5-Item sino-nasal outcome test and 22-item sino-nasal outcome test relationship with endoscopic and radiologic scores in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.

BACKGROUND: The 22-item sino-nasal outcome test (SNOT-22) is a frequently used patient-recorded outcome measure in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNPs). Objective findings of nasal polyps and paranasal sinus inflammation are frequently graded using nasal polyp score (NPS) and Lund-Mackay Score (LMS), respectively. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a novel, abbreviated, rhinology-focused, five-domain SNOT-5 questionnaire because we had anecdotally noticed a relative disconnect between SNOT-22 and endoscopy and imaging scores. METHODS: We performed a retrospective, cross-sectional, single-center review of patients with CRSwNPs who had filled out a SNOT-22, along with post hoc-derived SNOT-5 scores, which were then assessed in relation to NPS and LMS. RESULTS: A total of 129 patients were included in the analysis. SNOT-5 but not SNOT-22 scores significantly correlated vs either NPS (P < .005) and LMS (P < .001), whereas only SNOT-5 differed significantly when comparing the cohort's lowest and highest tertiles for mean LMS: 11.8 vs 16.8 (95% CI, 1.5-8.4; P < .01) and for mean NPS 12.4 vs 15.6 (95% CI, 0.5-5.9; P < .05). CONCLUSION: In a retrospective, real-life cohort study of CRSwNP, there was a relative disconnect between the significant association of SNOT-5 but not SNOT-22 in relation to objective endoscopy and imaging measures. We, therefore, propose that further prospective intervention studies are indicated in CRSwNP to evaluate the SNOT-5 score including establishing the minimal clinically important difference.

Eosinophil depletion with benralizumab is associated with attenuated mannitol airway hyperresponsiveness in severe uncontrolled eosinophilic asthma.

BACKGROUND: Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and eosinophilia are hallmarks of persistent asthma. OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether eosinophil depletion with benralizumab might attenuate indirect mannitol AHR in severe uncontrolled asthma using a pragmatic open-label design. METHODS: After a 4-week run-in period with provision of usual inhaled corticosteroids and/or long-acting ß-agonist (baseline), adults with mannitol-responsive uncontrolled severe eosinophilic asthma received 3 doses of open-label benralizumab 30 mg every 4 weeks, followed by 16 weeks' washout after the last dose. The primary outcome was doubling difference (DD) in provocative dose of mannitol required to decrease FEV1 by 10% (PD10) at the end point after 12 weeks, powered at 90% with 18 patients required to detect 1 DD. Secondary outcomes included measures assessed by the asthma control questionnaire and mini-asthma quality of life questionnaire. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients completed 12 weeks' benralizumab therapy at the end point at week 12. Mean (SEM) age was 53 (4) years, and FEV1 80.2% (4.1%) inhaled corticosteroid dose was 1895 (59) µg, with 12 receiving long-acting muscarinic antagonist and 13 leukotriene receptor antagonists. Improvement in AHR was significant by 8 weeks, with a mean 2.1 DD (95% confidence interval 1.0, 3.3; P < .01) change in PD10 at week 12, while mean changes in asthma control questionnaire and mini-asthma quality of life questionnaire were significant by week 2 and sustained over 12 weeks, both exceeding the minimal important difference. Peripheral blood eosinophils were depleted by 2 weeks (439 to 6 cells/µL). No significant improvement occurred in lung function after 12 weeks. Domiciliary peak flow and symptoms also improved with benralizumab. CONCLUSION: Eosinophil depletion results in clinically meaningful attenuated AHR in severe uncontrolled asthma patients.

