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Jean-Louis Corhay, Delphine Nguyen Dang, Hélène Van Cauwenberge, Renaud Louis Department of Pneumology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire du Sart-Tilman Liège, Liège, Belgium Abstract: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an obstructive and progressive airway disease associated with an important reduction in daily physical activity and psychological problems that contribute to the patient's disability and poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Nowadays, pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) plays an essential role in the management of symptomatic patients with COPD, by breaking the vicious circle of dyspnea–decreased activity–deconditioning–isolation. Indeed the main benefits of comprehensive PR programs for patients with COPD include a decrease in symptoms (dyspnea and fatigue), improvements in exercise tolerance and HRQoL, reduction of health care utilization (particularly bed-days), as well as an increase in physical activity. Several randomized studies and meta-analyses greatly established the benefits of PR, which additionally, is recommended in a number of influential guidelines. This review aimed to highlight the impact of PR on COPD patients, focusing on the clinical usefulness of PR, which provides patients a good support for change. Keywords: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, exercise training, physical activity, quality of life

Purpose: The aim of the study was to control the in vivo localisation of implanted cells in cell-based therapies. Labelling cells with (111)indium-oxine is one of the most interesting methods proposed. We evaluated this method in the setting of autologous osteoblast implantation in nonunion fractures.Methods: An in vitro study of osteoblasts was conducted after (111)indium-oxine labelling. Radioactivity retention and viability, proliferation and the ability to produce alkaline phosphatase were evaluated in a seven-day culture. In vivo labelling of implanted osteoblastic cells was conducted during a therapeutic trial of atrophic nonunion fractures, with the leakage outside the nonunion site and local uptake evolution at four, 24 and 48 hour being studied.Results: The mean labelling efficiency for osteoprogenitors was 78.8 ± 4.6 %. The intracellular retention was 89.4 ± 2.1 % at three hours and 67.3 ± 4.7 % at 18 hours. The viability assessed at three hours was 93.7 ± 0.6 %. After seven days of culture, morphology and alkaline phosphatase staining were similar for both labelled and unlabelled control cells, although the proliferation rate was decreased in the labelled cells. Some local intraosseous leakage was observed in four of 17 cases. All patients showed uptake at the injection site, with four having no other uptake. Four patients showed additional uptake in the bladder, liver and spleen, while 11 patients had additional uptake in the lungs in addition to the bladder, liver and spleen. The activity ratios (injection site/body) were 48 ± 28 % at four hours, 40 ± 25 % at 24 hours and 35 ± 25 % at 48 hours. After correcting for decay, the activity within the injection site was 82 ± 15 % at 24 hours and 69 ± 11 % at 48 hours compared with the activity measured at four hours. No relationship was found between uptake and radiological bone repair.Conclusions: The (111)indium-oxine labelling appears to be a good method for monitoring the behaviour of the osteoblastic cells after their implantation in atrophic nonunion fractures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibodies against the P1 antigen of the P blood group system have been found in 34% of P2 pigeon breeders' sera and in only 6% of the control group. In pigeon breeders, this anti-P1 activity correlates with immunization to pigeon serum and can consistently be removed by absorption with pigeon erythrocytes, serum or droppings. It is concluded that P1 or a related antigen is present in the pigeon blood and droppings and that heavy exposure to pigeon dust, as may occur in pigeon breeders, is one of the factors capable of inducing IgM antibodies to P1 antigen. The clinical importance of this finding remains to be defined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]