scholarly journals Relationship between nitric oxide levels and the activity of fibrogenic cytokine TGF-β1 and their role in diagnostics of the development of irreversible morphofunctional changes in bronchi of smoking adolescents

Pathologia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-195
Author(s):  
S. I. Ilchenko ◽  
A. O. Fialkovska ◽  
K. V. Skriabina
Keyword(s):  
Blood Serum ◽  
Respiratory Symptoms ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
Bronchial Mucosa ◽  
Brush Biopsy ◽  
Functional Changes ◽  
Adolescent Smokers ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Feno Level ◽  
Tgf Β1

The aim is to study the relationship between the level of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and the activity of the fibrogenic cytokine TGF-β1 in blood serum and brush biopsy samples of bronchial mucosa in order to determine their role in the development of irreversible morphological and functional changes in smoking adolescents. Materials and methods. 20 adolescent smokers with chronic bronchitis (CB) (average age – 17.5 ± 0.2 years) were exa­mined. The comparison group consisted of 37 adolescent smokers without respiratory symptoms (average age – 15.9 ± 0.2 years) and 15 healthy adolescents, who never smoked (average age – 15.9 ± 0.4 years). In adolescent smokers the tobacco smoking status was assessed. To confirm active smoking, the nicotine metabolite cotinine was determined in urine. Instrumental methods included spirometry, chest X-ray, tracheobronchoscopy. The FeNO level was measured using a Niox Mino. TGF-β1 level was determined in the blood serum and brush biopsy samples of the bronchial mucosa. Results. The FeNO levels were significantly lower in adolescent smokers with CB in comparison with adolescent smokers without respiratory symptoms (6.1 ± 0.3 ppb versus 8.8 ± 0.6 ppb, P < 0.05). The relationship between the FeNO levels and indicators of the tobacco smoking status has been established in patients with CB and in asymptomatic smokers. There was a significant increase in the TGF-β1 levels in the blood serum in patients with CB compared with asymptomatic smokers (478.7 ± 57.9 pg/ml versus 231.5 ± 23.5 pg/ml, P < 0.05). In smoking adolescents a relationship between a FeNO level and an increased activity of the fibrogenic cytokine TGF-β (r = -0.63; P < 0.05) has been established. In one third of patients the TGF-β1 factor was identified in the bronchial endothelium. The presence of this factor in the bronchial endothelium is a serious prognostic criterion for the risk of developing “inadequate” pneumofibrosis, which can lead to irreversible remodeling processes in the bronchi. Conclusions. Determination of FeNO levels and TGF-β1 in the blood serum in smoking adolescents has a reliable diagnostic value for determining the risk group for the development of irreversible morphological and functional changes in the bronchi and can improve the efficiency of early diagnosis of chronic respiratory pathology.

COVID-19 in children: Pathogenesis and current status

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence Frenkel ◽  
Fernando Gomez ◽  
Joseph A Bellanti
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Disease ◽  
Respiratory Symptoms ◽  
Distress Syndrome ◽  
Clinical Course ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Initial Description ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Inflammatory Syndrome ◽  
The Relationship

Background: Since its initial description in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly progressed into a worldwide pandemic, which has affected millions of lives. Unlike the disease in adults, the vast majority of children with COVID-19 have mild symptoms and are largely spared from severe respiratory disease. However, thereare children who have significant respiratory disease, and some may develop a hyperinflammatory response similar to thatseen in adults with COVID-19 and in children with Kawasaki disease (KD), which has been termed multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).Objective: The purpose of this report was to examine the current evidence that supports the etiopathogenesis of COVID-19 in children and the relationship of COVID-19 with KD and MIS-C as a basis for a better understanding of the clinical course, diagnosis, and management of these clinically perplexing conditions.Results: The pathogenesis of COVID-19 is carried out in two distinct but overlapping phases of COVID-19: the first triggered by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) itself and the second by the host immune response. Children with KD have fewer of the previously described COVID-19–associated KD features with less prominent acute respiratory distress syndrome and shock than children with MIS-C.Conclusion: COVID-19 in adults usually includes severe respiratory symptoms and pathology, with a high mortality. Ithas become apparent that children are infected as easily as adults but are more often asymptomatic and have milder diseasebecause of their immature immune systems. Although children are largely spared from severe respiratory disease, they canpresent with a SARS-CoV-2–associated MIS-C similar to KD.

