Publications by authors named "Cecilia M OKane"

Introduction: Liberal administration of supplemental oxygen (O) is ubiquitous across numerous healthcare settings. However, appropriate O titration targets remain controversial and despite numerous large-scale randomised trials, there is an ongoing lack of consensus regarding optimal oxygenation strategies and the absence of high-quality mechanistic data pertaining to the potential proinflammatory effects of hyperoxia.

Methods And Analysis: We hypothesise that (1) short-term exposure to hyperoxia will induce mild pulmonary inflammation and cellular injury and that (2) hyperoxia will accentuate pulmonary inflammation and cellular injury in the setting of inhaled lipopolysaccharide challenge.

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Severe lung injury requiring mechanical ventilation may lead to secondary fibrosis. Senescence, a cell response characterized by cell cycle arrest and a shift toward a proinflammatory/profibrotic phenotype, is one of the involved mechanisms. In this study, we explore the contribution of mechanical stretch as a trigger of senescence of the respiratory epithelium and its link with fibrosis.

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Repetitive bouts of coughing expose the large airways to significant cycles of shear stress. This leads to the release of alarmins and the tussive agent adenosine triphosphate (ATP) which may be modulated by the activity of ion channels present in the human airway. This study aimed to investigate the role of the transient receptor potential subfamily vanilloid member 2 (TRPV2) channel in mechanically induced ATP release from primary bronchial epithelial cells (PBECs).

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Sepsis is a life-threatening condition characterised by endothelial barrier dysfunction and impairment of normal microcirculatory function, resulting in a state of hypoperfusion and tissue oedema. No specific pharmacological therapies are currently used to attenuate microvascular injury. Given the prominent role of endothelial breakdown and microcirculatory dysfunction in sepsis, there is a need for effective strategies to protect the endothelium.

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Introduction: Novel therapeutic strategies are urgently needed for complex pulmonary disease (MAC-PD). Human mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) can directly inhibit MAC growth, but their effect on intracellular bacilli is unknown. We investigated the ability of human MSCs to reduce bacterial replication and inflammation in MAC-infected macrophages and in a murine model of MAC-PD.

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Rationale: Heterogeneity of the host response within sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and more widely critical illness, limits discovery and targeting of immunomodulatory therapies. Clustering approaches using clinical and circulating biomarkers have defined hyper-inflammatory and hypo-inflammatory subphenotypes in ARDS associated with differential treatment response. It is unknown if similar subphenotypes exist in sepsis populations where leucocyte transcriptomic-defined subphenotypes have been reported.

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There is considerable interest in the potential for cell-based therapies, particularly mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and their products, as a therapy for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). MSCs exert effects via diverse mechanisms including reducing excessive inflammation by modulating neutrophil, macrophage and T-cell function, decreasing pulmonary permeability and lung edema, and promoting tissue repair. Clinical studies indicate that MSCs are safe and well tolerated, with promising therapeutic benefits in specific clinical settings, leading to regulatory approvals of MSCs for specific indications in some countries.

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Objectives: Lower tidal volume ventilation (targeting 3 mL/kg predicted body weight, PBW) facilitated by extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal (ECCOR) has been investigated as a potential therapy for acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF) in the pRotective vEntilation with veno-venouS lung assisT in respiratory failure (REST) trial. We investigated the effect of this strategy on cardiac function, and in particular the right ventricle.

Design: Substudy of the REST trial.

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Background: Inflammatory subphenotypes have been identified in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Hyperferritinaemia in sepsis is associated with hyperinflammation, worse clinical outcomes, and may predict benefit with immunomodulation. Our aim was to determine if raised ferritin identified a subphenotype in patients with ARDS.

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To evaluate the performance of cystatin C as a prognostic and predictive marker in a trial of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). A retrospective analysis was performed on plasma samples from patients included in the HARP-2 (hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase inhibition with simvastatin in acute lung injury to reduce pulmonary dysfunction) trial - a multicentre, phase 2b trial carried out in general intensive care units across 40 hospitals in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Cystatin C concentrations in plasma obtained from 466 patients with ARDS (before they were randomly assigned in the trial) were quantified by ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay).

