Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 2019 Apr 24. Epub 2019 Apr 24.

Physiology, University of Kentucky, United States.

Airway narrowing due to hyper-responsiveness severely limits gas exchange in patients with asthma. Imaging studies in humans and animals have previously shown that bronchoconstriction causes patchy patterns of ventilation defects throughout the lungs, and several computational models have predicted that these regions are due to constriction of smaller airways. However, these imaging approaches are often limited in their ability to capture dynamic changes in small airways, and the patterns of constriction are heterogeneous. Read More

Indian J Radiol Imaging 2019 Jan-Mar;29(1):77-80

Internal Medicine Department, Hospital Universitario de Torrejón, Calle Mateo Inurria s/n, Torrejón de Ardoz, Spain.

Introduction: Simultaneous subcutaneous emphysema, spontaneous pneumothorax, and pneumomediastinum are complications rarely observed synchronously during an acute exacerbation of bronchial asthma. Although spontaneous pneumothorax has already been reported in asthma patients in the literature, its concurrence with subcutaneous emphysema and pneumomediastinum is extremely rare except for iatrogenic conditions.

Case Study: We describe a patient who presented to the emergency room with progressive dyspnea and chest pain. Read More

Eur Respir Rev 2019 Jun 17;28(152). Epub 2019 Apr 17.

Woolcock Institute of Medical Research and Northern Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

Asthma remains an important disease worldwide, causing high burden to patients and healthcare systems and presenting a need for better management and ultimately prevention and cure. Asthma is a very heterogeneous condition, with many different pathophysiological processes. Better measurement of those pathophysiological processes are needed to better phenotype disease, and to go beyond the current, highly limited measurements that are currently used: spirometry and symptoms. Read More

J Vet Intern Med 2019 Apr 13. Epub 2019 Apr 13.

Department of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.

This Perspectives in Veterinary Medicine article seeks to define, describe putative causes, and discuss key diagnostic tests for primary and secondary bronchiolar disorders to propose a classification scheme in cats with support from a literature review and case examples. The small airways (bronchioles with inner diameters <2 mm), located at the transitional zone between larger conducting airways and the pulmonary acinus, have been overlooked as major contributors to clinical syndromes of respiratory disease in cats. Because the trigger for many bronchiolar disorders is environmental and humans live in a shared environment with similar susceptibility, understanding these diseases in pet cats has relevance to One Health. Read More

Cureus 2019 Jan 28;11(1):e3971. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

Internal Medicine, Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune City, USA.

Introduction Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is most commonly caused by smoking tobacco or cigarettes. However, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is the only genetic disorder known to cause COPD and these patients often present with emphysema earlier in life and with more severe disease. Additionally, AATD patients are often misdiagnosed with other lung disorders, and the diagnosis is often delayed for up to a decade. Read More

J Allergy Clin Immunol 2019 Apr 2. Epub 2019 Apr 2.

MACVIA-France, Fondation partenariale FMC VIA-LR, Montpellier, France; Epidemiology of Allergic and Respiratory Diseases, Department Institute Pierre Louis of Epidemiology and Public Health, INSERM and UPMC Sorbonne Université, Medical School Saint Antoine, Paris, France; INSERM U 1168, VIMA : Ageing and chronic diseases Epidemiological and public health approaches, Villejuif, Université Versailles St-Quentin-en-Yvelines, UMR-S 1168, Montigny le Bretonneux, France and Euforea, Brussels, Belgium. Electronic address:

Background: Mobile health may be used to generate innovative insights into optimizing treatment to improve allergic rhinitis control.

Objectives: A cross-sectional real world observational study was undertaken in 22 countries to complement a pilot study and bring novel information on medication use, disease control and work productivity in everyday life of patients with allergic rhinitis.

Methods: A mobile phone app (Allergy Diary, freely available Google Play and Apple stores) was used to collect data of daily visual analogue scales (VAS) for (i) overall allergic symptoms, (ii) nasal, ocular and asthma symptoms, (iii) work, as well as (iv) medication use using a treatment scroll list including all allergy medications (prescribed and over-the-counter (OTC)) customized for 22 countries. Read More

Cell 2019 Apr;177(2):231-242

Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences and Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA. Electronic address:

The Extracellular RNA Communication Consortium (ERCC) was launched to accelerate progress in the new field of extracellular RNA (exRNA) biology and to establish whether exRNAs and their carriers, including extracellular vesicles (EVs), can mediate intercellular communication and be utilized for clinical applications. Phase 1 of the ERCC focused on exRNA/EV biogenesis and function, discovery of exRNA biomarkers, development of exRNA/EV-based therapeutics, and construction of a robust set of reference exRNA profiles for a variety of biofluids. Here, we present progress by ERCC investigators in these areas, and we discuss collaborative projects directed at development of robust methods for EV/exRNA isolation and analysis and tools for sharing and computational analysis of exRNA profiling data. Read More

Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2019 Apr 5. Epub 2019 Apr 5.

