Airway Eosinophilia on Bronchoalveolar Lavage and the Risk of Exacerbations in COPD.

The associations between airway eosinophilia, measured in sputum or peripheral blood, and acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) are inconsistent. We therefore aimed to determine the association between eosinophilia in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and AECOPD in a clinical cohort. We analyzed differential cell counts from baseline BAL fluid in participants in the DISARM clinical trial (Clinicaltrials.

Inhaled Corticosteroids Selectively Alter the Microbiome and Host Transcriptome in the Small Airways of Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Background: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are commonly treated with inhaled corticosteroid/long-acting ß2-agonist combination therapy. While previous studies have investigated the host-microbiome interactions in COPD, the effects of specific steroid formulations on this complex cross-talk remain obscure.

Methods: We collected and evaluated data from the Study to Investigate the Differential Effects of Inhaled Symbicort and Advair on Lung Microbiota (DISARM), a randomized controlled trial.

Radiofrequency therapy improves exercise capacity of mice with emphysema.

Emphysema is a common phenotype of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Although resection of emphysematous tissue can improve lung mechanics, it is invasive and fraught with adverse effects. Meanwhile, radiofrequency (RF) treatment is an extracorporeal method that leads to tissue destruction and remodeling, resulting in "volume reduction" and overall improvement in lung compliance of emphysematous lungs.

Altered Polarization and Impaired Phagocytic Activity of Lung Macrophages in People With Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Background: People with human immunodeficiency virus (PWH) have an increased risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods: We phenotyped lung macrophages in 4 subgroups-M1 (CD40+CD163-), M2 (CD40-CD163+), double positives (CD40+CD163+), and double negatives and (CD40-CD163-)-and we determined their phagocytic capacity in PWH with and without COPD.

Results: People with human immunodeficiency virus with COPD have more double-negative macrophages (84.

Effects of Inhaled Corticosteroid/Long-Acting β-Agonist Combination on the Airway Microbiome of Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial (DISARM).

Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are commonly prescribed with long-acting β-agonists (LABA) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). To date, the effects of ICS therapy on the airway microbiome in COPD are unknown. To determine the effects of ICS/LABA on the airway microbiome of patients with COPD.

A mechanical test of the tenertaxis hypothesis for leukocyte diapedesis.

As part of the immune response, leukocytes can directly transmigrate through the body of endothelial cells or through the gap between adjacent endothelial cells. These are known, respectively, as the transcellular and paracellular route of diapedesis. What determines the usage of one route over the other is unclear.

SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen testing for departing passengers at Vancouver International Airport.

Here, we show that point-of-care rapid antigen testing for COVID-19 is feasible to implement in the departure areas of a major airports for same-day travelers and effective in ruling out possible carriers of SARS-CoV-2 in asymptomatic air travelers. This strategy may help to reduce the spread of COVID-19 via air travel.

Macrophages with reduced expressions of classical M1 and M2 surface markers in human bronchoalveolar lavage fluid exhibit pro-inflammatory gene signatures.

The classical M1/M2 polarity of macrophages may not be applicable to inflammatory lung diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) due to the complex microenvironment in lungs and the plasticity of macrophages. We examined macrophage sub-phenotypes in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid in 25 participants with CD40 (a M1 marker) and CD163 (a M2 marker). Of these, we performed RNA-sequencing on each subtype in 10 patients using the Illumina NextSeq 500.

Inhaled corticosteroids downregulate SARS-CoV-2-related genes in COPD: results from a randomised controlled trial.

https://bit.ly/3vZnBVO

COPD and the risk of poor outcomes in COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are highly susceptible from respiratory exacerbations from viral respiratory tract infections. However, it is unclear whether they are at increased risk of COVID-19 pneumonia or COVID-19-related mortality. We aimed to determine whether COPD is a risk factor for adverse COVID-19 outcomes including hospitalization, severe COVID-19, or death.

Abundance of Non-Polarized Lung Macrophages with Poor Phagocytic Function in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

Lung macrophages are the key immune effector cells in the pathogenesis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Several studies have shown an increase in their numbers in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) of subjects with COPD compared to controls, suggesting a pathogenic role in disease initiation and progression. Although reduced lung macrophage phagocytic ability has been previously shown in COPD, the relationship between lung macrophages' phenotypic characteristics and functional properties in COPD is still unclear.

Simulation of nanoparticle transport and adsorption in a microfluidic lung-on-a-chip device.

The effect of air-borne nanoparticles (NPs) on human health is an active area of research, with clinical relevance evidenced by the current COVID-19 pandemic. As models for such studies, lung-on-a-chip (LOAC) devices can represent key physical and physiological aspects of alveolar tissues. However, widespread adoption of the LOAC device for NP testing has been hampered by low intra-laboratory and inter-laboratory reproducibility.

COVID-19 and COPD.

https://bit.ly/37dSB8l

Widespread Sexual Dimorphism in the Transcriptome of Human Airway Epithelium in Response to Smoking.

Epidemiological studies have shown that female smokers are at higher risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Female patients have worse symptoms and health status and increased risk of exacerbations. We determined the differences in the transcriptome of the airway epithelium between males and females, as well the sex-by-smoking interaction.

Measuring and Remediating Nonspecific Modifications of Gold Surfaces Using a Coupled in Situ Electrochemical Fluorescence Microscopic Methodology.

In surface-based biosensors, the nonspecific or undesired adsorption of the probe is an important characteristic that is typically difficult to measure and therefore to control or eliminate. A methodology for measuring and then minimizing or eliminating this problem on gold surfaces, readily applicable to many common surface modifications is presented. Combining electrochemical perturbation and fluorescence microscopy, we show that the potential at which the adsorbed species is removed can be used as an estimate of the strength of the adsorbate-surface interaction.