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of simvastatin in critically ill Covid-19 patients compared to a control group not receiving statins.
  • A total of 2684 patients were analyzed, showing a median of 11 organ support-free days in the simvastatin group versus 7 in the control group, with a high probability indicating simvastatin’s potential superiority.
  • However, the study was halted due to decreasing Covid-19 cases, and while simvastatin had some benefits, it also led to more reported serious adverse effects, such as elevated liver enzymes.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the relationship between IL-18 plasma levels and latent class analysis (LCA) in predicting outcomes for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), particularly focusing on identifying high-risk groups that might be overlooked by LCA alone.
  • Researchers analyzed data from two major clinical trials (SAILS and HARP-2) involving over 1,000 ARDS patients, evaluating the intersection of IL-18 levels and LCA classifications in predicting 60-day mortality.
  • Findings revealed that a significant percentage (33%) of patients showed discrepancies between IL-18 levels and their LCA class, suggesting that relying solely on LCA may miss critical high-risk patients indicated by elevated IL-18 levels.
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Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) may modulate inflammation, promoting repair in coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We investigated the safety and efficacy of ORBCEL-C (CD362 [cluster of differentiation 362]-enriched, umbilical cord-derived MSCs) in COVID-19-related ARDS. In this multicenter, randomized, double-blind, allocation-concealed, placebo-controlled trial (NCT03042143), patients with moderate to severe COVID-19-related ARDS were randomized to receive ORBCEL-C (400 million cells) or placebo (Plasma-Lyte 148).

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Background: Two acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) trials showed no benefit for statin therapy, though secondary analyses suggest inflammatory subphenotypes may have a differential response to simvastatin. Statin medications decrease cholesterol levels, and low cholesterol has been associated with increased mortality in critical illness. We hypothesized that patients with ARDS and sepsis with low cholesterol could be harmed by statins.

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Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is characterised by acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure with bilateral infiltrates on chest imaging, which is not fully explained by cardiac failure or fluid overload. ARDS is defined by the Berlin criteria. In this Series paper the diagnosis, management, outcomes, and long-term sequelae of ARDS are reviewed.

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Rationale: A better understanding of the mechanism of action of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and their extracellular vesicles (EVs) is needed to support their use as novel therapies for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Macrophages are important mediators of ARDS inflammatory response. Suppressor of cytokine signalling (SOCS) proteins are key regulators of the macrophage phenotype switch.

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Background: Interleukin (IL)-18 is a marker of inflammasome activation, and high baseline plasma IL-18 is associated with increased mortality in patients with sepsis-induced ARDS. The aim of this analysis was to determine if simvastatin was associated with benefit in patients with ARDS and high plasma IL-18.

Methods: In this secondary analysis of the HARP-2 study, we compared 28-day mortality and response to simvastatin according to baseline plasma IL-18 using cox proportional hazards analysis.

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Although the cysteine protease cathepsin S has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several inflammatory lung diseases, its role has not been examined in the context of acute respiratory distress syndrome, a condition that still lacks specific and effective pharmacological treatments. To characterize the status of cathepsin S in acute lung inflammation and examine the role of cathepsin S in disease pathogenesis. Human and mouse model BAL fluid samples were analyzed for the presence and activity of cathepsin S and its endogenous inhibitors.

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Background: There is no pharmacologic treatment for ARDS. Platelets play an important role in the pathophysiology of ARDS. Preclinical, observational, and clinically relevant models of ARDS indicate aspirin as a potential therapeutic option.

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Background: Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) may be of benefit in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to immunomodulatory, reparative, and antimicrobial actions. ORBCEL-C is a population of CD362 enriched umbilical cord-derived MSCs. The REALIST phase 1 trial investigated the safety and feasibility of ORBCEL-C in patients with moderate to severe ARDS.

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