Paradoxical eosinophilic and cytokine responses to oral corticosteroid treatment in patients with asthma exacerbations.

Background: Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) orchestrates eosinophilic inflammation, which may increase during asthma exacerbations. In contrast, microRNA-1 (miR-1) inhibits TSLP-mediated eosinophil trafficking in lung endothelium. Whether the balance of TSLP and miR-1 levels determines the response to oral corticosteroids (OCSs) during the treatment of asthma exacerbations remains unknown.

Involvement of Transforming Growth Factor-β-Associated Kinase 1 in Fixed Airway Obstruction in Asthmatic Patients with Longer Disease Duration Independent on Airway Eosinophilia.

Objective: Transforming growth factor-β-associated kinase 1 (TAK1) mediates non-canonical TGF-β signalling by promoting adhesive, migratory, proliferative and contractile responses of fibroblasts to TGF-β. However, TAK1 expression status in asthmatic patients with or without fixed airway obstruction (FAO) is unknown.

Patients And Methods: A total of 60 adult asthmatics with FAO were recruited and compared to 43 those without FAO (nFAO).