Publications by authors named "W E Bain"

E-cigarette/vaping-associated lung injury (EVALI) is strongly associated with vitamin E acetate and often occurs with concomitant tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) use. To uncover pathways associated with EVALI, we examined cytokines, transcriptomic signatures, and lipidomic profiles in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from THC-EVALI patients. At a single center, we prospectively enrolled mechanically ventilated patients with EVALI from THC-containing products (N = 4) and patients with non-vaping acute lung injury and airway controls (N = 5).

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Introduction: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is characterized by diffuse lung injury. The impact of pre-existing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or emphysema on ARDS pathogenesis is not well characterized.

Methods: Secondary analysis of ARDS patients enrolled in the Acute Lung Injury Registry and Biospecimen Repository at the University of Pittsburgh between June 2012 and September 2021.

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Type III interferons (λ1, λ2, and λ3) are potent antiviral cytokines in the lung. However, their roles in nonviral lung injuries are less well understood. This study investigates the activation of type III interferon signaling in three distinct models of lung injuries caused by diverse stimuli: the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, bacterial endotoxin LPS, and the chemotherapeutic agent bleomycin.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study focused on KPC-Kp bloodstream infections, which are deadly, and aimed to understand how these bacteria resist a key defense mechanism in our blood, called complement.
  • - Researchers tested various KPC-Kp isolates from patients, discovering that 27% of them resisted killing by human serum; a specific gene mutation (wcaJ) linked to capsule production contributed to this resistance.
  • - This mutation resulted in less capsule presence, paradoxically increasing the bacteria's ability to bind complement proteins while also improving their survival against immune responses, potentially allowing them to thrive in the bloodstream without being overly virulent in tissues.
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