Introduction: Exacerbations are key events in the natural history of COPD, but our understanding of their longitudinal determinants remains unclear. We used data from a large observational study to test the hypothesis that vaccination status and comorbidities could be associated with the occurrence of exacerbations profile.
Methods: Diagnosed COPD patients have been included by their pulmonologists, with up to 3 years of follow-up.
Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality around the world. The aim of our study was to determine the association between specific comorbidities and COPD severity.
Methods: Pulmonologists included patients with COPD using a web-site questionnaire.
Background: Increase of bronchial smooth muscle (BSM) mass is a crucial feature of asthma remodeling. The mechanisms of such an increased BSM mass are complex but involve enhanced mitochondrial biogenesis, leading to increased proliferation of BSM cells in asthmatic patients. The major tumor suppressor protein p53 is a key cell regulator involved in cell proliferation and has also been implicated in mitochondrial biogenesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by peribronchial fibrosis. The chronic course of COPD is worsened by recurrent acute exacerbations.
Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the recruitment of blood fibrocytes in patients with COPD during exacerbations and, subsequently, to identify potential mechanisms implicated in such recruitment.
Rationale: Increased bronchial smooth muscle (BSM) mass is a key feature of airway remodeling that classically distinguishes severe from nonsevere asthma. Proliferation of BSM cells involves a specific mitochondria-dependent pathway in individuals with severe asthma. However, BSM remodeling and mitochondrial biogenesis have not been examined in nonsevere asthma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRationale: Severe asthma is a major public health issue throughout the world. Increased bronchial smooth muscle (BSM) mass, a characteristic feature of airway remodeling in severe asthma, is associated with resistance to high-intensity treatment and poor prognosis. In vitro, the Ca(2+)-channel blocker gallopamil decreased the proliferation of BSM cells from patients with severe asthma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAsthmatic bronchial smooth muscle (BSM) is characterized by structural remodeling associated with mast cell infiltration displaying features of chronic degranulation. Mast cell-derived tryptase can activate protease activated receptor type-2 (PAR-2) of BSM cells. The aims of the present study were (i) to evaluate the expression of PAR-2 in both asthmatic and non asthmatic BSM cells and, (ii) to analyze the effect of prolonged stimulation of PAR-2 in asthmatic BSM cells on cell signaling and proliferation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBreathing disorders like sleep apnea, stridor, and dysrythmic breathing are frequent in patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA). These observations have been related to neurodegeneration in several pontomedullary respiratory nuclei and may explain the occurrence of sudden death. In this study, we sought to determine whether these functional and neuropathological characteristics could be replicated in a transgenic model of MSA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAsthma is a chronic disease characterized by bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR), bronchial inflammation and remodeling. The great improvements in (1)H MRI ultrashort-TE (UTE) sequences in the last decade have allowed lung images with high-resolution and good signal-to-noise ratio to be obtained in parenchymal tissues. In this article, we present a UTE (1)H MRI high-resolution study of a chronic model of asthma in mice with the aim to longitudinally assess the main features of asthma using a fully noninvasive approach.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFKey features of asthma include bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR), eosinophilic airway inflammation, and bronchial remodeling, characterized by subepithelial collagen deposition, airway fibrosis, and increased bronchial smooth muscle (BSM) mass. The calcium-activated K(+) channel K(Ca)3.1 is expressed by many cells implicated in the pathogenesis of asthma, and is involved in both inflammatory and remodeling responses in a number of tissues.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The purposes of this study were to compare airway wall attenuation in subjects with asthma and subjects without asthma; to correlate this value with pulmonary function test results, standard bronchial CT parameters, and immunohistologic data; and to identify CT parameters that influence obstructive indexes.
Subjects And Methods: Bronchial airway wall attenuation was averaged over four bronchi in 27 subjects with asthma and 15 control subjects without asthma. The following five standard bronchial parameters also were assessed: lumen area, wall area, wall thickness, wall-to-lumen area ratio, and wall-to-total area ratio (wall area percentage).
Airway remodeling is a major pathological feature of asthma. Up to now, its quantification still requires invasive methods. In this study, we aimed at determining whether in vivo micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) is able to demonstrate allergen-induced airway remodeling in a flexible mouse model of asthma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Respir Crit Care Med
April 2012
Rationale: Bronchial remodeling, including increased bronchial smooth muscle (BSM) mass, contributes to bronchial obstruction in asthma. However, its mechanisms are complex and remain controversial. Recently, a role of the chitinase 3-like 1 protein (YKL-40) has been evoked in asthma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAsthma is characterized by the association of airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), inflammation, and remodelling. The aim of the present article is to review the pivotal role of airway smooth muscle (ASM) in the pathophysiology of asthma. ASM is the main effector of AHR.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAsthma pathophysiology involves bronchial hyperreactivity, inflammation and remodelling, these features being closely linked. Bronchial hyperreactivity is characterized by an excessive airway response to a wide range of stimuli. Bronchial inflammation is characterized by an infiltration of all layers of the bronchial wall by a variety of inflammatory cells, especially mast cells, lymphocytes and eosinophils.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe chronic inflammatory response within the airways of asthmatics is associated with structural changes termed airway remodeling. This remodeling process is a key feature of severe asthma. The 5-10% of patients with a severe form of the disease account for the higher morbidity and health costs related to asthma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (F(E)NO) is a marker of airway inflammation in asthma. Monitoring of such inflammation is currently not included in asthma guidelines and remains controversial. The hypothesis underlying the present study was that, F(E)NO could help assessing asthma control and, therefore, improve its management, by predicting loss of control in asthmatics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of our study was to evaluate the feasibility of non-invasive respiratory-gated micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) for assessment of airway remodelling in a mouse asthma model. Six female BALB/c mice were challenged intranasally with ovalbumin. A control group of six mice received saline inhalation.
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