Clinical Response and Remission in Patients With Severe Asthma Treated With Biologic Therapies.

BACKGROUND: The development of novel targeted biologic therapies for severe asthma has provided an opportunity to consider remission as a new treatment goal. RESEARCH QUESTION: How many patients with severe asthma treated with biologic therapy achieve clinical remission, and what predicts response to treatment? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The Danish Severe Asthma Register is a nationwide cohort including all adult patients receiving biologic therapy for severe asthma in Denmark. This observational cohort study defined "clinical response" to treatment following 12 months as a ≥ 50% reduction in exacerbations and/or a ≥ 50% reduction in maintenance oral corticosteroid dose, if required. "Clinical remission" was defined by cessation of exacerbations and maintenance oral corticosteroids, as well as a normalization of lung function (FEV1 > 80%) and a six-question Asthma Control Questionnaire score ≤ 1.5 following 12 months of treatment. RESULTS: Following 12 months of treatment, 104 (21%) of 501 biologic-naive patients had no response to treatment, and 397 (79%) had a clinical response. Among the latter, 97 (24%) fulfilled the study criteria of clinical remission, corresponding to 19% of the entire population. Remission was predicted by shorter duration of disease and lower BMI in the entire population of patients treated with biologic therapy. INTERPRETATION: Clinical response was achieved in most adult patients initiating biologic therapy, and clinical remission was observed in 19% of the patients following 12 months of treatment. Further studies are required to assess the long-term outcome of achieving clinical remission with biologic therapy.

Incidence of community-acquired pneumonia hospitalisation in persons with bronchiectasis during the COVID-19 lockdown in Denmark: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Persons with bronchiectasis have a high risk of community-acquired pneumonia. Social distancing measures, implemented to prevent the spreading of SARS-CoV-2, could potentially reduce the incidence of other infectious diseases. RESEARCH QUESTION: Was the COVID-19 lockdown period, along with accompanying social distancing measures, associated with reduced hospital admissions for community-acquired pneumonia and decreased overall mortality rates among individuals with bronchiectasis? METHODS: Social distancing measures were introduced in Denmark by 12 March 2020 and were preserved until 20 May 2020 (social distancing period), after which the measures were gradually dismissed. The study included all adults (≥18 years) with bronchiectasis residing in Denmark. Confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection were excluded. We retrospectively investigated the incidence of community-acquired pneumonia hospital admission, death of all causes and respiratory antibiotic treatment in the 10-week social distancing period in 2020, compared with the same dates in 2019. 9344 persons were included in the study. RESULTS: In the social distancing period, the incidence rate of pneumonia-hospitalisation per 10 000 person-weeks was 9.2 compared with 13.8 in the reference period. This reduction corresponds to an incidence rate ratio (IRR) of 0.67 (95% CI 0.51 to 0.88, p<0.01). Mortality was unchanged (IRR 0.90, 95% CI 0.61 to 1.32, p=0.58). Fewer persons received respiratory antibiotics (IRR 0.85, 95% CI 0.78 to 0.94, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The social distancing period was associated with a lower incidence of community-acquired pneumonia hospitalisations and respiratory antibiotic treatments in persons with bronchiectasis while all-cause mortality remained unchanged.

The multidisciplinary approach to eosinophilia.

