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<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare the functional parameters of the small airways and clinical characteristics between patients with typical asthma (TA) and cough-variant asthma (CVA).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty-three newly diagnosed asthmatic patients were enrolled, including 15 with TA and positive bronchial provocation test [TA BPT(+)], 12 with TA and positive bronchial dilation test [TA BDT(+)] and 16 with CVA, and 27 healthy subjects served as the control group. All the subjects were required to complete data acquisition, asthma control test, asthma control test scale, fractional exhaled nitric oxide, airway resistance and pulmonary function tests, BPT or BDT.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The interval from onset to a definite diagnosis of TA BDT(+) was longer than that of TA BPT(+), while that of CVA was the shortest (P=0.022). The pulmonary functional parameters of TA BDT (+) was significantly lower than those of the other 3 groups (P<0.05). MMEF, MEF, MEF, and MEFin patients with TA BDT(+), TA BPT(+) and CVA were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.01). The resonant frequency, respiratory impedance, resistance at 5 Hz, resistance at 20 Hz, and reactance at 5 Hz were significant higher in patients with TA BDT (+) than in the control subjects, while these parameters showed no significant differences among TA BPT (+), CVA and control groups. The airway resistance in TA BPT(+), CVA, and control groups increased after BPT, and the patients with TA BPT(+) showed greater changes in airway resistance than those in CVA and control groups. In CVA patients, FeNO showed a strong positive correlation with respiratory impedance (r=0.523, P=0.038), resistance at 5 Hz (r=0.542, P=0.030), and resistance at 20 Hz (r=0.524, P=0.037), and the airway responsiveness showed a strong positive correlation with resistance at 20 Hz (Rho=-0.512, P=0.043).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>CVA is the early stage of TA, and CVA, TA BPT(+), and TA BDT(+) may represent different stages of asthma. Uncontrolled, prolonged CVA may evolve into TA BPT (+), whose further progression can cause damages of the pulmonary function and small airway function and leads eventually to TA BDT (+).</p>
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Objective To study the role of inflammation in white matter damage of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) through observing the pathology changes of tissues after white matter damage and detecting the levels of inflammation-related indicators.Methods Eighteen 40-week-old male SHRs were chosen as experimental group,and seven male Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats were used as control group.The animal brain tissues were taken for hematoxylin-eosin staining (HE staining) and immunohistochemical staining to observe the pathological changes,and the levels of myelin basic protein (MBP),neurofilament (NF) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP).Real-time PCR was employed to detect toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4),monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) expression levels in the white matter tissues.Results The white matter of 40-week-old SHRs was apparently injured.HE staining displayed sponge-like changes in the white matter and immunohistochemical staining showed astrocyte activation,reduced number of axonal and demyelination in the white matter.As compared with those in the WKY rats,TLR-4,MCP-1 and VCAM-1 mRNA expressions in SHR white matter were significantly increased (P＜0.05); and TLR-4,MCP-1 and VCAM-1 expression levels in SHRs were positively related to the degree of white matter damage.Conclusion The white matter damage in 40-week-old SHRs is similar to that of LA;inflammation is involved in the pathophysiological process of white matter damage,being one of induced factors of white matter injury.