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Childhood leukaemia survivors (CLS) are known to have developed long-term impairment of lung function. The reasons for that complication are only partially known. The aims of this study were to assess pulmonary function in CLS and identify (1) risk factors and (2) clinical manifestations for the impairment of airflow and lung diffusion. The study group included 74 CLS: 46 treated with chemotherapy alone (HSCT-), 28 with chemotherapy and haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT+), and 84 healthy subjects (control group (CG)). Spirometry and diffusion limit of carbon monoxide (DLCO) tests were performed in all subjects. Ten (14%) survivors had restrictive, five (7%) had obstructive pattern, and 47 (66%) had reduced DLCO. The age at diagnosis, type of transplant, and type of conditioning regimen did not significantly affect the pulmonary function tests. The DLCO%pv were lower in CLS than in CG (p < 0.03) and in the HSCT+ than in the HSCT- survivors (p < 0.05). The pulmonary infection increased the risk of diffusion impairment (OR 5.1, CI 1.16-22.9, p = 0.019). DLCO was reduced in survivors who experienced CMV lung infection (p < 0.001). The main symptom of impaired lung diffusion was poor tolerance of exercise (p < 0.005). The lower lung diffusion capacity is the most frequent abnormality in CLS. HSCT and pulmonary infection, in particular with CMV infection, are strong risk factors for impairment of lung diffusion capacity in CLS. Clinical manifestation of DLCO impairment is poor exercise tolerance. A screening for respiratory abnormalities in CLS seems to be of significant importance.

Significant increase in permeability surface (PS) in patients with diabetes confirms pulmonary microcirculation damage in these patients., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Lung microangiopathy is a little known negative influence of diabetes mellitus on the functioning of the lungs. In current medical practice lung microangiopathy is diagnosed by comparing two measurements of lung diffusing capacity - once with the subject standing and once with the subject lying down. The necessity to take two measurements is inconvenient., Objectives: The aim of this study is to design a supportive method for diagnosing lung microangiopathy. This will be based on routinely performed pulmonary measurements as well as on investigation of process modelling and data processing., Methods: A model of the diffusion of oxygen from the alveoli to the blood has been described with a set of differential equations. The idea of the proposed model is based on the physiological analysis of the oxygen flow (caused by a concentration gradient) and on general knowledge regarding the kinetics of associating oxygen with haemoglobin. The model parameters are estimated using diffusing capacity and alveolar volume measurements - routinely performed in pulmonary tests., Results: The model parameter estimates proved good candidates for the binary classification of the presence or absence of microangiopathy. The proposed classification procedure, based on parameter values and established diagnostic thresholds, gives sensitivity Sens = 79.34% and specificity Spec = 87.08%. The results of classification with the use of diffusing capacity measurement are worse: Sens = 62.12% and Spec = 79.89%., Conclusions: The proposed classification procedure is based on the model parameters. These have proved to be sensitive indicators of lung microangiopathy. Close to 80% of microangiopathy cases have been classified as such. Less than 20% were false alarms. The oxygen pathway model allows for simulations. Blood saturation and oxygen partial pressure have been simulated for the organism's various needs for oxygen, both for the normal and the impaired alveoli-capillary barrier.

Aims: Aim of the study was to determine the role of perfusion chest computed tomography (pCT) in evaluation of pulmonary diabetic angiopathy., Methods: 18 never-smoking patients (10 diabetic patients and 8 healthy controls) underwent chest high resolution CT (HRCT) and then pCT scanning. In both groups, blood tests, biochemical analysis, fibrinogen, HbA(1c), spirometry, diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) and body pletysmography were performed.Following parameters of pulmonary perfusion have been analysed: blood volume (BV), blood flow (BF), mean transit time (MTT), time to peak (TTP) and permeability surface (PS)., Results: there were no statistically significant differences between groups in terms of age, sex, BMI, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV(1)), DLCO. Chest HRCT revealed no pathologies. Significantly higher values of chest pCT for BF (p=0.05), BV (p=0.05) and PS (p=0.01) have been found in diabetics in comparison to controls. No differences were found in MTT., Conclusions: significant increase of perfusion parameters in diabetes seems to confirm pulmonary microangiopathy. The results indicate that further studies on application of pCT in diabetic patients may be beneficial for better understanding of lung microangiopathy, its diagnosing and monitoring., (2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)