scholarly journals Associations among phthalate exposure, DNA methylation of TSLP, and childhood allergy

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wan-Ru Wang ◽  
Nai-Tzu Chen ◽  
Nai-Yun Hsu ◽  
I-Ying Kuo ◽  
Hsin-Wen Chang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Methylation Level ◽  
Respiratory Symptoms ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
Phthalate Esters ◽  
Allergic Diseases ◽  
Percentage Increase ◽  
Phthalate Exposure ◽  
Settled Dust ◽  
Butyl Phthalate

Abstract Background Dysregulation of thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) expressions is linked to asthma and allergic disease. Exposure to phthalate esters, a widely used plasticizer, is associated with respiratory and allergic morbidity. Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) causes TSLP upregulation in the skin. In addition, phthalate exposure is associated with changes in environmentally induced DNA methylation, which might cause phenotypic heterogeneity. This study examined the DNA methylation of the TSLP gene to determine the potential mechanism between phthalate exposure and allergic diseases. Results Among all evaluated, only benzyl butyl phthalate (BBzP) in the settled dusts were negatively correlated with the methylation levels of TSLP and positively associated with children’s respiratory symptoms. The results revealed that every unit increase in BBzP concentration in the settled dust was associated with a 1.75% decrease in the methylation level on upstream 775 bp from the transcription start site (TSS) of TSLP (β =  − 1.75, p = 0.015) after adjustment for child’s sex, age, BMI, parents’ smoking status, allergic history, and education levels, PM2.5, formaldehyde, temperature; and relative humidity. Moreover, every percentage increase in the methylation level was associated with a 20% decrease in the risk of morning respiratory symptoms in the children (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.65–0.99). Conclusions Exposure to BBzP in settled dust might increase children’s respiratory symptoms in the morning through decreasing TSLP methylation. Therefore, the exposure to BBzP should be reduced especially for the children already having allergic diseases.

scholarly journals Morphological Evidence of Telocytes in Skeletal Muscle Interstitium of Exercised and Sedentary Rodents

Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 807
Author(s):  
Silvia Ravalli ◽  
Concetta Federico ◽  
Giovanni Lauretta ◽  
Salvatore Saccone ◽  
Elisabetta Pricoco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Muscle Atrophy ◽  
Stromal Cells ◽  
Tibialis Anterior Muscle ◽  
Skeletal Muscle Atrophy ◽  
Morphological Evidence ◽  
Double Positive ◽  
Functional Changes ◽  
Cell Niche ◽  
The Relationship

Skeletal muscle atrophy, resulting from states of hypokinesis or immobilization, leads to morphological, metabolic, and functional changes within the muscle tissue, a large variety of which are supported by the stromal cells populating the interstitium. Telocytes represent a recently discovered population of stromal cells, which has been increasingly identified in several human organs and appears to participate in sustaining cross-talk, promoting regenerative mechanisms and supporting differentiation of local stem cell niche. The aim of this morphologic study was to investigate the presence of Telocytes in the tibialis anterior muscle of healthy rats undergoing an endurance training protocol for either 4 weeks or 16 weeks compared to sedentary rats. Histomorphometric analysis of muscle fibers diameter revealed muscle atrophy in sedentary rats. Telocytes were identified by double-positive immunofluorescence staining for CD34/CD117 and CD34/vimentin. The results showed that Telocytes were significantly reduced in sedentary rats at 16 weeks, while rats subjected to regular exercise maintained a stable Telocytes population after 16 weeks. Understanding of the relationship between Telocytes and exercise offers new chances in the field of regenerative medicine, suggesting possible triggers for Telocytes in sarcopenia and other musculoskeletal disorders, promoting adapted physical activity and rehabilitation programmes in clinical practice.

scholarly journals How different are COPD-specific patient reported outcomes, health status, dyspnoea and respiratory symptoms? An observational study in a working population

