Foreign body aspiration in adults and in children: advantages and consequences of a dedicated protocol in our 30-year experience.

Background: Foreign body (FB) inhalation is a potentially life-threatening emergency also in clinically stable patients as the situation could worsen at any moment. There is varying opinion regarding the urgency for removal of inhaled FBs, and there are no guidelines in the literature. The aim of our study was to present our experience with FB aspiration in children and adults from 1993, when we introduced our Thoracic Endoscopy Service with the availability "on call" of a bronchologist 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, defining a dedicated protocol together with our anaesthesiologists for prompt intervention in this situation.

PTPN22 R620W polymorphism in the ANCA-associated vasculitides.

Objectives: PTPN22 is involved in T-cell activation and its R620W single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) has been shown to predispose to different autoimmune diseases. The aims of this study were to investigate the role of the PTPN22 R620W SNP in conferring susceptibility to the ANCA-associated vasculitides (AAVs), and to explore potential associations between the PTPN22 genotype and the disease manifestations.

Methods: PTPN22 R620W SNP was genotyped in a cohort of 344 AAV patients [143 with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegener's) (GPA), 102 with microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) and 99 with Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS)] and in 945 healthy controls.

Chymase-positive mast cells play a role in the vascular component of airway remodeling in asthma.

Background: There is increasing evidence to support a role for total mast cells (MC(TOT)) in the vascular component of airway remodeling in asthma. On the contrary, up to now, no study has addressed the role of chymase-positive mast cells (MC(TC)) in microvasculature changes.

Objective: We sought to assess the role of MC(TC) in the vascular component of airway remodeling in asthma.

Alveolar macrophages from normal subjects lack the NOS-related system y+ for arginine transport.

Systems y+ and y+L represent the main routes for arginine transport in mammalian cells. While system y+ activity is needed for the stimulated NO production in rodent alveolar macrophages (AM), no information is yet available about arginine transport in human AM. We study here arginine influx and genes for arginine transporters in AM from bronchoalveolar lavage of normal subjects.

Step-down compared to fixed-dose treatment with inhaled fluticasone propionate in asthma.

Background: Inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) are an effective treatment of asthma even when administered at a low dose. Once asthma is controlled, current guidelines recommend that the dose of ICS be reduced to the lowest possible and effective dose. Although the most appropriate strategy for the stepping down has not yet been defined, quantification of sputum eosinophils and bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) are indeed measures of asthma control.

Induced sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage from patients with hypersensitivity pneumonitis.

Background And Aim: Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is an immunologically induced inflammation of the lung parenchyma, though bronchial airways may be also involved. The aim of this study was to compare the cellular profiles of induced sputum (IS) in patients with newly diagnosed HP to that of healthy subjects, and to examine the relationship between inflammatory cells from IS and BAL.

Methods: Nine HP patients and 9 healthy volunteers were studied.

Vascular component of airway remodeling in asthma is reduced by high dose of fluticasone.

We conducted a randomized, double-blind, parallel-group study to assess the effect of 6 weeks treatment with low-dose (100 microg twice a day) or high-dose (500 microg twice a day) inhaled fluticasone propionate (FP) on the vascular component of airway remodeling in 30 patients with mild to moderate asthma. We also studied the effect on the inflammatory cells and the basement membrane thickness, and we compared findings from bronchial biopsies taken in patients with asthma with those in eight control subjects. Bronchial responsiveness to methacholine and asthma symptom score were measured before and after treatments.