Effect of N-Acetylcysteine Combined with Lung Rehabilitation Therapy on Exercise Endurance and Quality of Life of Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis-Related Interstitial Lung Disease

Objective:To explore the effect of N-acetylcysteine combined with lung rehabilitation therapy on exercise endurance and quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis-related interstitial lung disease(RA-ILD).Methods:Fifty-six patients with RA-ILD admitted to Xijing Hospital from May 2022 to January 2024 were randomly divided into two groups:a non-rehabilitation group and a pulmonary rehabilitation group,with 28 patients in each group.Both groups received routine treatment.Additionally,the non-rehabilitation group received N-acetylcysteine treatment,while the lung rehabilitation group received lung rehabilitation treatment in addition to N-acetylcysteine.The improvement in exercise endurance and dyspnea between the two groups after treatment was compared and the quality of life of the patients was observed.Results:After treatment,the exercise endurance score in the lung rehabilitation group(335.67±45.29)was higher than that in the non-rehabilitation group(P<0.05).The dyspnea score in the lung rehabilitation group(0.72±0.16)was lower than that in the non-rehabilitation group(P<0.05).Additionally,FVC(3.18±0.58 L),FEV1(2.28±0.56 L),FEV1/FVC(69.69±5.56),and DLCO(60.53±5.92 mL/mmHg/min)were higher in the lung rehabilitation group compared to the non-rehabilitation group after treatment(P<0.05).Conclusion:Lung rehabilitation therapy combined with N-acetylcysteine treatment can effectively improve dyspnea symptoms,lung function,and exercise endurance in patients with RA-ILD.This approach helps to improve patient’s quality of life and is beneficial for their prognosis.

Structured Graded Lung Rehabilitation for Children with Mechanical Ventilation

Lung rehabilitation is safe and feasible,and it has positive benefits in weaning the machine as soon as possible,shortening the time of hospitalization and improving the prognosis of children with mechanical ventilation.However,at present,the traditional medical concept is deep-rooted,and doctors'understanding of early rehabilitation is inadequate.It is necessary to make in-depth exploration in the relevant guidelines and expert consensus to formulate standardized early rehabilitation diagnosis and treatment procedures and standards for mechanically ventilated children.In the paper,a structured graded lung rehabilitation program is constructed for children with mechanical ventilation to improve their respiratory function,shorten the time of mechanical ventilation and pediatric intensive care unit(PICU)hospitalization,and reduce their anxiety,based on the principal component analysis of functional pneumonia data.Scientific evaluation and dynamic monitoring ensure the safety of the implementation of the program and promote the prognosis and prognosis of the disease.The proposed lung reha-bilitation program provides a reference basis for the formulation of lung rehabilitation guidelines for children with mechanical ventilation.And It has important reference significance for clinical pulmonary rehabilitation to alleviate the concerns of clinicians and lay the foundation for the large-scale promotion of early lung rehabilitation.

Optimal flow conditions of a tracheobronchial model to reengineer lung structures

The high demand for lung transplants cannot be matched by an adequate number of lungs from donors. Since fully ex-novo lungs are far from being feasible, tissue engineering is actively considering implantation of engineered lungs where the devitalized structure of a donor is used as scaffold to be repopulated by stem cells of the receiving patient. A decellularized donated lung is treated inside a bioreactor where transport through the tracheobronchial tree (TBT) will allow for both deposition of stem cells and nourishment for their subsequent growth, thus developing new lung tissue. The key concern is to set optimally the boundary conditions to utilize in the bioreactor. We propose a predictive model of slow liquid ventilation, which combines a one-dimensional (1-D) mathematical model of the TBT and a solute deposition model strongly dependent on fluid velocity across the tree. With it, we were able to track and drive the concentration of a generic solute across the airways, looking for its optimal distribution. This was given by properly adjusting the pumps’ regime serving the bioreactor. A feedback system, created by coupling the two models, allowed us to derive the optimal pattern. The TBT model can be easily invertible, thus yielding a straightforward flow/pressure law at the inlet to optimize the efficiency of the bioreactor.

Design and optimisation of soft robotic actuators for augmented lung-ventilation

Pulmonary rehabilitation through invasive ventilation involves the insertion of an endotracheal tube into the trachea of a sedated patient to control breathing via a ventilating machine.Invasive ventilation offers benefits such as greater control over oxygen supply,higher efficiency in supporting patient respiration,and the ability to manage airway secretions.However,this method also poses treatment challenges like ventilator-induced pneumonia,airway injury,long recovery times,and ventilator dependence.Here,we explore an alternative invasive ventilation technique using soft robotic actuators to mimic the biological function of the diaphragm for augmenting and assisting ventilation.We investigated two actuator geometries,each at two locations superior to the diaphragm.These actuators were tested on a bespoke ex vivo testbed that accurately simulated key diaphragmatic characteristics throughout the respiratory cycle.From this,we have been able to drive intrathoracic pressures greater than the 5 cmH_(2)O required for ventilation in a human male.Additionally,by optimising the placement and geometry of these soft robotic actuators we have been able to generate maximum intrathoracic pressures of(6.81±0.39)cmH_(2)O.