Eosinophilic granulocytes are normally present in low numbers in the bloodstream. Patients with an increased number of eosinophilic granulocytes in the differential count (eosinophilia) are common and can pose a clinical challenge because conditions with eosinophilia occur in all medical specialties. The diagnostic approach must be guided by a thorough medical history, supported by specific tests to guide individualized treatment. Neoplastic (primary) eosinophilia is identified by one of several unique acquired genetic causes. In contrast, reactive (secondary) eosinophilia is associated with a cytokine stimulus in a specific disease, while idiopathic eosinophilia is a diagnosis by exclusion. Rational treatment is disease-directed in secondary cases and has paved the way for targeted treatment against the driver in primary eosinophilia, whereas idiopathic cases are treated as needed by principles in eosinophilia originating from clonal drivers. The vast majority of patients are diagnosed with secondary eosinophilia and are managed by the relevant specialty-e.g., rheumatology, allergy, dermatology, gastroenterology, pulmonary medicine, hematology, or infectious disease. The overlap in symptoms and the risk of irreversible organ involvement in eosinophilia, irrespective of the cause, warrants that patients without a diagnostic clarification or who do not respond to adequate treatment should be referred to a multidisciplinary function anchored in a hematology department for evaluation. This review presents the pathophysiology, manifestations, differential diagnosis, diagnostic workup, and management of (adult) patients with eosinophilia. The purpose is to place eosinophilia in a clinical context, and therefore justify and inspire the establishment of a multidisciplinary team of experts from diagnostic and clinical specialties at the regional level to support the second opinion. The target patient population requires highly specialized laboratory analysis and therapy and occasionally has severe eosinophil-induced organ dysfunction. An added value of a centralized, clinical function is to serve as a platform for education and research to further improve the management of patients with eosinophilia. Primary and idiopathic eosinophilia are key topics in the review, which also address current research and discusses outstanding issues in the field.

Inhaled Corticosteroids in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Risk of Acquiring Streptococcus pneumoniae Infection. A Multiregional Epidemiological Study.

Background: Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are associated with an increased risk of clinical pneumonia among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is unknown whether the risk of microbiologically verified pneumonia such as pneumococcal pneumonia is increased in ICS users. Methods: The study population consists of all COPD patients followed in outpatient clinics in eastern Denmark during 2010-2017. ICS use was categorized into four categories based on accumulated use. A Cox proportional hazard regression model was used adjusting for age, body mass index, sex, airflow limitation, use of oral corticosteroids, smoking, and year of cohort entry. A propensity score matched analysis was performed for sensitivity analyses. Findings: A total of 21,438 patients were included. Five hundred and eighty-two (2.6%) patients acquired a positive lower airway tract sample with S. pneumoniae during follow-up. In the multivariable analysis ICS-use was associated with a dose-dependent risk of S. pneumoniae as follows: low ICS dose: HR 1.11, 95% CI 0.84 to 1.45, p = 0.5; moderate ICS dose: HR 1.47, 95% CI 1.13 to 1.90, p = 0.004; high ICS dose: HR 1.77, 95% CI 1.38 to 2.29, p < 0.0001, compared to no ICS use. Sensitivity analyses confirmed these results. Interpretation: Use of ICS in patients with severe COPD was associated with an increased and dose-dependent risk of acquiring S. pneumoniae, but only for moderate and high dose. Caution should be taken when administering high dose of ICS to patients with COPD. Low dose of ICS seemed not to carry this risk.

Hospitalization for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia: association with the dose of inhaled corticosteroids. A nation-wide cohort study of 52 100 outpatients.

OBJECTIVES: International guidelines only advocate the use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experiencing recurring exacerbations and eosinophilic inflammation. However, ICSs are commonly used in patients with COPD and without exacerbations and signs of eosinophilic inflammation, thus possibly increasing the risk of hospitalization for pneumonia. Thus, we aimed to determine the risk of hospitalization for pneumonia associated with increasing cumulated ICS doses among patients with COPD to establish whether there is dose dependency. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study included all patients with COPD treated at a respiratory outpatient clinic in Denmark. The patients were divided into four groups based on their average daily ICS exposure. The dose-response relationship was investigated using a multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression analysis. RESULTS: In total, 52 100 patients were included, who were divided into the no-use (n = 15 755), low-dose (n = 12 050), moderate-dose (n = 12 488), and high-dose (n = 11 807) groups. ICS use was strongly associated with hospitalization for pneumonia (hazard ratio [HR], 1.3; CI, 1.2-1.3) (ICS vs. no ICS). The risk of hospitalization for pneumonia increased with every dosing group step: low dose: HR, 1.1 (CI, 1.0-1.2); moderate dose: HR, 1.2 (CI, 1.1-1.3), and high dose: HR, 1.5 (CI, 1.4-1.6); "no use" was the reference. Sensitivity analyses confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS: In the dose-response relationship analysis, ICS dose were associated with a substantially increased risk of hospitalization for pneumonia of up to 50%. Our data support that ICSs should be administered at the lowest possible dose and only to patients with COPD who have a documented need.

