Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

JAMA Netw Open 2020 Jul 1;3(7):e207551. Epub 2020 Jul 1.

Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health, University of Maryland School of Public Health, College Park.

Importance: Ongoing climate change is affecting the health of communities across the globe. While direct consequences, including morbidity and mortality tied to increases in the frequency of extreme weather events, have received significant attention, indirect health effects, particularly those associated with climate change-driven disruptions in ecosystems, are less understood.

Objective: To investigate how ongoing changes in the timing of spring onset related to climate change are associated with rates of asthma hospitalization in Maryland. Read More

Vet Rec 2020 Jul 13. Epub 2020 Jul 13.

Department of Small Animal Medicine, School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bristol, Langford, UK.

Background: Canine idiopathic eosinophilic lung disease (ELD) is sparsely documented in the literature.

Methods: Clinical presentation and outcome of dogs diagnosed with ELD (eosinophilic bronchitis or eosinophilic bronchopneumonia) were reviewed. Subgroups were made based on chronicity of clinical signs and findings of thoracic imaging: NCI (no changes in thoracic imaging), BRON (bronchial/peribronchial pattern), INT (bronchointerstitial/interstitial/alveolar). Read More

Physiol Rep 2020 Jul;8(13):e14419

Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.

Cigarette smoke (CS)-induced emphysema is an important contributor to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We have shown the efficacy of azithromycin in reducing airway inflammation in COPD and in reducing exacerbations in severe asthma; however, the effects of long-term azithromycin on emphysema development have not been shown. We employed live animal imaging to monitor emphysema-like development and the effects of interventional azithromycin treatment in CS-exposed mice. Read More

Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2020 Jul 10. Epub 2020 Jul 10.

University of Arizona, Department of Pediatrics, Tucson, Arizona, United States.

Rationale: Deficits in infant lung function - including the fraction of expiratory time to peak tidal expiratory flow to total expiratory time (tPTEF/tE) and maximal expiratory flow at functional residual capacity (V̇maxFRC) - have been linked to increased risk for childhood asthma.

Objectives: To examine the individual and combined effects of tPTEF/tE and V̇maxFRC in infancy on risk for asthma and abnormalities of airway structure into mid-adult life.

Methods: 180 participants in the TCRS birth cohort had lung function measured by the chest-compression technique in infancy (mean age±SD: 2. Read More

Lung India 2020 Jul-Aug;37(4):359-378

Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.

Background: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a complex and heterogeneous group of acute and chronic lung diseases of several known and unknown causes. While clinical practice guidelines (CPG) for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) have been recently updated, CPG for ILD other than IPF are needed.

Methods: A working group of multidisciplinary clinicians familiar with clinical management of ILD (pulmonologists, radiologist, pathologist, and rheumatologist) and three epidemiologists selected by the leaderships of Indian Chest Society and National College of Chest Physicians, India, posed questions to address the clinically relevant situation. Read More

J Biomed Phys Eng 2020 Jun 1;10(3):367-374. Epub 2020 Jun 1.

MD, Department of Childhood Diseases No. 2, Rostov State Medical University, Rostov-on-Don, Russia.

In the present work, three versions of implementation of non-invasive bronchial asthma diagnostic system based on the author's technique of noninvasive diagnosis of bronchopulmonary diseases are considered. The offered variants of diagnostic system can be used both in medical institutions and at patient's home for the control of the patient's condition with the purpose of monitoring the dynamics of the disease during treatment, as well as for preventive purposes. Three variants of implementation of the diagnostic system with various complexity are considered. Read More

Int J Mol Med 2020 Aug 29;46(2):641-652. Epub 2020 May 29.

Department of Respiratory Medicine and Critical Care, Shandong Qianfoshan Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250014, P.R. China.