University of British Columbia, Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Rationale: Histological stains have been used as the gold standard to visualize extracellular matrix (ECM) changes associated with airway remodeling in asthma, yet they provide no information on the biochemical and structural characteristics of the ECM, which are vital to understanding alterations in tissue function.

Objective: Demonstrate the use of non-linear optical microscopy (NLOM) and texture analysis algorithms to image fibrillar collagen (Second harmonic generation) and elastin (Two-photon excited autofluorescence), to obtain biochemical and structural information on the remodeled ECM environment in asthma.

Methods: Non-transplantable donor lungs from asthmatic (n=13) and control (n=12) donors, were used for the assessment of airway collagen and elastin fibers by NLOM, and extraction of lung fibroblasts for in vitro experiments. Read More

Rofo 2019 Apr 4. Epub 2019 Apr 4.

University of Latvia, Faculty of Medicine, Riga, Latvia.

Background:  High diagnostic accuracy, increasing clinical experience and technical improvements are good reasons to consider lung ultrasound (US) for the assessment of pleural and pulmonary diseases. In the emergency room and in intensive care, it is well acknowledged, but application in other settings is rare. The aim of this review is to update potential users in general radiology about the diagnostic scope of lung US and to encourage more frequent use of this generally underestimated lung imaging modality. Read More

J Magn Reson Imaging 2019 Apr 4. Epub 2019 Apr 4.

Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.

Background: Ultrashort echo time (UTE) proton MRI has gained popularity for assessing lung structure and function in pulmonary imaging; however, the development of rapid biomarker extraction and regional quantification has lagged behind due to labor-intensive lung segmentation.

Purpose: To evaluate a deep learning (DL) approach for automated lung segmentation to extract image-based biomarkers from functional lung imaging using 3D radial UTE oxygen-enhanced (OE) MRI.

Study Type: Retrospective study aimed to evaluate a technical development. Read More

Am J Epidemiol 2019 Mar 30. Epub 2019 Mar 30.

Qatar Biobank for Medical Research, Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community, Doha, Qatar.

The authors describe the design, implementation and results of Qatar Biobank (QBB) for the first 10,000 participants. QBB is a prospective population-based cohort study in Qatar, established in 2012. QBB's primary goal was to establish a cohort accessible to the local and international scientific community providing adequate health data and biological samples enabling evidence-based research. Read More

Sci Rep 2019 Mar 29;9(1):5362. Epub 2019 Mar 29.

Paediatric Critical Care Unit, Nottingham Children's Hospital, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK.

EIT is a radiation-free functional modality that enables bedside imaging and monitoring of lung function and expansion. Clinical interest in this method has been driven by the need for bedside monitoring of the dynamics of the lungs and the effects of ventilatory manoeuvres, including changes in ventilator settings, suctioning, chest drains, positioning and physiotherapy. We aimed to describe the use of Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) as a clinical tool in a tertiary Paediatric Intensive Care unit. Read More

J Appl Physiol (1985) 2019 Mar 28. Epub 2019 Mar 28.

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, United States.

Background: Effects of asthma on affect have been noted for some time but little is known about associated brain processes. We therefore examined whether emotion-induced bronchoconstriction, airway inflammation, and asthma control are related to specific patterns of brain activity during processing negative affective stimuli.

Methods: Fifteen adults with asthma viewed alternating blocks of distressing film clips (negative condition), affectively neutral film clips (neutral condition) and a crosshair image (baseline condition) while undergoing blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) functional MRI (fMRI). Read More

Eur Respir Rev 2019 Mar 27;28(151). Epub 2019 Mar 27.

