Thorax Podcast

Fixing lung health, with Dr. Samantha Walker

Lung conditions remain one of the biggest causes of death and cost the economy billions annually. Despite this they receive only 2.5% of total public research investment in the UK. The Asthma + Lung UK charity brought together a number of experts and stakeholders in an effort to improve the working approach to this problem. This group published a letter in Thorax recently with a number of recommendations. One of the authors, Dr. Samantha Walker¹, joins the podcast.
Links:
Fixing lung health in the UK: accelerating respiratory research and innovation
Asthma + Lung UK
1. Research and Innovation, Asthma + Lung UK, London, UKPlease engage in the conversation through the social media channels (Twitter - @ThoraxBMJ; Facebook - Thorax.BMJ) and subscribe on your preferred platform, to get the latest episodes directly on your device each month. We would love to hear your thoughts on the podcast, you can leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

The troubling rise of artificial stone silicosis, with Dr. Johanna Feary

The growing use of artificial stone has seen the emergence of an aggressive, progressive respiratory disease, which is causing silicosis in young people. Dr. Johanna Feary¹ ² joins Thorax's Dr. Kate Diomede in the studio, to discuss. They talk through some the UK's earliest cases, the background to this phenomenon, international response, and the broader history of silicosis as a disease.
Links:
Artificial stone silicosis: a UK case series
Relationship between cumulative silica exposure and silicosis: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis 
1. National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College, London, UK2. Department of Occupational Lung Disease, Royal Brompton Hospital, London, UK
Please engage in the conversation through the social media channels (Twitter - @ThoraxBMJ; Facebook - Thorax.BMJ) and subscribe on your preferred platform, to get the latest episodes directly on your device each month. We would love to hear your thoughts on the podcast, you can leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Airway disease, with the PulmPEEPs

A special journal club episode featuring guest-hosts Dr. Kristina Montemayor and Dr. David Furfaro of the PulmPEEPs. They're joined in conversation with Thorax education editor Dr. Christopher Turnbull, and Dr. Imran Howell, author of a recent journal club article in Thorax. Focussing on the theme of airway disease, they discuss the four papers in Imran's roundup, covering topics from nutritional impact on tuberculosis rates to infant vaccination against RSV.
Links:
Journal club
Blood eosinophil-guided oral prednisolone for COPD exacerbations in primary care in the UK (STARR2): a non-inferiority, multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised controlled trial
Nutritional supplementation to prevent tuberculosis incidence in household contacts of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in India (RATIONS): a field-based, open-label, cluster-randomised, controlled trial
The airway microbiome mediates the interaction between environmental exposure and respiratory health in humans
Respiratory syncytial virus infection during infancy and asthma during childhood in the USA (INSPIRE): a population-based, prospective birth cohort study
For more from the PulmPEEPs, visit their podcast's website. You can find them Twitter (@PulmPEEPs) and Instagram (pulmpeeps), and hear past episodes on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
To submit a journal club article of your own, you can contact Chris directly - christopher.turnbull@ouh.nhs.uk
Please engage in the conversation through the social media channels (Twitter - @ThoraxBMJ; Facebook - Thorax.BMJ) and subscribe on your preferred platform, to get the latest episodes directly on your device each month. We would love to hear your thoughts on the podcast, you can leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

BTS Clinical Statement: Management of inpatient tobacco dependency, with Prof. Sanjay Agrawal and Dr. Matthew Evison

A new clinical statement from the British Thoracic Society was recently published in Thorax. It describes a building-block approach for how to manage patients with tobacco dependency in a hospital setting. Thorax podcast host Dr. Kate Diomede speaks with two of the authors, Prof. Sanjay Agrawal (1) and Dr. Matthew Evison (2). 
Read the statement: Medical management of inpatients with tobacco dependency
Further reading:
NCSCT online training
NCSCT briefings and practice guidance
(1) Department of Respiratory Medicine, Glenfield Hospital, Institute for Lung Health, Leicester, UK
(2) Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
Please engage in the conversation through the social media channels (Twitter - @ThoraxBMJ; Facebook - Thorax.BMJ) and subscribe on your preferred platform, to get the latest episodes directly on your device each month. We would love to hear your thoughts on the podcast, you can leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Social media's influence on smoking and vaping, with Prof. Nick Hopkinson

