Total and specific immunoglobulin E in induced sputum in allergic and non-allergic asthma.

Background: Most patients with nonallergic asthma have normal serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels. Recent reports suggest that total and aeroallergen-specific IgE levels in induced sputum may be higher in nonallergic asthmatics than in healthy controls. Our objective is to compare total and dust-mite specific (Der p 1) IgE levels in induced sputum in allergic and nonallergic asthmatics and healthy controls.

Asthma with bronchial hypersecretion: expression of mucins and toll-like receptors in sputum and blood.

Unlabelled: Asthma with bronchial hypersecretion is a type of asthma that is poorly studied. Its pathogenesis is not well understood, but is probably related to innate impaired immunity, particularly with toll-like receptors (TLRs) and secretory mucins (MUC).

Objectives: 1) Define the clinical and inflammatory phenotype of asthma with bronchial hypersecretion of mucus.

Expression of toll-like receptors 2 and 4 in subjects with asthma by total serum IgE level.

Background: Emerging data suggest that innate immunity may play a role in asthma, particularly the toll-like receptors (TLRs). Some studies pointed to an involvement of TLRs 2 and 4 in the pathogenesis of allergic asthma, and other studies related TLRs to IgE. However, there are not any studies that have comprehensively evaluated the expression of TLRs 2 and 4 in inflammatory cells, in peripheral blood and induced sputum specimens from asthmatic patients, according to their total serum IgE.

Airway Mucin 2 Is Decreased in Patients with Severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with Bacterial Colonization.

Rationale: Mucins are essential for airway defense against bacteria. We hypothesized that abnormal secreted airway mucin levels would be associated with bacterial colonization in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Objectives: To investigate the relationship between mucin levels and the presence of potentially pathogenic micro-organisms in the airways of stable patients with severe COPD Methods: Clinically stable patients with severe COPD were examined prospectively. All patients underwent a computerized tomography scan, lung function tests, induced sputum collection, and bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and protected specimen brush.

Clinical and inflammatory features of asthma with dissociation between fractional exhaled nitric oxide and eosinophils in induced sputum.

Background: Measurement of the fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and eosinophils in induced sputum are noninvasive markers for assessing airway inflammation in asthma. The clinical usefulness of the correlation between raised FeNO and sputum eosinophilia is controversial. We aimed to examine dissociation between FeNO and sputum eosinophils in a clinical series of asthma patients and to determine whether dissociation between these noninvasive markers was associated with clinical and inflammatory differences in these patients.

Utility of Induced Sputum in Routine Clinical Practice.

Objective: To determine the general and specific utility in diagnosis and/or treatment of induced sputum (IS) inflammatory cell counts in routine clinical practice.

Methods: Retrospective study of 171 patients referred for clinical sputum induction over a 1-year period in the pulmonology department of a referral hospital. Independent observers established whether the information provided by IS inflammatory cell count was useful for making diagnostic and therapeutic decisions.

Secreted mucins and airway bacterial colonization in non-CF bronchiectasis.

Background And Objective: Secreted mucins play a key role in antibacterial defence in the airway, but have not previously been characterized in non-cystic fibrosis (CF) bronchiectasis patients. We aim to investigate the relationship between secreted mucins levels and the presence of bacterial colonization due to potentially pathogenic microorganisms (PPM) in the airways of stable bronchiectasis patients.

Methods: Clinically stable bronchiectasis patients were studied prospectively at two centres.

Usefulness of the Exhaled Breath Temperature Plateau in Asthma Patients.

Background: Exhaled breath temperature (EBT) has recently been proposed as a noninvasive marker of bronchial inflammation in patients with asthma. However, the usefulness of EBT in everyday clinical practice is not well established. Results to date are contradictory and are mainly derived from small, pediatric populations.

Variability in Asthma Inflammatory Phenotype in Induced Sputum. Frequency and Causes.

Introduction: Recent studies have found variability in asthma inflammatory phenotypes determined by the inflammatory cells in induced sputum (IS). The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and factors affecting inflammatory phenotype variability in IS.

Methods: Retrospective observational study that included 61 asthmatic patients who underwent at least two IS tests over a period of 5 years.