BACKGROUND: Despite some studies identifying a potential association between obesity and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) risk, previous research had overlooked the dynamic nature of body weight over time, leading to inconsistent findings. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the relationship between adult weight change and COPD risk by adjusting for potential confounding factors. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis using data from ten NHANES cycles (1999-2018), including adults aged 40-74 years. Weight change patterns were assessed using BMI at three time points and classified into five categories per period. Absolute weight change was also grouped into five levels. Multivariate logistic regression models, incorporating sampling weights, were used to examine associations between weight change and COPD, adjusting for demographic and lifestyle covariates. RESULTS: Compared with participants who maintained normal weight, stable obesity participants had increased risk of COPD from age 25 years to 10 years before the survey (OR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.15 to 1.83), in the 10 years period before the survey (OR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.47 to 2.08), and from age 25 years to survey (OR = 1.84, 95% CI = 1.46 to 2.31). Three periods indicate that weight gain in adulthood was associated with risk of COPD. In addition, substantial weight gain of more than 20 kg was associated with a higher risk of COPD. In stratified analyses, we also observed a more significant association between weight change and the risk of COPD in never smokers compared to former smokers. CONCLUSIONS Our study suggested that stable obesity and weight gain in adulthood were associated with an increased risk of COPD compared to those who maintain a normal weight, and that the association between weight gain and the incidence of COPD appears closer in patients who have never smoked.
Humans ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/etiology* ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Weight Gain ; Obesity/complications* ; Risk Factors ; United States/epidemiology* ; Nutrition Surveys ; Body Mass Index

Objective To investigate the effects of direct current electric fields on the orientation responses of vascular endothelial cells and the influence of the cytoskeleton filament actin on the orientation responses of cells in direct current electric fields. Methods Cultured vascular endothelial cells, with or without treatment with the actin inhibitors cytochalasin B or Y27632, were exposed to a direct current electric field of 200 mV/mm, and cell images were taken at 0, 4 and 8 hours during the exposure. Cells not exposed to the electric field were used as a control.Cell orientation was quantified using an image analyzer. Immunofluorescence staining of the cells for F-actin was observed through confocal microscopy. Results Cells in the control cultures oriented randomly with no predominant polarity. Cells exposed to the direct current electric field showed significant re-orientation to align their long axes perpondicular to the field vector. Neither cytochalasin B nor Y27632 reduced the re-orientation induced by the field, and earlier orientation response was observed in Y27632-treated cells. F-actin staining showed that the orientation of F-actin stress fibres was at random in control cells and perpendicular to the field vector in the field-exposed cells without any drug treatment. Although the formation of stress fibres was inhibited in the cytochalasin B-or Y27632-treated cells, the cells in the direct current electric fields kept their re-orientation responses, similar to the cells without any drug treatment. Conclusions A direct current electric field can induce vascular endothelial cells to re-orient, but the re-orientation response is independent of actin polymerization and actin stress fiber formation.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the therapeutic effect of endoscopic ethmoid and maxillary surgery on chronic hypertrophic rhinitis. METHOD: A total of 54 cases of chronic hypertrophic rhinitis were treated by endoscopic ethmoid and maxillary surgery between 2003 and 2004, undergoing postoperative follow-up of more than one year. Age of patients ranged from 17 to 60 years, with a mean of 35 years. All of them were identified with nasal endoscopy and CT before surgery. RESULT: Fifty (92.59%) of 54 cases showed their nasal obstruction symptoms were relieved completely or improved significantly, with nearly normal infraturbinal appearance. CONCLUSION Endoscopic ethmoid and maxillary surgery is an effective approach for the treatment of chronic hypertrophic rhinitis, with good preservations of infraturbinal structure and function.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Chronic Disease ; Endoscopy ; methods ; Ethmoid Sinus ; surgery ; Ethmoid Sinusitis ; complications ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertrophy ; Male ; Maxillary Sinus ; surgery ; Maxillary Sinusitis ; complications ; surgery ; Middle Aged ; Rhinitis ; complications ; surgery ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult