Critical COPD respiratory illness is linked to increased transcriptomic activity of neutrophil proteases genes.

Background: Gene expression profiling (GEP) in cells obtained from peripheral blood has shown that this is a very useful approach for biomarker discovery and for studying molecular pathogenesis of prevalent diseases. While there is limited literature available on gene expression markers associated with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), the transcriptomic picture associated with critical respiratory illness in this disease is not known at the present moment.

Findings: By using Agilent microarray chips, we have profiled gene expression signatures in the whole blood of 28 COPD patients hospitalized with different degrees of respiratory compromise.

Viral infection is associated with an increased proinflammatory response in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The development of new diagnostic methods based on molecular biology has led to evidence of the important role of respiratory viruses in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations. Cytokines and chemokines are recognized as key actors in the pathogenesis of COPD. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between viral infection and host cytokine responses in 57 COPD patients hospitalized with an acute exacerbation.

Host response cytokine signatures in viral and nonviral acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Viruses are strongly associated with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). Interferon-inducible protein-10 has been recently described as a biomarker of human rhinovirus infection, but there are no reports on the role of other immune mediators in AECOPD of viral origin. As an attempt to evaluate the differences in the systemic immune mediators profiles between AECOPD patients with presence/absence of viral infection, we measured 27 cytokines, chemokines, and cellular growth factors in the plasma of 40 patients with AECOPD needing of hospitalization by using a Luminex-based assay.

[Comparative study between oral azathioprine and intravenous cyclophosphamide pulses in the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis].

Introduction: The purpose of the study was to establish the efficacy of treatment with intravenous cyclophosphamide pulses and oral corticoids in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, compared with the standard treatment with corticoids and azathioprine.

Patients And Method: A prospective, non-controlled study with 2 parallel groups. One group received prednisone plus oral azathioprine for 24 months (AZA group).