Lumacaftor/ivacaftor reduces exacerbations in adults homozygous for Phe508del mutation with severe lung disease.

Background: Lumacaftor/ivacaftor (LUM/IVA) improves outcomes in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients homozygous for Phe508del with ppFEV1 > 40%. There is limited safety or efficacy data in patients with ppFEV1 < 40%. We determined whether LUM/IVA in patients with ppFEV1 < 40 would reduce the rate of pulmonary exacerbations.

Lumacaftor/ Ivacaftor improves exercise tolerance in patients with Cystic Fibrosis and severe airflow obstruction.

Background: Treatment of patients with Cystic Fibrosis homozygous for the Phe508del gene, with Lumacaftor /Ivacaftor (LUM/IVA) improves outcomes in patients with FEV1 > 40% predicted. We set out to observe the most sensitive clinical measure that would change with treatment in terms of exercise capacity or lung function in adults with severe lung disease as defined by an FEV1 < 40% predicted when clinically stable.

Methods: 10 adults homozygous for the Phe508del received LUM/IVA.

A randomised trial of hypertonic saline during hospitalisation for exacerbation of cystic fibrosis.

Background: The mucoactive effects of hypertonic saline should promote exacerbation resolution in people with cystic fibrosis (CF).

Objectives: To determine the effects of hypertonic saline inhalation during hospitalisation for exacerbation of CF on length of stay, lung function, symptoms, oxygenation, exercise tolerance, quality of life, bacterial load and time to next hospitalisation.

Methods: 132 adults with an exacerbation of CF were randomised to inhale three nebulised doses a day of either 4 mL 7% saline or a taste-masked control of 0.

Integrin expression in colon cancer cells is regulated by the cytoplasmic domain of the beta6 integrin subunit.

We have previously reported that the alphavbeta6 integrin upregulates its own expression in a protein kinase C-dependent manner with increasing cell density. The wild-type beta6 integrin subunit has also been shown to promote tumour growth in vivo and its growth-enhancing effect is regulated by both a MAP kinase binding motif on beta6 and the 11 amino acid C-terminal cytoplasmic extension unique to the beta6 subunit. Herein, we show that the 11 amino acid cytoplasmic extension is essential for the cell density-dependent increase in beta6 expression and that the 11 amino acid tail exerts a dominant negative effect on cell density- and PKC-mediated beta5 expression in alphavbeta6-expressing colon cancer cells.

Direct integrin alphavbeta6-ERK binding: implications for tumour growth.

Blockade of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway suppresses growth of colon cancer in vivo. Here we demonstrate a direct link between the extracellular signal-regulated kinase ERK2 and the growth-promoting cell adhesion molecule, integrin alphavbeta6, in colon cancer cells. Down-regulation of beta6 integrin subunit expression inhibits tumour growth in vivo and MAP kinase activity in response to serum stimulation.