Age-associated changes in pulmonary function: a comparison of pulmonary function parameters in healthy young adults and the elderly living in Shanghai / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>The respiratory system changes with age and a better understanding of the changes contribute to detect and prevent respiratory dysfunctions in old population. The purpose of this study was to observe age-associated changes of pulmonary function parameters in healthy young adults and the elderly.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A cross-sectional study was conducted among 600 male and female subjects aged 19 to 92 years. The subjects were divided into three groups by age: young adult (19 - 39 years), middle-aged adult (40 - 59 years), and the elderly (≥ 60 years). The pulmonary function was measured with routine examination methods and 13 parameters including vital capacity (VC), residual volume (RV), functional residual capacity (FRC), total lung capacity (TLC), RV/TLC, forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV(1)), FEV(1)/FVC, peak expiratory flow (PEF), forced expiratory flow at 25% of FVC exhaled (FEF(25)), forced expiratory flow at 50% of FVC exhaled (FEF(50)), diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (D(L)CO), and specific diffusion capacity of CO (KCO) were collected and analyzed. Changes in pulmonary function parameters among the pre-elderly and elderly subjects, especially the aging influence on FEV(1)/FVC and RV were studied further.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Ten pulmonary function parameters including VC, FVC, FEV(1), FEV(1)/FVC, PEF, FEF(25), FEF(50), TLC, D(L)CO and KCO decreased significantly with age in both male and female subjects (P < 0.01). RV and RV/TLC were increased with age (P < 0.01). FRC remained stable during aging. Except FRC, the linear relationship was significant between age and other pulmonary function parameters. In the pre-elderly and elderly subjects, RV had a non-significantly increasing tendency with age (P > 0.05), and FEV(1)/FVC did not change significantly with age (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Total pulmonary function was declined with advancing age, but FRC was stable, and the increasing tendency of RV and decreasing tendency of FEV(1)/FVC obviously slowed down in the pre-elderly and elderly subjects.</p>

Effects of cisapride on intestinal bacterial and endotoxin translocation in cirrhotic rats / 中华肝脏病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVES</b>To further investigate the effects of cisapride on intestinal bacterial overgrowth (IBO), bacterial and endotoxin translocation, intestinal transit and permeability in cirrhotic rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>25 normal control rats, 25 cirrhotic rats, 20 cirrhotic rats received saline, and 20 cirrhotic rats treated with cisapride were included in the study. All animals were assessed with many variables including bacterial and endotoxin translocation, IBO, intestinal transit and permeability.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Bacterial translocation was found in 48%(12/25) cirrhotic rats and none of control rats. Among the 20 rats with IBO, there were 11 rats with bacterial translocation (BT) while only one rats occurred BT out of the 5 rats without IBO. Cirrhotic rats with IBO had a significantly higher rate of endotoxin translocation, higher intestinal permeability and longer intestinal transit than those without IBO. BT of a specific organism was always associated with IBO of that organism. Compared with the placebo group, cisapride-treated rats had lower rates of bacterial and endotoxin translocation and IBO, which had close relationship with shorter intestinal transit and lower permeability.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Endotoxin and bacterial translocation in cirrhotic rats may be the result of IBO and higher permeability. IBO may be the result of longer transit. Cisapride which can accelerate intestinal transit and improve intestinal permeability is helpful in preventing and treating intestinal bacterial and endotoxin translocation.</p>