Bisoprolol in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease at High Risk of Exacerbation: The BICS Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Observational studies report that ß-blocker use may be associated with reduced risk of COPD exacerbations. However, a recent trial reported that metoprolol did not reduce COPD exacerbations and increased COPD exacerbations requiring hospital admission. Objective: To test whether bisoprolol decreased COPD exacerbations in people with COPD at high risk of exacerbations. Design, Setting, and Participants: The Bisoprolol in COPD Study (BICS) was a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial conducted in 76 UK sites (45 primary care clinics and 31 secondary clinics). Patients with COPD who had at least moderate airflow obstruction on spirometry (ratio of forced expiratory volume in the first second of expiration [FEV1] to forced vital capacity <0.7; FEV1 <80% predicted) and at least 2 COPD exacerbations treated with oral corticosteroids, antibiotics, or both in the prior 12 months were enrolled from October 17, 2018, to May 31, 2022. Follow-up concluded on April 18, 2023. Interventions: Patients were randomly assigned to bisoprolol (n = 261) or placebo (n = 258). Bisoprolol was started at 1.25 mg orally daily and was titrated as tolerated during 4 sessions to a maximum dose of 5 mg/d, using a standardized protocol. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary clinical outcome was the number of patient-reported COPD exacerbations treated with oral corticosteroids, antibiotics, or both during the 1-year treatment period. Safety outcomes included serious adverse events and adverse reactions. Results: Although the trial planned to enroll 1574 patients, recruitment was suspended from March 16, 2020, to July 31, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two patients in each group were excluded postrandomization. Among the 515 patients (mean [SD] age, 68 [7.9] years; 274 men [53%]; mean FEV1, 50.1%), primary outcome data were available for 514 patients (99.8%) and 371 (72.0%) continued taking the study drug. The primary outcome of patient-reported COPD exacerbations treated with oral corticosteroids, antibiotics, or both was 526 in the bisoprolol group, with a mean exacerbation rate of 2.03/y, vs 513 exacerbations in the placebo group, with a mean exacerbation rate of 2.01/y. The adjusted incidence rate ratio was 0.97 (95% CI, 0.84-1.13; P = .72). Serious adverse events occurred in 37 of 255 patients in the bisoprolol group (14.5%) vs 36 of 251 in the placebo group (14.3%; relative risk, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.62-1.66; P = .96). Conclusions and Relevance: Among people with COPD at high risk of exacerbation, treatment with bisoprolol did not reduce the number of self-reported COPD exacerbations requiring treatment with oral corticosteroids, antibiotics, or both. Trial Registration: isrctn.org Identifier: ISRCTN10497306.

Consistent trajectories of rhinitis control and treatment in 16,177 weeks: The MASK-air® longitudinal study.

INTRODUCTION: Data from mHealth apps can provide valuable information on rhinitis control and treatment patterns. However, in MASK-air®, these data have only been analyzed cross-sectionally, without considering the changes of symptoms over time. We analyzed data from MASK-air® longitudinally, clustering weeks according to reported rhinitis symptoms. METHODS: We analyzed MASK-air® data, assessing the weeks for which patients had answered a rhinitis daily questionnaire on all 7 days. We firstly used k-means clustering algorithms for longitudinal data to define clusters of weeks according to the trajectories of reported daily rhinitis symptoms. Clustering was applied separately for weeks when medication was reported or not. We compared obtained clusters on symptoms and rhinitis medication patterns. We then used the latent class mixture model to assess the robustness of results. RESULTS: We analyzed 113,239 days (16,177 complete weeks) from 2590 patients (mean age ± SD = 39.1 ± 13.7 years). The first clustering algorithm identified ten clusters among weeks with medication use: seven with low variability in rhinitis control during the week and three with highly-variable control. Clusters with poorly-controlled rhinitis displayed a higher frequency of rhinitis co-medication, a more frequent change of medication schemes and more pronounced seasonal patterns. Six clusters were identified in weeks when no rhinitis medication was used, displaying similar control patterns. The second clustering method provided similar results. Moreover, patients displayed consistent levels of rhinitis control, reporting several weeks with similar levels of control. CONCLUSIONS: We identified 16 patterns of weekly rhinitis control. Co-medication and medication change schemes were common in uncontrolled weeks, reinforcing the hypothesis that patients treat themselves according to their symptoms.

Efficacy of biologic therapy on airway hyperresponsiveness in asthma.

