Resp Res
-
Multicenter Study Clinical Trial Observational Study
Metformin use and respiratory outcomes in asthma-COPD overlap.
Metformin is associated with improved respiratory outcomes in asthma; however, metformin in COPD and asthma-COPD overlap (ACO) remains unexplored. ⋯ Metformin use was associated with fewer respiratory exacerbations and improved quality of life among individuals with ACO but not COPD alone. Results suggest a potential role for metformin in ACO which requires further prospective study.
-
Pulmonary involvement in COVID-19 is characterized pathologically by diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) and thrombosis, leading to the clinical picture of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. The direct action of SARS-CoV-2 in lung cells and the dysregulated immuno-coagulative pathways activated in ARDS influence pulmonary involvement in severe COVID, that might be modulated by disease duration and individual factors. In this study we assessed the proportions of different lung pathology patterns in severe COVID-19 patients along the disease evolution and individual characteristics. ⋯ Patients with severe COVID-19 present different proportions of DAD patterns over time, with advanced DAD being more prevalent after 17 days, which seems to be influenced by age and weight. Vascular involvement is present in a large proportion of patients, occurs early in disease progression, and does not change over time.
-
Increasing evidence shows that endothelial apoptosis contributes to cigarette smoke (CS)-induced disease progression, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Our previous studies have validated Notch1 as an anti-apoptotic signaling in CS-induced endothelial apoptosis. Resveratrol (RESV) is a naturally occurring polyphenol that exhibits an anti-apoptotic activity in endothelial cells that exposed to many kinds of destructive stimulus. However, the effects of resveratrol on Notch1 signaling in CS-induced endothelial apoptosis have not yet been fully elucidated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine whether RESV can protect endothelial cells from CS-induced apoptosis via regulating Notch1 signaling. ⋯ In HUVECs, RESV attenuates CSE induced endothelial apoptosis by inducing autophagy in a Notch1-dependent manner.
-
Comparative Study Observational Study
More skilled clinical management of COVID-19 patients modified mortality in an intermediate respiratory intensive care unit in Italy.
Some studies investigated epidemiological and clinical features of laboratory-confirmed patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) the virus causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but limited attention has been paid to the follow-up of hospitalized patients on the basis of clinical setting and the expertise of clinical management. ⋯ The present findings suggested that an intermediate level of hospital care may have the potential to modify survival in COVID-19 patients, particularly in the present phase of a more skilled clinical management of the pandemic.
-
In their letter-to-the-editor entitled "Misconceptions of pathophysiology of happy hypoxemia and implications for management of COVID-19", Tobin et al. (Respir Res 21:249, 2020) debated our views on happy hypoxemia in COVID-19 (Respir Res 21:198, 2020). We thank the authors for their interesting comments and alternative viewpoints, and we would like to clarify several important aspects raised.