J. Respir., Volume 5, Issue 2 (June 2025) – 2 articles

Observational studies suggest a comorbid link between asthma and endometriosis, but the evidence remains limited and inconsistent. This study presents a meta-analysis examining this association. A comprehensive search of literature databases was conducted through August 2024. Prevalence rates and odds ratios (ORs) were calculated to assess the relationship between asthma and endometriosis. For the prevalence analysis, sixteen studies, including 54,856 endometriosis cases and 300,613 controls, were included. The analysis yielded a prevalence of asthma in endometriosis patients of 14.9% (95% CI [10.3, 19.6], p < 0.001), with high heterogeneity (I² = 99.9%). In the control group, asthma prevalence was 9.1% (95% CI [6.5, 11.6], p < 0.001, I² = 99.9%). For the odds ratio (OR) analysis, twelve studies, including 295,845 endometriosis cases and 28,030,081 controls, were included. The meta-analysis demonstrated a significant association between asthma and endometriosis with an OR of 1.59 (95% CI [1.22, 2.07], p = 0.0007, I² = 100%). Subgroup analyses stratified by study region and study type were also conducted. This meta-analysis suggests a significant association between asthma and endometriosis, indicating that common factors underlying these chronic inflammatory diseases may contribute to this comorbidity. The findings support the biological plausibility of this association. Full article

Background/Objectives: Mask-wearing-induced discomfort often leads to unconscious loosening of the mask to relieve the discomfort, thereby compromising protective efficacy. This study investigated how leakage flows affect mask-associated thermoregulation and vapor trapping to inform better mask designs. An integrated ambience–mask–face–airway model with various mask-wearing misfits was developed. Methods: The transient warming/cooling effects, thermal buoyancy force, tissue heat generation, vapor phase change, and fluid/heat/mass transfer through a porous medium were considered in this model, which was validated using Schlieren imaging, a thermal camera, and velocity/temperature measurements. Leakages from the top and side of the mask were analyzed in comparison to a no-leak scenario under cyclic respiration conditions. Results: A significant inverse relationship was observed between mask leakage and facial temperature/humidity. An equivalent impact from buoyancy forces and exhalation flow inertia was observed both experimentally and numerically, indicating a delicate balance between natural convection and forced convection, which is sensitive to leakage flows and critical in thermo-humidity regulation. For a given gap, the leakage fraction was not constant within one breathing cycle but constantly increased during exhalation. Persistently higher temperatures were found in the nose region throughout the breathing cycle in a sealed mask and were mitigated during inhalation when gaps were present. Vapor condensation occurred within the mask medium during exhalation in all mask-wearing cases. Conclusions: The thermal and vapor temporal variation profiles were sensitive to the location of the gap, highlighting the feasibility of leveraging temperature and relative humidity to test mask fit and quantify leakage fraction. Full article