BDP/FF NEXThaler to Improve Asthma Control Status in the Real World: The NEWTON Study.

In this article, we discuss the importance of real-world data in the treatment of patients with asthma and specifically the role of maintenance and reliever therapy (MART) with beclometasone dipropionate (BDP)/formoterol fumarate dihydrate (FF) delivered through a dry-powder inhaler (DPI) that contains an extrafine formulation. We also present the design of the NEWTON study. This multinational, multicenter, prospective, observational study will evaluate the real-world use of extrafine BDP/FF via a DPI as maintenance therapy and MART in patients with moderate to severe asthma. The study's primary outcome will be the proportion of patients improving their asthma control. Digitally collected patient-reported outcomes, such as the 5-item Asthma Control Questionnaire, the EuroQol 5-dimension 5-level, and the Test of the Adherence to Inhalers, will be used to assess the patient's asthma control, quality of life, and treatment adherence. Moreover, a new patient-reported outcome, the "Speed of change in health feeling" questionnaire, will be validated in a subgroup of patients. Overall, the results of this study will provide a real-life assessment of patients who perceived clinical benefits in a large cohort of asthmatics in Europe treated as per current clinical practice.

Validation of an automated sensitive immunoassay for quantitation of cytokines in the sputum of cystic fibrosis patients.

BACKGROUND: There is little information on the reproducibility of measurement of cytokine levels in sputum obtained from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Our aim was to investigate whether assay of cytokine levels in CF sputum is reproducible or is hampered by proteolytic degradation. METHODS: Interleukin-8 (IL-8) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) levels were measured in native and spiked samples (fresh or after freezing for 15 and 23 days at -70 degrees C) obtained from nine CF patients using an immunometric assay with chemiluminescent substrate run on a IMMULITE analyzer. RESULTS: For both cytokines, linearity was >0.98 for dilutions up to 1:32. After storage, cytokine concentrations in native samples varied between -2.9% and -5.6% for IL-8 and between 0.4% and 3.0% for TNF-alpha. In spiked samples, concentrations increased by 5.8%-12.6% for TNF-alpha and decreased by 3.8%-14.3% for IL-8 after 15 and 23 days of storage. In samples spiked with cytokines, the mean recovery rates for IL-8 and TNF-alpha were 109.4% and 106.3%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Measurement of IL-8 and TNF-alpha in CF sputum is reproducible and is not hampered by freezing and thawing of samples.

Expression of prolactin-releasing peptide and its receptor in the human decidua.

Human decidua and decidualized endometrial cells produce prolactin (PRL). Several growth factors and cytokines have been shown to regulate decidual PRL release, but a specific PRL-releasing substance remains to be characterized. Prolactin-releasing peptide (PrRP) is a peptide isolated from the brain and distinguished by its potent and specific stimulation of PRL release by cultured pituitary cells. Here, we demonstrate that human decidua expresses immunoreactive PrRP as well as the mRNAs encoding PrRP and its receptor. First trimester deciduas were obtained from women undergoing elective termination of pregnancy. Tissue specimens were stained by immunohistochemistry using a rabbit anti-human PrRP-31 antibody, and PrRP was localized in both epithelial cells of the decidual glands and in stromal cells, with diffuse distribution and no special relation with the neighbourhood of blood vessels. In primary cultures of decidual stromal cells, PrRP and PrRP receptor gene expression were detected using RT-PCR, and the identity of the PCR products was further confirmed by restriction enzyme digestion. The effect of PrRP on decidual PRL release was also evaluated, and there was a significant increase in PRL production (135 +/- 4% of control levels, P < 0.05) after incubation of decidual stromal cells with synthetic PrRP. The expression of PrRP and PrRP receptor in human decidual cells and the ability of PrRP to induce PRL secretion by cultured decidual cells suggests that this peptide may be a novel local modulator of decidual PRL release.