Physician-led in-hospital multidisciplinary team conferences with multiple medical specialities present - A scoping review.

Introduction: Multidisciplinary Team Conferences (MDTs) are complex interventions in the modern healthcare system and they promote a model of coordinated patient care and management. However, MDTs within chronic diseases are poorly defined. Therefore, the aim of this scoping review was to summarise the current literature on physician-led in-hospital MDTs in chronic non-malignant diseases. Method: Following the PRISMA-ScR guideline for scoping reviews, a search on MDT interventions in adult patients, with three or more medical specialties represented, was performed. Results: We identified 2790 studies, from which 8 studies were included. The majority of studies were non-randomised and focused on a single disease entity such as infective endocarditis, atrial fibrillation, IgG4-related disease, or arterial and venous thrombosis. The main reason for referral was confirmation or establishment of a diagnosis, and the MDT members were primarily from medical specialties gathered especially for the MDT. Outcomes of the included studies were grouped into process indicators and outcome indicators. Process indicators included changes in diagnostic confirmation as well as therapeutic strategy and management. All studies reporting process indicators demonstrated significant changes before and after the MDT. Conclusion: MDTs within chronic diseases appeared highly heterogeneous with respect to structure, reasons for referral, and choice of outcomes. While process indicators, such as change in diagnosis, and treatment management/plan seem improved, such have not been demonstrated through outcome indicators.

Targeted AntiBiotics for Chronic pulmonary diseases (TARGET ABC): can targeted antibiotic therapy improve the prognosis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa-infected patients with chronic pulmonary obstructive disease, non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis, and asthma? A multicenter, randomized, controlled, open-label trial.

BACKGROUND: Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection is seen in chronic pulmonary disease and is associated with exacerbations and poor long-term prognosis. However, evidence-based guidelines for the management and treatment of P. aeruginosa infection in chronic, non-cystic fibrosis (CF) pulmonary disease are lacking. The aim of this study is to investigate whether targeted antibiotic treatment against P. aeruginosa can reduce exacerbations and mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), non-CF bronchiectasis, and asthma. METHODS: This study is an ongoing multicenter, randomized, controlled, open-label trial. A total of 150 patients with COPD, non-CF bronchiectasis or asthma, and P. aeruginosa-positive lower respiratory tract samples will be randomly assigned with a 1:1 ratio to either no antibiotic treatment or anti-pseudomonal antibiotic treatment with intravenous beta-lactam and oral ciprofloxacin for 14 days. The primary outcome, analyzed with two co-primary endpoints, is (i) time to prednisolone and/or antibiotic requiring exacerbation or death, in the primary or secondary health sector, within days 20-365 from study allocation and (ii) days alive and without exacerbation within days 20-365 from the study allocation. DISCUSSION: This trial will determine whether targeted antibiotics can benefit future patients with chronic, non-CF pulmonary disease and P. aeruginosa infection in terms of reduced morbidity and mortality, thus optimizing therapeutic approaches in this large group of chronic patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03262142 . Registered on August 25, 2017.

Plasma microfibrillar-associated protein 4 is not prognostic of emphysema progression but is associated with cardiovascular disease history and mortality in COPD patients.

Circulating MFAP4 is a relevant biomarker to identify COPD patients at risk of death and cardiovascular comorbidity after smoking cessation http://ow.ly/6vnL30o8t1g.

Microfibrillar-associated protein 4: a potential biomarker of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

