ABSTRACT
To determine the oxidative and antioxidative status of plasma of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] and to compare these values with healthy smokers and healthy non-smokers control subjects using a more recently developed automated measurement method. This study involved 40 COPD patients, 25 healthy smokers, and 25 healthy non-smokers who attended the Chest Diseases Outpatient Clinic in Harran University Research Hospital, Turkey during the period between March 2006 and June 2006. We calculated the total antioxidant potential [TAOP] to determine the antioxidative status of plasma, and we measured the total peroxide levels to determine the oxidative status of plasma. The TAOP of plasma was significantly lower in patients with COPD than in healthy smokers and healthy non-smokers [P<0.001]. In contrast, the mean total peroxide level of plasma was significantly higher in COPD patients than in healthy smokers and healthy non-smokers [P<0.001]. We found a decreased in TAOP COPD patients using a simple, rapid and reliably automated colorimetric assay, which may suitable for use in routine clinical biochemistry laboratory, and considerably facilitates the assessment of this useful clinical parameter. We suggest that this novel method may be used as a routine test to evaluate and follow-up the levels of oxidative stress in COPD
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVES</b>We investigated whether exposure to biomass fuel is a potential risk factor for chronic bronchitis and asthma among females in rural area in Van (east Turkey).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The effect of indoor pollution producing various respiratory symptoms was studied in 177 females. Of these, 90 were those who used biomass fuel and 87 were nonusers of biomass fuel. A part of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey quastionnaire and British Medical Research Council questionnaire were used.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Asthma related symptoms (AS) (wheezing, and combination of wheezing without a cold and wheezing with breathlessness) were reported in 63.3% of those who used biomass fuel, and in 12.9% of nonusers (p<0.0001). The use of asthma medication was reported as 3.3% of biomass fuel users, and in 2.7% of nonuser (p>0.05). Long term cough and/or morning cough together with sputum (chronic bronchitis symptoms (BS) was reported as 58.9% in the user group, and 29.4% in the nonuser group (p<0.0001). Significant differences in AS and BS were found between biomass fuel user and nonuser groups in the rural area.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The results of this study showed a significant association between symptoms of chronic bronchitis-asthma and biomass fuel usage in females living in a rural area.</p>