Association of blood lipid profiles and asthma: A bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Observational studies and meta-analyses have indicated associations between blood lipid profiles and asthma. However, the causal association is unknown. Therefore, this study investigated the causal relationship between blood lipid profiles and asthma using bidirectional Mendelian randomization analysis.

Cluster analysis of phenotypes, job exposure, and inflammatory patterns in elderly and nonelderly asthma patients.

Background: Asthma has been identified as different phenotypes due to various risk factors. Age differences may have potential effects on asthma phenotypes. Our study aimed to identify potential asthma phenotypes among adults divided by age as either younger or older than 65 years.

Body composition modify the association between ambient particulate matter and lung function among asthma patients.

The effect of ambient PM and PM on lung function modified by body muscle and adipose tissue is not fully understood at present. Our aims were to investigate the association between seasonal average air pollutants and lung function in asthmatic patients modified by body composition indicators. In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 914 doctor-diagnosed asthmatic patients, and performed interaction and stratified analysis using the median values of total body muscle (TBM), total body fat (TBF), and percentage body fat (PBF) as well as body mass index (BMI) =25 as the cutoff points of the high/low body composition groups.

Next generation sequencing reveals miR-431-3p/miR-1303 as immune-regulating microRNAs for active tuberculosis.

Objectives: RNA therapeutics is an emerging field that widens the range of treatable targets and would improve disease outcome through bypassing the antibiotic bactericidal targets to kill Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb).

Methods: We screened for microRNA with immune-regulatory functions against M.

Environmental risks and sphingolipid signatures in adult asthma and its phenotypic clusters: a multicentre study.

Background: Adult asthma is phenotypically heterogeneous with unclear aetiology. We aimed to evaluate the potential contribution of environmental exposure and its ensuing response to asthma and its heterogeneity.

Methods: Environmental risk was evaluated by assessing the records of National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) and residence-based air pollution (particulate matter with diameter less than 2.

Epigenome-wide association study on asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap reveals aberrant DNA methylations related to clinical phenotypes.

We hypothesized that epigenetics is a link between smoking/allergen exposures and the development of Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (ACO). A total of 75 of 228 COPD patients were identified as ACO, which was independently associated with increased exacerbations. Microarray analysis identified 404 differentially methylated loci (DML) in ACO patients, and 6575 DML in those with rapid lung function decline in a discovery cohort.

MicroRNA-23a-3p Down-Regulation in Active Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients with High Bacterial Burden Inhibits Mononuclear Cell Function and Phagocytosis through TLR4/TNF-α/TGF-β1/IL-10 Signaling via Targeting IRF1/SP1.

The aim of this study is to explore the role of microRNAs (miR)-21/23a/146a/150/155 targeting the toll-like receptor pathway in active tuberculosis (TB) disease and latent TB infection (LTBI). Gene expression levels of the five miRs and predicted target genes were assessed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 46 patients with active pulmonary TB, 15 subjects with LTBI, and 17 non-infected healthy subjects (NIHS). THP-1 cell lines were transfected with miR-23a-3p mimics under stimuli with Mycobacterium TB-specific antigens.

Blood M2a monocyte polarization and increased formyl peptide receptor 1 expression are associated with progression from latent tuberculosis infection to active pulmonary tuberculosis disease.

Objectives: This study aims to explore the role of M2a polarization and formyl peptide receptor (FPR) regulation in the reactivation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection.

Methods: M1/M2a monocyte percentage and FPR1/2/3 protein expression of blood immune cells were measured in 38 patients with sputum culture (+) active pulmonary TB disease, 18 subjects with latent TB infection (LTBI), and 28 noninfected healthy subjects (NIHS) using flow cytometry method.

Results: M1 percentage was decreased in active TB versus either NIHS or LTBI group, while M2a percentage and M2a/M1 percentage ratio were increased.

Comparative analysis of the drug-drug interaction between immunosuppressants, safety and efficacy of rifabutin from rifampicin-based Anti-TB treatment in living donor liver transplant recipients with active tuberculosis.

Background: The Interaction between anti-tuberculous and immunosuppressive drugs which may increase the risk of graft rejections is a major challenge in managing transplant recipients with tuberculosis (TB). Instead of rifampicin (RFM), most guidelines recommended the use of rifabutin (RFB) because of its reduced capacity to induce immunosuppressant metabolism while maintaining the same efficacy as RFM against TB. However, there has been no available data directly comparing the outcome of RFB from RFM-based anti-TB regimens in liver transplant patients with TB.

Clinical Outcomes of Tuberculosis in Recipients After Living Donor Liver Transplantation.

BACKGROUND This study aimed to determine clinical outcomes using various drugs during tuberculosis (TB) treatment among living donor liver transplant (LDLT) recipients with TB and to assess the impact of performing LDLT in patients with active TB at the time of LDLT. MATERIAL AND METHODS Out of 1313 LDLT performed from June 1994 to May 2016, 26 (2%) adult patients diagnosed with active TB were included in this study. Active TB was diagnosed using either TB culture, PCR, and/or tissue biopsy.

Sex-Specific Asthma Phenotypes, Inflammatory Patterns, and Asthma Control in a Cluster Analysis.