Airway hyperresponsiveness refers to an exaggerated bronchial constrictor response to a given exogenous inhaled agent and is governed by airway smooth muscle along with mucosal inflammation in asthma. In recent years, the advent of biologics and antialarmins has transformed severe asthma treatment in terms of reducing oral-corticosteroid-requiring exacerbations and improving disease control, asthma quality of life, and spirometry-measured lung function. In contrast, there have been comparatively fewer studies investigating the efficacy of biologics in airway hyperresponsiveness. In this focused review, we summarize the existing evidence base in this area regarding omalizumab, mepolizumab, benralizumab, and tezepelumab.

Clinical impact of obesity on oscillometry lung mechanics in adults with asthma.

BACKGROUND: In the year 2035, projections have estimated that 5% of the Scottish population will be morbidly obese defined as a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 40 kg/m2. Airway oscillometry is an effort-independent test akin to bronchial sonar which measures resistance and compliance. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of obesity on lung mechanics using oscillometry. METHODS: Clinical data for 188 patients with respiratory physician-diagnosed moderate-to-severe asthma were retrospectively collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Obesity (BMI 30-39.9 kg/m2) and morbid obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2) were associated with a significantly worse heterogeneity of peripheral resistance between 5 Hz and 20 Hz and peripheral compliance as low-frequency reactance at 5 Hz and area under the reactance curve, as compared with normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m2). Cluster analysis incorporating oscillometry identified a patient cohort who was older, obese, and female with combined impairment of spirometry and oscillometry coupled with more frequent severe exacerbations. CONCLUSION: Obesity is associated with worse peripheral airway dysfunction in moderate-to-severe asthma, including a patient cluster who was older, obese, and female with more frequent exacerbations.

Intranasal steroid use and COVID-19 mortality among patients with asthma and COPD: A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Systemic corticosteroids have been widely used for treating patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome. Inhaled corticosteroids may have a protective effect for treating acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); however, little is known about the potential effect of intranasal corticosteroids (INCS) on COVID-19 outcomes and severity. OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of prior long-term INCS exposure on COVID-19 mortality among patients with chronic respiratory disease and in the general population. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Cox regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between INCS exposure and all-cause and COVID-19 mortality, adjusted by age, sex, deprivation, exacerbations in the last year, and comorbidities. RESULTS: Exposure to INCS did not have a significant association with COVID-19 mortality among the general population or cohorts with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma, with HRs of 0.8 (95% CI, 0.6-1.0, P = .06), 0.6 (95% CI, 0.3-1.1, P = .1), and 0.9 (95% CI, 0.2-3.9, P = .9), respectively. Exposure to INCS was, however, significantly associated with reduction in all-cause mortality in all groups, which was 40% lower (HR, 0.6 [95% CI, 0.5-0.6, P < .001]) among the general population, 30% lower (HR, 0.7; 95% CI, 0.6-0.8, P < .001) among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and 50% lower (HR, 0.5; 95% CI, 0.3-0.7, P = .003) among patients with asthma. CONCLUSION: The role of INCS in COVID-19 is still unclear, but exposure to INCS does not adversely affect COVID-19 mortality. Further studies are needed to explore the association between their use and inflammatory activation, viral load, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 gene expression, and outcomes, exploring different types and doses of INCS.

Comparison of rhinitis treatments using MASK-air® data and considering the minimal important difference.

BACKGROUND: Different treatments exist for allergic rhinitis (AR), including pharmacotherapy and allergen immunotherapy (AIT), but they have not been compared using direct patient data (i.e., "real-world data"). We aimed to compare AR pharmacological treatments on (i) daily symptoms, (ii) frequency of use in co-medication, (iii) visual analogue scales (VASs) on allergy symptom control considering the minimal important difference (MID) and (iv) the effect of AIT. METHODS: We assessed the MASK-air® app data (May 2015-December 2020) by users self-reporting AR (16-90 years). We compared eight AR medication schemes on reported VAS of allergy symptoms, clustering data by the patient and controlling for confounding factors. We compared (i) allergy symptoms between patients with and without AIT and (ii) different drug classes used in co-medication. RESULTS: We analysed 269,837 days from 10,860 users. Most days (52.7%) involved medication use. Median VAS levels were significantly higher in co-medication than in monotherapy (including the fixed combination azelastine-fluticasone) schemes. In adjusted models, azelastine-fluticasone was associated with lower average VAS global allergy symptoms than all other medication schemes, while the contrary was observed for oral corticosteroids. AIT was associated with a decrease in allergy symptoms in some medication schemes. A difference larger than the MID compared to no treatment was observed for oral steroids. Azelastine-fluticasone was the drug class with the lowest chance of being used in co-medication (adjusted OR = 0.75; 95% CI = 0.71-0.80). CONCLUSION: Median VAS levels were higher in co-medication than in monotherapy. Patients with more severe symptoms report a higher treatment, which is currently not reflected in guidelines.

