Severe asthma: follow-up after one year from the Italian Registry on Severe Asthma (IRSA)

Summary: Background. Asthma affects millions of people worldwide, with a subgroup suffering from severe asthma (SA). Biologics have revolutionized SA treatment, but challenges remain in managing different patient traits. This study analyzed data from the Italian Registry on Severe Asthma (IRSA) to investigate changes in SA characteristics and effectiveness of treatments after one year of follow-up, and to identify factors associated with response to treatments in a real-world setting. Methods. Data on SA patients with one year of follow-up were extracted from IRSA. Asthma control, exacerbations, lung function, and treatments, were assessed at follow-up and analyzed against baseline characteristics. Results. After one year of follow-up, notable improvements were observed in all the outcomes of SA of the included patients (n = 570). The effectiveness of biologic therapies was particularly evident, as they contributed significantly to these positive outcomes. Additionally, certain factors were found to be associated with improvement, namely T2 phenotype, baseline eosinophil count (BEC), and area of residence. On the other hand, comorbidities (obesity, gastro-esophageal reflux disease) and poor lung function were risk factors. Notably, poor-responders to biologics exhibited lower level of education, BEC, and exacerbations, and higher frequency of atopy and ACT score ≥ 20. Conclusions. The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of biologics in asthma management, when implemented as part of a planned follow-up strategy aimed at optimizing and fine-tuning the therapy. Moreover, the study highlights the importance of considering key traits such as the T2 phenotype, BEC, education, and comorbidities when tailoring SA treatment. Overall, this study contributes to enhancing our understanding of SA management and guiding the development of personalized treatment approaches for patients with SA.

Novel methodology for the in situ assessment of CO2 production rate and its application to anaerobic ripened cheese.

CO2 is produced by many microorganisms present in cheese and it can affect cheese quality both during processing and storage. The knowledge of the extent of CO2 production by cheese microorganism (CO2 production rate coefficients) may be used to predict gas exchange in cheese/packaging systems, helping dairy industries in the right choice of the packaging (higher/lower gas permeability) and mastering of cheese ripening. However very few coefficients for CO2 production rate have been published and the ones assessed in vitro (not inside real food) may not well describe the activity of the microorganisms in situ. We have therefore developed a methodology for the in situ assessment of CO2 production rate and applied it to cheese with propionic acid fermentation. The proposed methodology is based on infra-red measurement of CO2 and it allows measuring its accumulation up to 1% with 0.001% resolution, while monitoring the level of oxygen. The method showed a good repeatability, with a low coefficient of variation within samples (6.6%) and between samples (8.4%) compared to 10-30% between samples found in literature. The method was compared with a gas chromatography based method, which is also described.

SPR analysis of the interaction between a recombinant protein of unknown function in Leishmania infantum immobilised on dendrimers and antibodies of the visceral leishmaniasis: A potential use in immunodiagnosis.

In this work, an SPR immunosensor was developed to elucidate the reaction kinetics between a protein of unknown function in Leishmania infantum (hypothetical C1 protein) and specific antibodies of the visceral leishmaniasis (VL). A platform, which is based on layer-by-layer assembly was formed by cysteamine in combination with a fourth-generation poly(amidoamine) dendrimer (PAMAM(G4)) on gold surface for the immobilisation of the protein. This film resulted in amplification of the signal of SPR. Then, a kinetic model based on a bivalent ligation suggested that the reaction between the C1 protein and the anti-C1 antibody occurs in two steps. The value of the equilibrium dissociation constant (KD1×KD2=1.64×10(-7) mol L(-1)) demonstrated high binding affinity between the biomolecules. Furthermore, low limits of detection (LOD=7.37 nmol L(-1)) and quantification (LOQ=7.83 nmol L(-1)) were presented with the proposed SPR immunosensor. Afterwards, the addition of real samples consisting of positive and negative canine sera for VL was accompanied by high sensitivity and selectivity by SPR immunosensor. Therefore, this study quantitatively demonstrated the strong antigenic character of a hypothetical protein and consequently its potential use in the immunodiagnosis of the VL.

A conserved MADS-box phosphorylation motif regulates differentiation and mitochondrial function in skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle cells.

Exposure to metabolic disease during fetal development alters cellular differentiation and perturbs metabolic homeostasis, but the underlying molecular regulators of this phenomenon in muscle cells are not completely understood. To address this, we undertook a computational approach to identify cooperating partners of the myocyte enhancer factor-2 (MEF2) family of transcription factors, known regulators of muscle differentiation and metabolic function. We demonstrate that MEF2 and the serum response factor (SRF) collaboratively regulate the expression of numerous muscle-specific genes, including microRNA-133a (miR-133a). Using tandem mass spectrometry techniques, we identify a conserved phosphorylation motif within the MEF2 and SRF Mcm1 Agamous Deficiens SRF (MADS)-box that regulates miR-133a expression and mitochondrial function in response to a lipotoxic signal. Furthermore, reconstitution of MEF2 function by expression of a neutralizing mutation in this identified phosphorylation motif restores miR-133a expression and mitochondrial membrane potential during lipotoxicity. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that miR-133a regulates mitochondrial function through translational inhibition of a mitophagy and cell death modulating protein, called Nix. Finally, we show that rodents exposed to gestational diabetes during fetal development display muscle diacylglycerol accumulation, concurrent with insulin resistance, reduced miR-133a, and elevated Nix expression, as young adult rats. Given the diverse roles of miR-133a and Nix in regulating mitochondrial function, and proliferation in certain cancers, dysregulation of this genetic pathway may have broad implications involving insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease, and cancer biology.

