Expression of human Interferon Regulatory Factor 3 (IRF-3) in alveolar macrophages relates to clinical and functional traits in COPD.

Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality. Dysregulated and enhanced immune-inflammatory responses have been described in COPD. Recent data showed impaired immune responses and, in particular, of interferon (IFNs) signaling pathway in these patients.

Unveiling the Cutting-Edge Impact of Polarized Macrophage-Derived Extracellular Vesicles and MiRNA Signatures on TGF-β Regulation within Lung Fibroblasts.

Depending on local cues, macrophages can polarize into classically activated (M1) or alternatively activated (M2) phenotypes. This study investigates the impact of polarized macrophage-derived Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) (M1 and M2) and their cargo of miRNA-19a-3p and miRNA-425-5p on TGF-β production in lung fibroblasts. EVs were isolated from supernatants of M0, M1, and M2 macrophages and quantified using nanoscale flow cytometry prior to fibroblast stimulation.

Suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 expression and its regulation in relation to inflammation in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Background: The family of Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling (SOCS) acts as a controller of the duration and intensity of cytokine function by negatively regulating the JAK-STAT signaling pathway. SOCS' role in inflammatory diseases in animal models is well demonstrated. However, its role in the development of human disease is still under investigation.

Pleural clinic: where thoracic ultrasound meets respiratory medicine.

Thoracic ultrasound (TUS) has become an essential procedure in respiratory medicine. Due to its intrinsic safety and versatility, it has been applied in patients affected by several respiratory diseases both in intensive care and outpatient settings. TUS can complement and often exceed stethoscope and radiological findings, especially in managing pleural diseases.

Extracellular Vesicles in Pulmonary Hypertension: A Dangerous Liaison?

The term pulmonary hypertension (PH) refers to different conditions, all characterized by increased pressure and resistance in the pulmonary arterial bed. PH has a wide range of causes (essentially, cardiovascular, pulmonary, or connective tissue disorders); however, idiopathic (i.e.

Molecular Mechanism in the Development of Pulmonary Fibrosis in Patients with Sarcoidosis.

Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic disease of unknown etiology characterized by the formation of granulomas in various organs, especially lung and mediastinal hilar lymph nodes. The clinical course and manifestations are unpredictable: spontaneous remission can occur in approximately two thirds of patients; up to 20% of patients have chronic course of the lung disease (called advanced pulmonary sarcoidosis, APS) resulting in progressive loss of lung function, sometimes life-threatening that can lead to respiratory failure and death. The immunopathology mechanism leading from granuloma formation to the fibrosis in APS still remains elusive.

Prevalence of diaphragm dysfunction in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD): The role of diaphragmatic ultrasound.

Background: Diaphragm ultrasound (DUS) has been extensively used in critically ill patients while data on outpatients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) are limited. We hypothesized that diaphragm function, assessed by ultrasound, could be impaired in patients with ILD, considering both Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) and Connective Tissue Disease (CTD-ILD), compared to healthy subjects. Moreover, this impairment could impact clinical and functional parameters.

Macrophages-derived Factor XIII links coagulation to inflammation in COPD.

Background: The local, extravascular, activation of the coagulation system in response to injury is a key factor mediating the resulting inflammatory response. Coagulation Factor XIIIA (FXIIIA) found in alveolar macrophages (AM) and dendritic cells (DC), by influencing fibrin stability, might be an inflammatory modifier in COPD.

Aims: To study the expression of FXIIIA in AM and Langerin+DC (DC-1) and their relation to the inflammatory response and disease progression in COPD.

Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) as Crucial Mediators of Cell-Cell Interaction in Asthma.

Asthma is the most common chronic respiratory disorder worldwide and accounts for a huge health and economic burden. Its incidence is rapidly increasing but, in parallel, novel personalized approaches have emerged. Indeed, the improved knowledge of cells and molecules mediating asthma pathogenesis has led to the development of targeted therapies that significantly increased our ability to treat asthma patients, especially in severe stages of disease.

Predictors of pulmonary sequelae after COVID-19 pneumonia: A 12-month follow-up study.

Background: Since the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, over 550 million people have been infected worldwide. Despite these large numbers, the long-term pulmonary consequences of COVID-19 remain unclear.

Aims: The aim of this single-center observational cohort study was to identify and characterize pulmonary sequelae of COVID-19 at 12 months from hospitalization and to reveal possible predictors for the persistence of long-term lung consequences.

Do Circulating Extracellular Vesicles Strictly Reflect Bronchoalveolar Lavage Extracellular Vesicles in COPD?

Cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) found in the circulation and body fluids contain biomolecules that could be used as biomarkers for lung and other diseases. EVs from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) might be more informative of lung abnormalities than EVs from blood, where information might be diluted. To compare EVs' characteristics in BAL and blood in smokers with and without COPD.

Radiological Assessment in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) Patients According to MUC5B Polymorphism.

