Patients require mechanical ventilatory support when the ventilatory and/or gas exchange
capabilities of their respiratory system fail. This failure can be the result of processes both …

Impaired nutritional status has been frequently reported in surveys estimating its prevalence
amongst patients in hospital. While there is no doubt that protein–energy undernutrition has …

This volume contains sections on: Dietary and nutritional imbalances; Disorders of the
alimentary tract; Pediatric disorders; Other diseases, disorders and conditions; Systems of …

Rationale: The clinical significance of diaphragm weakness in critically ill patients is evident:
it prolongs ventilator dependency, and increases morbidity and duration of hospital stay. To …

Skeletal muscles are composed of fibres of different types, each type being identified by the
isoform of myosin heavy chain which is expressed as slow 1, fast 2A, fast 2X, and fast 2B …

Muscle weakness in the elderly is prevalent and morbid, closely linked to the frailty,
functional decline, immobility, falls, and injuries in this population. The marked decrease in …

To investigate whether a compromised nutritional state may limit exercise performance in
patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease we studied 54 such patients (FEV1 less …

Background: Although the loss of peripheral muscle mass has been shown convincingly in
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the underlying pathogenesis remains …

When measured in vivo electromechanical delay (EMD) depends mainly on the elastic
properties of the muscle–tendon unit. Recent studies have shown changes in stiffness of the …

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often develop weight loss,
which is associated with increased mortality. Recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) …