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Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), usually caused by tobacco smoking, is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Smoking cessation at an early stage of the disease usually stops further progression. A study was undertaken to determine if diagnosis of airway obstruction was associated with subsequent success in smoking cessation, as advised by a physician. Methods: 4494 current smokers (57.4% men) with a history of at least 10 pack-years of smoking were recruited from 100 000 subjects screened by spirometric testing for signs of airway obstruction. At the time of screening all received simple smoking cessation advice. 1177 (26.2%) subjects had airway obstruction and were told that they had COPD and that smoking cessation would halt rapid progression of their lung disease. No pharmacological treatment was proposed. After 1 year all subjects were invited for a follow up visit. Smoking status was assessed by history and validated by exhaled carbon monoxide level. Results: Nearly 70% attended a follow up visit (n = 3077): 61% were men, mean (SD) age was 52 (10) years, mean (SD) tobacco exposure 30 (17) pack-years, and 33.3% had airway obstruction during the baseline examination. The validated smoking cessation rate in those with airway obstruction was 16.3% compared with 12.0% in those with normal spirometric parameters (p = 0.0003). After correction for age, sex, nicotine dependence, number of cigarettes smoked daily, and lung function, success in smoking cessation was predicted by lower lung function, lower nicotine dependence, and lower tobacco exposure. Conclusions: Simple smoking cessation advice combined with spirometric testing resulted in good 1 year cessation rates, especially in subjects with airway obstruction.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus is currently the most serious challenge to global public health. Its emergence has severely disrupted the functioning of health services and the economic and social situation worldwide. Therefore, new diagnostic and therapeutic tools are urgently needed to allow for the early detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and appropriate treatment, which is crucial for the effective control of the COVID-19 disease. The ideal solution seems to be the use of aptamers—short fragments of nucleic acids, DNA or RNA—that can bind selected proteins with high specificity and affinity. They can be used in methods that base the reading of the test result on fluorescence phenomena, chemiluminescence, and electrochemical changes. Exploiting the properties of aptamers will enable the introduction of rapid, sensitive, specific, and low-cost tests for the routine diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2. Aptamers are excellent candidates for the development of point-of-care diagnostic devices and are potential therapeutic tools for the treatment of COVID-19. They can effectively block coronavirus activity in multiple fields by binding viral proteins and acting as carriers of therapeutic substances. In this review, we present recent developments in the design of various types of aptasensors to detect and treat the SARS-CoV-2 infection.

IntroductionChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an inflammatory disorder of the airways. An important element of COPD assessment is the evaluation of immune mechanisms involved in non-specific and specific response to ongoing inflammation.Aim of the studyTo evaluate the level of selected inflammatory and immunological parameters in patients with COPD, including C-reactive protein (CRP) and circulating immune complexes (CIC), as well as CRP/CIC index.Material and methodsThe study group consisted of 49 patients with obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD, asthma, and asthma-COPD overlap syndrome) hospitalised in the Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Pulmonology Centre in Bydgoszcz. Patients with COPD were divided into two subgroups, taking into account the severity of the disease according to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD; stages B and D). The control group consisted of 30 healthy persons. Levels of CIC were determined by the method of Hasková, and the concentration of CRP in serum by the standard immunoturbidimetric method.ResultsThe median values of examined parameters (neutrophils, lymphocytes, platelets, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio – NLR, platelet/lymphocyte ratio – PLR, CRP, CIC, and CRP/CIC index) were significantly higher among patients with obstructive diseases than in the control group. A tendency towards higher lymphocyte count, CRP, and CRP/CIC index in COPD stage D, compared to stage B, was observed.ConclusionsBased on our results, we suggest that the role of non-specific inflammatory mechanisms may increase in more advanced COPD stages (D), compared to less advanced stages (B).

BackgroundTuberculosis (TB) is one of the most dangerous infectious diseases and has one of the highest mortality rates. For decades a strong association has been evident between certain socio-economic factors and TB adverse events and failure of treatment, yet there is a limited quantity of literature available on this subject, especially in the Polish literature.Material/MethodsWe examined epidemiological data from 2025 TB patients treated at the Regional Centre of Pulmonology in Bydgoszcz, Poland between 2001 and 2010. This article focuses on the association between all forms of unsuccessful TB treatment outcomes or adverse drug reaction (ADR) and socio-demographic characteristics, condition on admission, and other biological, clinical, social, and healthcare access factors.ResultsThe rate of TB-ADR during hospitalization was 38.9%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age (P<0.001) and alcohol abuse (P=0.007) were independently associated with the occurrence of TB-ADR. The rate of unsuccessful TB treatment was 10.5%. After adjusting for confounding variables, age (P<0.001), alcohol abuse (P=0.002), and education (P=0.01) were significantly associated with unsuccessful treatment. Smoking did not have any significant influence on occurrence of either TB-ADR during hospitalization or unsuccessful treatment.ConclusionsAmong our TB patients treated between 2001 and 2010, alcohol abuse significantly worsened the treatment outcome. This information will be crucial in developing strategies targeted at this demographic group.