Behavioural patterns in allergic rhinitis medication in Europe: A study using MASK-air® real-world data.

BACKGROUND: Co-medication is common among patients with allergic rhinitis (AR), but its dimension and patterns are unknown. This is particularly relevant since AR is understood differently across European countries, as reflected by rhinitis-related search patterns in Google Trends. This study aims to assess AR co-medication and its regional patterns in Europe, using real-world data. METHODS: We analysed 2015-2020 MASK-air® European data. We compared days under no medication, monotherapy and co-medication using the visual analogue scale (VAS) levels for overall allergic symptoms ('VAS Global Symptoms') and impact of AR on work. We assessed the monthly use of different medication schemes, performing separate analyses by region (defined geographically or by Google Trends patterns). We estimated the average number of different drugs reported per patient within 1 year. RESULTS: We analysed 222,024 days (13,122 users), including 63,887 days (28.8%) under monotherapy and 38,315 (17.3%) under co-medication. The median 'VAS Global Symptoms' was 7 for no medication days, 14 for monotherapy and 21 for co-medication (p < .001). Medication use peaked during the spring, with similar patterns across different European regions (defined geographically or by Google Trends). Oral H1 -antihistamines were the most common medication in single and co-medication. Each patient reported using an annual average of 2.7 drugs, with 80% reporting two or more. CONCLUSIONS: Allergic rhinitis medication patterns are similar across European regions. One third of treatment days involved co-medication. These findings suggest that patients treat themselves according to their symptoms (irrespective of how they understand AR) and that co-medication use is driven by symptom severity.

Forced Vital Capacity and Low Frequency Reactance Area Measurements Are Associated with Asthma Control and Exacerbations.

INTRODUCTION: Forced vital capacity (FVC) is often preserved in severe asthma unless there is evidence of either airway remodelling or air trapping. Area under the reactance curve (AX) can be used to assess small airways dysfunction related lung stiffness and is related to disease control in severe asthma. METHODS: We explore if there may be a potential synergistic interaction between FVC and AX in terms of impaired asthma control as ACQ and exacerbations requiring oral corticosteroids (OCS). We pragmatically defined < 100% and ≥ 1.0 kPa/L/s as impaired FVC or AX, respectively. RESULTS: Patients with combined impairment of FVC and AX had significantly worse asthma control as higher ACQ, more severe exacerbations requiring OCS and worse spirometry (FEV1 and FEF25-75) than those with impaired FVC but preserved AX. CONCLUSION: This in turn supports using both spirometry and oscillometry to characterise airway physiology more comprehensively in patients with more severe asthma.

Impact of Biologic Therapy on the Small Airways Asthma Phenotype.

