T his jointly published Research Review highlights a few of the many research accomplishments of the Ontario Respiratory Care Society (ORCS) and the Ontario Thoracic Society (OTS). The Ontario Lung Association (OLA) supports both research programs and they reflect our confidence in research to deliver the fundamental knowledge that leads to improved lung health. Without research in respiratory health and disease there is little chance that we can improve on our knowledge and treatments for lung disease, and advance the standards for respiratory medicine and care within Canada and around the world. The OTS contribution to this fifth issue of the Research Review is honoured to summarize work being done by three top Ontario researchers working in diverse areas of respiratory medicine. Together these researchers are helping us to understand a variety of conditions such as asthma and COPD, as a result, showing that progress can be made in terms of disease prevention and treatment options. Dr. Luke Janssen from McMaster University is an innovative researcher. The research profiled in this edition focuses on mechanisms underlying excitation- contraction coupling in smooth muscle, demonstrating that cholingeric agonists act by stimulating MLCK activity and suppressing MLCP activity. Dr. Jane Batt, from the University of Toronto, has provided a sophisticated study showing the potential relevance of cellular signaling networks to the organization of muscle atrophy in human disease. Dr. Denis O’Donnell’s research is focused on exercise physiology and the mechanisms and management of exertional dyspnea in health and in disease. In this issue, Dr. O’Donnell reviews the interaction of the effects of gender and aging on exertional breathlessness in health, mechanisms of exertional breathlessness in obesity, and ventilatory and perceptual responses to exercise in mild COPD. The ORCS researchers whose work we are proud to feature in this edition of Research Review highlight the breadth of the field of respiratory care and its interdisciplinary nature. Dr. Dina Brooks, a leading researcher in the fields of COPD and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, and her colleague in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Toronto, Dr. Barbara Gibson, who specializes in research related to bioethics, conducted a study assessing the training needs of personal support workers who assist patients requiring mechanical ventilation in their homes. They found that additional initial and ongoing training are required in areas such as proper suctioning techniques, emergency protocols and basic functions of a ventilator and recommended a standardized curriculum with flexible delivery methods. Dr. Judy King, an Ottawa Physiotherapist, completed a PhD at the University of Ottawa, studying the role of literacy in lung health. For patients living with chronic illnesses, education is an important component of self-management. Dr. King’s study showed that health care professionals need to be more aware of the impact of limited literacy on patients’ lives. Janet Madill, a Registered Dietitian who is currently completing her PhD at the University of Toronto and works in the lung transplant program at Toronto General Hospital, studied the effect of nutrition on lung transplant recipients with Bronchiolitis Obliterans Syndrome (BOS). Her work showed a higher level of oxidative stress in those with severe BOS and suggested the need for further study of antioxidant supplementation for these patients. As component societies of the OLA, the ORCS and OTS provide the living breathing examples of the best research and how it exerts an impact on your practice and patients. This, however, would not be possible without the necessary funding support from the Ontario Lung Association. SUPPLEMENT TO THE ORCS UPDATE AND THE ONTARIO THORACIC REVIEWS VOLUME 5, 2008 Research Review 2008 A Joint Publication of In This Issue OTS Researchers Denis E. O’Donnell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Luke Janssen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Jane Batt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 ORCS Researchers Judy King . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Barbara Gibson and Dina Brooks . . . . . 6 Janet Madill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Continued on page 3 SHAWN AARON MD, MSc, FRCPC CHAIR, OTS RESEARCH ADVISORY COMMITTEE JUDY KING PhD, MHSc(HCP), BHSc(PT) CHAIR, ORCS RESEARCH AND FELLOWSHIP COMMITTEE