Type 2 cytokine‑associated immunity may be involved in the pathogenesis of allergic asthma. Although interleukin 27 (IL‑27) has been reported as an initiator and suppressor of T‑helper 1 (Th1) and T‑helper 2 (Th2) responses, respectively, its effects on the development of asthma remain unclear. In the present study, mice were induced and challenged with ovalbumin and received subsequent intranasal administration of IL‑27. Read More

Laeknabladid 2020 Jul;106(7):352-361

Department of Radiology Karolinska University Hospital Stockholm, Sweden.

Bronchiectasis is a disease that is characterized by permanent bronchial dilation. This can be localized or diffuse in the lungs. The disease can occur at any age and causes cough, sputum production and repeated infections. Read More

Sci Rep 2020 06 29;10(1):10568. Epub 2020 Jun 29.

Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine - University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, United States.

Topical intra-nasal sprays are amongst the most commonly prescribed therapeutic options for sinonasal diseases in humans. However, inconsistency and ambiguity in instructions show a lack of definitive knowledge on best spray use techniques. In this study, we have identified a new usage strategy for nasal sprays available over-the-counter, that registers an average 8-fold improvement in topical delivery of drugs at diseased sites, when compared to prevalent spray techniques. Read More

Monaldi Arch Chest Dis 2020 Jun 29;90(2). Epub 2020 Jun 29.

Department of Internal Medicine, Saint Vincent Hospital, Worcester, MA.

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic has so far led to innumerable deaths worldwide. The risk factors so far that have been most studied as poor prognostic factors are old age, individuals with multiple comorbidities and immunocompromised patients. Amongst the chronic lung diseases, most patients with COVID-19 reported so far had asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and interstitial lung disease. Read More

Cureus 2020 May 23;12(5):e8253. Epub 2020 May 23.

Radiodiagnosis, Era's Lucknow Medical College and Hospital, Lucknow, IND.

Background Multidetector CT (MDCT) has emerged as a useful option for early diagnosis of interstitial lung disease (ILD) with adequate accuracy. Methods A total of 80 patients with restricted pulmonary functions and clinical suspicion of ILD were enrolled in the study. MDCT evaluation was done using Siemens Somatom Force 384 slice multidetector computer tomography machine. Read More

Acta Clin Croat 2019 Dec;58(4):777-779

Jordanovac Department of Thoracic Surgery, Zagreb University Hospital Centre, Zagreb, Croatia.

Primary malignant tumors of the trachea are very rare with the incidence of less than two million people year, and only ten percent of them are adenoid cystic carcinomas. Eighty percent of all tracheal tumors are malignant. Diagnosis is usually late because the symptoms mimic other conditions such as asthma. Read More

Allergy 2020 Jun 27. Epub 2020 Jun 27.

Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry "Scuola Medica Salernitana", University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy.

Therapeutic advances using targeted biologicals and small molecule drugs have achieved significant success in the treatment of chronic allergic, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases particularly for some patients with severe, treatment-resistant forms. This has been aided by improved identification of disease phenotypes. Despite these achievements, not all severe forms of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases are successfully targeted, and current treatment options, besides allergen immunotherapy for selected allergic diseases, fail to change the disease course. Read More

Eur Respir J 2020 Jun 25. Epub 2020 Jun 25.

Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology & Gastroenterology, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, , UK.

Background: Asthma is an inflammatory disease of the airway showing a strong time of day rhythm. Airway hyperresponsiveness is a dominant feature of asthma, but it is not known if this is under clock control. The circadian clock powerfully regulates inflammation. Read More

Allergy 2020 Jun 23. Epub 2020 Jun 23.

Inflammation, Repair and Development Section, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College, London, UK.

Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes exacerbations of asthma and preschool wheeze (PSW). However, the anti-viral and repair responses of the bronchial epithelium in children with severe therapy resistant asthma (STRA) and PSW are poorly understood.