The small airways dysfunction (SAD) asthma phenotype is characterised by narrowing of airways < 2 mm in diameter between generations 8 and 23 of the bronchial tree. Recently, this has become particularly relevant as measurements of small airways using airway oscillometry for example, are strong determinants of asthma control and exacerbations in moderate-to-severe asthma. The small airways can be assessed using spirometry as forced expiratory flow rate between 25 and 75% of forced vital capacity (FEF25-75) and has been deemed more accurate in detecting small airways dysfunction than forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1). Oscillometry as the heterogeneity in resistance between 5 and 20 Hz (R5-R20), low frequency reactance at 5 Hz (X5) or area under the reactance curve between 5 Hz and the resonant frequency can also be used to assess the small airways. The small airways can also be assessed using the multiple breath nitrogen washout (MBNW) test giving rise to values including functional residual capacity, lung clearance index and ventilation distribution heterogeneity in the conducting (Scond) and the acinar (Sacin) airways. The ATLANTIS group showed that the prevalence of small airways disease in asthma defined on FEF25-75, oscillometry and MBNW all increased with progressive GINA asthma disease stages. As opposed to topical inhaler therapy that might not adequately penetrate the small airways, it is perhaps more intuitive that systemic anti-inflammatory therapy with biologics targeting downstream cytokines and upstream epithelial anti-alarmins may offer a promising solution to SAD. Here we therefore aim to appraise the available evidence for the effect of anti-IgE, anti-IL5 (Rα), anti-IL4Rα, anti-TSLP and anti-IL33 biologics on small airways disease in patients with severe asthma.

Use of Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide to Guide the Treatment of Asthma: An Official American Thoracic Society Clinical Practice Guideline.

Background: The fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) test is a point-of-care test that is used in the assessment of asthma. Objective: To provide evidence-based clinical guidance on whether FENO testing is indicated to optimize asthma treatment in patients with asthma in whom treatment is being considered. Methods: An international, multidisciplinary panel of experts was convened to form a consensus document regarding a single question relevant to the use of FENO. The question was selected from three potential questions based on the greatest perceived impact on clinical practice and the unmet need for evidence-based answers related to this question. The panel performed systematic reviews of published randomized controlled trials between 2004 and 2019 and followed the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) evidence-to-decision framework to develop recommendations. All panel members evaluated and approved the recommendations. Main Results: After considering the overall low quality of the evidence, the panel made a conditional recommendation for FENO-based care. In patients with asthma in whom treatment is being considered, we suggest that FENO is beneficial and should be used in addition to usual care. This judgment is based on a balance of effects that probably favors the intervention; the moderate costs and availability of resources, which probably favors the intervention; and the perceived acceptability and feasibility of the intervention in daily practice. Conclusions: Clinicians should consider this recommendation to measure FENO in patients with asthma in whom treatment is being considered based on current best available evidence.

Asthma prescribing according to Arg16Gly beta-2 genotype: a randomised trial in adolescents.

INTRODUCTION: The A allele of rs1042713 (Arg16 amino acid) in the ß2-adrenoreceptor is associated with poor response to long-acting ß2-agonist (LABA) in young people with asthma. Our aim was to assess whether the prescribing of second-line controller with LABA or a leukotriene receptor antagonist according to Arg16Gly genotype would result in improvements in Pediatric Asthma-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ). METHODS: We performed a pragmatic randomised controlled trial (RCT) via a primary care clinical research network covering England and Scotland. We enrolled participants aged 12-18 years with asthma taking inhaled corticosteroids. 241 participants (mean±sd age 14.7±1.91 years) were randomised (1:1) to receive personalised care (genotype directed prescribing) or standard guideline care. Following a 4-week run-in participants were followed for 12 months. The primary outcome measure was change in PAQLQ. Asthma control, asthma exacerbation frequency and healthcare utilisation were secondary outcomes. RESULTS: Genotype-directed prescribing resulted in an improvement in PAQLQ compared to standard care (0.16, 95% CI 0.00-0.31; p=0.049), although this improvement was below the pre-determined clinical threshold of 0.25. The AA genotype was associated with a larger improvement in PAQLQ with personalised versus standard care (0.42, 95% CI 0.02-0.81; p=0.041). CONCLUSION: This is the first RCT demonstrating that genotype-driven asthma prescribing is associated with a significant improvement in a clinical outcome compared to standard care. Adolescents with the AA homozygous genotype benefited most. The potential role of such ß2-adrenoceptor genotype directed therapy in younger and more severe childhood asthma warrants further exploration.

Differentiation of COVID-19 signs and symptoms from allergic rhinitis and common cold: An ARIA-EAACI-GA2 LEN consensus.

