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Background In septic shock, vasopressors aim to improve tissue perfusion and prevent persistent organ dysfunction, a characteristic of chronic critical illness (CCI). Adjunctive vasopressin is often used to decrease catecholamine dosage, but the association of vasopressin response with subsequent patient outcomes is unclear. We hypothesized vasopressin response is associated with favorable clinical trajectory. Methods We included patients with septic shock receiving vasopressin as a catecholamine adjunct in this retrospective cohort study. We defined vasopressin response as a lowering of the catecholamine dose required to maintain mean arterial pressure ≥65 mm Hg, 6 h after vasopressin initiation. Clinical trajectories were adjudicated as early death (ED; death before day 14), CCI (ICU stay ≥14 days with persistent organ dysfunction), or rapid recovery (RR; not meeting ED or CCI criteria). Trajectories were placed on an ordinal scale with ED the worst outcome, CCI next, and RR the best outcome. The association of vasopressin response with clinical trajectory was assessed with multivariable ordinal logistic regression. Results In total 938 patients were included; 426 (45.4%) were vasopressin responders. The most frequent trajectory was ED (49.8%), 29.7% developed CCI, and 20.5% had rapid recovery. In survivors to ICU day 14 (those without ED), 59.2% had CCI and 40.8% experienced RR. Compared with vasopressin non-responders, vasopressin responders less frequently experienced ED (42.5% vs. 55.9%) and more frequently experienced RR (24.6% vs. 17.0%; P Conclusions Vasopressin responsive status was associated with improved clinical trajectory in septic shock patients. Early vasopressin response is a potential novel prognostic marker for short-term clinical trajectory.

The transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channel is expressed in human bronchial epithelium (HBE), where it transduces Ca2+ in response to airborne irritants. TRPV1 activation results in bronchoconstriction, cough, and mucus production, and may therefore contribute to the pathophysiology of obstructive airway disease. Since children with asthma face the greatest risk of developing virus-induced airway obstruction, we hypothesized that changes in TRPV1 expression, localization, and function in the airway epithelium may play a role in bronchiolitis and asthma in childhood. We sought to measure TRPV1 protein expression, localization, and function in HBE cells from children with versus without asthma, both at baseline and after RSV infection. We determined changes in TRPV1 protein expression, subcellular localization, and function both at baseline and after RSV infection in primary HBE cells from normal children and children with asthma. Basal TRPV1 protein expression was higher in HBE from children with versus without asthma and primarily localized to plasma membranes (PMs). During RSV infection, TRPV1 protein increased more in the PM of asthmatic HBE as compared with nonasthmatic cells. TRPV1-mediated increase in intracellular Ca2+ was greater in RSV-infected asthmatic cells, but this increase was attenuated when extracellular Ca2+ was removed. Nerve growth factor (NGF) recapitulated the effect of RSV on TRPV1 activation in HBE cells. Our data suggest that children with asthma have intrinsically hyperreactive airways due in part to higher TRPV1-mediated Ca2+ influx across epithelial membranes, and this abnormality is further exacerbated by NGF overexpression during RSV infection driving additional Ca2+ from intracellular stores.

The importance of innate immune cells to sense and respond to their physical environment is becoming increasingly recognized. Innate immune cells (e.g. macrophages and neutrophils) are able to receive mechanical signals through several mechanisms. In this review, we discuss the role of mechanosensitive ion channels, such as Piezo1 and transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4), and cell adhesion molecules, such as integrins, selectins, and cadherins in biology and human disease. Furthermore, we explain that these mechanical stimuli activate intracellular signaling pathways, such as MAPK (p38, JNK), YAP/TAZ, EDN1, NF-kB, and HIF-1α, to induce protein conformation changes and modulate gene expression to drive cellular function. Understanding the mechanisms by which immune cells interpret mechanosensitive information presents potential targets to treat human disease. Important areas of future study in this area include autoimmune, allergic, infectious, and malignant conditions.