What are the effects of high levels of social media consumption amongst young people? New research published in Thorax quantifies the impact that exposure to marketing on online platforms is having, showing a greater likelihood of smoking or vaping with greater time spent on these platforms. Thorax associate editor Prof. Nick Hopkinson (1) joins Dr. Kate Diomede to discuss the paper's findings.
Read the paper: Association of time spent on social media with youth cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use in the UK: a national longitudinal study (1) Prof. of Respiratory Medicine, Imperial College London, Respiratory Consultant, Royal Brompton Hospital, Associate Editor of Thorax, Chair of ASH (Action on Smoking in Health) UK Charity https://twitter.com/COPDdoc
Please engage in the conversation through the social media channels (Twitter - @ThoraxBMJ; Facebook - Thorax.BMJ) and subscribe on your preferred platform, to get the latest episodes directly on your device each month. We would love to hear your thoughts on the podcast, you can leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Allergic asthma immunotherapy, with Dr. Klaus Bønnelykke

Asthma prevalence is increasing around the world, and is theorised to be due to a number of environmental factors. One such factor is a sensitivity to house dust mite (HDM) allergens, which is common in asthma patients. Dr. Klaus Bønnelykke (1) joins the podcast to speak with Dr. Kate Diomede about this topic, following the publication of the paper, "Genetic and T2 biomarkers linked to the efficacy of HDM sublingual immunotherapy in asthma".
(1) Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
Please engage in the conversation through the social media channels (Twitter - @ThoraxBMJ; Facebook - Thorax.BMJ) and subscribe on your preferred platform, to get the latest episodes directly on your device each month. We would love to hear your thoughts on the podcast, you can leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Invitation strategies in lung cancer screening, with Dr. Patrick Goodley

Socioeconomic deprivation is a driving factor in lung cancer rates. With the roll out of a national lung cancer screening programme in the UK, it's important that the right invitation strategies are used for reaching community members who may be at risk. This episode, Dr. Patrick Goodley (@patrick_goodley) joins host Dr. Kate Diomede to discuss the recent paper, "Invitation strategies and participation in a community-based lung cancer screening programme located in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation."Please engage in the conversation through the social media channels (Twitter - @ThoraxBMJ; Facebook - Thorax.BMJ) and subscribe on your preferred platform, to get the latest episodes directly on your device each month. We would love to hear your thoughts on the podcast, you can leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Female reproductive history and COPD risk, with Prof. Gita Mishra

What impact do reproductive events, like menarche, miscarriage or menopause have on female lung health? Prof. Gita Mishra (1) joins Thorax host Dr. Kate Diomede to discuss this question. They consider how recurrent fertility issues can point to an increased risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease later in life, and how variance in oestrogen levels throughout the lifespan affect lung development. The conversation is centred around the recently-published study, "Female Reproductive Histories and the Risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease" (https://doi.org/10.1136/thorax-2023-220388).
(1) School of Public Health, University of Queensland, AustraliaRelevant links:
A Life Course Approach to Women's Health (2nd ed):https://academic.oup.com/book/46697Please engage in the conversation through the social media channels (Twitter - @ThoraxBMJ; Facebook - Thorax.BMJ) and subscribe on your preferred platform, to get the latest episodes directly on your device each month. We would love to hear your thoughts on the podcast, you can leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Immediate smoking cessation support during lung cancer screening, with Parris Williams

Lung cancer screening in the UK has only been introduced in recent years, and its processes around smoking cessation guidance may have opportunities for improvement. Visiting the studio today is PhD student Parris Williams (1), to discuss the newly published Thorax research paper, "Immediate smoking cessation support during lung cancer screening: long-term outcomes from two randomised controlled trials" (https://thorax.bmj.com/content/early/2023/10/24/thorax-2023-220367). Along with social media editor Dr. Kate Diomede, Parris discusses what has been learnt from QuLIT (Quit smoking Lung health Intervention Trial) 1 & 2, and how patients might benefit from greater integration of smoking cessation support during targeted lung health checks.
 
(1) National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
Please engage in the conversation through the social media channels (Twitter - @ThoraxBMJ; Facebook - Thorax.BMJ) and subscribe on your preferred platform, to get the latest episodes directly on your device each month. We would love to hear your thoughts on the podcast, you can leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Comparing COVID detection rates for oral and nasal swabs, with Dr. Tobias Todsen

Head and neck consultant Dr. Tobias Todsen (1) joins the podcast from Copenhagen to speak with social media editor Dr. Kate Diomede. The topic of conversation is the recent paper, "Higher SARS-CoV-2 detection of oropharyngeal compared with nasopharyngeal or saliva specimen for molecular testing: a multicentre randomised comparative accuracy study" (https://thorax.bmj.com/content/78/10/1028). They discuss the sensitivity of different test combinations, cultural inclinations for certain kinds of testing, and the cost implications of each approach.
 
(1) Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery and Audiology, Rigshospitalet – Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
Please engage in the conversation through the social media channels (Twitter - @ThoraxBMJ; Facebook - Thorax.BMJ) and subscribe on your preferred platform, to get the latest episodes directly on your device each month. We would love to hear your thoughts on the podcast, you can leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.