Airway Physiology and Imaging Group, Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

We are currently limited in our abilities to diagnose, monitor disease status and manage chronic airway disease like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Conventional lung function measures often poorly reflect patient symptoms or are insensitive to changes, particularly in the small airways where disease may originate or manifest. Novel pulmonary function tests are becoming available which help us better characterise and understand chronic airway disease, and their translation and adoption from the research arena would potentially enable individualised patient care. Read More

Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2019 Mar 27. Epub 2019 Mar 27.

University of Wisconsin-Madison, Pediatrics, Madison, Wisconsin, United States ;

Cadherin-related family member 3 (CDHR3) is a transmembrane protein that is highly expressed in airway epithelia and the only known receptor for rhinovirus C (RV-C). A CDHR3 SNP (rs6967330) with 'G' to 'A' base change, has been linked to severe exacerbations of asthma and increased susceptibility to RV-C infections in young children. The goals of this study were to determine the subcellular localization of CDHR3 and to test the hypothesis that CDHR3 asthma-risk genotype affects epithelial cell function and susceptibility to RV-C infections of the airway epithelia. Read More

Chest 2019 Mar 23. Epub 2019 Mar 23.

Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, ON, Canada.

Background: Intraluminal contributor(s) to airflow obstruction in severe asthma are patient-specific and must be evaluated to personalize treatment. The occurrence and functional consequence of airway mucus in the presence or absence of airway eosinophils remain undetermined.

Objective: The objective of this study was to understand the functional consequence of airway mucus in the presence or absence of eosinophils and to identify biomarkers of mucus-related airflow obstruction. Read More

J Aerosol Med Pulm Drug Deliv 2019 Mar 19. Epub 2019 Mar 19.

1 Department of Mechanical Engineering and The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.

Background: Four computed tomography (CT) imaging-based clusters have been identified in a study of the Severe Asthma Research Program (SARP) cohort and have been significantly correlated with clinical and demographic metrics (J Allergy Clin Immunol 2017; 140:690-700.e8). We used a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to investigate air flow and aerosol deposition within imaging archetypes representative of the four clusters. Read More

Respirology 2019 Mar 18. Epub 2019 Mar 18.

Monash Lung and Sleep, Monash University and Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Background And Objective: Multidisciplinary team (MDT) clinics use an integrated approach to individualize care of complex medical conditions. Vocal cord dysfunction (VCD) is a challenging condition that is likely to benefit from MDT clinics but this has not been researched.

Methods: A prospective observational cohort study of a novel VCD MDT clinic was conducted in patients with suspected VCD. Read More

Lancet Respir Med 2019 Mar 12. Epub 2019 Mar 12.

University of Arizona College of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA.

Background: Small airways dysfunction (SAD) is well recognised in asthma, yet its role in the severity and control of asthma is unclear. This study aimed to assess which combination of biomarkers, physiological tests, and imaging markers best measure the presence and extent of SAD in patients with asthma.

Methods: In this baseline assessment of a multinational prospective cohort study (the Assessment of Small Airways Involvement in Asthma [ATLANTIS] study), we recruited participants with and without asthma (defined as Global Initiative for Asthma severity stages 1-5) from general practices, the databases of chest physicians, and advertisements at 29 centres across nine countries (Brazil, China, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, the UK, the USA, and Canada). Read More

Br J Dermatol 2019 Mar 14. Epub 2019 Mar 14.

Department of DermatologyErasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Background: Childhood eczema is variable in onset and persistence.

Objective: To identify eczema phenotypes during childhood, and their associations with early life environmental and genetic factors.

Methods: In this study among 5,297 children of a multi-ethnic population-based prospective cohort study, phenotypes based on parental-reported physician-diagnosed eczema from age 6 months until 10 years were identified using latent class growth analysis. Read More

Open Med (Wars) 2019 26;14:241-246. Epub 2019 Feb 26.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Jeju National University School of Medicine, 102 Jejudaehakno, Jeju 63243, Jeju, South Korea.

Samter's Triad is a disorder characterized by chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) with nasal polyps (NPs), asthma, and intolerance to cyclooxygenase-1 inhibitors. However, there have been no studies investigating the prediction of Samter's Triad using imaging findings. Therefore, the authors aimed to investigate whether there is a difference in computed tomography (CT) findings between patients who have CRS with NPs and those with Samter's Triad. Read More

Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2019 Feb 8;6(2):392-396. Epub 2019 Jan 8.

Department of Neurology The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University Guangzhou 510630 China.