TNF-α, a proinflammatory cytokine, is a crucial mediator of psoriasis pathogenesis. TNF-α functions by activating TNFR1 and TNFR2. Anti-TNF drugs that neutralize TNF-α, thus blocking the activation of TNFR1 and TNFR2, have been proven highly therapeutic in psoriatic diseases. TNF-α also plays an important role in host defense; thus, anti-TNF therapy can cause potentially serious adverse effects, including opportunistic infections and latent tuberculosis reactivation. These adverse effects are attributed to TNFR1 inactivation. Therefore, understanding the relative contributions of TNFR1 and TNFR2 has clinical implications in mitigating psoriasis versus global TNF-α blockade. We found a significant reduction in psoriasis lesions as measured by epidermal hyperplasia, characteristic gross skin lesion, and IL-23 or IL-17A levels in Tnfr2-knockout but not in Tnfr1-knockout mice in the imiquimod psoriasis model. Furthermore, imiquimod-mediated increase in the myeloid dendritic cells, TNF/inducible nitric oxide synthase‒producing dendritic cells, and IL-23 expression in the draining lymph nodes were dependent on TNFR2 but not on TNFR1. Together, our results support that psoriatic inflammation is not dependent on TNFR1 activity but is driven by a TNFR2-dependent IL-23/IL-17 pathway activation. Thus, targeting the TNFR2 pathway may emerge as a potential next-generation therapeutic approach for psoriatic diseases.

Severe covid-19 pneumonia has posed critical challenges for the research and medical communities. Older age, male sex, and comorbidities increase the risk for severe disease. For people hospitalized with covid-19, 15-30% will go on to develop covid-19 associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (CARDS). Autopsy studies of patients who died of severe SARS CoV-2 infection reveal presence of diffuse alveolar damage consistent with ARDS but with a higher thrombus burden in pulmonary capillaries. When used appropriately, high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) may allow CARDS patients to avoid intubation, and does not increase risk for disease transmission. During invasive mechanical ventilation, low tidal volume ventilation and positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) titration to optimize oxygenation are recommended. Dexamethasone treatment improves mortality for the treatment of severe and critical covid-19, while remdesivir may have modest benefit in time to recovery in patients with severe disease but shows no statistically significant benefit in mortality or other clinical outcomes. Covid-19 survivors, especially patients with ARDS, are at high risk for long term physical and mental impairments, and an interdisciplinary approach is essential for critical illness recovery.

Ion channels/pumps are essential regulators of innate immune cell function. Macrophages have been increasingly recognized to have phenotypic plasticity and location-specific functions in the lung. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) function in lung injury has been shown to be stimulus- and cell-type specific. In the current review, we discuss the importance of TRPV4 in macrophages and its role in phagocytosis and cytokine secretion in acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Furthermore, TRPV4 controls a MAPK molecular switch from predominately c-Jun N-terminal kinase, JNK activation, to that of p38 activation, that mediates phagocytosis and cytokine secretion in a matrix stiffness-dependent manner. Expanding knowledge regarding the downstream mechanisms by which TRPV4 acts to tailor macrophage function in pulmonary inflammatory diseases will allow for formulation of novel therapeutics.

The differentiation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts is critical for the development of fibrotic disorders, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Previously, we demonstrated that fibroblasts from patients with IPF exhibit changes in DNA methylation across the genome that contribute to a profibrotic phenotype. One of the top differentially methylated genes identified in our previous study was KCNMB1, which codes for the β subunit of the large-conductance potassium (BK, also known as MaxiK or K(Ca)1.1) channel. Here, we examined how the expression of KCNMB1 differed between IPF fibroblasts and normal cells, and how BK channels affected myofibroblast differentiation. Fibroblasts from patients with IPF exhibited increased expression of KCNMB1, which corresponded to increased DNA methylation within the gene body. Patch-clamp experiments demonstrated that IPF fibroblasts had increased BK channel activity. Knockdown of KCNMB1 attenuated the ability of fibroblasts to contract collagen gels, and this was associated with a loss of α-smooth muscle actin (SMA) expression. Pharmacologic activation of BK channels stimulated α-SMA expression, whereas BK channel inhibitors blocked the upregulation of α-SMA. The ability of BK channels to enhance α-SMA expression was dependent on intracellular calcium, as activation of BK channels resulted in increased levels of intracellular calcium and the effects of BK agonists were abolished when calcium was removed. Together, our findings demonstrate that epigenetic upregulation of KCNMB1 contributes to increased BK channel activity in IPF fibroblasts, and identify a newfound role for BK channels in myofibroblast differentiation.