Background: Asthma is a heterogeneous disease with complex mechanisms and involves many risk factors and in vivo cellular molecules. It is notable that sex differences may have a potential effect on asthma phenotype.

Objective: To identify sex-specific phenotypes and health outcomes of asthma.

A prominent air pollutant, Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, enhances allergic lung inflammation via aryl hydrocarbon receptor.

Chronic exposure to ambient polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is associated with asthma, but its regulatory mechanisms remain incompletely defined. We report herein that elevated levels of urinary 1-hydroxypyrene, a biomarker of PAH exposure, were found in asthmatic subjects (n = 39) as compared to those in healthy subjects (n = 43) living in an industrial city of Taiwan, where indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene (IP) was found to be a prominent PAH associated with ambient PM. In a mouse model, intranasal exposure of mice with varying doses of IP significantly enhanced antigen-induced allergic inflammation, including increased airway eosinophilia, Th2 cytokines, including IL-4 and IL-5, as well as antigen-specific IgE level, which was absent in dendritic cell (DC)-specific aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-null mice.

Defective formyl peptide receptor 2/3 and annexin A1 expressions associated with M2a polarization of blood immune cells in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Controversy exists in previous studies on macrophage M1/M2 polarization in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We hypothesized that formyl peptide receptor (FPR), a marker of efferocytosis and mediator of M1/M2 polarization, may be involved in the development of COPD.

Methods: We examined FPR 1/2/3 expressions of blood M1/M2a monocyte, neutrophil, natural killer (NK) cell, NK T cell, T helper (Th) cell, and T cytotoxic (Tc) cell by flowcytometry method in 40 patients with cigarette smoking-related COPD and 16 healthy non-smokers.

Altered pattern of monocyte differentiation and monocyte-derived TGF-β1 in severe asthma.

CD14 monocytes contain precursors for macrophages and fibrocytes, known to be involved in regulating airway remodeling in human asthma and distinguishable by the PM-2K marker. We sought to identify circulating subsets of PM-2K macrophage-like cells and evaluate their relationships to lung function, severity and control status. Circulating PM-2K macrophage-like cells and fibrocytes could be identified and distinguished between normal individuals (N = 152) and asthmatic subjects (N = 133) using multi-parametric flow cytometry.

Histone H3K14 hypoacetylation and H3K27 hypermethylation along with HDAC1 up-regulation and KDM6B down-regulation are associated with active pulmonary tuberculosis disease.

The aim of this study is to determine the roles of global histone acetylation (Ac)/methylation (me), their modifying enzymes, and gene-specific histone enrichment in active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) disease. Global histone H3K27me3, H3K27me2, H3K9me3, H3K9Ac, and H3K14Ac expressions, and their modifying enzyme expressions, including KDM1A, KDM6B, EZH2, HDAC1, and HDAC2, were assessed in blood leukocytes from 81 patients with active pulmonary TB disease and 44 matched healthy subjects (HS). , , , and -specific histone enrichment of peripheral blood mononuclear cells was measured by chromatin immunoprecipitation method.

A randomized clinical trial of neurally adjusted ventilatory assist versus conventional weaning mode in patients with COPD and prolonged mechanical ventilation.

Background: Patient-ventilator asynchrony is a common problem in mechanically ventilated patients; the problem is especially obvious in COPD. Neutrally adjusted ventilatory assist (NAVA) can improve patient-ventilator asynchrony; however, the effect in COPD patients with prolonged mechanical ventilation is still unknown. The goals of this study are to evaluate the effect of NAVA and conventional weaning mode in patients with COPD during prolonged mechanical ventilation.

Comprehensive risk factors, asthma control, and life quality pathways in adults with asthma: A structural equation modeling analysis.

Objectives: Previous studies reported that environmental factors, particularly the work environment, were related to quality of life (QoL) in patients with asthma. However, the pathway that links workplace and QoL in adults with asthma is still not clear. The aim of this study was to explore the comprehensive environmental factors, asthma control, and QoL pathways in patients with asthma.

A new grid-scale model simulating the spatiotemporal distribution of PM2.5-PAHs for exposure assessment.

Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) associated with ambient air particulate matter (PM) poses significant health concerns. Several modeling approaches have been developed for simulating ambient PAHs, but no hourly intra-urban spatial data are currently available. The aim of this study is to develop a new modeling strategy in simulating, on an hourly basis, grid-scale PM2.

Protective effects of elafin against adult asthma.

Background: Elafin inhibits serine proteases, such as human neutrophil elastase and proteinase 3, to prevent excessive damage during inflammation. However, the relationship between elafin and asthma is still unclear. Microarray technology was used to evaluate smoking- and asthma-related biomarkers in a discovery-driven manner.

Incidentally Small Pulmonary Nodule in Candidates for Living Donor Liver Transplantation.

Background: The methods of differentiation and management of incidental small pulmonary nodules (ISN) in candidates for living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) are not well clarified. We aimed to share our experience and investigate the role of nodular size in application of ISN.

Material And Methods: From October 2009 to December 2012, 360 primary adult LDLTs were performed.