The COPD Foundation (COPDF) has launched the inaugural issue of its new open access, peer-reviewed journal: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation.

 COPDF is a nonprofit organization devoted to finding cures for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The journal will feature original research articles, basic and clinical review articles, perspectives and practice guidelines, and is being led by editor-in-chief James D. Crapo, MD, of National Jewish Health. .

The journal’s inaugural issue features 8 review articles discussing progress made in treating and understanding COPD over the past decade, including discussions on COPD imaging, genetics, defining comorbidities, COPD treatments in the pipeline, the clinical characteristics of biomass smoke-associated COPD around the world and research and education provided by the Foundation and the National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute.

In addition, the journal includes 6 original research articles:

  • Comorbidities of COPD Have a Major Impact on Clinical Outcomes, Particularly in African Americans. Investigators in the Genetic Epidemiology of COPD (COPDGene) study analyzed data from 10,000 current and former smokers, with and without COPD, to evaluate the risk for comorbidities (additional diseases or disorders which co-occur with a primary disease or disorder) and the prevalence and impact of comorbidities on African Americans and non-Hispanic whites.
  • The Association Between Dietary Intake and Phenotypical Characteristics of COPD in the ECLIPSE Cohort. Researchers evaluated the relationship between diet and clinical characteristics of COPD in individuals in the ECLIPSE cohort. Diet records of over 2,000 individuals for three years were analyzed to determine if various foods (fish, cheese, bananas) and beverages (tea, alcohol) had an impact on clinical outcomes, such as lung function, the six-minute walk test, the St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire and others.
  • The Effect of a Short Duration, High Intensity Exercise Intervention on Gait Biomechanics in Patients With COPD: Findings From a Pilot Study. Working under the knowledge that individuals with COPD can experience changes in their gait, investigators studied the effect of a six-week exercise plan on the gait mechanics of COPD patients.

More information on the journal is available at the COPD Foundation’s website.