Myofibroblasts are key contributors to pathological fibrotic conditions of several major organs. The transdifferentiation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts requires both a mechanical signal and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling. The cation channel transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) is a critical mediator of myofibroblast transdifferentiation and in vivo fibrosis through its mechanosensitivity to extracellular matrix stiffness. Here, we showed that TRPV4 promoted the transdifferentiation of human and mouse lung fibroblasts through its interaction with phosphoinositide 3-kinase γ (PI3Kγ), forming nanomolar-affinity, intracellular TRPV4-PI3Kγ complexes. TGF-β induced the recruitment of TRPV4-PI3Kγ complexes to the plasma membrane and increased the activities of both TRPV4 and PI3Kγ. Using gain- and loss-of-function approaches, we showed that both TRPV4 and PI3Kγ were required for myofibroblast transdifferentiation as assessed by the increased production of α-smooth muscle actin and its incorporation into stress fibers, cytoskeletal changes, collagen-1 production, and contractile force. Expression of various mutant forms of the PI3Kγ catalytic subunit (p110γ) in cells lacking PI3Kγ revealed that only the noncatalytic, amino-terminal domain of p110γ was necessary and sufficient for TGF-β-induced TRPV4 plasma membrane recruitment and myofibroblast transdifferentiation. These data suggest that TGF-β stimulates a noncanonical scaffolding action of PI3Kγ, which recruits TRPV4-PI3Kγ complexes to the plasma membrane, thereby increasing myofibroblast transdifferentiation. Given that both TRPV4 and PI3Kγ have pleiotropic actions, targeting the interaction between them could provide a specific therapeutic approach for inhibiting myofibroblast transdifferentiation.

INTRODUCTION: Positive hemodynamic response to vasopressin after 6 hours of infusion was independently associated with lower mortality in a previous retrospective study of patients with septic shock. However, factors previously associated with higher plasma vasopressin concentration were not associated with response, and the relationship between plasma vasopressin concentration and hemodynamic response has not been evaluated. OBJECTIVES: This cross-sectional study compared plasma vasopressin concentrations in hemodynamic responders and non-responders to vasopressin in patients with septic shock to evaluate plasma vasopressin concentration as a therapeutic target for hemodynamic response to vasopressin. METHODS: Adult patients with septic shock were included if they were treated with fixed-dose vasopressin as an adjunct to catecholamines for at least 3 hours. Patients were assigned to groups based on vasopressin response. RESULTS: Ten hemodynamic responders to vasopressin and eight non-responders were included. Blood samples for plasma vasopressin concentration were collected 3 to 6 hours after vasopressin initiation. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. No difference was detected in plasma vasopressin concentrations between hemodynamic responders and non-responders (median 88.6 pg/ml [interquartile range (IQR) 84.4, 107.5 pg/ml] vs 89.9 pg/ml [IQR 67.5, 157.4 pg/ml], p=0.79, respectively). We also did not detect a difference between groups after correcting for vasopressin dose; median vasopressin plasma concentration per 0.01 units/min of vasopressin infusion for responders was 25.9 pg/ml (IQR 21.8, 31.8 pg/ml) versus 29.5 pg/ml (IQR 23.0, 57.5 pg/ml, p=0.48) for non-responders. No difference in clinical outcomes was detected between groups. The findings were robust to multiple sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS: This study does not support the use of plasma vasopressin concentrations as a therapeutic target to predict hemodynamic response to exogenous vasopressin in septic shock.

