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Reviews

From smoking to copd – current approaches

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains a leading cause of death all over the world. Even though it is the most intensely studied disease induced by cigarette smoking there are still incomplete researches concerning its pathophysiology and treatment. So far it has been determined the deleterious effects of the secreted molecules diversity and some feasible therapies for their diminution. According to current studies more relevance gains the possible autoimmune origin of COPD and the epigenetic modifications. The idea of autoimmunity in smoking induced COPD began to be speculated with the discovery of autoantibodies in patient's serum, but there are some studies who consider antibody complexes that reside in the lung tissue as more relevant for future research. By developing the autoimmune aspect of COPD it will become possible to select more precise treatment strategies. The importance of epigenetic changes in this field might be appreciated starting with the fact of an existing connection between epigenetic modifications induced by maternal smoking and latter COPD development. This explains the tendency toward different drugs capable of restoring these transformations such as deacetylation agents expected also to prevent steroid resistance. Nevertheless smoking cessation remains as the indispensable approach for COPD treatment and prevention.
Keywords: COPD, smoking, epigenetic changes

Is servoventilation in central sleep apnoea syndrom still working?

Last black box on adaptive servoventilation in central apnoea syndrome generate many connective problems concerning the alternative therapies.The authors are starting from two recent french articles on this same subject and are trying to see what is missing and what we have to do .
Keywords: adaptive servoventilation, central sleep apnoea syndrome, alternative therapies

Influence of smoking on sleep and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

The various ill effects that tobacco smoking has on health have been largely studied, particularly on vascular, neoplastic, and respiratory diseases. Lately, the discussion about the negative impact of cigarette smoking moved towards sleep medicine. Tobacco consumption has been associated with sleep disordered architecture, both during regular intake and after withdrawal. Its effects on sleep disordered breathing (SDB) and especially obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) still remain a matter of debate. It is unclear whether smoking represents a risk factor for OSAS or whether smoking cessation has any beneficial effects on OSAS and its therapy. There seems to be a synergistic effect between smoking and OSAS, both causing an increase in cardiovascular morbidity. Future studies are needed in order to establish the strength of this association. We aim to review the literature regarding the consequences of smoking on sleep architecture and SDB, adding emphasis on OSAS clinical implications and treatment.
Keywords: obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), smoking, nicotine, sleep architecture, sleep disordered breathing, snoring, smoking cessation