Search results for "Asthma"
showing 10 items of 860 documents
Asthmatic bronchial epithelial cells have a deficient innate immune response to infection with rhinovirus
2005
Rhinoviruses are the major trigger of acute asthma exacerbations and asthmatic subjects are more susceptible to these infections. To investigate the underlying mechanisms of this increased susceptibility, we examined virus replication and innate responses to rhinovirus (RV)-16 infection of primary bronchial epithelial cells from asthmatic and healthy control subjects.Viral RNA expression and late virus release into supernatant was increased 50- and 7-fold, respectively in asthmatic cells compared with healthy controls. Virus infection induced late cell lysis in asthmatic cells but not in normal cells. Examination of the early cellular response to infection revealed impairment of virus induc…
The Tick Salivary Protein Sialostatin L Inhibits the Th9-Derived Production of the Asthma-Promoting Cytokine IL-9 and Is Effective in the Prevention …
2012
Abstract Ticks developed a multitude of different immune evasion strategies to obtain a blood meal. Sialostatin L is an immunosuppressive cysteine protease inhibitor present in the saliva of the hard tick Ixodes scapularis. In this study, we demonstrate that sialostatin L strongly inhibits the production of IL-9 by Th9 cells. Because we could show recently that Th9-derived IL-9 is essentially involved in the induction of asthma symptoms, sialostatin L was used for the treatment of experimental asthma. Application of sialostatin L in a model of experimental asthma almost completely abrogated airway hyperresponsiveness and eosinophilia. Our data suggest that sialostatin L can prevent experime…
Nerve ablation after bronchial thermoplasty and sustained improvement in severe asthma
2017
Abstract Background Bronchial thermoplasty (BT) is a non-pharmacological intervention for severe asthma whose mechanism of action is not completely explained by a reduction of airway smooth muscle (ASM). In this study we analyzed the effect of BT on nerve fibers and inflammatory components in the bronchial mucosa at 1 year. Methods Endobronchial biopsies were obtained from 12 subjects (mean age 47 ± 11.3 years, 50% male) with severe asthma. Biopsies were performed at baseline (T0) and after 1 (T1), 2 (T2) and 12 (T12) months post-BT, and studied with immunocytochemistry and microscopy methods. Clinical data including Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ) and Asthma Control Questionnai…
Assessing biomarkers in a real-world severe asthma study (ARIETTA)
2016
AbstractThe prognostic value of asthma biomarkers in routine clinical practice is not fully understood. ARIETTA (NCT02537691) is an ongoing, prospective, longitudinal, international, multicentre real-world study designed to assess the relationship between asthma biomarkers and disease-related health outcomes. The trial aims to enrol and follow for 52 weeks approximately 1200 severe asthma patients from approximately 160 sites in more than 20 countries. Severe asthmatics, treated with daily inhaled corticosteroid (≥500 μg of fluticasone propionate or equivalent) and at least 1 second controller medication are to be included. In this real-world study, patients will be treated according to the…
Factors reducing omalizumab response in severe asthma
2018
Background: Despite adding Omalizumab to conventional therapy, several severe asthmatics still show poor disease control. We investigated the factors that may affect a reduced Omalizumab response in a large population of severe asthmatics. Methods: 340 patients were retrospectively evaluated. FEV1%, FVC%, Asthma Control Test (ACT), fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO), possible step-downs/step-ups of concomitant therapies, exacerbations, disease control levels, ICS doses and SABA use, observed at the end of treatment, were considered as a response to Omalizumab. Results: Age was an independent risk factor for a reduced response concerning FEV1%, FVC%, ACT and for a lower asthma control. O…
Effects of omalizumab in severe asthmatics across ages: A real life Italian experience
2016
Background This retrospective study aimed at evaluating long-term effects of Omalizumab in elderly asthmatics in a real-life setting. Methods 105 consecutive severe asthmatics (GINA step 4–5; mean FEV1% predicted:66 ± 15.7) treated with Omalizumab for at least 1 year (treatment mean duration 35.1 ± 21.7 months) were divided into 3 groups according to their age at Omalizumab treatment onset: 18–39, 40–64 and ≥ 65 years. Results Comorbidities, number of overweight/obese subjects and patients with late-onset asthma were more frequent among older people. A similar reduction of inhaled corticosteroids dosage and SABA on-demand therapy was observed in all groups during Omalizumab treatment; a sim…
Rhinitis as a risk factor for depressive mood in pre-adolescents: a new approach to this relationship
2014
Background Respiratory allergic symptoms impact on social life and school activities, influencing the patient's mood states. We evaluated the relationships between allergic respiratory diseases and depressive/anxious mood in a large sample of Italian middle school students, using the partial directed acyclic graph (P-DAG). Methods We studied 1283 subjects aged 10–13. A health respiratory questionnaire including questions relevant to socioeconomic status (HCI) and a test for depression and anxiety were administered. All subjects performed spirometry and skin prick tests. Results A causal role of rhinitis on depression was found: the likelihood of being depressed increased from 11.2 to 17.7%,…
Antiasthmatic effects of onions: Inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase in vitro by thiosulfinates and “Cepaenes”
1990
Nine thiosulfinates (TS) and four "Cepaenes" (CS) isolated from onions and/or synthetized by us showed dose dependent (0.25 to 100 microM) marked inhibitory effects on both cyclooxygenase (CA, tested on sheep seminal vesicle microsomes) and 5-lipoxygenase activity (LO, tested on porcine leukocytes). The following rank order of activity was observed: saturated aliphatic TS less than aromatic TS approximately alpha, beta-unsaturated TS less than CS. CS inhibited both CA and LO by more than 75% at 10 and 1 microM concentrations respectively. Most likely, these in vitro effects are responsible for antiinflammatory and antiasthmatic properties of onion extracts observed in vivo, at least in part.
Effectiveness of oral N -acetylcysteine in a rat experimental model of asthma
2002
Oxidative stress appears to be relevant to asthma pathogenesis. Therefore, the effectiveness of the antioxidant N -acetylcysteine was examined on antigen-induced pulmonary responses in sensitized Brown-Norway rats. N -acetylcysteine (oral, 1 mmol kg(-1)per day for 7 days before challenge) did not reduce the immediate bronchospasm that followed aerosol antigen exposure but prevented airway hyperreactivity to 5-hydroxytryptamine at 24 h after antigen challenge, and reduced the eosinophils (from 0.178 +/- 0.038 in the absence to 0.064 +/- 0.020 x10(6)cells ml(-1)in the presence of N -acetylcysteine;P< 0.05), and Evans blue dye extravasation in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Taurine levels in br…
Sleep apnea risk in subjects with asthma with or without comorbid rhinitis
2014
BACKGROUND: As many as 80% of patients with asthma suffer from allergic rhinitis (AR), and rhinitis symptoms are associated with sleep complaints The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome risk in patients with asthma and to explore the association between comorbid rhinitis and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome risk. METHODS: Subjects with asthma were recruited by general practitioners during a control visit. Physicians compiled a questionnaire that assessed the presence of AR according to ARIA (Allergic Rhinitis and Its Impact on Asthma) guidelines and factors influencing the risk of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (gastroesophage…