Purpose Although safety and tolerability of approved antifibrotics has been reported extensively, little is known about their effects on weight. We analyzed predictors of weight change after one year of uninterrupted antifibrotic therapy in patients followed at our institution's interstitial lung disease clinic. Methods/Results We identified 80 patients on antifibrotic therapy (44 pirfenidone/36 nintedanib) with at least one year of follow-up and no therapy interruptions. Thirty-five patients (44%) lost more than 5% of their baseline body weight, and 11 (19%) lost more than 10%. A higher proportion of patients on nintedanib experienced a clinically significant weight loss (>5%) versus pirfenidone (61% vs 30%, p = 0.005). Univariate and multivariate analyses identified nintedanib therapy and a higher composite physiologic index (CPI) as predictors of weight loss. Conclusions Weight loss is common among IPF patients on antifibrotic therapy. Nintedanib therapy and more advanced disease were identified as predictors of weight loss in this population.

As long-term smokers undergo computed tomography (CT) to screen for lung cancer, cases of interstitial lung disease are being discovered incidentally. This article explains how to distinguish among the most common forms of interstitial lung disease in this situation and the role of primary care physicians in managing them.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal fibrotic lung disorder with no effective medical treatments available. The generation of myofibroblasts, which are critical for fibrogenesis, requires both a mechanical signal and activated TGF-β; however, it is not clear how fibroblasts sense and transmit the mechanical signal(s) that promote differentiation into myofibroblasts. As transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) channels are activated in response to changes in plasma membrane stretch/matrix stiffness, we investigated whether TRPV4 contributes to generation of myofibroblasts and/or experimental lung fibrosis. We determined that TRPV4 activity is upregulated in lung fibroblasts derived from patients with IPF. Moreover, TRPV4-deficient mice were protected from fibrosis. Furthermore, genetic ablation or pharmacological inhibition of TRPV4 function abrogated myofibroblast differentiation, which was restored by TRPV4 reintroduction. TRPV4 channel activity was elevated when cells were plated on matrices of increasing stiffness or on fibrotic lung tissue, and matrix stiffness-dependent myofibroblast differentiation was reduced in response to TRVP4 inhibition. TRPV4 activity modulated TGF-β1-dependent actions in a SMAD-independent manner, enhanced actomyosin remodeling, and increased nuclear translocation of the α-SMA transcription coactivator (MRTF-A). Together, these data indicate that TRPV4 activity mediates pulmonary fibrogenesis and suggest that manipulation of TRPV4 channel activity has potential as a therapeutic approach for fibrotic diseases.

Macrophage phagocytosis of particles and pathogens is an essential aspect of innate host defense. Phagocytic function requires cytoskeletal rearrangements that depend on the interaction between macrophage surface receptors, particulates/pathogens, and the extracellular matrix. In the present study we determine the role of a mechanosensitive ion channel, transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4), in integrating the LPS and matrix stiffness signals to control macrophage phenotypic change for host defense and resolution from lung injury. We demonstrate that active TRPV4 mediates LPS-stimulated murine macrophage phagocytosis of nonopsonized particles (Escherichia coli) in vitro and opsonized particles (IgG-coated latex beads) in vitro and in vivo in intact mice. Intriguingly, matrix stiffness in the range seen in inflamed or fibrotic lung is required to sensitize the TRPV4 channel to mediate the LPS-induced increment in macrophage phagocytosis. Furthermore, TRPV4 is required for the LPS induction of anti-inflammatory/proresolution cytokines. These findings suggest that signaling through TRPV4, triggered by changes in extracellular matrix stiffness, cooperates with LPS-induced signals to mediate macrophage phagocytic function and lung injury resolution. These mechanisms are likely to be important in regulating macrophage function in the context of pulmonary infection and fibrosis.