Methods: Children with STRA (age 12 [6-16] years), PSW (age 2 [1-5] years) and non-asthmatic controls (age 7 [2-14] years) underwent bronchoscopy with endobronchial brushings and biopsies. Read More

Respir Med Case Rep 2020 11;30:101127. Epub 2020 Jun 11.

Department of Pathological Anatomy, Coimbra Hospital and University Center, Coimbra, Portugal.

Asthma is a chronic disease with clinical variations throughout its course. Periods of symptom aggravation can occur with the need to escalate therapy. Nevertheless, further investigation should be considered when atypical manifestations appear or when worsening of symptoms occurs. Read More

Pharmacol Res 2020 Jun 19;159:105029. Epub 2020 Jun 19.

Airway Physiology and Imaging Group and Woolcock Emphysema Centre, The Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, The University of Sydney, Glebe NSW 2037, Australia; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.

Asthma and COPD make up the majority of obstructive airways diseases (OADs), which affects ∼11 % of the population. The main drugs used to treat OADs have not changed in the past five decades, with advancements mainly comprising variations on existing treatments. The recent biologics are beneficial to only specific subsets of patients. Read More

Nucl Med Biol 2020 Jul - Aug;86-87:52-58. Epub 2020 Jun 5.

Department of Clinical and Experimental Neuroimaging, Center for Development of Advanced Medicine for Dementia, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu, Japan.

Introduction: Isoproterenol is a non-selective β receptor agonist, which is a drug approved for bradycardia and bronchial asthma in many countries. Recently, isoproterenol has been reported to have the potential as a drug for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease by inhibiting the aggregation of tau protein. Isoproterenol is a highly potent drug causing increases in heart rates even when its plasma concentration is very low. Read More

Am J Otolaryngol 2020 Jun 6;41(5):102573. Epub 2020 Jun 6.

Cohen Children's Medical Center, Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology, New Hyde Park, NY, USA; Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Hempstead, NY, USA. Electronic address:

Objectives: There is limited data regarding the demographics and clinical features of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children. This information is especially important as pneumonia is the single leading cause of death in children worldwide. This Systematic Review aims to elucidate a better understanding of the global impact of COVID-19 on the pediatric population. Read More

JAMA 2020 06;323(22):2268-2280

Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York.

Importance: Smoking is a major risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), yet much of COPD risk remains unexplained.

Objective: To determine whether dysanapsis, a mismatch of airway tree caliber to lung size, assessed by computed tomography (CT), is associated with incident COPD among older adults and lung function decline in COPD.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A retrospective cohort study of 2 community-based samples: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) Lung Study, which involved 2531 participants (6 US sites, 2010-2018) and the Canadian Cohort of Obstructive Lung Disease (CanCOLD), which involved 1272 participants (9 Canadian sites, 2010-2018), and a case-control study of COPD: the Subpopulations and Intermediate Outcome Measures in COPD Study (SPIROMICS), which involved 2726 participants (12 US sites, 2011-2016). Read More

Trials 2020 Jun 8;21(1):495. Epub 2020 Jun 8.

Department of Infectious Disease, Center for Liver Disease, Peking University First Hospital, No.8 Xishiku Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, China.

Objectives: Patients with severe COVID-19 often suffer from significant pulmonary fibrosis. Although the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis has not been fully explained, the signal pathways and cytokines involved are very similar to hepatic fibrosis. This has been successfully treated with the Anluohuaxian Pill, a proprietary Chinese medicine composed of a variety of Chinese herbal medicines. Read More

J Theor Biol 2020 Jun 6;501:110337. Epub 2020 Jun 6.

School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia.

Theoretical models can help to overcome experimental limitations to better our understanding of lung physiology and disease. While such efforts often begin in broad terms by determining the effect of a disease process on a relevant biological output, more narrowly defined simulations may inform clinical practice. Two such examples are phenotype-specific and patient-specific models, the former being specific to a group of patients with common characteristics, and the latter to an individual patient, in view of likely differences (heterogeneity) between patients. Read More

Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2020 Jun 8. Epub 2020 Jun 8.

