Publications by authors named "Yan Hui Giam"

Rationale: The inflammasome is a key regulatory complex of the inflammatory response leading to interleukin-1β (IL-1β) release and activation. IL-1β amplifies inflammatory responses and induces mucus secretion and hyperconcentration in other diseases. The role of IL-1β in bronchiectasis has not been investigated.

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Article Synopsis
  • Patients with bronchiectasis experience worse health outcomes due to infections, often linked to weakened neutrophil antimicrobial responses that allow bacteria to persist.
  • The study investigated the effectiveness of gremubamab, a bispecific monoclonal antibody, in boosting the ability of neutrophils to kill bacteria associated with bronchiectasis.
  • Results showed that gremubamab significantly improved neutrophil functions, including opsonophagocytic killing and phagocytosis, without interfering with the body's natural antibodies, thus reducing the harmful effects of the bacterial infection.*
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Introduction: Sulforaphane can induce the transcription factor, Nrf2, promoting antioxidant and anti-inflammatory responses. In this study, hospitalised patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) were treated with stabilised synthetic sulforaphane (SFX-01) to evaluate impact on clinical status and inflammation.

Methods: Double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial of SFX-01 (300 mg oral capsule, once daily for 14 days) conducted in Dundee, UK, between November 2020 and May 2021.

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Background: Neutrophils are important in the pathophysiology of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but the molecular changes contributing to altered neutrophil phenotypes following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection are not fully understood. We used quantitative mass spectrometry-based proteomics to explore neutrophil phenotypes immediately following acute SARS-CoV-2 infection and during recovery.

Methods: Prospective observational study of hospitalised patients with PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (May to December 2020).

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Although inflammation and infection are key disease drivers in bronchiectasis, few studies have integrated host inflammatory and microbiome data to guide precision medicine. To identify clusters among patients with bronchiectasis on the basis of inflammatory markers and to assess the association between inflammatory endotypes, microbiome characteristics, and exacerbation risk. Patients with stable bronchiectasis were enrolled at three European centers, and cluster analysis was used to stratify the patients according to the levels of 33 sputum and serum inflammatory markers.

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Background: Neutrophil serine proteases are involved in the pathogenesis of COVID-19 and increased serine protease activity has been reported in severe and fatal infection. We investigated whether brensocatib, an inhibitor of dipeptidyl peptidase-1 (DPP-1; an enzyme responsible for the activation of neutrophil serine proteases), would improve outcomes in patients hospitalised with COVID-19.

Methods: In a multicentre, double-blind, randomised, parallel-group, placebo-controlled trial, across 14 hospitals in the UK, patients aged 16 years and older who were hospitalised with COVID-19 and had at least one risk factor for severe disease were randomly assigned 1:1, within 96 h of hospital admission, to once-daily brensocatib 25 mg or placebo orally for 28 days.

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Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are believed to be at increased risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. It is not known to what extent the natural production of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 is protective against re-infection.

Methods: A prospective observational study of HCWs in Scotland (UK) from May to September 2020 was performed.

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Bronchiectasis, a progressive chronic airway disease, is characterized by microbial colonization and infection. We present an approach to the multi-biome that integrates bacterial, viral and fungal communities in bronchiectasis through weighted similarity network fusion ( https://integrative-microbiomics.ntu.

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Article Synopsis
  • Bronchiectasis is a lung disease where the airways get inflamed mainly because of a type of white blood cell called neutrophils, but we don't know much about how to treat it effectively.
  • The researchers studied a group of patients to see how certain proteins (biomarkers) related to the badness of the disease, and they looked at how these proteins changed when patients received treatment.
  • They also tested whether a medicine called macrolides could help lower the levels of harmful proteins in bronchiectasis patients, hoping this could lead to better treatment options.
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Bronchiectasis is a heterogenous disease with multiple underlying causes. The pathophysiology is poorly understood but neutrophilic inflammation and dysfunctional killing of pathogens is believed to be key. There are, however, no licensed therapies for bronchiectasis that directly target neutrophilic inflammation.

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