AHI Outcomes Are Superior after Upper Airway Reconstructive Surgery in Adult CPAP Failure Patients.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) outcomes of upper airway adult obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) reconstructive surgery, as compared with outcomes of suboptimal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, in response to reviews claiming unreliable surgical AHI reduction.

Study Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: Single-surgeon series at medical centers within Wollongong, Australia.

Airway dysbiosis: Haemophilus influenzae and Tropheryma in poorly controlled asthma.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways where bacteria may act as protagonists of chronic inflammation. Little is known about the relation of airway inflammation to the presence of specific bacterial taxa. We sought to describe the sputum microbiome in adults with poorly controlled asthma.

Change in the manifestations of asthma and asthma-related traits in childhood: a latent transition analysis.

It is known that asthma is a heterogeneous entity whose manifestations vary with age. Our objective was to examine changes in the manifestation of asthma and asthma-related traits in childhood by defining empirically derived childhood asthma phenotypes and examining their transitions over time.To define the phenotypes we used data on respiratory symptoms, healthcare utilisation, medications, spirometry, airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), exhaled nitric oxide concentration and atopy from a birth cohort recruited on the basis of having a first-degree relative with asthma.

Viral infections and asthma: an inflammatory interface?

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways in which the majority of patients respond to treatment with corticosteroids and β₂-adrenoceptor agonists. Acute exacerbations of asthma substantially contribute to disease morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs, and are not restricted to patients who are not compliant with their treatment regimens. Given that respiratory viral infections are the principal cause of asthma exacerbations, this review article will explore the relationship between viral infections and asthma, and will put forward hypotheses as to why virus-induced exacerbations occur.