BACKGROUND: Microfibrillar-associated protein 4 (MFAP4) is a matricellular glycoprotein that co-localises with elastic fibres and is highly expressed in the lungs. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that plasma MFAP4 (pMFAP4) reflects clinical outcomes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: pMFAP4 was measured by an AlphaLISA immunoassay in stable COPD (n = 69) at baseline and at follow-up until 24 months after inclusion and in acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) (n = 14) at baseline and until 6 months after inclusion. RESULTS: The majority of patients (89%) were in GOLD II and III. Multiple linear regressions showed positive associations between pMFAP4 and the Global initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) grade (p = 0.01), modified Medical Research Council score (p < 0.0001) and BODE index (p = 0.04). Negative associations were found with 6-min walking distance (p = 0.04) and bronchodilator-induced reversibility (p = 0.02). The pMFAP4 levels varied less than 25% between the baseline and a 3 month follow-up in 83% of the patients. The pMFAP4 levels appeared unaffected in the acute phase of severe AECOPD but rose to an increased stable level within one month after hospitalization. CONCLUSION: Increased pMFAP4 was associated to the severity in COPD and has the potential to serve as a stable disease biomarker. This observation warrants confirmation in a larger longitudinal COPD population.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay characterization of basal variation and heritability of systemic microfibrillar-associated protein 4.

BACKGROUND: Microfibrillar-associated protein 4 (MFAP4) is a systemic biomarker that is significantly elevated in samples from patients suffering from hepatic cirrhosis. The protein is generally localized to elastic fibers and other connective tissue fibers in the extracellular matrix (ECM), and variation in systemic MFAP4 (sMFAP4) has the potential to reflect diverse diseases with increased ECM turnover. Here, we aimed to validate an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the measurement of sMFAP4 with an emphasis on the robustness of the assay. Moreover, we aimed to determine confounders influencing the basal sMFAP4 variability and the genetic contribution to the basal variation. METHODS: The sandwich ELISA was based on two monoclonal anti-MFAP4 antibodies and was optimized and calibrated with a standard of recombinant MFAP4. The importance of pre-analytical sample handling was evaluated regarding sample tube type, time, and temperature conditions. The mean value structure and variance structure was determined in a twin cohort including 1,417 Danish twins (age 18-67 years) by mixed-effect linear regression modeling. RESULTS: The practical working range of the sandwich ELISA was estimated to be 4-75 U/ml. The maximum intra- and inter-assay variation was estimated to be 8.7% and 6.6%, respectively. Sample handling and processing appeared to influence MFAP4 measurements only marginally. The average concentration of sMFAP4 in the serum was 18.9 ± 8.4 (SD) U/ml in the twin cohort (95% CI: 18.5-19.4, median sMFAP4 17.3 U/ml). The mean structure model was demonstrated to include waist-hip ratio, age, and cigarette smoking status in interactions with gender. A relatively low heritability of h(2) = 0.24 was found after applying a model including additive genetic factors and shared and non-shared environmental factors. CONCLUSIONS: The described ELISA provides robust measures of the liver fibrosis marker sMFAP4. The low heritability and the relatively limited basal variation suggest that increased sMFAP4 reflects disease-induced processes.

Circulating surfactant protein D is associated to mortality in elderly women: a twin study.

BACKGROUND: Surfactant protein D (SP-D) is produced in the lungs and additional mucosal surfaces. Systemic SP-D levels are previously associated to aging-related- and lifestyle-related disorders and predicts mortality in cardiovascular and lung diseases. However, the association between higher serum SP-D levels and mortality in the general population is unknown. We hypothesized that increased systemic levels of SP-D may be used as prognostic factor for assessing the mortality in the elderly. METHODS AND RESULTS: SP-D serum levels were measured in 689 elderly subjects and mortality ratios were investigated after a 13-year follow-up period. Survival analysis showed that increasing quartiles of serum SP-D levels were associated to mortality in 70+ year old women (hazard ratio [HR], 1.29; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.93-1.78; p = 0.032) adjusted for age, smoking and BMI. Women with SP-D levels above 2100 ng/ml had significantly increased mortality when compared to elderly women with SP-D levels equal to or below 2100 ng/ml (HR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.12-1.88; p = 0.005). The likelihood that the female twin with the highest SP-D level died first increased with increasing SP-D levels (p = 0.031) - that is, the bigger intra-pair difference in SP-D level, the higher the probability that the twin with the highest measure died first (odds ratio [OR], 1.66; p = 0.047). CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates that higher circulating SP-D levels are associated with increased mortality rate in elderly women in this population-based cohort study. SP-D may serve as a biomarker to track the cardio-pulmonary health status in elderly women.