WEEK 10 Flashcards
What is FVC?
The forced vital capacity
Forced = exhale as hard & long as possible
Vital = total volume minus the residual volume
Capacity = sum of more than one volume
This is where the graph plateaus i.e. the total amount of air exhaled
What is FEV-1?
The forced expiratory volume in 1 minute
What is the FEV-1/FVC ratio a measure of? What are the normal values?
Of airflow obstruction
> 0.7 is normal
With OBSTRUCTIVE pulmonary disease what change is made to the following (i) FVC (ii) FEV-1 (iii) FRC (iv) RV (v) TLC?
(i) normal or slightly decreased
(ii) decreased
(iii) increased
(iv) increased
(v) increased
With RESTRICTIVE pulmonary disease what change is made to the following (i) FVC (ii) FEV-1 (iii) FRC (iv) RV (v) TLC?
(i) decreases
(ii) normal or slightly decreased
(iii) decreased
(iv) decreased
(v) decreased
What does hypoxia tend to result from?
V/Q mismatching
What are 4 common obstructive lung diseases?
asthma
COPD
bronchiectasis
cystic fibrosis
List the 11 differences between asthma & COPD.
ASTHMA:
- non smoking related, allergic, tends to be younger pts, intermittent, not progressive, eosinophil filtration, diurnal variation, good corticosteroid and bronchodilator response, preserved FVC and TLC, normal gas exchange
COPD:
- smokers, non-allergic, over 50s, chronic, progressive decline, neutrophils, no diurnal variation, poor corticosteroid and bronchodilator response, reduced FVC and TLC, impaired gas exchange
How is asthma diagnosed? What are the symptoms associated with asthma?
It is diagnosed clinically
Symptoms: wheeze, breathlessness, chest tightness, cough
- especially likely if diurnal variation in symptoms and history of atopy
- also if their symptoms arise in response to allergen, exercise or cold air
What are the 3 pathophysiological components of asthma?
Airway narrowing/obstruction (which is reversible) Airway hyper-responsiveness Airway inflammation (from eosinophils)
What 3 non pharmacological treatment interventions has SIGN declared as effective?
- Achieve and maintain a normal BMI if overweight
- Breathing exercise programmes
- Stop smoking (pt and household members)
What is COPD? What is it characterised by?
Common, preventable and treatable disease that is characterised by persistent airflow limitation that is usually progressive and associated with an enhanced chronic inflammatory response in the airway and lung to noxious particles/gases
What is the epidemiology of COPD?
Tobacco smoking
Indoor/outdoor pollution from biomass fuels
Alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency ( think if early onset COP i.e. early 40s)
What is the pathophysiology of COPD?
- Inflammation and fibrosis of the bronchial
- Hypertrophy of submucosal glands and hypersecretion of mucous
- Loss of elastic, parenchymal lung fibres (emphysema)
What is the clinical presentation of COPD? (HINT: there’s 7 points)
- Insidious (gradual) onset
- Usually 50s or 60s
- Chronic cough
- Sputum production (worse in morn)
- Increasing (over time) shortness of breath
- Diminishing exercise tolerance
- History of exposure to risk factors
What are the clinical observations of a (i) pink puffer (ii) blue bloater?
(i) pink, pursed lips (alveoli tend to collapse), barrel chest due to air trapping, use of accessory muscles and decreased breath sounds
(i) blue = cyanosed
bloater = signs of RHF
When do you give domiciliary oxygen therapy?
Patients with a pO2 < 7.3-8 kPa
Must have stopped smoking
Must be breathed for >15 hours/day to improve mortality
What is the various grades on the MRC breathlessness scale?
- Not troubled by strenuous exercise
- Short of breath when hurrying on the level or walking up a slight hill
- Walks slower than most ppl on level, stops after a mile or so, or stops after 15 mins walking at own pace
- Stops for breath after walking 100yrds or after a few minutes on level ground
- Too breathless to leave the house, or breathless when undressing
Define (i) case series (ii) cross-sectional survey (iii) case control study (iv) cohort study (v) RCT.
- CASE SERIES - tracks subjects with a known exposure i.e. pts who have received a similar treatment, or examines their medical records for exposures and outcomes
- CROSS SECTIONAL SURVEY - analyses data collected from a population, or a representative subset, at a specific point in time
- CASE CONTROL STUDY - compares patients who have a disease or outcome of interest (cases) with patients who do not have the disease or outcome (controls), and looks back retrospectively to compare how frequently the exposure to a risk factor is present in each group
- COHORT STUDY - one or more samples followed prospectively and evaluations with respect to a disease/outcome are conducted to determine which initial exposure characteristics (risk factors) are associated with it.