University of Kansas School of Medicine, 12251, Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine, Kansas City, Kansas, United States.

Rationale: Adverse events have limited the use of bronchial thermoplasty (BT) in severe asthma.

Objectives: We sought to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of using 129Xe MRI to prioritize the most involved airways for guided BT.

Methods: Thirty subjects with severe asthma were imaged with volumetric CT and 129Xe MRI to quantitate segmental ventilation defects. Read More

Phytother Res 2020 Jun 3. Epub 2020 Jun 3.

College of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.

Adverse effects that result from dexamethasone (DEX) use are common and serious in patients with asthma. Therefore, alternative anti-inflammatory treatments are being investigated. Isoimperatorin (ISO), an active natural furocoumarin, possesses multiple pharmacological properties, including an anti-inflammation effect. Read More

Clin Physiol Funct Imaging 2020 Jun 3. Epub 2020 Jun 3.

Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland.

Background And Aim: The eucapnic voluntary hyperventilation (EVH) testing is a diagnostic tool for diagnostics of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction; while the testing has become more common among children, data on the test's feasibility among children remain limited. Our aim was to investigate EVH testing feasibility among children, diagnostic testing cut-off values, and which factors affect testing outcomes.

Methods: We recruited 134 patients aged 10-16 years with a history of exercise-induced dyspnoea and 100 healthy control children to undergo 6-min EVH testing. Read More

Mycoses 2020 Jun 3. Epub 2020 Jun 3.

Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India.

Background: The diagnosis of Aspergillus-sensitised asthma (ASA) and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is made using IgE against crude antigens of A fumigatus (cAsp). However, the IgE against cAsp has limitations due to cross-reactivity with other fungi.

Objective: To evaluate the utility of recombinant A fumigatus (rAsp) antigens in detecting ASA and their role in differentiating true from cross-sensitisation. Read More

J Asthma 2020 Jun 13:1-12. Epub 2020 Jun 13.

Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Section of Sustainable Health/the OLIN unit, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.

To investigate the current prevalence of physician-diagnosed obstructive airway diseases by respiratory symptoms and by sex in Sweden and Finland. In 2016, a postal questionnaire was answered by 34,072 randomly selected adults in four study areas: Västra Götaland and Norrbotten in Sweden, and Seinäjoki-Vaasa and Helsinki in Finland. The prevalence of asthma symptoms was higher in Norrbotten (13. Read More

Respir Res 2020 May 29;21(1):133. Epub 2020 May 29.

School of Mechanical Engineering, Kyungpook National University, 80 Daehak-ro, Buk-gu, Daegu, 41566, South Korea.

Background: Dust exposure has been reported as a risk factor of pulmonary disease, leading to alterations of segmental airways and parenchymal lungs. This study aims to investigate alterations of quantitative computed tomography (QCT)-based airway structural and functional metrics due to cement-dust exposure.

Methods: To reduce confounding factors, subjects with normal spirometry without fibrosis, asthma and pneumonia histories were only selected, and a propensity score matching was applied to match age, sex, height, smoking status, and pack-years. Read More

Respiration 2020 May 28:1-14. Epub 2020 May 28.

Respiratory Medicine Unit, A.O.U. "Policlinico-Vittorio Emanuele," University of Catania, Catania, Italy.

The nonrecognition of asthma-associated comorbidities is often responsible for the therapeutic failure and the worsening of symptoms, and it is associated with frequent exacerbations, higher disease severity, and increased health costs. Bronchiectasis, one of the most frequent asthma-associated comorbidities, can increase airways inflammation and exacerbation rates and cause respiratory functional impairment. The aim of this article is to review the interactions between bronchiectasis and asthma, in order to better identify patients in the overlap between the 2 diseases and to select an "ad hoc" therapy. Read More

Obstet Gynecol 2020 May 27. Epub 2020 May 27.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York.

