Early Reduction of FeNO on Anti-IL5 Biologics Is Associated With Clinical Remission of Severe Asthma.

Background: In patients with severe asthma, treatment with anti-interleukin-5 (IL-5) biologics can lead to a reduction in fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) in some patients. The clinical implications of varying FeNO responses to anti-IL-5 biologics remain unclear. This study aims to categorise patients based on their FeNO response to anti-IL-5 biologics and evaluate the association of these categories with clinical outcomes.

Network of doctors for multimorbidity and diabetes - the NOMAD intervention: protocol for feasibility trial of multidisciplinary team conferences for people with diabetes and multimorbidity.

Background: The prevalence of diabetes and coexisting multimorbidity rises worldwide. Treatment of this patient group can be complex. Providing an evidence-based, coherent, and patient-centred treatment of patients with multimorbidity poses a challenge in healthcare systems, which are typically designed to deliver disease-specific care.

Incidence of community-acquired pneumonia hospitalisation in persons with bronchiectasis during the COVID-19 lockdown in Denmark: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Persons with bronchiectasis have a high risk of community-acquired pneumonia. Social distancing measures, implemented to prevent the spreading of SARS-CoV-2, could potentially reduce the incidence of other infectious diseases.

Research Question: Was the COVID-19 lockdown period, along with accompanying social distancing measures, associated with reduced hospital admissions for community-acquired pneumonia and decreased overall mortality rates among individuals with bronchiectasis?

Methods: Social distancing measures were introduced in Denmark by 12 March 2020 and were preserved until 20 May 2020 (social distancing period), after which the measures were gradually dismissed.

Clinical Response and Remission in Patients With Severe Asthma Treated With Biologic Therapies.

Background: The development of novel targeted biologic therapies for severe asthma has provided an opportunity to consider remission as a new treatment goal.

Research Question: How many patients with severe asthma treated with biologic therapy achieve clinical remission, and what predicts response to treatment?

Study Design And Methods: The Danish Severe Asthma Register is a nationwide cohort including all adult patients receiving biologic therapy for severe asthma in Denmark. This observational cohort study defined "clinical response" to treatment following 12 months as a ≥ 50% reduction in exacerbations and/or a ≥ 50% reduction in maintenance oral corticosteroid dose, if required.

The multidisciplinary approach to eosinophilia.

Eosinophilic granulocytes are normally present in low numbers in the bloodstream. Patients with an increased number of eosinophilic granulocytes in the differential count (eosinophilia) are common and can pose a clinical challenge because conditions with eosinophilia occur in all medical specialties. The diagnostic approach must be guided by a thorough medical history, supported by specific tests to guide individualized treatment.

Inhaled Corticosteroids in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Risk of Acquiring Infection. A Multiregional Epidemiological Study.

Background: Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are associated with an increased risk of clinical pneumonia among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is unknown whether the risk of microbiologically verified pneumonia such as pneumococcal pneumonia is increased in ICS users.

Methods: The study population consists of all COPD patients followed in outpatient clinics in eastern Denmark during 2010-2017.

Physician-led in-hospital multidisciplinary team conferences with multiple medical specialities present - A scoping review.

Introduction: Multidisciplinary Team Conferences (MDTs) are complex interventions in the modern healthcare system and they promote a model of coordinated patient care and management. However, MDTs within chronic diseases are poorly defined. Therefore, the aim of this scoping review was to summarise the current literature on physician-led in-hospital MDTs in chronic non-malignant diseases.

Hospitalization for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia: association with the dose of inhaled corticosteroids. A nation-wide cohort study of 52 100 outpatients.

Objectives: International guidelines only advocate the use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experiencing recurring exacerbations and eosinophilic inflammation. However, ICSs are commonly used in patients with COPD and without exacerbations and signs of eosinophilic inflammation, thus possibly increasing the risk of hospitalization for pneumonia. Thus, we aimed to determine the risk of hospitalization for pneumonia associated with increasing cumulated ICS doses among patients with COPD to establish whether there is dose dependency.

Targeted AntiBiotics for Chronic pulmonary diseases (TARGET ABC): can targeted antibiotic therapy improve the prognosis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa-infected patients with chronic pulmonary obstructive disease, non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis, and asthma? A multicenter, randomized, controlled, open-label trial.

Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection is seen in chronic pulmonary disease and is associated with exacerbations and poor long-term prognosis. However, evidence-based guidelines for the management and treatment of P. aeruginosa infection in chronic, non-cystic fibrosis (CF) pulmonary disease are lacking.

Plasma microfibrillar-associated protein 4 is not prognostic of emphysema progression but is associated with cardiovascular disease history and mortality in COPD patients.

http://ow.ly/6vnL30o8t1g.

Microfibrillar-associated protein 4: a potential biomarker of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Microfibrillar-associated protein 4 (MFAP4) is a matricellular glycoprotein that co-localises with elastic fibres and is highly expressed in the lungs. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that plasma MFAP4 (pMFAP4) reflects clinical outcomes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods: pMFAP4 was measured by an AlphaLISA immunoassay in stable COPD (n = 69) at baseline and at follow-up until 24 months after inclusion and in acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) (n = 14) at baseline and until 6 months after inclusion.

Surfactant protein D is a candidate biomarker for subclinical tobacco smoke-induced lung damage.

Variation in surfactant protein D (SP-D) is associated with lung function in tobacco smoke-induced chronic respiratory disease. We hypothesized that the same association exists in the general population and could be used to identify individuals sensitive to smoke-induced lung damage. The association between serum SP-D (sSP-D) and expiratory lung function was assessed in a cross-sectional design in a Danish twin population (n = 1,512, 18-72 yr old).

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay characterization of basal variation and heritability of systemic microfibrillar-associated protein 4.

Background: Microfibrillar-associated protein 4 (MFAP4) is a systemic biomarker that is significantly elevated in samples from patients suffering from hepatic cirrhosis. The protein is generally localized to elastic fibers and other connective tissue fibers in the extracellular matrix (ECM), and variation in systemic MFAP4 (sMFAP4) has the potential to reflect diverse diseases with increased ECM turnover. Here, we aimed to validate an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the measurement of sMFAP4 with an emphasis on the robustness of the assay.

Circulating surfactant protein D is associated to mortality in elderly women: a twin study.

Background: Surfactant protein D (SP-D) is produced in the lungs and additional mucosal surfaces. Systemic SP-D levels are previously associated to aging-related- and lifestyle-related disorders and predicts mortality in cardiovascular and lung diseases. However, the association between higher serum SP-D levels and mortality in the general population is unknown.