- RCT - splits participants into treatment and control group, the only expected difference between the groups in a RCT is the outcome variable being studied.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a cross sectional survey?
ADV: - cheap and simple - ethically safe - useful for planning purposes DISADV: - cause and effect? - volunteer bias - unequal distribution of cofounders
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a cross sectional survey?
ADV: - cheap and simple - ethically safe - useful for planning purposes DISADV: - cause and effect difficult to obtain - volunteer bias - unequal distribution of confounders
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a case control study?
ADV:
- Simultaneously look at multiple risk factors
- Good for studying rare conditions or diseases
- Useful as initial studies to establish an association
DISADV:
- Retrospective study which relies on patient recall to determine exposure (recall bias) or patient records
- confounders
- selection of control group is difficult
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a cohort study?
ADV:
- ethically safe
- subjects can be macthed
- can show cause precedes the effect
- easier and cheaper than a RCT
DISADV:
- high drop out rate (follow up must be as complete as possible)
- exposure may be linked to hidden confounder
- blinding is difficult
- outcome of interest may take a long time to occur
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a RCT?
ADV:
- unbiased distribution of confounders
- Clearly identified populations
- randomisation helps statistical analysis
- more likely to be ‘blinded’
DISADV:
- expensive (time and money)
- volunteer bias (pop may not be representative)
- ethical issues if treatment group are seen to respond badly or better than expected
Define (i) single blind (ii) double blind (iii) crossover (iv) placebo controlled
(i) subjects didn’t know which treatment they were receiving
(ii) neither subjects nor investigators aware of treatment subjects receive
(iii) each subject received both the intervention and control treatment often separated by washout period
(iv) control subjects receive placebo
What are the 5 problems associated with RCTs?
- IMPOSSIBLE to do with treatments for v.rare diseases (no. pts limited)
- UNNECESSARY when treatment produces a ‘dramatic’ benefit
- STOPPING TRIALS EARLY - interim analyses of trials are now commonly undertaken to assess whether the treatment is showing benefit and if the trial can be stopped early
- RESOURCES as costs of RCTs substantial in money, time and energy
- GENERALISABILITY - often carried out on specific types of pts for a relatively short period of time
What are the advantages and disadvantages of an expert (narrative) review?
ADV: - comprehensive survey - answers a specific question DISADV: - expert bias
What is a systematic review?
It attempts to identify, appraise and synthesise all the empirical evidence that meets pre-specified eligibility criteria to answer a given research question
- researches condusing SRs use methods aimed at minimising bias, in order to produce more reliable findings that can be used to inform decision making
What are systematic reviews viewed as the ‘gold standard’ ?
As they avoid/minimise bias
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a systematic review?
ADV:
- comprehensive analysis of all best primary evidence using explicit and reproducible methodology
- results can be combined and statistically analysed as if were one study
- considered an evidence-based resource and the best guide to practice
- less costly to review studies rather than initiate a new study
DISADV:
- results often disagree
- publication bias
- very time consuming
What is a meta-analysis?
Combines qualitative and quantitative study data from several selected studies to develop a single conclusion from a greater statistical power
- Establish statistical significance with studies that have conflicting results
- Develop more accurate estimate of effect magnitude
- Provide more complex analysis of harms, safety data, and benefits
- Examine subgroups with individual numbers that are not statistically significant
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a meta-analysis?
ADV: - greater statistical power - greater ability to extrapolate to the general pop - considered an evidence-based resource DISADV: - results often disagree - heterogeneity of study pops - v. time consuming - requires advanced statistical techniques
What is the definition of an allergy?
Disease following a response by the immune system to an otherwise innocuous antigen
- allergies reside within hypersensitivities (harmful immune responses that produce tissue damage)
For a type I hypersensitivity reaction, what is the (i) immune reactant (ii) antigen (iii) effector mechanism (iv) example?
(i) IgE
(ii) soluble
(iii) mast cell activation
(iv) allergy, asthma
Describe the type of exposure to occur for an allergy to arise?
Allergies always occur on secondary exposure to an allergen, so an initial exposure event has always taken place
What are serum IgE levels normally? (roughly not an exact value)
very low
What produces IgE? Where is it located?
Produced by plasma B cells in lymph nodes or locally at site of inflammation
Located mostly in tissue, bound to mast cell surface through high affinity IgE receptor (FcεRI)
Certain antigens & routes of delivery appear to favour IgE production, describe these routes.
Transmucosal at low doses
CD4+ T cells of Th2 phenotype which produce IL4 cytokines favour IgE responses
Th2 T cells also force B cells to secrete IgE instead of IgM
What are the 4 common sources of allergens?