Seroprevalence of chronic Chlamydia pneumoniae infection in patients affected by chronic stable asthma.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the seroprevalence of Chlamydia pneumoniae and age, gender and smoking habits in stable asthmatic patients. METHODS: Over a period of 3 months, 197 adult patients affected by intermittent-to-severe chronic asthma were enrolled from 16 respiratory disease units in the south of Italy. As a control group, we tested 185 healthy, non-asthmatic subjects matched for age and gender, recruited among hospital staff. All patients were submitted to clinical examination, spirometry and blood collection for C. pneumoniae serology. The presence of infection was investigated by microimmunofluorescence (Micro-IF Test) for C. pneumoniae-specific IgG, IgM and IgA antibodies. RESULTS: C. pneumoniae IgG titers > or =1 : 64 were detected in 30.4% of asthmatics and in 30.8% of controls. Correlation of age, gender and smoking habit with C. pneumoniae seropositivity was evaluated by linear regression analysis. Age was significantly associated with C. pneumoniae IgG titer > or =1 : 64 when seropositive asthmatics were tested. Moreover, C. pneumoniae seroprevalence was higher among smokers with a diagnosis of chronic asthma. CONCLUSIONS: The seroprevalence of C. pneumoniae in stable asthmatics was comparable with the controls; therefore, the study does not support the association between C. pneumoniae antibody titers and stable asthma. However, the analysis for likely confounders such as age, gender and smoking status suggests a possible association of enhanced susceptibility to C. pneumoniae infection with age and smoking habitus.

Airway inflammation in patients affected by obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) has been shown to be associated to upper airway inflammation. The object of the present study was to establish the presence of bronchial inflammation in OSAS subjects. In 16 subjects affected by OSAS, and in 14 healthy volunteers, airway inflammation was detected by the cellular analysis of the induced sputum. OSAS patients, as compared to control subjects, showed a higher percentage of neutrophils (66.7+/-18.9 vs. 25.8+/-15.6) (P<0.001) and a lower percentage of macrophages (29.4+/-18.4 vs. 70.8+/-15.3) (P<0.001). The percentage of eosinophils and lymphocytes were not significantly different in the two groups. OSAS subjects show bronchial inflammation characterized by a significant increase in neutrophils.

GENEBU Project. Equipment and drugs used for home nebulizer therapy in Italy.

The GENEBU Project is an open, observational survey evaluating home nebulizer practices in Italy. It consecutively included patients who were referred to one of the 27 participating chest clinics from May to December 1999 and who had been using a home nebulizer in the previous six months. The information source was a self-administered questionnaire compiled by the enrolled subjects. We collected 1257 questionnaires. The nebulizer equipment was heterogeneous, with at least 92 different models. Jet nebulizers were 90% of the total; 53% of these had a glass reservoir. Almost 80% of the patients selected the nebulizer themselves without any medical advice. In addition, most patients (> 80%) did not receive information on both the interface system and the optimal fill volume of the nebulizer. Corticosteroid nebulisation was widespread (74%), for both occasional and regular daily use, for both acute and chronic diseases from upper to lower airways. Beta 2-agonist (55%), anticholinergic (37%), mucolytic (32%) drugs were also often nebulised. More than 90% of patients mixed some active drugs. We conclude that the nebulizer equipment for home aerosol therapy was very heterogeneous and, probably, not always utilised at its best in Italy. The mixing of drugs and the widespread use of corticosteroids were peculiarities of home nebulizer therapy in Italy.

Daytime PaO2 in OSAS, COPD and the combination of the two (overlap syndrome).

BACKGROUND: OSAS and COPD are often associated with day-time hypoxemia. Overlap Syndrome (OS), the association between both diseases, increases the risk of day-time hypoxemia. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanisms which could justify the low oxygen level and the effect of CPAP. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis in all patients referred to our institutes for suspected OSAS and who also underwent spirometry and blood gas analysis during our evaluation. Thus, 720 patients were selected. According to pulmonary function test parameters they were divided into 3 groups: OSAS (N = 466,65%); OS (N = 168,23%) and COPD (N = 86,12%). In order to evaluate the differences between the three groups, ANOVA analyses were carried out, whereas a multivariate analysis was performed in order to evaluate which factors determine the diurnal PaO(2). In 90 patients we also have the data on blood gas analysis after one year of CPAP treatment, so we evaluate the PaO(2) improvement in accordance with compliance to treatment in these patient subgroups. RESULTS: The OS group showed a lower level of daytime PaO(2) compared with OSAS patients and T90 was higher in OS compared with OSAS. A multivariate analysis showed that in the OS diurnal PaO(2) correlated with age (ß = -0.20) and moreover with FEV(1) (ß = 0.31) and T90 (ß = 0.37), while in the OSAS a correlation was found with FEV(1) (ß = -0.11) and mostly with BMI (ß = 0.25), age and T90. In all patients with good compliance to CPAP day-time PaO(2) improved. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that day-time hypoxemia in OSA patients is largely determined by the increase of body weight and severity of nocturnal hypoxia. However, CPAP therapy has been shown to improve daytime PaO(2) values both in OSAS and in OS.

Death due to asthma at workplace in a diphenylmethane diisocyanate-sensitized subject.

Total cases of fatal asthma in the occupational setting reported in the literature are reviewed and the case of a 39-year-old foundry worker who died at work is described. A diagnosis of occupational asthma induced by diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) had been assessed 5 years in advance through a 0.005-ppm exposure inhalation challenge. Postmortem microscopic examination of the lung showed epithelial desquamation, eosinophilic/neutrophilic infiltration of the mucosa, dilatation of bronchial vessels, edema, hypertrophy and disarray of smooth muscle. Fatal asthma attack in a MDI-sensitized individual, to our knowledge, has not been previously described.