The Italian severe/uncontrolled asthma registry (RItA): A 12-month clinical follow-up.

Background: follow-up studies on registries of severe/uncontrolled asthma (SUA) patients are scanty.

Objective: to analyze baseline and follow-up characteristics of SUA patients and their longitudinal patterns.

Methods: 180 adult patients (age ≥15 yrs) were investigated at baseline and 12-month follow-up through the Italian SUA registry (RItA).

ROSE: radiology, obstruction, symptoms and exposure - a Delphi consensus definition of the association of COPD and bronchiectasis by the EMBARC Airways Working Group.

Introduction: The coexistence of COPD and bronchiectasis seems to be common and associated with a worse prognosis than for either disease individually. However, no definition of this association exists to guide researchers and clinicians.

Methods: We conducted a Delphi survey involving expert pulmonologists and radiologists from Europe, Turkey and Israel in order to define the "COPD- [bronchiectasis] BE association".

Inhalation therapy in the next decade: Determinants of adherence to treatment in asthma and COPD.

Proceedings of the European Seminars in Respiratory Medicine course, Inhalation therapy in the next decade: Determinants of adherence to treatment in asthma and COPD, held in Taormina, Italy, on 3-4 March, 2017.

Efficacy and safety of aclidinium/formoterol versus salmeterol/fluticasone: a phase 3 COPD study.

The efficacy and safety of twice-daily aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate was compared with that of salmeterol/fluticasone propionate in patients with stable, moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).AFFIRM COPD (Aclidinium and Formoterol Findings in Respiratory Medicine COPD) was a 24-week, double-blind, double-dummy, active-controlled study. Patients were randomised (1:1) to aclidinium/formoterol 400/12 µg twice-daily via Genuair/Pressair or salmeterol/fluticasone 50/500 µg twice-daily via Accuhaler.

Impact of asthma and comorbid allergic rhinitis on quality of life and control in patients of Italian general practitioners.

Objective: Asthma is a disease with elevated prevalence within the general population. Although general practitioners (GPs) are among the first health-care professionals to whom patients refer for their symptoms, there are few evaluations of this disease based on data provided by the GPs. The aim of this observational study is to assess the impact of asthma and comorbid allergic rhinitis on individual/social burden, quality of life, and disease control in asthmatic patients of Italian GPs.

Acute administration of bronchodilators on exercise tolerance in treated COPD patients.

Exercise intolerance is a major feature in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Bronchodilators increase endurance time (ET) and reduce dynamic hyperinflation (DH). We evaluated whether a single-dose of salbutamol/ipratropium + flunisolide (BD+ICS), added on top of the regular treatment, may improve ET in COPD patients.

Beclomethasone dipropionate blunts allergen-induced early increase in urinary LTE4.

Background: The inhibitory effect of corticosteroids (CS) on the secretions of cysteinyl-leukotrienes (Cys-LTs) in asthma is controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of CS on allergen-induced increase in urinary leukotriene E4 (uLTE4) during early (EAR) and late (LAR) asthmatic responses in mild untreated asthmatics.

Material And Methods: Nine subjects with mild untreated allergic asthma performed two allergen challenges, after 1-week treatment with beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP, 500 microg b.

Biological markers in induced sputum of patients with different phenotypes of chronic airway obstruction.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous disease characterized by a combination of 3 different disorders, namely chronic asthma, chronic bronchitis and pulmonary emphysema, sometimes simultaneously present in the same subject.

Objectives: The aim of our study was to compare sputum inflammatory markers in patients with different phenotypes of chronic airway obstruction.

Methods: Forty-five subjects (forced expiratory volume in 1 s/vital capacity, FEV(1)/VC: 58.

Magnitude of late asthmatic response to allergen in relation to baseline and allergen-induced sputum eosinophilia in mild asthmatic patients.

Background: Late asthmatic response (LAR) to allergen challenge is a validated method for studying the pathogenesis of and new treatments for asthma in the laboratory.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between the magnitude of allergen-induced LAR and clinical and biological determinants, including sputum and blood eosinophil percentages and eosinophil cationic protein concentrations.

Methods: Thirty-eight untreated mild asthmatic patients (mean age, 21.

Tiotropium and exercise training in COPD patients: effects on dyspnea and exercise tolerance.

Background: Exercise training improves exercise tolerance in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Tiotropium 18 microg once daily induces sustained bronchodilation throughout the day and reduces hyperinflation, one of the pathophysiological factors contributing to exertional dyspnea in COPD patients.

Aim: To determine whether tiotropium enhances the effects of exercise training in patients with COPD.

Asthma control in patients with asthma and allergic rhinitis receiving add-on montelukast therapy for 12 months: a retrospective observational study.

Background: Montelukast, a potent leukotriene receptor antagonist, is approved for treatment of both asthma and allergic rhinitis (AR). No studies to date have examined whether montelukast can improve asthma control over a long period of time in patients with seasonal AR and asthma.

Objective: To evaluate asthma control and use of asthma-related medical resources by patients with inadequately controlled mild to moderate persistent asthma and seasonal AR who required addition of montelukast as part of routine care.

Inhaled fluticasone propionate is effective as well as oral prednisone in reducing sputum eosinophilia during exacerbations of asthma which do not require hospitalization.

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether fluticasone propionate (FP) is effective as well as prednisone (P) in reducing sputum eosinophilia and in improving airway obstruction due to asthma exacerbations not requiring hospitalization. We measured, in a parallel-group, double-blind double-dummy, randomized study, sputum and blood inflammatory cell counts and soluble mediators in 37 asthmatic subjects during a spontaneous exacerbation of asthma (Visit 1) and after a 2 week (Visit 2) treatment with inhaled FP (1000microg bid) (Group A, n=18) or a reducing course of oral P (Group B, n=19). Asthma exacerbation was accompanied by sputum eosinophilia (eosinophils >2%) in almost all patients (95%).

Analysis of sputum cell counts during spontaneous moderate exacerbations of asthma in comparison to the stable phase.

Background: Acute airway inflammation is considered to characterize asthma exacerbations, but its specific cellular pattern has not yet been completely evaluated.

Aim: To evaluate the prevalence of sputum eosinophilia during acute asthma exacerbations of moderate severity, compared with a stable phase of the disease, and to assess the concordance between changes in pulmonary function and sputum eosinophilia in the period between exacerbation and post exacerbation.

Methods: We compared sputum and blood inflammatory cell counts in 29 asthmatic subjects during a spontaneous moderate exacerbation of asthma (visit 1) with sputum and blood cell counts measured 4 weeks after the resolution of asthma exacerbation (visit 2).

Induced sputum is a reproducible method to assess airway inflammation in asthma.

To evaluate the reproducibility of induced sputum analysis, and to estimate the sample size required to obtained reliable results, sputum was induced by hypertonic saline inhalation in 29 asthmatic subjects on two different days. The whole sample method was used for analysis, and inflammatory cells were counted on cytospin slides. Reproducibility, expressed by intra-class correlation coefficients, was good for macrophages (+0.

Ozone exposure increases eosinophilic airway response induced by previous allergen challenge.

We investigated whether exposure to ozone (O(3)) 24 hours after an allergen challenge test would increase airway eosinophilia induced by allergen in subjects with mild asthma with late airway response. Twelve subjects with mild atopic asthma participated in a randomized, single-blind study. Subjects underwent allergen challenge 24 hours before a 2 hour exposure to O(3) (0.