Inhaled materials
Injected materials
Ingested materials
Contacted materials
What is the major allergen in the faeces of house dust mite? Describe said allergen/
Der p 1
- it can cleave tight junctions between epithelial cells in airways => enhancing access
Der p 1 is then taken up by dendritic cells, presented to T cells ( which become Th2), causing B cells to secrete IgE
What is the most important factor in what symptoms occur during an allergic reaction?
The location and distribution of antigen
- inhaled antigens affect nasal epithelium
- allergen induced degranulation further down airway results in allergic asthma
What is allergic asthma?
Bronchial constriction resulting in increased secretion of fluid and mucus, trapping inhaled air
Chronic inflammation can occur with continued presence of Th2 T cells, eosinophils, neutrophils
Describe what a skin allergy is and the response that is induced.
Wheal and flare, first appearing within a few mins of allergen entering as a result of vasodilation after mast cell degranulation (localised redness)
Around 8 hours later more diffuse oedema at site due to influx of lymphocytes & other leukocytes (attracted by chemokines)
What are the 2 main symptoms associated with an ingested allergen? What are other problems which can occur?
Activation of GI Mast cells results in transepithelial fluid loss and smooth muscle contraction
=> DIARRHEA and VOMITING
If allergen enters the blood stream then urticaria (hives, a generalised disseminated rash)
In severe cases of food allergy (nuts) life threatening anaphylaxis and CV collapse may occur
Mast cells granules contain a wide range of inflammatory mediators, what are these? Describe them. (HINT: there;s 4)
- LIPIDS:
- prostaglandins which increase vascular permeability, body temperature
- PAF which increases adhesion between endothelium and neutrophils
- leukotrienes attract and activate neutrophils (increasing vasc permeability) - TOXIC MEDIATORS
- histamine which increases vasc permeability and promotes fluid movement from vasculature by constricting vasc smooth muscle
- heparin inhibits coagulation - CYTOKINES
- IL-4, IL-13 amplify Th2 response
- IL-3, IL-5, GM-CSF promote eosinophil activation and production
- TNF alpha is a pro inflam that activates epithelium
- chemokine MIP-1alpha attracts macrophages and neutrophils - ENZYMES
- tryptase, chymase etc.
What are the 2 main treatments currently for allergies? Describe them.
Desensitisation and blockade of effector pathways
- aims to shift response from IgE to IgG dominated
- pts are injected with escalating doses of allergen, gradual shift from Th2 to Th1 T cells
Potentially life threatening reactions are treated with epinephrine (adrenaline) injection, what is the dosage for adults and children? Where is it to be administered and how many times?
- 15 mg for child and 0.30 mg for adult
- delivered in thigh
- second dose possible if no signs of improvement in 10-15 mins
Where are mast cells strategically placed?
At mucosal surfaces
What does engagement of IgE on Mast cells result in?
Degranulation
- also basophil and eosinophi involvement
What can the late phase of the allergic response involve?
Tissue damage
How is intermediate resistance treated?
With an increase from the standard dose
What is the therapeutic index?
the difference between the dose necessary for treatment and that causing harm
What is the (i) MIC (ii) MBC?
(i) minimum inhibitory conc
- the lowest concentration of an antibiotic that COMPLETELY inhibits the growth of a bacterium
(ii) minimum bactericidal conc
- the lowest dose that completely kills a bacterium
What 3 things define the ‘breakpoint’?
- The distribution of MICs of target bacteria
- Achievable therapeutic conc in tissue
- max. achievable conc
What are 4 types of intrinsic resistance?
- Streptococci are naturally resistant to aminoglycosides
- Pseudomonas spp., are normally resistant to beta lactams
- Mycoplasma spp., are all resistant to beta- lactam antibiotics
- Enterobacteriaciae are all resistant to metronidazole
When does acquired resistance occur?
When a previously susceptible strain/species develops an increase in the MIC that takes it beyond the therapeutic range
What are the 6 types of resistance mechanisms?
- Enzyme inactivation
e. g. beta-lactamases, cephalosporins - Enzymatic addition
e. g. aminoglycosides - Impermeability
e. g. beta-lactams - Efflux
e. g. tetracyclines, quinolones, macrolides - Alternative pathway
e. g. MRSA mecA - Altered target
e. g. rifampicin, fluoroquinolones, suphonamides
How has resistance evolved?
Development of resistance through mutation in critical chromosomal genes
- critical genes involved that are the target of the antibiotic
e. g. rifampicin, DNA gyrases