Objective: To characterize symptoms and disease severity among pregnant women with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection, along with laboratory findings, imaging, and clinical outcomes.

Methods: Pregnant women with COVID-19 infection were identified at two affiliated hospitals in New York City from March 13 to April 19, 2020, for this case series study. Women were diagnosed with COVID-19 infection based on either universal testing on admission or testing because of COVID-19-related symptoms. Read More

Proc IEEE Int Symp Biomed Imaging 2019 Apr 11;2019:1229-1233. Epub 2019 Jul 11.

Applied Chest Imaging Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.

Computerized fluid dynamics models of particle deposition in the human airways are used to characterize deposition patterns that enable the study of lung diseases like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Despite this fact, the influence of patient-specific geometry on the deposition efficiency and patterns is not well documented nor modeled. In part, this is due to the complexity of simulating the full Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) solution in patient-specific airway geometries, a factor that becomes a major hurdle for patient-specific studies given the complexity of the geometry of human lungs and their related airflow. Read More

Clin Imaging 2020 May 3;66:23-25. Epub 2020 May 3.

Dotter Department of Interventional Radiology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA. Electronic address:

A 50-year-old female with a 20-year history of multifocal pulmonary benign metastasizing leiomyoma (BML), and asthma presented with subacute worsening of chronic dyspnea. A contrast-enhanced computerized tomography of the chest showed a single 1.4 × 1. Read More

Ann Palliat Med 2020 May 15;9(3):1117-1124. Epub 2020 May 15.

Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100038, China.

Background: Pulmonary cryptococcosis (PC) is an invasive pulmonary fungal disease caused by Cryptococcus neoformans or Cryptococcus gattii. Cryptococcus is the opportunistic pathogen. Immune damage and chronic consumptive diseases are the high risk. Read More

J Voice 2020 May 14. Epub 2020 May 14.

Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Drexel University College of Medicine, Lankenau Institute for Medical Research.

Background: Paradoxical vocal fold motion (PVFM) is a disorder in which the vocal folds adduct inappropriately during inspiration resulting in episodic dyspnea and sometimes respiratory distress. Diagnosis is obtained through careful history, physical examination, flexible laryngoscopic examination with provocative maneuvers, and laryngeal electromyography. The pathogenesis and clinical findings of this disorder are not known. Read More

Acad Radiol 2020 May 14. Epub 2020 May 14.

Robarts Research Institute, Western University, London, Canada; Department of Medical Biophysics, Western University, London, Canada; Department of Medicine, Western University, London, Canada.

Rationale And Objectives: Xe MRI has been developed to noninvasively visualize and quantify the functional consequence of airway obstruction in asthma. Its widespread application requires evidence of intersite reproducibility and agreement. Our objective was to evaluate reproducibility and agreement of Xe ventilation MRI measurements in severe asthmatics at two sites. Read More

Trials 2020 May 14;21(1):406. Epub 2020 May 14.

Brain Research Center, Acupuncture and Tuina School/Third Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 37 Shierqiao Road, Chengdu, 610075, Sichuan, China.

Background: Previous studies suggested that acupuncture was a promising adjunctive treatment for asthma. However, the underlying mechanism of acupuncture for asthma remains unclear. The aim of the present trial is to explore whether and how specific meridian acupuncture works in quality of life and symptomatic improvement by modulating brain function in patients with asthma. Read More

Pharmazie 2020 05;75(5):201-204

Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Delivery Systems, Guangzhou, China; Guangdong Engineering & Technology Research Center of topical precise drug delivery system; Guangzhou, China;, Email:

Timosaponin B-II (TB-II; (25S)-26-(β-D-glucopyranosyloxy)-3β-[(2-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-β-D-galactopyranosyl) oxy]-5β-furostan-22-ol is extracted from . Its anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, and anti-asthma properties have been widely explored. However, its effect on the heart has not been reported. Read More

Histopathology 2020 May 7. Epub 2020 May 7.

Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.

Aims: Reports of respiratory illnesses among soldiers returning from Southwest Asia have been described. During deployment to Southwest Asia, soldiers are exposed to various respiratory hazards, including dust storms, smoke from burn pits and industrial air pollutants. A few studies have reported increased rates of constrictive bronchiolitis and asthma in these patients. Read More

Iran J Allergy Asthma Immunol 2020 Apr 16;19(2):172-182. Epub 2020 Apr 16.

Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran AND Cancer Biology Research Center, Cancer Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Previous studies have demonstrated that maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) by pathogenic components through pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) such as Listeria monocytogenes lysate (LML) or CpG DNA can improve cancer vaccination in experimental models. In this study, a mathematical model based on an artificial neural network (ANN) was used to predict several patterns and dosage of matured DC administration for improved vaccination. The ANN model predicted that repeated co-injection of tumor antigen (TA)-loaded DCs matured with CpG (CpG-DC) and LML (List-DC) results in improved antitumor immune response as well as a reduction of immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment. Read More

Radiology 2020 Jul 5;296(1):208-215. Epub 2020 May 5.

From the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Department of Medicine, Applied Chest Imaging Laboratory (G.R.W., S.Y.A., F.N.R., C.E.C., C.L.P., A.A.D.), Department of Radiology, Applied Chest Imaging Laboratory (P.N., G.V.S.F., J.C.R., R.S.J.E.), Department of Anesthesia (G.Q.R.), and Division of Cardiology (A.M.S.), Brigham and Women's Hospital, 1249 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02215; Lung Health Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Ala (M.T.D., S.P.B., J.M.W.); Asthma and COPD Program, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Ill (R.K.); Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Mich (M.K.H.); BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom (S.R.), Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Neb (S.R.); Department of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colo (K.Y., G.L.K., J.E.H.); and Respiratory Institute, Hospital Clinic, August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Enfermedades Respiratorias, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain (A.A.).

Background Smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have smaller left ventricles (LVs) due to reduced preload. Skeletal muscle wasting is also common in COPD, but less is known about its contribution to LV size. Purpose To explore the relationships between CT metrics of emphysema, venous vascular volume, and sarcopenia with the LV epicardial volume (LV) (myocardium and chamber) estimated from chest CT images in participants with COPD and then to determine the clinical relevance of the LV in multivariable models, including sex and anthropomorphic metrics. Read More

Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol 2020 28;16:31. Epub 2020 Apr 28.

3Department of ENT Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.

Background: Allergen specific IgG4 levels have been monitored as a surrogate marker for the tolerance inducing effect of subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) in many studies. Its accuracy at group level has been well established, but IgG4 has not yet found its place in the daily care of immunotherapy patients.

Methods: Intralymphatic immunotherapy (ILIT) is a novel route for allergy vaccination against pollen allergy, where an ultrasound-guided injection of 1000 SQ-U Alutard is given directly into a groin lymph node. Read More

Anal Bioanal Chem 2020 Jul 4;412(18):4327-4341. Epub 2020 May 4.

Department of Optical Imaging, Institute for Medical Photonics Research, Preeminent Medical Photonics Education & Research Center, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, 431-3192, Japan.

Acetylcholine (ACh) is a crucial neurotransmitter that is involved in airway constriction. In fact, excessive ACh binding to M3 muscarinic receptor leads to airflow obstruction via smooth muscle contraction. Previous studies have suggested cholinergic malfunction in the pathogenesis of asthma; however, the distribution and abundance of ACh in asthmatic lungs remain unclear because of the challenges of imaging ACh in lung tissue. Read More

Pediatrics 2020 Jun 4;145(6). Epub 2020 May 4.

Department of Pediatrics, Children's Mercy Kansas City and School of Medicine, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri.