The rs35705950 mutant T allele is the strongest genetic risk factor for familial and sporadic IPF. We sought to determine whether genotype influences radiological patterns of IPF at diagnosis, as well as their change over time, in patients on antifibrotic therapy. Among eighty-eight IPF patients, previously genotyped for MUC5B rs35705950, we considered seventy-eight patients who were evaluated for radiological quantification of the following features both at treatment initiation (HRCT1) and after 1 year (HRCT2): ground glass opacities (AS), reticulations (IS) and honeycombing (HC).

Chronic Bronchitis Affects Outcomes in Smokers without Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

Background: Chronic bronchitis (CB) importantly affects outcomes in smokers with COPD, but the effects on smokers without COPD are less well known and less emphasized. The aim of our study was to investigate the possible effects of CB on clinical outcomes in smokers without COPD (noCOPD) and compare them with the effects in smokers with COPD (COPD).

Methods: For that purpose, we studied 511 smokers, 302 with and 209 without COPD, followed for 10 years in an academic COPD ambulatory setting.

The role of immune response in the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: far beyond the Th1/Th2 imbalance.

Introduction: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic disease of unknown origin characterized by progressive scarring of the lung leading to irreversible loss of function. Despite the availability of two drugs that are able to slow down disease progression, IPF remains a deadly disease. The pathogenesis of IPF is poorly understood, but a dysregulated wound healing response following recurrent alveolar epithelial injury is thought to be crucial.

Differences Between Early- and Late-Onset Asthma: Role of Comorbidities in Symptom Control.

Background: Asthma can present in early childhood or de novo in adulthood. Our understanding of the burden of comorbidities in adult asthmatic patients stratified by age at onset is incomplete.

Objectives: To evaluate how different comorbidities may affect symptom control in two distinct groups of patients with early- and late-onset asthma (EOA and LOA, respectively) and to explore whether reported comorbidities are associated with lung function and inflammatory parameters.

Symptomatic smokers without COPD have physiological changes heralding the development of COPD.

Background: COPD is a major health problem, mainly due to cigarette smoking. Most studies in COPD are dedicated to fully developed COPD in older subjects, even though development of COPD may start soon after smoking initiation. Therefore, there is a need to diagnose this "early disease" by detecting the initial events responsible for ultimate development of COPD.

The Emerging Role of Extracellular Vesicles Detected in Different Biological Fluids in COPD.

The pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by complex cellular and molecular mechanisms, not fully elucidated so far. It involves inflammatory cells (monocytes/macrophages, neutrophils, lymphocytes), cytokines, chemokines and, probably, new players yet to be clearly identified and described. Chronic local and systemic inflammation, lung aging and cellular senescence are key pathological events in COPD development and progression over time.

The clinical relevance of lymphocyte to monocyte ratio in patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF).

Disease course in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is highly heterogeneous and markers of disease progression would be helpful. Blood leukocyte count has been studied in cancer patients and a reduced lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR) has been show to predict survival. Thus, we aimed to investigate the role of monocytes count and LMR in three distinct population of patients with IPF: 77 newly-diagnosed IPF, 40 with end-stage IPF and 17 IPF with lung cancer.

Circulating Extracellular Vesicles Are Associated with Disease Severity and Interleukin-6 Levels in COPD: A Pilot Study.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex condition in which systemic inflammation plays a role in extrapulmonary manifestations, including cardiovascular diseases: interleukin (IL)-6 has a role in both COPD and atherogenesis. The 2011 GOLD document classified patients according to FEV1, symptoms, and exacerbations history, creating four groups, from A (less symptoms/low risk) to D (more symptoms/high risk). Extracellular vesicles (EV) represent potential markers in COPD: nevertheless, no studies have explored their value in association to both disease severity and inflammation.

Pneumothorax and/or Pneumomediastinum Worsens the Prognosis of COVID-19 Patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Failure: A Multicenter Retrospective Case-Control Study in the North-East of Italy.

Unlabelled: Pneumothorax (PNX) and pneumomediastinum (PNM) are potential complications of COVID-19, but their influence on patients' outcomes remains unclear. The aim of the study was to assess incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of severe COVID-19 complicated with PNX/PNM.

Methods: A retrospective multicenter case-control analysis was conducted in COVID-19 patients admitted for respiratory failure in intermediate care units of the Treviso area, Italy, from March 2020 to April 2021.

Air Pollution Exposure Impairs Airway Epithelium IFN-β Expression in Pre-School Children.

Introduction: Air pollution is a risk factor for respiratory infections and asthma exacerbations. We previously reported impaired Type-I and Type-III interferons (IFN-β/λ) from airway epithelial cells of preschool children with asthma and/or atopy. In this study we analyzed the association between rhinovirus-induced IFN-β/λ epithelial expression and acute exposure to the principal outdoor air pollutants in the same cohort.

The Role of Bronchoscopy in the Diagnosis and Management of Patients with SARS-Cov-2 Infection.

Bronchoscopy has several major diagnostic and therapeutic indications in pulmonology. However, it is an aerosol-generating procedure that places healthcare providers at an increased risk of infection. Now more than ever, during the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the infectious risk during bronchoscopy is significantly raised, and for this reason its role in diagnostic management is debated.