Longitudinal changes in sputum and blood inflammatory mediators during FeNO suppression testing.

To explore whether fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) non-suppression identifies corticosteroid resistance, we analysed inflammatory mediator changes during a FeNO suppression test with monitored high-intensity corticosteroid therapy. In linear mixed-effects models analysed over time, the 15 clinically distinct 'suppressors' (ie, 42% FeNO suppression) normalised Asthma Control Questionnaire scores (mean±SD, start to end of test: 2.8±1.

Identifying Bacterial Airways Infection in Stable Severe Asthma Using Oxford Nanopore Sequencing Technologies.

Previous metagenomic studies in asthma have been limited by inadequate sequencing depth for species-level bacterial identification and by heterogeneity in clinical phenotyping. We hypothesize that chronic bacterial airways infection is a key "treatable trait" whose prevalence, clinical phenotype and reliable biomarkers need definition. In this study, we have applied a method for Oxford Nanopore sequencing for the unbiased metagenomic characterization of severe asthma.

Asthma in pregnancy: An update.

Aim: To update obstetric care providers about asthma management.

Summary: Asthma is the most frequent comorbid chronic illness in pregnancy. Convincing evidence shows that uncontrolled asthma magnifies the risk of maternal, fetal and neonate complications.

Correction: Synergistic activation of pro-inflammatory type-2 CD8 T lymphocytes by lipid mediators in severe eosinophilic asthma.

This article was originally published under standard licence, but has now been made available under a [CC BY 4.0] license. The PDF and HTML versions of the paper have been modified accordingly.

Synergistic activation of pro-inflammatory type-2 CD8 T lymphocytes by lipid mediators in severe eosinophilic asthma.

Human type-2 CD8 T cells are a cell population with potentially important roles in allergic disease. We investigated this in the context of severe asthma with persistent airway eosinophilia-a phenotype associated with high exacerbation risk and responsiveness to type-2 cytokine-targeted therapies. In two independent cohorts we show that, in contrast to Th2 cells, type-2 cytokine-secreting CD8CRTH2 (Tc2) cells are enriched in blood and airways in severe eosinophilic asthma.

Comparison of the peripheral blood eosinophil count using near-patient testing and standard automated laboratory measurement in healthy, asthmatic and COPD subjects.

Near-patient testing (NPT) allows clinical decisions to be made in a rapid and convenient manner and is often cost effective. In COPD the peripheral blood eosinophil count has been demonstrated to have utility in providing prognostic information and predicting response to treatment during an acute exacerbation. For this potential to be achieved having a reliable NPT of blood eosinophil count would be extremely useful.