Twenty years of changes in the definition of early chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD)is a chronic inflammatory airway disease that affects the quality of life of nearly one-tenth of the global population.Due to irreversible airflow obstruction and progressive lung function decline,COPD is characterized by high mortality and disability rates,which imposes a huge economic burden on society.In recent years,the importance of intervention in the early stage of COPD has been recognized and the concept of early COPD has been proposed.Identifying and intervening in individuals with early COPD,some of whom have few or no symptoms,might halt or reverse the progressive decline in lung function,improve the quality of life,and better their prognosis.However,understanding of early COPD is not yet well established,and there are no unified and feasible diagnostic criteria,which complicates clinical research.In this article,we review evolution of the definition of early COPD over the past 20 years,describe the changes in awareness of this concept,and propose future research directions.

Stem cell therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD),characterized by persistent and not fully reversible airflow restrictions,is currently one of the most widespread chronic lung diseases in the world.The most common symptoms of COPD are cough,expectoration,and exertional dyspnea.Although various strategies have been developed during the last few decades,current medical treatment for COPD only focuses on the relief of symptoms,and the reversal of lung function deterioration and improvement in patient^quality of life are very limited.Consequently,development of novel effective therapeutic strategies for COPD is urgently needed.Stem cells were known to differentiate into a variety of cell types and used to regenerate lung parenchyma and airway structures.Stem cell therapy is a promising therapeutic strategy that has the potential to restore the lung function and improve the quality of life in patients with COPD.This review summarizes the current state of knowledge regarding the clinical research on the treatment of COPD with mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs)and aims to update the understanding of the role of MSCs in COPD treatment,which may be helpful for developing effective therapeutic strategies in clinical settings.

Early detection and prediction of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease(COPD)is characterized by persistent respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation.Acute exacerbation of COPD(AECOPD)is an acute worsening of respiratory symptoms,which needs additional treatment and can result in worsening health status,increasing risks of hospitalization and mortal-ity.Therefore,it is necessary to early recognize and diagnose exacerbations of COPD.This review introduces the updated definition of COPD exacerbations,the current clinical assessment tools,and the current potential biomarkers.The application of mobile health care in COPD management for early identification and diagnosis is also included in this review.