New Frontiers in Asthma Chest Imaging.

Modern pulmonary imaging can reveal underlying pathological and pathophysiological changes in the lungs of people with asthma, with important clinical implications. A multitude of imaging modalities are now used to examine underlying structure/function relationships including computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, optical coherence tomography, and endobronchial ultrasound. Imaging-based biomarkers from these techniques, including airway dimensions, blood vessel volumes, mucus scores, ventilation defect extent and air trapping extent, often have increased sensitivity compared to traditional lung function measurements, and are increasingly used as endpoints in clinical trials.

Multicohort Analysis of Bronchial Epithelial Cell Expression in Healthy Subjects and Patients with Asthma Reveals Four Clinically Distinct Clusters.

Asthma is a heterogeneous disease with variable presentation and characteristics. There is a critical need to identify underlying molecular endotypes of asthma. We performed the largest transcriptomic analysis of 808 bronchial epithelial cell (BEC) samples across 11 independent cohorts, including 3 cohorts from the Severe Asthma Research Program (SARP).

Ancient genomes reveal a deep history of treponemal disease in the Americas.

Human treponemal infections are caused by a family of closely related Treponema pallidum that give rise to the diseases yaws, bejel, pinta and, most famously, syphilis. Debates on both a common origin for these pathogens and the history of syphilis itself has weighed evidence for the "Columbian hypothesis", which argues for an American origin, against that for the "pre-Columbian hypothesis", which argues for presence of the disease in Eurasia in the Medieval period and possibly earlier. While molecular data has provided a genetic basis for distinction of the typed subspecies, deep evolution of the complex has remained unresolved due to limitations in the conclusions that can be drawn from the sparse paleogenomic data currently available.

2024 Update of the RECOVER-Adult Long COVID Research Index.

Importance: Classification of persons with long COVID (LC) or post-COVID-19 condition must encompass the complexity and heterogeneity of the condition. Iterative refinement of the classification index for research is needed to incorporate newly available data as the field rapidly evolves.

Objective: To update the 2023 research index for adults with LC using additional participant data from the Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER-Adult) study and an expanded symptom list based on input from patient communities.

Proteomic profiling of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid uncovers protein clusters linked to survival in idiopathic forms of interstitial lung disease.

Background: Idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIPs), such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features, present diagnostic and therapeutic challenges due to their heterogeneous nature. This study aimed to identify intrinsic molecular signatures within the lung microenvironment of these IIPs through proteomic analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF).

Methods: Patients with IIP (n=23) underwent comprehensive clinical evaluation including pre-treatment bronchoscopy and were compared with controls without lung disease (n=5).

Efficacy of tezepelumab in patients with severe asthma and persistent airflow obstruction.

Background: Persistent airflow obstruction (PAO) in patients with asthma can be difficult to treat. Tezepelumab blocks thymic stromal lymphopoietin, an epithelial cytokine implicated in asthma pathogenesis. This analysis evaluated the efficacy of tezepelumab in patients with severe, uncontrolled asthma and PAO.

Development of an asthma health-care burden score as a measure of severity and predictor of remission in SARP III and U-BIOPRED: results from two major longitudinal asthma cohorts.

Background: Current asthma guidelines, including those of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) and American Thoracic Society (ATS), suboptimally predict asthma remission, disease severity, and health-care utilisation. We aimed to establish a novel approach to assess asthma severity based on asthma health-care burden data.

Methods: We analysed prospectively collected data from the Severe Asthma Research Program III (SARP III; USA) and the European Unbiased Biomarkers for the Prediction of Respiratory Disease Outcomes (U-BIOPRED; 11 European countries) to calculate a composite burden score based on asthma exacerbations and health-care utilisation, which was modified to include the use of short-acting beta agonists (SABAs) to reflect asthma symptom burden.

Impact of nebulization versus metered-dose inhaler utilization on viral particle dispersion in patients with COVID-19.

Background: Conflicting guidance exists regarding the characterization of nebulization as an aerosol-generating procedure and subsequent risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to healthcare workers.