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. e025132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koichi Nishimura ◽  
Toru Oga ◽  
Kazuhito Nakayasu ◽  
Miyoko Ogasawara ◽  
Yoshinori Hasegawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Status ◽  
Respiratory Symptoms ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
Fixed Ratio ◽  
Airflow Limitation ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
Working Population ◽  
Specific Patient ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
D 12

ObjectivesWe hypothesised that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)-specific health status measured by the COPD assessment test (CAT), respiratory symptoms by the evaluating respiratory symptoms in COPD (E-RS) and dyspnoea by Dyspnoea-12 (D-12) are independently based on specific conceptual frameworks and are not interchangeable. We aimed to discover whether health status, dyspnoea or respiratory symptoms could be related to smoking status and airflow limitation in a working population.DesignThis is an observational, cross-sectional study.Participants1566 healthy industrial workers were analysed.ResultsRelationships between D-12, CAT and E-RS total were statistically significant but weak (Spearman’s correlation coefficient=0.274 to 0.446). In 646 healthy non-smoking subjects, as the reference scores for healthy non-smoking subjects, that is, upper threshold, the bootstrap 95th percentile values were 1.00 for D-12, 9.88 for CAT and 4.44 for E-RS. Of the 1566 workers, 85 (5.4%) were diagnosed with COPD using the fixed ratio of the forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity <0.7, and 34 (2.2%) using the lower limit of normal. The CAT and E-RS total were significantly worse in non-COPD smokers and subjects with COPD than non-COPD never smokers, although the D-12 was not as sensitive. There were no significant differences between non-COPD smokers and subjects with COPD on any of the measures.ConclusionsAssessment of health status and respiratory symptoms would be preferable to dyspnoea in view of smoking status and airflow limitation in a working population. However, these patient-reported measures were inadequate in differentiating between smokers and subjects with COPD identified by spirometry.

The relationship of the active and latent forms of TGF-β1 with marrow fibrosis in essential thrombocythemia and primary myelofibrosis

2011 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 2337-2344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cesar Cilento Ponce ◽  
Maria de Lourdes F. Chauffaille ◽  
Silvia Saiuli M. Ihara ◽  
Maria Regina R. Silva
Keyword(s):  
Essential Thrombocythemia ◽  
Primary Myelofibrosis ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Tgf Β1 ◽  
Marrow Fibrosis

Prevalence of Physical Activity Among Lebanese Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 315-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamad Al-Tannir ◽  
Samer Kobrosly ◽  
Taha Itani ◽  
Mariam El-Rajab ◽  
Sawsan Tannir
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Medical History ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
Physical Activity Behavior ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Activity Behavior ◽  
The Relationship

Background:This survey aims to assess the prevalence of physical activity among adult Lebanese, and to report the relationship between sociodemographic variables and physical activity behavior, highlighting the correlates discouraging people to carry out physical activity.Methods:A cross-sectional study using an anonymous self-reported questionnaire was conducted on 346 adults from four Lebanese districts. Demographic characteristics, physical activity, smoking status, alcohol consumption, and medical history were obtained.Results:Prevalence of physical activity among Lebanese adults was 55.5% (192/346). Age, BMI, marital status, medical history, occupation, educational level, and smoking were significantly associated with physical activity (P < .05). Inactive obese participants were about three times more likely to report hypertension and diabetes than inactive normal weight participants (P = .013). BMI was significantly higher among inactive participants (P = .014).Conclusion:Physical activity among Lebanese adults was comparable to other populations. Married, non–office workers, and smokers were the main correlates of physical inactivity in Lebanese adulthood.

scholarly journals Family with sequence similarity 13 member A mediates TGF-β1-induced EMT in small airway epithelium of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinyuan Zhu ◽  
Faxuan Wang ◽  
Xueyan Feng ◽  
Beibei Li ◽  
Liqiong Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Airway Epithelium ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
Sequence Similarity ◽  
Small Airway ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Protein Levels ◽  
Copd Patients ◽  
Small Airway Epithelium ◽  
Tgf Β1