Rationale: Wnt/β-catenin signaling has been implicated in lung fibrosis, but how this occurs and whether expression changes in Wnt pathway components predict disease progression is unknown.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal fibrotic lung disorder with marginally effective medical treatment. Myofibroblasts are critical to the fibrogenic lung repair process; however, the mechanism whereby the mechanical signal that leads to myofibroblast generation is sensed and transmitted remains to be determined. As transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) ion channels are activated by plasma membrane stretch/matrix stiffness, we investigated whether TRPV4 plays a role in myofibroblast differentiation and/or in vivo lung fibrosis. TRPV4 inhibition by small-molecule inhibitors almost completely abrogated both the calcium influx response to TPRV4 agonist in a dose-dependent manner and the myofibroblast differentiation response to transforming growth factor-β. Similar findings were noted on TRPV4 deletion with small interfering RNA or in TRPV4 KO murine lung fibroblasts. Further, TRPV4 exhibited its mechanosensing and myofibroblast-differentiating effect under conditions of matrix stiffness in the pathophysiological range (1–25 kPa). Mechanistically, TRPV4 activity modulates transforming growth factor β actions in a Smad-independent manner, in part through enhanced actomyosin remodeling with resultant nuclear translocation of the α–smooth muscle actin transcription coactivator (myocardin-related transcription factor-A). The myofibroblast differentiation response to actual fibrotic lung tissue was also completely inhibited on TRPV4 blockade. Furthermore, TRPV4 deficiency protects mice from fibrosis-inducing effects of bleomycin (1 or 4 U/kg dose) at the biochemical (75% less hydroxyproline; P < 0.05), histologic, and physiologic levels (57% less impairment of compliance; P < 0.05). These data identify TRPV4 as a long-elusive mechanosensor/transducer that mediates myofibroblast differentiation and in vivo pulmonary fibrogenesis. Successful manipulation of TRPV4 channel activity may be a novel therapeutic approach for fibrotic diseases of the lung and other organs.

Nevins W Todd,1,2 Rachel G Scheraga,1,3 Jeffrey R Galvin,1,4 Aldo T Iacono,1 E James Britt,1 Irina G Luzina,1,2 Allen P Burke,5,* Sergei P Atamas1,2,* 1Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; 2Baltimore VA Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA; 3Critical Care Medicine Department, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA; 4Department of Diagnostic Radiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; 5Department of Pathology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal lung disease with no known effective therapy. It is often assumed, but has not been objectively evaluated, that pulmonary inflammation subsides as IPF progresses. The goal of this work was to assess changes in the degree of inflammatory cell infiltration, particularly lymphocytic infiltration, over the duration of illness in IPF. Methods: Sixteen patients with confirmed IPF were identified in patients whom surgical lung biopsy (SLB) was performed in early disease, and in patients whom lung transplantation was subsequently performed in end stage disease. A numerical scoring system was used to histologically quantify the amount of fibrosis, honeycomb change, fibroblastic foci, and lymphocyte aggregates in each SLB and lung explant tissue sample. Analyses of quantitative scores were performed by comparing paired, matched samples of SLB to lung explant tissue. Results: Median time [1st, 3rd quartiles] from SLB to lung transplantation was 24 [15, 29] months. Histologic fibrosis and honeycomb change were more pronounced in the explant samples compared with SLB (P < 0.001 and P < 0.01, respectively), and most notably, higher numbers of lymphocyte aggregates were observed in the explant samples compared to SLB (P = 0.013). Immunohistochemical analyses revealed abundant CD3+ (T lymphocyte) and CD20+ (B lymphocyte) cells, but not CD68+ (macrophage) cells, within the aggregates. Conclusion: Contrary to the frequent assumption, lymphocyte aggregates were present in greater numbers in advanced disease (explant tissue) compared to early disease (surgical lung biopsy). This finding suggests that active cellular inflammation continues in IPF even in severe end stage disease. Keywords: idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, inflammation, lymphocyte aggregates