Aim/objective: This study sought to address whether SARS-CoV-2 viral load distribution was impacted by bronchodilator delivery via nebulizer versus metered-dose inhaler (MDI).

Methods: Adults infected with COVID-19 were enrolled and received a single dose of albuterol sulfate nebulized solution (2.

Circulating microRNAs associated with bronchodilator response in childhood asthma.

Background: Bronchodilator response (BDR) is a measure of improvement in airway smooth muscle tone, inhibition of liquid accumulation and mucus section into the lumen in response to short-acting beta-2 agonists that varies among asthmatic patients. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are well-known post-translational regulators. Identifying miRNAs associated with BDR could lead to a better understanding of the underlying complex pathophysiology.

Neck Dissection with Harmonic Instruments and Electrocautery: A Systematic Review.

 The harmonic scalpel (HS) is a technique introduced to reduce blood loss and intraoperative time during neck dissection (ND).  To compare the results of HS with traditional hemostasis in ND through a systematic review and metanalysis.  A computer-based strategy of systematic literature survey included research in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases from January 2007 up to August 2022.

Airways Abnormalities in a Prospective Cohort of Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects roughly 1% of the population and commonly involves the lungs. Of lung involvement in RA, interstitial lung disease (ILD) is well known; however, airways disease in RA is relatively understudied.

Research Question: What are the baseline airways abnormalities in a prospective cohort of patients with RA based on pulmonary function testing (PFT) results, high-resolution CT (HRCT) scans, and computational imaging analysis and are there associations between these abnormalities and respiratory symptoms?

Study Design And Methods: In this single-center study, 188 patients with RA without a clinical diagnosis of ILD underwent HRCT imaging and PFT.

The Genomic and Cultural Diversity of the Inka Qhapaq Hucha Ceremony in Chile and Argentina.

The South American archaeological record has ample evidence of the socio-cultural dynamism of human populations in the past. This has also been supported through the analysis of ancient genomes, by showing evidence of gene flow across the region. While the extent of these signals is yet to be tested, the growing number of ancient genomes allows for more fine-scaled hypotheses to be evaluated.

Chiral spin-transfer torque induced by curvature gradient.

This work analyzes the propagation of a transverse domain wall (DW) under the action of an electric current along a nanowire with a curvature gradient. Our results evidence that the curvature gradient induces a chiral spin-transfer torque (CSTT) whose effect on the DW dynamics depends on the direction along which the DW points, evidencing a curvature-induced non-reciprocity in the current-driven DW motion. The origin of the CSTT is explained in terms of a position-dependent effective field associated with the DW profile and the electric current direction.

Uncovering patterns of inhaler technique and reliever use: the value of objective, personalized data from a digital inhaler.

Electronic inhalers provide information about patterns of routine inhaler use. During a 12-week study, 360 asthma patients using albuterol Digihaler generated 53,083 inhaler events that were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 41,528 (78%) of the recorded inhalation events were suitable for flow analysis (having a PIF ≥ 18 L/min and <120 L/min).

iPREDICT: proof-of-concept study to develop a predictive model of changes in asthma control.

Background: The individualized PREdiction of DIsease Control using digital sensor Technology (iPREDICT) program was developed for asthma management using digital technology. Devices were integrated into daily lives of patients to establish a predictive model of asthma control by measuring changes from baseline health status with minimal device burden.

Objectives: To establish baseline disease characteristics of the study participants, detect changes from baseline associated with asthma events, and evaluate algorithms capable of identifying triggers and predicting asthma control changes from baseline data.

iPREDICT: Characterization of Asthma Triggers and Selection of Digital Technology to Predict Changes in Disease Control.

Purpose: The iPREDICT program aimed to develop an integrated digital health solution capable of continuous data streaming, predicting changes in asthma control, and enabling early intervention.

Patients And Methods: As part of the iPREDICT program, asthma triggers were characterized by surveying 221 patients (aged ≥18 years) with self-reported asthma for a risk-benefit analysis of parameters predictive of changes in disease control. Seventeen healthy volunteers (age 25-65 years) tested 13 devices to measure these parameters and assessed their usability attributes.