Abstract Background To explore the role of family with sequence similarity 13 member A (FAM13A) in TGF-β1-induced EMT in the small airway epithelium of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods Small airway wall thickness and protein levels of airway remodeling markers, EMT markers, TGF-β1, and FAM13A were measured in lung tissue samples from COPD and non-COPD patients. The correlations of FAM13A expression with COPD severity and EMT marker expression were evaluated. Gain- and loss-of-function assays were performed to explore the functions of FAM13A in cell proliferation, motility, and TGF-β1-induced EMT marker alterations in human bronchial epithelial cell line BEAS-2B. Results Independent of smoking status, lung tissue samples from COPD patients exhibited significantly increased small airway thickness and collagen fiber deposition, along with enhanced protein levels of remodeling markers (collagen I, fibronectin, and MMP-9), mesenchymal markers (α-SMA, vimentin, and N-cadherin), TGF-β1, and FAM13A, compared with those from non-COPD patients. FAM13A expression negatively correlated with FEV1% and PO2 in COPD patients. In small airway epithelium, FAM13A expression negatively correlated with E-cadherin protein levels and positively correlated with vimentin protein levels. In BEAS-2B cells, TGF-β1 dose-dependently upregulated FAM13A protein levels. FAM13A overexpression significantly promoted cell proliferation and motility in BEAS-2B cells, whereas FAM13A silencing showed contrasting results. Furthermore, FAM13A knockdown partially reversed TGF-β1-induced EMT marker protein alterations in BEAS-2B cells. Conclusions FAM13A upregulation is associated with TGF-β1-induced EMT in the small airway epithelium of COPD patients independent of smoking status, serving as a potential therapeutic target for anti-EMT therapy in COPD.

The relationship between CSF and serum findings when diagnosed with syphilis

1935 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 138-138
Author(s):  
F. Каug
Keyword(s):  
Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽  
Blood Serum ◽  
Specific Reaction ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Positive Serum ◽  
The Relationship

The authors studied the question of whether a highly sensitive and strictly specific reaction of blood serum flocculation can be an auxiliary tool in assessing positive reactions of cerebrospinal fluid. A study of 1400 cases has proven that a positive serum flocculation reaction invariably accompanies a special colloidal reaction (Goldsolreaktion).

scholarly journals Relationship of altitude mountain sickness and smoking: a Catalan traveller’s cohort study

BMJ Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. e017058 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alba Sánchez-Mascuñano ◽  
Cristina Masuet-Aumatell ◽  
Sergio Morchón-Ramos ◽  
Josep M Ramon
Keyword(s):  
Smoking Status ◽  
Medical Advice ◽  
Health Clinic ◽  
Travel Health ◽  
Systemic Corticosteroids ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Mountain Sickness ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Chronic Use

ObjectivesThe aim of this study is to analyse the relationship between smoking andaltitude mountain sicknessin a cohort of travellers to 2500 metres above sea level (masl) or higher.SettingTravel Health Clinic at the Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, in Barcelona, Spain.ParticipantsA total of 302 adults seeking medical advice at the travel clinic, between July 2012 and August 2014, before travelling to 2500 masl or above, who agreed to participate in the study and to be contacted after the trip were included. Individuals who met the following criteria were excluded: younger than 18 years old, taking carbonic anhydrase inhibitors for chronic use, undergoing treatment with systemic corticosteroids and taking any medication that might prevent or treat altitude mountain sickness (AMS) prior to or during the trip. The majority of participants were women (n=156, 51.7%). The mean age was 37.7 years (SD 12.3). The studied cohort included 74 smokers (24.5%), 158 (52.3%) non-smokers and 70 (23.2%) ex-smokers. No statistical differences were observed between different sociodemographic characteristics, constitutional symptoms or drug use and smoking status.OutcomesThe main outcome was the development of AMS, which was defined according to the Lake Louise AMS criteria.ResultsAMS, according to the Lake Louise score, was significantly lower in smokers; the value was 14.9%, 95% CI (6.8 to 23.0%) in smokers and 29.4%, 95% CI (23.5 to 35.3%) in non-smokers with an adjusted OR of 0.54, 95% CI (0.31 to 0.97) independent of gender, age and maximum altitude reached.ConclusionsThese results suggest that smoking could reduce the risk of AMS in non-acclimated individuals. Further studies should be performed in larger cohorts of travellers to confirm these results. Despite the results, smoking must be strongly discouraged because it greatly increases the risk of cardiorespiratory diseases, cancer and other diseases.

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