Our objective was to examine the brain biopsies by histopathology and investigate the prognosis of patients with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated demyelinating pseudotumor. The clinical, MRI, and histological features of two patients with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated demyelinating pseudotumor were reviewed. Both patients were treated with steroid plus rituximab and followed up. Read More

Sci Rep 2019 Mar 7;9(1):3786. Epub 2019 Mar 7.

School and Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.

There are many cytokines involved in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. So far IL-33 involvement in osteoporotic patients has not yet been studied. IL-33 is a pro-inflammatory cytokine which mediates several immune functions; its involvement in a wide range of diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis, is now emerging. Read More

Eur Respir J 2019 Mar 7. Epub 2019 Mar 7.

University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Groningen, The Netherlands.

To investigate whether microRNA (miRNA) expression is modulated by inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) treatment, we performed genome-wide miRNA analysis on bronchial biopsies of 69 moderate/severe COPD patients at baseline and after 6- and 30-month treatment with the ICS fluticasone propionate (FP) or placebo. The effect of ICS on miRNA expression was validated in differentiated primary bronchial epithelial cultures, and functional studies were conducted in BEAS-2B cells. MiRNAs affected by ICS and their predicted targets were compared to an independent miRNA dataset of bronchial brushings from COPD patients and healthy controls. Read More

Respirology 2019 Mar 7. Epub 2019 Mar 7.

Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.

Background And Objective: In vivo evaluation of the microstructural differences between asthmatic and non-asthmatic airways and their functional consequences is relevant to understanding and, potentially, treating asthma. In this study, we use endobronchial optical coherence tomography to investigate how allergic airways with asthma differ from allergic non-asthmatic airways in baseline microstructure and in response to allergen challenge.

Methods: A total of 45 subjects completed the study, including 20 allergic, mildly asthmatic individuals, 22 non-asthmatic allergic controls and 3 healthy controls. Read More

Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2019 May 5;1863(5):950-959. Epub 2019 Mar 5.

Environmental Public Health Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. Electronic address:

Background: Peroxidation of PUFAs by a variety of endogenous and xenobiotic electrophiles is a recognized pathophysiological process that can lead to adverse health effects. Although secondary products generated from peroxidized PUFAs have been relatively well studied, the role of primary lipid hydroperoxides in mediating early intracellular oxidative events is not well understood.

Methods: Live cell imaging was used to monitor changes in glutathione (GSH) oxidation in HAEC expressing the fluorogenic sensor roGFP during exposure to 9-hydroperoxy-10E,12Z-octadecadienoic acid (9-HpODE), a biologically important long chain lipid hydroperoxide, and its secondary product 9-hydroxy-10E,12Z-octadecadienoic acid (9-HODE). Read More

Allergy 2019 Mar 6. Epub 2019 Mar 6.

Institute of Imaging and Biomedical Photonics, National Chiao Tung University, Tainan, Taiwan.

Respirology 2019 Mar 5. Epub 2019 Mar 5.

Pulmonary and Critical Care, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, Burlington, VT, USA.

Background And Objective: The reduction of forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV ) in response to methacholine challenge in asthma may reflect two components: airway narrowing, assessed by the change in FEV /forced vital capacity (FVC), and airway closure, assessed by the change in FVC. The purpose of this study was to determine the degree and determinants of airway closure in response to methacholine in a large group of asthmatic patients participating in studies conducted by the American Lung Association-Airways Clinical Research Centers (ALA-ACRC).

Methods: We used the methacholine challenge data from participants in five studies of the ALA-ACRC to determine the closing index, defined as the contribution of airway closure to the decrease in FEV , and calculated as %ΔFVC/%ΔFEV . Read More

CJEM 2019 Mar 6:1-4. Epub 2019 Mar 6.

*Department of Emergency Medicine.

Acta Paediatr 2019 Mar 1. Epub 2019 Mar 1.

Evelina London Children's Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Hospital Trust, London, UK.

Aim: Structured light plethysmography (SLP) is a novel light-based method that captures chest wall movements to evaluate tidal breathing. We carried out a narrative mini review of the clinical use of SLP in paediatrics.

Methods: PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for papers published in English up to December 2018. Read More

Immunity 2019 Mar 26;50(3):707-722.e6. Epub 2019 Feb 26.

Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA. Electronic address:

Type 2 lymphocytes promote both physiologic tissue remodeling and allergic pathology, yet their physical tissue niches are poorly described. Here, we used quantitative imaging to define the tissue niches of group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s), which are critical instigators of type 2 immunity. We identified a dominant adventitial niche around lung bronchi and larger vessels in multiple tissues, where ILC2s localized with subsets of dendritic and regulatory T cells. Read More

Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2019 Mar 1. Epub 2019 Mar 1.

Children's Hospital at Westmead, Respiratory Medicine, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Int Forum Allergy Rhinol 2019 Mar 1. Epub 2019 Mar 1.

Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC.

Background: Topical intranasal drugs are widely prescribed for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), although delivery can vary with device type and droplet size. The study objective was to compare nebulized and sprayed droplet deposition in the paranasal sinuses and ostiomeatal complex (OMC) across multiple droplet sizes in CRS patients using computational fluid dynamics (CFD).

Methods: Three-dimensional models of sinonasal cavities were constructed from computed tomography (CT) scans of 3 subjects with CRS refractory to medical therapy using imaging software. Read More

Circ Cardiovasc Imaging 2019 Mar;12(3):e008820

Department of Paediatric Cardiology and Congenital Heart Disease (S.S., S.J.M., C.P.S., C.M., P.E., O.T.), Technical University of Munich.

Nat Genet 2019 03 25;51(3):494-505. Epub 2019 Feb 25.

Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the leading cause of respiratory mortality worldwide. Genetic risk loci provide new insights into disease pathogenesis. We performed a genome-wide association study in 35,735 cases and 222,076 controls from the UK Biobank and additional studies from the International COPD Genetics Consortium. Read More

Chest 2019 Feb 21. Epub 2019 Feb 21.

Royal Brompton Hospital and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London, UK; National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK.

Background: The Lung Volume Reduction Coil Treatment in Patients With Emphysema (RENEW) trial reported improvements in quality of life, pulmonary function, and exercise performance following endobronchial coil treatment.

Objectives: The purpose of this post hoc analysis was to identify baseline predictors, including quantitative CT measures, that identify patients most likely to significantly benefit from endobronchial coil therapy.

Methods: Quantitative CT analysis by an independent radiology laboratory and a qualitative evaluation by five blinded experts of the baseline thoracic CT imaging were performed. Read More

Curr Allergy Asthma Rep 2019 Feb 22;19(2):14. Epub 2019 Feb 22.

Department of Head and Neck Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles, 10833 Le Conte Ave, CHS 62-237, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.

Purpose Of Review: Pediatric chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a prevalent problem that can elude diagnosis. In addition, given the burgeoning interest in pediatric sinonasal disease, treatment modalities are constantly evolving.

Recent Findings: The diagnosis of pediatric CRS is primarily based on clinical history and signs supported by objective findings (i. Read More

J Physiol 2019 Apr 21;597(7):2007-2019. Epub 2019 Feb 21.

Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Key Points: Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) strongly activates mouse vagal C-fibres in the airways. Airway-specific nodose and jugular C-fibre neurons express mRNA coding for the S1P receptor S1PR3. S1P activation of nodose C-fibres is inhibited by a S1PR3 antagonist. Read More

J Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect 2019 11;9(1):40-44. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Florida Lung Asthma and Sleep Specialists, Florida Hospital, FL, USA.

A 43-year-old female presented with flank pain of two days duration. She had been admitted previously for bilateral lower extremity edema which had not improved with diuresis. Abdominal Imaging showed left ovarian vein thrombosis and left renal vein thrombosis extending into the IVC. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2019 Feb 18;20(4). Epub 2019 Feb 18.

Pneumology & Pulmonary Cell Research, Departments of Internal Medicine & Biomedicine, University & University Hospital Basel, Petersgraben 4, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland.

The patho-mechanism leading to airway wall remodeling in allergic asthma is not well understood and remodeling is resistant to therapies. This study assessed the effect of immunoglobulin E (IgE) in the absence of allergens on human primary airway smooth muscle cell (ASMC) remodeling in vitro. ASMCs were obtained from five allergic asthma patients and five controls. Read More

ERJ Open Res 2019 Feb 11;5(1). Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Dept of Pneumology and Critical Care Medicine, Thoraxklinik, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.

