Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was a significant public health concern, with smoking being the primary risk factor for its development and progression. The impact of smoking on respiratory rehabilitation efficacy in COPD patients remains an area of interest and investigation. This study aimed to assess the influence of smoking on the efficacy of respiratory rehabilitation in patients with COPD.

Methods: Data of patients with COPD from October 2015 to October 2023 were retrospectively analyzed in this case-control study. The patients who had previously participated in a pulmonary rehabilitation program were excluded. Pulmonary function, exercise capacity, quality of life, and sleep patterns were evaluated before and after rehabilitation.

Results: A total of 40 patients were included and categorized into non-smoking (n=20) and smoking groups (n=20) based on their smoking history. Before rehabilitation, no significant differences were observed between the groups in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁) (P=0.96), forced vital capacity (FVC) (P=0.97), FEV₁/FVC ratio (P=0.73), maximal voluntary ventilation (MVV) (P=0.69), and diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) (P=0.63). After rehabilitation, FEV₁ (P=0.02), FVC (P=0.009), FEV₁/FVC ratio (P=0.03), MVV (P=0.004), DLCO (P=0.01), these pulmonary functions for non-smokers were much better than the smokers. Similarly, the non-smoking group exhibited significantly greater improvements in 6-minute walk distance (P=0.03), peak oxygen consumption (VO₂) (P=0.01), Borg scale ratings (P=0.02), St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) scores (P=0.004), and Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnea scale scores (P=0.005) compared to the smoking group after rehabilitation. The non-smoking patients have more better quality of life compared to the smokers after rehabilitation, which demonstrated by the quality of life scores and Sleep Quality Score, including somatization (P=0.01), emotion management (P=0.009), role play (P=0.008), cognitive function (P=0.04), return to social function (P=0.01), Sleep Quality Score (P=0.02).

Conclusions: Smoking negatively impacts the efficacy of respiratory rehabilitation in COPD patients, leading to poorer pulmonary function, exercise capacity, quality of life, and sleep patterns.

Some animals are capable of cooperating with members of other species. An interdisciplinary team involving the biologist Eduardo Sampaio from the University of Konstanz explores the cognitive underpinnings of such cross-species collaborations, opening up a new perspective on the evolution of intelligence and cooperation in the animal kingdom.

Background: Esophagectomy following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) is a curative treatment for locally advanced esophageal cancer. However, pulmonary complications are the most common postoperative issues and can adversely affect survival. While numerous studies have investigated predictors for these complications and survival, morphomic predictors, derived from body composition measurements on computed tomography scans, have been rarely reported. Our study aims to delineate morphomic predictors for post-esophagectomy pulmonary complications and overall survival.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed esophageal cancer patients who received nCRT followed by esophagectomy between 2004 and 2016. Preoperative clinical and morphomic variables were collected to evaluate post-esophagectomy pulmonary complications and overall survival. Multivariable logistic regression and Cox’s proportional hazard model were used for analysis.

Results: The study involved 221 esophageal cancer patients who received nCRT followed by surgery. Factors such as increased blood loss (P=0.01), more harvested nodes (P<0.001), advanced pT stage (P=0.01), elevated visceral adipose tissue (VAT) density (P=0.04), and reduced skeletal muscle (SM) area (P=0.01) were linked to pulmonary complications. Additionally, being male (P=0.01), increased blood loss (P<0.001), non-R0 resection margin (P=0.001), advanced pStage (P<0.001), advanced pT stage (P=0.02), and decreased SM density (P=0.045) were associated with poorer overall survival.

Conclusions: Increased VAT density and decreased SM area were associated with pulmonary complications, while decreased SM density was linked to poorer overall survival. Preoperative analytic morphomics aids in predicting both postoperative pulmonary complications and survival.

A study conducted at the University of Eastern Finland shows that long-term unemployed individuals perceive their capabilities as weaker than the general Finnish population. Capabilities refer to the opportunities to achieve important things in life, such as health and well-being. Additionally, the study found that long-term unemployed men perceive their capabilities as weaker than long-term unemployed women.