Background: Improvement initiatives promote safe and efficient care for hospitalized children. However, these may be associated with limited cost savings. In this article, we sought to understand the potential financial benefit yielded by improvement initiatives by describing the inpatient allocation of costs for common pediatric diagnoses. Read More

Eur J Pharm Biopharm 2020 Jul 1;152:18-22. Epub 2020 May 1.

Imperial College London, United Kingdom. Electronic address:

Modern inhaled drug discovery programs assess dose delivery to proximal and distal airways using rudimentary imaging indices, where relative deposition is estimated by generically defined 'central' and 'peripheral' lung regions. Utilizing recent data linking the proximal airway topology to a characteristic pattern of aerosol lung deposition, we provide a direct measure of dose distribution between the proximal bronchi and the distal lung. We analyzed scintigraphic lung images of twelve asthma patients following inhalation of 1. Read More

Stem Cell Res Ther 2020 May 1;11(1):167. Epub 2020 May 1.

Institute of Thoracic Medicine, Clementino Fraga Filho University Hospital, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Background: Despite recent advances in understanding its pathophysiology and development of novel therapies, asthma remains a serious public health issue worldwide. Combination therapy with inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting β-adrenoceptor agonists results in disease control for many patients, but those who exhibit severe asthma are often unresponsive to conventional treatment, experiencing worse quality of life, frequent exacerbations, and increasing healthcare costs. Bone marrow-derived mononuclear cell (BMMC) transplantation has been shown to reduce airway inflammation and remodeling and improve lung function in experimental models of allergic asthma. Read More

Respiration 2020;99(5):382-388. Epub 2020 Apr 29.

College of Medical, Pharmaceutical, and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the utility of dynamic-ventilatory digital radiography (DR) for pulmonary function assessment in patients with airflow limitation.

Methods: One hundred and eighteen patients with airflow limitation (72 patients with lung cancer before surgery, 35 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD], 6 patients with asthma, and 5 patients with asthma-COPD overlap syndrome) were assessed with dynamic-ventilatory DR. The patients were instructed to inhale and exhale slowly and maximally. Read More

J Asthma 2020 May 4:1-4. Epub 2020 May 4.

Respiratory Diseases Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, University Hospital of Siena (Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Senese, AOUS), Siena, Italy.

Seven species of coronavirus cause acute respiratory illness in humans. Coronavirus HKU 1 (CoV HKU 1) was first described in 2005 in an adult patient with pneumonia in Hong Kong. Although it is a well-known respiratory tract pathogen, there is not much information about its role in hospitalized adults, especially in southern Europe. Read More

Am J Trop Med Hyg 2020 06;102(6):1198-1202

Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.

Patients with novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) typically present with bilateral multilobar ground-glass opacification with a peripheral distribution. The utility of point-of-care ultrasound has been suggested, but detailed descriptions of lung ultrasound findings are not available. We evaluated lung ultrasound findings in 10 patients admitted to the internal medicine ward with COVID-19. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2020 06 13;359(6):372-377. Epub 2020 Mar 13.

Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Electronic address:

Tuberculosis is a global burden with an unacceptably high mortality rate, especially in low- and middle-income countries. We reported the case of 34-year-old Somali female with no significant risk factors who initially presented with headache and blurred vision. The patient subsequently developed altered mental status and significant vision changes. Read More

Environ Res 2020 Apr 20;183:109270. Epub 2020 Feb 20.

School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, 6081 University Boulevard, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z1, Canada; Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, 2329 West Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada.

Background: The combined effects of physical activity and air pollution exposure on vascular function are insufficiently understood, particularly after the inhalation of a β-agonist, a vasodilating agent.

Objective: To assess the micro- and macrovascular response to physical activity after β-agonist use while breathing diesel exhaust (DE) in individuals with exercise-induced bronchoconstriction.

Methods: On four exposure visits, eighteen adults inhaled either 400 μg of the β-agonist salbutamol or placebo before resting for 60 min, followed by a 30-min cycling bout. Read More