Childhood severe asthma: relationship among asthma control scores, FeNO, spirometry and impulse oscillometry.

Introduction: The evaluation of the asthmatic patient is usually based on clinical and functional parameters that do not necessarily evidence the degree of airway inflammation. The aim of this study was to analyze whether clinical scores (CS) correlate with spirometry (S), impulse oscillometry (IO) and FeNO, in severe asthmatic children.

Material And Methods: A multicentric, prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted over a 12-month period.

Follow-up of children diagnosed with severe asthma before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, health care strategies were explored to ensure the follow-up of children with severe asthma. This was a prospective, observational, and comparative study. Patients in the severe asthma program of a tertiary care children's hospital were included (n: 74).

Iota-carrageenan and xylitol inhibit SARS-CoV-2 in Vero cell culture.

Last year observed a global pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2) infection affecting millions of individuals worldwide. There is an urgent unmet need to provide an easily producible and affordable medicine to prevent transmission and provide early treatment for this disease. Since the nasal cavity and the rhinopharynx are the sites of initial replication of SARS-CoV-2, a nasal spray may be an effective option to target SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Efficacy of a Nasal Spray Containing Iota-Carrageenan in the Postexposure Prophylaxis of COVID-19 in Hospital Personnel Dedicated to Patients Care with COVID-19 Disease.

Background: Iota-Carrageenan (I-C) is a sulfate polysaccharide synthesized by red algae, with demonstrated antiviral activity and clinical efficacy as nasal spray in the treatment of common cold. In vitro, I-C inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection in cell culture.

Research Question: Can a nasal spray with Iota-Carrageenan be useful in the prophylaxis of COVID-19 in health care workers managing patients with COVID-19 disease?

Study Design And Methods: This is a pilot pragmatic multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study assessing the use of a nasal spray containing I-C in the prophylaxis of COVID-19 in hospital personnel dedicated to care of COVID-19 patients.

AHR signaling is induced by infection with coronaviruses.

Coronavirus infection in humans is usually associated to respiratory tract illnesses, ranging in severity from mild to life-threatening respiratory failure. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) was recently identified as a host factor for Zika and dengue viruses; AHR antagonists boost antiviral immunity, decrease viral titers and ameliorate Zika-induced pathology in vivo. Here we report that AHR is activated by infection with different coronaviruses, potentially impacting antiviral immunity and lung epithelial cells.

NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) and caspase 1 (CASP1) modulation by intracellular Cl concentration.

The impairment of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) activity induces intracellular chloride (Cl ) accumulation. The anion Cl , acting as a second messenger, stimulates the secretion of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), which starts an autocrine positive feedback loop. Here, we show that NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) and caspase 1 (CASP1) are indirectly modulated by the intracellular Cl concentration, showing maximal expression and activity at 75 mM Cl , in the presence of the ionophores nigericin and tributyltin.

Development of a Carrier-Free Dry Powder Ofloxacin Formulation With Enhanced Aerosolization Properties.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious infectious disease that affects more than new 10 million patients each year. Many of these cases are resistant to first-line drugs so second-line ones, like fluoroquinolones, need to be incorporated into the therapeutic. Ofloxacin (OF) is a fluoroquinolone which demonstrates high antibiotic activity against the bacteria that causes TB (M.

N-acetyl cysteine reverts the proinflammatory state induced by cigarette smoke extract in lung Calu-3 cells.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cystic fibrosis (CF) are lethal pulmonary diseases. Cigarette consumption is the main cause for development of COPD, while CF is produced by mutations in the CFTR gene. Although these diseases have a different etiology, both share a CFTR activity impairment and proinflammatory state even under sterile conditions.

Intracellular Chloride Concentration Changes Modulate IL-1β Expression and Secretion in Human Bronchial Epithelial Cultured Cells.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is caused by mutations in the CFTR gene, which encodes a cAMP-regulated chloride channel. Several cellular functions are altered in CF cells. However, it is not clear how the CFTR failure induces those alterations.

Oxidative stress-induced premature senescence dysregulates VEGF and CFH expression in retinal pigment epithelial cells: Implications for Age-related Macular Degeneration.

Oxidative stress has a critical role in the pathogenesis of Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), a multifactorial disease that includes age, gene variants of complement regulatory proteins and smoking as the main risk factors. Stress-induced premature cellular senescence (SIPS) is postulated to contribute to this condition. In this study, we hypothesized that oxidative damage, promoted by endogenous or exogenous sources, could elicit a senescence response in RPE cells, which would in turn dysregulate the expression of major players in AMD pathogenic mechanisms.

Physicochemical changes in the hull of corn grains during their alkaline cooking.

The alkaline cooking of corn in a solution of Ca(OH)2 to produce corn-based foods is oriented to make corn proteins available, to incorporate Ca to the cooked grains, and also to remove the corn hull. This process (nixtamalization) is known in Mexico and Guatemala from prehispanic times; however, the effect of the alkaline cooking on the corn hull remains poorly documented. In this work, the physicochemical changes that take place in the corn hull during its cooking in a saturated solution of Ca(OH)2 were studied using infrared, X-ray diffraction, 13C cross-polarization/magic-angle spinning (CP/MAS) NMR, confocal imaging microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetry techniques.