BACKGROUND: Although there are many asymptomatic patients, one of the problems of COVID-19 is early recognition of the disease. COVID-19 symptoms are polymorphic and may include upper respiratory symptoms. However, COVID-19 symptoms may be mistaken with the common cold or allergic rhinitis. An ARIA-EAACI study group attempted to differentiate upper respiratory symptoms between the three diseases. METHODS: A modified Delphi process was used. The ARIA members who were seeing COVID-19 patients were asked to fill in a questionnaire on the upper airway symptoms of COVID-19, common cold and allergic rhinitis. RESULTS: Among the 192 ARIA members who were invited to respond to the questionnaire, 89 responded and 87 questionnaires were analysed. The consensus was then reported. A two-way ANOVA revealed significant differences in the symptom intensity between the three diseases (p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: This modified Delphi approach enabled the differentiation of upper respiratory symptoms between COVID-19, the common cold and allergic rhinitis. An electronic algorithm will be devised using the questionnaire.

End-point selection to determine the airway-systemic ratio of inhaled corticosteroids in asthma.

The use of adenosine monophosphate challenge and basal cortisol as short-term surrogate end points of airway-systemic effects of inhaled corticosteroids in asthma is not suitable to properly determine the clinically relevant long-term therapeutic index.

Impact of nasal polyps on endotype and phenotype in patients with moderate to severe asthma.

BACKGROUND: Nasal polyps (NPs) are a common comorbidity of asthma. Differences in disease endotype and phenotype may have treatment implications for these concomitant conditions, including biologic therapies. OBJECTIVE: To determine putative differences in type 2 biomarkers, lung function, and asthma control in patients with asthma with NPs (AwNPs) and those with asthma alone (A). METHODS: A total of 140 consecutive patients with moderate to severe asthma with or without endoscopic NPs taking a daily inhaled corticosteroid dose of greater than or equal to 800 µg and at least 1 second-line controller were identified from our National Health Service specialist respiratory and rhinology clinics. Data were collected before starting on biologics, including peripheral blood eosinophils (PBEs), fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), allergy status, spirometry, impulse oscillometry, Asthma Control Questionnaire, oral corticosteroid requiring asthma exacerbations, NP score, and Lund-Mackay score. RESULTS: The PBE count and FeNO levels were significantly higher (P < .01), whereas specific and total immunoglobulin E levels (P < .05) were significantly lower in AwNPs vs A. In addition, FeNO had sensitivity of 81% and specificity of 67% for detecting NPs (area under the curve = 0.76; P = .001). Patients with AwNPs had less severe asthma than those with asthma without NPs (A), as reflected by fewer exacerbations (P < .001), lower inhaled corticosteroid dose (P < .001), and less impairment of impulse oscillometry (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Patients with moderate to severe asthma with NPs have higher levels of PBE and FeNO despite better asthma control and lower total and specific allergy than those without NPs.

Elevated levels of IL-6 and CRP predict the need for mechanical ventilation in COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can manifest as a viral-induced hyperinflammation with multiorgan involvement. Such patients often experience rapid deterioration and need for mechanical ventilation. Currently, no prospectively validated biomarker of impending respiratory failure is available. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to identify and prospectively validate biomarkers that allow the identification of patients in need of impending mechanical ventilation. METHODS: Patients with COVID-19 who were hospitalized from February 29 to April 9, 2020, were analyzed for baseline clinical and laboratory findings at admission and during the disease. Data from 89 evaluable patients were available for the purpose of analysis comprising an initial evaluation cohort (n = 40) followed by a temporally separated validation cohort (n = 49). RESULTS: We identified markers of inflammation, lactate dehydrogenase, and creatinine as the variables most predictive of respiratory failure in the evaluation cohort. Maximal IL-6 level before intubation showed the strongest association with the need for mechanical ventilation, followed by maximal CRP level. The respective AUC values for IL-6 and CRP levels in the evaluation cohort were 0.97 and 0.86, and they were similar in the validation cohort (0.90 and 0.83, respectively). The calculated optimal cutoff values during the course of disease from the evaluation cohort (IL-6 level > 80 pg/mL and CRP level > 97 mg/L) both correctly classified 80% of patients in the validation cohort regarding their risk of respiratory failure. CONCLUSION: The maximal level of IL-6, followed by CRP level, was highly predictive of the need for mechanical ventilation. This suggests the possibility of using IL-6 or CRP level to guide escalation of treatment in patients with COVID-19-related hyperinflammatory syndrome.

