Improving mental health care in depression: A call for action.

Depressive disorders have one of the highest disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of all medical conditions, which led the European Psychiatric Association to propose a policy paper, pinpointing their unmet health care and research needs. The first part focuses on what can be currently done to improve the care of patients with depression, and then discuss future trends for research and healthcare. Through the narration of clinical cases, the different points are illustrated.

The future of diagnosis in clinical neurosciences: Comparing multiple sclerosis and schizophrenia.

The ongoing developments of psychiatric classification systems have largely improved reliability of diagnosis, including that of schizophrenia. However, with an unknown pathophysiology and lacking biomarkers, its validity still remains low, requiring further advancements. Research has helped establish multiple sclerosis (MS) as the central nervous system (CNS) disorder with an established pathophysiology, defined biomarkers and therefore good validity and significantly improved treatment options.

The Sputum Colour Chart as a predictor of lung inflammation, proteolysis and damage in non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis: a case-control analysis.

Background And Objective: Non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFB) is characterized by a vicious cycle of airway infection, inflammation and structural damage with inappropriate mucus clearance. Our aim was to relate the value of proteolytic enzymes, proteolytic enzyme activity and inflammatory markers to disease severity and symptoms in patients with NCFB.

Methods: Sputum induction in NCFB patients and healthy controls was performed.

Sputum cytokine mapping reveals an 'IL-5, IL-17A, IL-25-high' pattern associated with poorly controlled asthma.

Background And Objective: Asthma is a heterogeneous disease with various clinical, inflammatory and molecular phenotypes. We studied sputum cytokine mRNA expression patterns in an unselected group of adult asthma patients to characterize the underlying inflammatory process.

Methods: Differential cell counts and cytokine mRNA (quantified by real-time PCR) were analysed on sputum from 40 controls and 66 asthmatic adults.

IL-17A in human respiratory diseases: innate or adaptive immunity? Clinical implications.

Since the discovery of IL-17 in 1995 as a T-cell cytokine, inducing IL-6 and IL-8 production by fibroblasts, and the report of a separate T-cell lineage producing IL-17(A), called Th17 cells, in 2005, the role of IL-17 has been studied in several inflammatory diseases. By inducing IL-8 production and subsequent neutrophil attraction towards the site of inflammation, IL-17A can link adaptive and innate immune responses. More specifically, its role in respiratory diseases has intensively been investigated.

Airway inflammation in patients with chronic non-asthmatic cough.

Introduction: Chronic non-asthmatic cough (CC) is a clinical challenge and underlying pathophysiological mechanisms remain still not completely understood. One of the most common comorbidities in CC is gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD). Airway epithelium damage can contribute to airway inflammation in CC.

Risk factors for morbidity and death in non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis: a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of CT diagnosed bronchiectatic patients.

Introduction: There is a relative lack of information about the death rate and morbidity of non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis and most studies are limited due to referral bias. We wanted to assess death rate and morbidity in those patients at our hospital.

Methods: Adult patients seen at our department between June 2006 and November 2009 were recruited if the key string "bronchiect-" was mentioned in electronic clinical records and if chest CT imaging was available.

Bile acids in sputum and increased airway inflammation in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Background: Up to 80% of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) may have increased gastroesophageal reflux and aspiration of duodenogastric contents into the lungs. We aimed to assess aspiration in patients with CF by measuring duodenogastric components in induced sputum and to investigate whether the presence of bile acids (BAs) in sputum was correlated with disease severity and markers of inflammation.

Methods: In 41 patients with CF, 15 healthy volunteers, 29 patients with asthma, and 28 patients with chronic cough, sputum was obtained after inhalation of hypertonic saline.

Elevated expression of both mRNA and protein levels of IL-17A in sputum of stable Cystic Fibrosis patients.

Background: T helper 17 (Th17) cells can recruit neutrophils to inflammatory sites through production of IL-17, which induces chemokine release. IL-23 is an important inducer of IL-17 and IL-22 production. Our aim was to study the role of Th17 cells in cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease by measuring IL-17 protein and mRNA levels and IL-22 and IL-23 mRNA in sputum of clinically stable CF patients and by comparing these levels with healthy controls.

Type III IFN-lambda mRNA expression in sputum of adult and school-aged asthmatics.

Background: The increased susceptibility of asthmatics to rhinovirus infection has recently been related to deficient IFN-lambda 1 (IL-29) and IFN-lambda 2/3 (IL-28) production by bronchial epithelial cells and macrophages.

Objectives: Here, we studied IFN-lambda mRNA expression in the airways of stable asthmatics in comparison with healthy subjects and in relation to asthma symptoms, non-invasive parameters of airway inflammation and lung function parameters.

Methods: Airway cells were obtained by sputum induction, in 14 healthy and 35 asthmatic adults and 12 asthmatic school-aged children.