Summary
Background
Asthma in the elderly (aged ≥ 65 years old) is a significant concern with high morbidity, but the pathophysiology remains unclear particularly in late‐onset asthma. Recent studies ...suggest staphylococcal enterotoxin IgE (SE‐IgE) sensitization to be a risk factor for asthma in general populations; however, the associations have not been examined in late‐onset elderly asthma.
Objective
We aimed to examine the associations of SE‐IgE sensitization with late‐onset asthma in the elderly, using a database of elderly asthma cohort study.
Methods
A total of 249 elderly patients with asthma and 98 controls were analysed. At baseline, patients were assessed for demographics, atopy, induced sputum profiles and comorbidities including chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Serum total IgE and SE‐IgE levels were measured. Asthma severity was assessed on the basis of asthma outcomes during a 12‐month follow‐up period.
Results
At baseline, serum SE‐IgE concentrations were significantly higher in patients with asthma than in controls median 0.16 (interquartile range 0.04–0.53) vs. 0.10 (0.01–0.19), P < 0.001. Elderly asthma patients with high SE‐IgE levels had specific characteristics of having more severe asthma, sputum eosinophilia and CRS, compared to those with lower SE‐IgE levels. In multivariate logistic regression analyses, the associations between serum SE‐IgE concentrations and severe asthma were significant, independently of covariables SE‐IgE‐high (≥ 0.35 kU/L) vs. negative (< 0.10 kU/L) group: odds ratio 7.47, 95% confidence interval 1.86–30.03, P = 0.005. Multiple correspondence analyses also showed that high serum SE‐IgE level had close relationships with severe asthma, CRS and sputum eosinophilia together.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance
This is the first report on the significant associations of SE‐IgE sensitization with late‐onset asthma in the elderly, particularly severe eosinophilic asthma with CRS comorbidity. Our findings indicate a potential implication of SE in the high morbidity burden of elderly asthma and suggest clues to the pathogenesis of severe late‐onset eosinophilic asthma in the elderly.
Background
Surfactant protein D (SPD) is a member of the collectin family that lines the airway epithelial cells with host defense. However, the role of SPD in the pathogenesis of aspirin‐exacerbated ...respiratory disease (AERD) is still unclear.
Methods
The serum SPD level was measured in patients with AERD (n = 336), those with aspirin‐tolerant asthma (ATA, n = 442), and healthy controls (HC, n = 104). Polymorphisms of SFTPD in the study subjects were analyzed. The effect of LTE4 on SPD production through eosinophil infiltration was investigated in BALB/c mice. The protective function of SPD against eosinophils inducing inflammation and remodeling was assessed in vitro/vivo. The potential efficacy of nintedanib against airway remodeling through the production of SPD was evaluated.
Results
The serum SPD level was significantly lower (P < .001) in AERD compared with ATA patients, and negatively correlated with fall in FEV1 (%) after lysine‐aspirin bronchoprovocation test and/or the urinary LTE4 level. In addition, polymorphism of SFTPD at rs721917 was significantly different in the study subjects (odds ratio, 2.124; 95% confidence intervals, 1.310‐3.446; P = .002). LTE4‐exposed mice showed an increased eosinophil count with a decreased SPD level in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Eosinophils increased α‐smooth muscle actin expression in airway epithelial cells, which was attenuated by SPD treatment. Furthermore, nintedanib protected the airway epithelial cells against eosinophils by enhancing the production of SPD.
Conclusion
The decreased level of SPD in AERD was associated with airway inflammation/remodeling under the eosinophilic condition, suggesting that modulation of SPD may provide a potential benefit in AERD.
High level of leukotriene E4 induces eosinophil infiltration in the lungs, leading to the reduction of surfactant protein D in patients with AERD. Decreased level of surfactant protein D and increased number of eosinophils enhance airway inflammation/remodeling. Modulation of surfactant protein D may provide a potential benefit in airway epithelium against eosinophils.
Aims
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an inflammatory skin disease. Probiotics have been reported to modulate immune responses and thus are now being suggested as potential treatments for allergies. In this ...study, we investigated the inhibitory effects of Lactobacillus sakei probio 65 isolated from Kimchi on artificially inducing AD in NC/Nga mice.
Methods and Results
Oral administration of viable or heat‐inactivated Lact. sakei probio 65 improved the condition of skin and reduced scratching frequency. Serum levels of IgE and cutaneous T‐cell‐attracting chemokine (CTACK) were significantly decreased by this therapy. Dead Lact. sakei probio 65 also decreased IL‐4 and IL‐6 serum concentrations. Moreover, both live and dead Lact. sakei probio 65 inhibited the expression of Thymus and activation‐regulated chemokine and CTACK in AD‐like skin lesions. The increased levels of Foxp3 expression in the lesional skin and ears were also suppressed by Lact. sakei probio 65. In addition, Lact. sakei probio 65 inhibited β‐hexosaminidase release and the secretion of IL‐4, TNF‐α and IL‐6 from RBL‐2H3 cells.
