IgA+ memory B-cells are significantly increased in patients with asthma and small airway dysfunction.

BACKGROUND: Comprehensive studies investigated the role of T-cells in asthma which led to personalised treatment options targeting severe eosinophilic asthma. However, little is known about the contribution of B-cells to this chronic inflammatory disease. In this study we investigated the contribution of various B-cell populations to specific clinical features in asthma. METHODS: In the All Age Asthma Cohort (ALLIANCE), a subgroup of 154 adult asthma patients and 28 healthy controls were included for B-cell characterisation by flow cytometry. Questionnaires, lung function measurements, blood differential counts and allergy testing of participants were analysed together with comprehensive data on B-cells using association studies and multivariate linear models. RESULTS: Patients with severe asthma showed decreased immature B-cell populations while memory B-cells were significantly increased compared with both mild-moderate asthma patients and healthy controls. Furthermore, increased frequencies of IgA+ memory B-cells were associated with impaired lung function and specifically with parameters indicative for augmented resistance in the peripheral airways. Accordingly, asthma patients with small airway dysfunction (SAD) defined by impulse oscillometry showed increased frequencies of IgA+ memory B-cells, particularly in patients with mild-moderate asthma. Additionally, IgA+ memory B-cells significantly correlated with clinical features of SAD such as exacerbations. CONCLUSIONS: With this study we demonstrate for the first time a significant association of increased IgA+ memory B-cells with asthma and SAD, pointing towards future options for B-cell-directed strategies in preventing and treating asthma.

T2-high asthma phenotypes across lifespan.

RATIONALE: In adults, personalised asthma treatment targets patients with type 2 (T2)-high and eosinophilic asthma phenotypes. It is unclear whether such classification is achievable in children. OBJECTIVES: To define T2-high asthma with easily accessible biomarkers and compare resulting phenotypes across all ages. METHODS: In the multicentre clinical All Age Asthma Cohort (ALLIANCE), 1125 participants (n=776 asthmatics, n=349 controls) were recruited and followed for 2 years (1 year in adults). Extensive clinical characterisation (questionnaires, blood differential count, allergy testing, lung function and sputum induction (in adults)) was performed at baseline and follow-ups. Interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5 and IL-13 were measured after stimulation of whole blood with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or anti-CD3/CD28. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Based on blood eosinophil counts and allergen-specific serum IgE antibodies, patients were categorised into four mutually exclusive phenotypes: "atopy-only", "eosinophils-only", "T2-high" (eosinophilia + atopy) and "T2-low" (neither eosinophilia nor atopy). The T2-high phenotype was found across all ages, even in very young children in whom it persisted to a large degree even after 2 years of follow-up. T2-high asthma in adults was associated with childhood onset, suggesting early origins of this asthma phenotype. In both children and adults, the T2-high phenotype was characterised by excessive production of specific IgE to allergens (p<0.0001) and, from school age onwards, by increased production of IL-5 after anti-CD3/CD28 stimulation of whole blood. CONCLUSIONS: Using easily accessible biomarkers, patients with T2-high asthma can be identified across all ages delineating a distinct phenotype. These patients may benefit from therapy with biologicals even at a younger age.

[Early pulmonary rehabilitation]. / Pneumologische Frührehabilitation.

Early rehabilitation is an acute inpatient treatment during or shortly after an acute disease and is anchored in §39 of the Social Security Statutes (SGB) V. The aim of early rehabilitation is to reduce or minimize the impairments in body function, to improve the ability to cope with daily life in order to ultimately achieve integration of the patient in society. Early pulmonary rehabilitation is generally carried out after successful weaning, whereas for neurological patients ventilator weaning is part of the early rehabilitative treatment. Pulmonary rehabilitation optimizes the complete course of treatment of severely ill patients from the intensive care/weaning unit via the early rehabilitation up to the outpatient aftercare and therefore closes a gap in the course of treatment.

The German COPD cohort COSYCONET: Aims, methods and descriptive analysis of the study population at baseline.

BACKGROUND: The German COPD cohort study COSYCONET ("COPD and SYstemic consequences-COmorbidities NETwork") investigates the interaction of lung disease, comorbidities and systemic inflammation. Recruitment took place from 2010 to 2013 in 31 study centers. In addition to the baseline visit, follow-up visits are scheduled at 6, 18, 36 and 54 months after baseline. The study also comprises a biobank, image bank, and includes health economic data. Here we describe the study design of COSYCONET and present baseline data of our COPD cohort. METHODS: Inclusion criteria were broad in order to cover a wide range of patterns of the disease. In each visit, patients undergo a large panel of assessments including e.g. clinical history, spirometry, body plethysmography, diffusing capacity, blood samples, 6-min walk-distance, electrocardiogram and echocardiography. Chest CTs are collected if available and CTs and MRIs are performed in a subcohort. Data are entered into eCRFs and subjected to several stages of quality control. RESULTS: Overall, 2741 subjects with a clinical diagnosis of COPD were included (59% male; mean age 65 ± 8.6 years (range 40-90)). Of these, 8/35/32/9% presented with GOLD stages I-IV; 16% were uncategorized, including the former GOLD-0 category. 24% were active smokers, 68% ex-smokers and 8% never-smokers. Data completeness was 96% for the baseline items. CONCLUSION: The German COPD cohort comprises patients with advanced and less advanced COPD. This is particularly useful for studying the time course of COPD in relation to comorbidities. Baseline data indicate that COSYCONET offers the opportunity to investigate our research questions in a large-scale, high-quality dataset.

[Bronchodilators in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)]. / Bronchodilatatoren in der Dauertherapie der chronisch-obstruktiven Lungenerkrankung (COPD).

Bronchodilators form the foundation of the pharmacotherapy of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Scores of information from numerous large-scale clinical trials, mechanistic differences between classes of bronchodilators, and anti-inflammatory/bronchodilator fixed combinations make the decision what compound primarily to prefer in COPD treatment a challenge. In this review of large, double-blind, clinical trials with anticholinergic drugs, long- and short-acting beta(2)-agonists, xanthines and different application forms and combination of these compounds will be examined for clinical efficacy. The following practical objectives were accepted to define effective disease management: improvement of lung function, physical parameters such as 6-min walking distance, reduction of exacerbation rate and severity, improvement of quality of life and dyspnea score. Based on this review, inhalation therapy with a long-acting bronchodilator such as tiotropium, formoterol or salmeterol is proposed for early treatment algorithm. The combination of an anticholinergic compound and a long-acting bronchodilator may have an additive effect on bronchodilatation. The addition of inhaled corticosteroids is only recommended in stages III and IV. Besides, pharmacotherapy of COPD should always be flanked by smoking prevention programs, and supportive therapy, if indicated in severe disease stages.