of the primary outcome, maternal exacerbations requiring medical intervention during pregnancy (both smokers and non-smokers), and hospitalisation and emergency department presentation for wheeze, bronchiolitis or croup in the first 12 months of infancy. Outcome assessment and statistical analysis of the primary outcome will be blinded. To detect a reduction in adverse perinatal outcomes from 35 % to 26 %, 600 pregnant women with asthma per group are required. Discussion: This trial will provide evidence for the effectiveness of a FENO-based management strategy in improving perinatal outcomes in pregnant women with asthma. If successful, this would improve the management of pregnant women with asthma worldwide.]]> Thu 17 Mar 2022 14:41:14 AEDT ]]> https://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:4455 Sat 24 Mar 2018 10:12:16 AEDT ]]> https://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:7370 Sat 24 Mar 2018 08:40:15 AEDT ]]> https://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:8458 Sat 24 Mar 2018 08:38:58 AEDT ]]> https://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:1274 2.5%) was 45% in the wheeze group, which was significantly higher than the control group (9.35%, p = 0.04). Eosinophilic bronchitis was present in two children with cough (20%) and two with chest colds (15%, p > 0.05 versus control). In these groups, eosinophilic bronchitis was not associated with airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) to hypertonic saline (p > 0.05). Children with cough and chest colds reported greater exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. In conclusion, this community-based survey of children with chronic respiratory symptoms has shown that wheeze is a good discriminator for the presence of eosinophilic bronchitis, and that persistent cough and recurrent chest colds without wheeze should not be considered a variant of asthma. Eosinophilic bronchitis did occur in a significant minority of these "variant asthma" syndromes.]]> Sat 24 Mar 2018 08:32:31 AEDT ]]> https://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:1599 Sat 24 Mar 2018 08:30:40 AEDT ]]> https://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:14782 Sat 24 Mar 2018 08:26:30 AEDT ]]> https://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:10954 = 40) increased from 3% in 1987 to 16% in 2007. Median AHI progressively increased from 1992-1995 to 2004-2007 (from 65 events/h to 143 events/h, P < 0001), indicating increasing disease severity. Over the same period, for every unit increase in BMI, AHI increased by 5 5 events/h for men and by 2 8 events/h for women. About 80% of the observed variance in AHI over this period was attributable to variance in BMI. Conclusion: There is a continuing trend towards increasing body weight and BMI in people undergoing diagnostic sleep studies. Our data do not support the hypothesis that increased accessibility to diagnostic services and increased awareness of sleep disorders are resulting in a decline in disease severity. These findings are consistent with the premise that worsening severity in sleep-disordered breathing is primarily attributable to increasing obesity.]]> Sat 24 Mar 2018 08:14:14 AEDT ]]> https://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:17973 ENO) to guide management are equivocal. We tested the hypothesis that a management algorithm for asthma in pregnancy based on F_ENO and symptoms would reduce asthma exacerbations. Methods: We undertook a double-blind, parallel-group, controlled trial in two antenatal clinics in Australia. 220 pregnant, non-smoking women with asthma were randomly assigned, by a computer-generated random number list, before 22 weeks’ gestation to treatment adjustment at monthly visits by an algorithm using clinical symptoms (control group) or F_ENO concentrations (active intervention group) used to uptitrate (F_ENO >29 ppb) or downtitrate (F_ENO <16 ppb) inhaled corticosteroid dose. Participants, caregivers, and outcome assessors were masked to group assignment. Longacting β2 agonist and minimum dose inhaled corticosteroid were used to treat symptoms when F_ENO was not increased. The primary outcome was total asthma exacerbations (moderate and severe). Analysis was by intention to treat. This study is registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, number 12607000561482. Findings: 111 women were randomly assigned to the F_ENO group (100 completed) and 109 to the control group (103 completed). The exacerbation rate was lower in the F_ENO group than in the control group (0·288 vs 0·615 exacerbations per pregnancy; incidence rate ratio 0·496, 95% CI 0·325–0·755; p=0·001). The number needed to treat was 6. In the F_ENO group, quality of life was improved (score on short form 12 mental summary was 56·9 [95% CI 50·2–59·3] in F_ENO group vs 54·2 [46·1–57·6] in control group; p=0·037) and neonatal hospitalisations were reduced (eight [8%] vs 18 [17%]; p=0·046). Interpretation: Asthma exacerbations during pregnancy can be significantly reduced with a validated F_ENO-based treatment algorithm.]]> Sat 24 Mar 2018 07:56:43 AEDT ]]> https://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:17943 Sat 24 Mar 2018 07:56:30 AEDT ]]> https://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:217 Sat 24 Mar 2018 07:43:01 AEDT ]]> https://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:28324 Sat 24 Mar 2018 07:25:14 AEDT ]]> https://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:47321 Fri 13 Jan 2023 11:06:47 AEDT ]]>