Conclusions
Oral treatment with both viable and heat‐inactivated Lact. sakei probio 65 inhibits skin inflammation and AD‐like skin lesions, as well as mast cell activation.
Significance and Impact of the Study
Lactobacillus sakei probio 65 has an inhibitory effect on atopic dermatitis‐like skin lesions and may represent an effective new anti‐inflammatory agent.
Recently, Lee et al reported a new grading system for the lumbar spinal foraminal stenosis. They considered the type of stenosis, the amount of fat obliteration, and the presence of nerve root ...compression. Our aim was to evaluate whether a new MR imaging grading system correlated with symptoms and neurologic signs and could replace the previous grading system.
We examined 91 patients (M/F = 49:42; mean age, 50 years) who visited our institution and underwent MR imaging of the L-spine and were evaluated by 2 musculoskeletal radiologists. The presence and grade of lumbar foraminal stenosis at the maximal narrowing point was assessed according to the new grading system suggested by Lee et al (Lee system) and the Wildermuth grading system (Wildermuth system). Results were correlated with clinical manifestations and neurologic physical examination. Statistical analysis was performed by using κ statistics, categoric regression analysis, and nonparametric correlation analysis (Spearman correlation).
Interobserver agreement in the grading of foraminal stenosis between the 2 readers was substantially correlated (κ of Lee system = 0.767, κ of Wildermuth system = 0.734). The Rs for reader 1 and reader 2 between the Lee system and the Wildermuth system were 0.880 and 0.885, between Lee system and PNM were 0.715 and 0.604, and between the Wildermuth system and PNM were 0.800 and 0.680. For patients younger than 50 years of age, the R between the Lee and Wildermuth systems was higher than that for patients 50 years or older, but the Rs between the grading system and PNM were lower in the younger group than in the older group. The Rs of the Wildermuth system with PNM were higher in the older group than in the younger group; the differences between the Rs of the Lee system with PNM and the Wildermuth system with PNM were higher in the older group (0.016 young versus 0.130 old and 0.008 versus 0.107).
Interobserver agreement of the Lee system was slightly higher than the Wildermuth system and substantially correlated. Both systems are good for evaluation of lumbar spinal foraminal stenosis, but the Lee system showed slightly better interobserver agreement and good clinical correlation in the younger group of patients.
Pressure-driven shock waves in solid materials can cause extreme damage and deformation. Understanding this deformation and the associated defects that are created in the material is crucial in the ...study of a wide range of phenomena, including planetary formation and asteroid impact sites, the formation of interstellar dust clouds, ballistic penetrators, spacecraft shielding and ductility in high-performance ceramics. At the lattice level, the basic mechanisms of plastic deformation are twinning (whereby crystallites with a mirror-image lattice form) and slip (whereby lattice dislocations are generated and move), but determining which of these mechanisms is active during deformation is challenging. Experiments that characterized lattice defects have typically examined the microstructure of samples after deformation, and so are complicated by post-shock annealing and reverberations. In addition, measurements have been limited to relatively modest pressures (less than 100 gigapascals). In situ X-ray diffraction experiments can provide insights into the dynamic behaviour of materials, but have only recently been applied to plasticity during shock compression and have yet to provide detailed insight into competing deformation mechanisms. Here we present X-ray diffraction experiments with femtosecond resolution that capture in situ, lattice-level information on the microstructural processes that drive shock-wave-driven deformation. To demonstrate this method we shock-compress the body-centred-cubic material tantalum-an important material for high-energy-density physics owing to its high shock impedance and high X-ray opacity. Tantalum is also a material for which previous shock compression simulations and experiments have provided conflicting information about the dominant deformation mechanism. Our experiments reveal twinning and related lattice rotation occurring on the timescale of tens of picoseconds. In addition, despite the common association between twinning and strong shocks, we find a transition from twinning to dislocation-slip-dominated plasticity at high pressure (more than 150 gigapascals), a regime that recovery experiments cannot accurately access. The techniques demonstrated here will be useful for studying shock waves and other high-strain-rate phenomena, as well as a broad range of processes induced by plasticity.
Monodisperse spherical Ni nanoparticles with diameters of 2 nm, 5 nm, and 7 nm were synthesized from the thermal decomposition of a Ni–oleylamine complex. Ni nanocrystal superlattices were generated ...via the controlled evaporation of solvent (see Figure). The nanoparticles were successfully used as catalysts for the Suzuki coupling reaction, and were readily oxidized to produce NiO nanoparticles.
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