Randomized controlled trial of triple versus dual inhaler therapy on small airways in smoking asthmatics.

BACKGROUND: Smoking worsens underlying asthma inflammation and also induces resistance to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). Small airways dysfunction measured by impulse oscillometry (IOS) is associated with worse control. OBJECTIVES: We investigated the effects on small airways of adding long-acting beta-agonist (LABA) alone or with long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) to ICS in asthmatic smokers. METHODS: Sixteen current smokers were enrolled: mean age 44 year, FEV1 84%, FEF25-75 47%, R5 158%, ACQ 1.69, 20 pack year . Patients were converted to a reference ICS as HFA-BDP during initial run-in at median dose of 800 µg/day. Open label olodaterol 5 µg od (OLO) or olodaterol 5 µg/tiotropium 5 µg od (OLO/TIO) was added to HFA-BDP for median duration of 3 weeks in a randomized cross over design, including run-in and washout periods on HFA-BDP. IOS and spirometry were measured after each treatment (BDP/OLO/TIO or BDP/OLO) and at baseline after run-in and washout (BDP). RESULTS: After chronic dosing, IOS outcomes at trough except for R20 were all significantly improved with OLO/TIO compared to OLO. For the primary end-point of total airway resistance (as R5), the mean difference (95%CI) at trough was 0.06 (0.015-0.10) kPa/l/s, peripheral airways resistance (as R5-R20) 0.03 (0.003-0.06) kPa/l/s, peripheral lung reactance area (as AX) 0.38 (0.08-0.68) kPa/l and resonant frequency (as RF) 2.28 (0.45-4.12) Hz. FEF25-75 at trough was also better with OLO/TIO vs TIO: 0.93 (0.86 - 0.95) l/s while FEV1 was not different. CONCLUSIONS: ICS/LABA/LAMA was superior to ICS/LABA on trough small airway outcomes in asthma patients who smoke.

Glycopyrrolate/formoterol fumarate metered dose inhaler for maintenance-naïve patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a post-hoc analysis of the randomized PINNACLE trials.

BACKGROUND: Glycopyrrolate (GP)/formoterol fumarate (FF; GFF) metered dose inhaler is a fixed-dose combination dual bronchodilator for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); however, whether the efficacy in patients without current maintenance treatment is consistent with currently maintenance-treated patients is unclear. METHODS: Data from patients who were not maintenance-treated at screening (NMT) (n = 1943) and patients who were maintenance-treated at screening (MT) patients (n = 3040) receiving GFF, FF, GP, or placebo were pooled from the Phase III PINNACLE studies (NCT01854645, NCT01854658, NCT02343458) for post-hoc analysis. MT patients had received long-acting bronchodilators and/or inhaled corticosteroids in the 30 days prior to screening, and/or prior to randomization. NMT patients had received short-acting bronchodilators or no treatment. Outcomes included forced expiratory volume over 1 s (FEV1), clinically important deterioration (CID), rescue medication use, and safety. RESULTS: GFF provided significant lung function improvements at Week 24 versus placebo, GP, and FF for NMT patients, with pre-dose trough FEV1 treatment differences of 152 (117-188) mL, 73 (45-100) mL, and 56 (29-84) mL, respectively (least squares mean change from baseline versus comparators [95% CI]; all P < 0.0001). GFF reduced the risk of CID by 17-43% in NMT (P ≤ 0.0157) and 18-52% (P ≤ 0.0012) in MT patients compared with monotherapy and placebo, and reduced rescue medication use by 1.5 puffs/day over 24 weeks for both cohorts. Safety profiles for all cohorts were consistent with each other and the parent studies. CONCLUSIONS: NMT patients achieved better lung function with GFF versus monotherapy and placebo, without increased safety risk. Dual bronchodilator therapy may offer better outcomes than monotherapy for COPD patients when administered as first-line treatment.