This article contains highlights and a selection of the scientific advances from the European Respiratory Society's Clinical Assembly (Assembly 1 and its five respective groups) that were presented at the 2018 European Respiratory Society International Congress in Paris, France. The most relevant topics from each of the groups will be discussed, covering a wide range of areas including clinical problems, rehabilitation and chronic care, thoracic imaging, interventional pulmonology, and general practice and primary care. The newest research, actual data and highlight sessions will be discussed. Read More

Heart 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

University Hospital Hairmyres, East Kilbridge, UK.

CLINICAL INTRODUCTION: A 50-year-old woman presented with an inferoposterior ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and underwent emergency percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Angiography revealed acute occlusion of the circumflex and right coronary (RCA) arteries. PCI was uncomplicated. Read More

J Appl Physiol (1985) 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Respiratory Medicine, Woolcock Institute, University of Sydney, Australia.

Respiratory system reactance (Xrs) measured by the forced oscillation technique (FOT) is theoretically and experimentally related to lung volume. In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the absolute volume measured by body plethysmography includes a proportion which is inaccessible to pressure oscillations applied via the mouth - that is, a 'non-communicating' lung volume. We hypothesized that, in COPD, the presence of non-communicating lung would disrupt the expected Xrs-volume relationship when compared to plethysmographic functional residual capacity (FRC). Read More

Intern Med J 2019 Feb;49(2):273-274

Department of Respiratory Medicine and Sleep Disorders, Western Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Eur J Pharmacol 2019 May 10;850:8-14. Epub 2019 Feb 10.

Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Corporate Pre-Clinical R&D, Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A., Parma, Italy. Electronic address:

Cigarette smokers with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are less responsive to glucocorticoids (GCs). The anti-inflammatory action of GCs depends also on their ability to transactivate genes such as GC-induced leucine zipper (GILZ). We investigated the effects of aqueous cigarette smoke extract (CSE) on GILZ transactivation evoked by 17-beclomethasone monopropionate (BMP) or fluticasone propionate (FP) in the presence or absence of the long acting β2-adrenoceptor agonist (LABA) bronchodilator formoterol or salmeterol in human primary cultures of human bronchial smooth muscle cells (HBSMC). Read More

Anesth Pain Med 2018 Dec 28;8(6):e84179. Epub 2018 Nov 28.

Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Jeju National University Hospital, Jeju, Korea.

Introduction: Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS; or eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis) is an extremely rare autoimmune condition characterized by hypereosinophilia and vasculitis of small or medium-sized blood vessels, occurring in patients with asthma and allergic rhinitis.

Case Presentation: A 47-year-old man (height, 175.8 cm and weight, 74. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2019 Feb 1;12(2). Epub 2019 Feb 1.

Anatomic Pathology Unit, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Sungai Buloh, Malaysia.

A 30-year-old ex-smoker with a background history of childhood asthma presented with worsening shortness of breath despite receiving high doses of oral corticosteroid for pemphigus vulgaris which was diagnosed 5 years earlier. A high-resolution CT examination of the thorax reported non-specific bronchiectatic changes and revealed an incidental suprarenal mass. A subsequent CT scan confirmed a large adrenal mass with areas of necrosis and calcification. Read More

J Biomed Opt 2019 Jan;24(1):1-4

University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Madison, Wisconsin, United States.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an emerging technology for in vivo airway and lung imaging. However, OCT lacks sensitivity to the metabolic changes caused by inflammation, which drives chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder. Redox imaging (RI) is a label-free technique that uses the autofluorescence of the metabolic coenzymes NAD(P)H and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) to probe cellular metabolism and could provide complimentary information to OCT for airway and lung imaging. Read More

Respirology 2019 Jan 29. Epub 2019 Jan 29.

Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Vermont Lung Center, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, Burlington, VT, USA.

Background And Objective: Obesity produces restrictive effects on lung function. We previously reported that obese patients with asthma exhibit a propensity towards small airway closure during methacholine challenge which improved with weight loss. We hypothesized that increased abdominal adiposity, a key contributor to the restrictive effects of obesity on the lung, mediates this response. Read More

J Allergy Clin Immunol 2019 Jan 22. Epub 2019 Jan 22.

NIHR Respiratory Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), Department of Respiratory Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom. Electronic address:

Background: Asthma is a disease characterized by ventilation heterogeneity (VH). A number of studies have demonstrated that VH markers derived by using impulse oscillometry (IOS) or multiple-breath washout (MBW) are associated with key asthmatic patient-related outcome measures and airways hyperresponsiveness. However, the topographical mechanisms of VH in the lung remain poorly understood. Read More