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Background: COPD exacerbation is characterized by both airway and systemic inflammation. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between serum levels of some inflammatory biomarkers and the phenotypes of COPD exacerbation. Materials and Methods: This study includes known COPD patients, presenting to a hospital with acute exacerbation of COPD. Serum levels of CRP, ESR, CBC, TNF-a, IL-8, and IL-6 were measured at the time of admission. According to the previously done HRCT, the patients were divided into two groups including emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Levels of serum biomarkers were compared in the two groups. The relationships between biomarkers and duration of hospitalization were assessed too. Results: Comparison of quantitative CRP levels, WBC, and platelet counts did not show a statistically significant difference between emphysema and chronic bronchitis but it was significantly higher than control subjects. Although not statistically significant, ESR level was higher in emphysema. TNF-alpha was 6.0±1.5 ng / ml and 1.5 ng / ml in the emphysema and chronic bronchitis groups, respectively. TNF-a had no significant difference compared to the groups. Although higher than the control group, IL-6 and IL-8 did not show significant differences between emphysema and chronic bronchitis. The two groups did not statistically differ in terms of hospital stay but patients with higher serum TNF-a tended to have longer hospitalization and ICU admission. Conclusion: The present study showed predictably higher inflammatory biomarkers in COPD exacerbation but no significant difference between the two phenotypes of COPD and these two entities could not be discriminated based on inflammatory bio-factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although many aspects of the COVID-19 disease have not yet been clarified, dysregulation of the immune system may play a crucial role in the progression of the disease. In this study, the lymphocyte subsets were evaluated in patients with different severities of COVID-19. Materials and Methods: In this prospective study, the frequencies of peripheral lymphocyte subsets (CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ T cells; CD19+ and CD20+ B cells; CD16+/CD56+ NK cells, and CD4+/CD25+/FOXP3+ regulatory T cells) were evaluated in 67 patients with confirmed COVID-19 on the first day of their admission. Results: The mean age of patients was 51.3 ± 14.8 years. Thirty-two patients (47.8%) were classified as severe cases, and 11 (16.4%) were categorized as critical. The frequencies of blood lymphocytes, CD3+ cells, CD25+FOXP3+ T cells, and absolute count of CD3+ T cells, CD25+FOXP3+ T cells, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and CD16+56+ lymphocytes were lower in more severe cases compared to the milder patients. The percentages of lymphocytes, T cells, and NK cells were significantly lower in the deceased patients. (p= 0.002 and p= 0.042, p=0.006, respectively). Conclusion: Findings of this cohort study demonstrated that the frequencies of CD4+, CD8+, CD25+FOXP3+ T cells, and NK cells differed in the severe cases of COVID-19. Moreover, lower frequency of T cells and NK cells could be predictors of mortality in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Globally, lung cancer represents a major cause of cancer-related deaths. The regulation of gene expression is modulated by small noncoding RNAs called miRNAs that can act as both tumor suppressors and oncogenes. The maturation, expression and binding to target mRNAs is affected by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in miRNA genomic regions thereby contributing to cancer susceptibility. SNPs Rs11614913 in miR196a and Rs3746444 in miR-499 are implicated in the development of cancers such as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in non-Arabic subjects. Materials and Methods: A small cohort of 204 participants including 104 lung cancer patients and 100 non-cancer controls subjects were enrolled into the study. The allele frequencies were determined by Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and their correlation with lung cancer risk was determined. Results: The miR-196a rs11614913 polymorphism increased the risk of NSCLC (CC vs. TT+TC: OR= 2.26, 95%CI= 1.28 - 3.98, P= 0.0046) in a dominant genetic model. No statistically significant association was found between the miR-499 rs37464444 polymorphism and NSCLC. Conclusion: The rs11614913 polymorphism in miR-196a, but not the miR-499 rs37464444 polymorphism, increased the risk of NSCLC. Further studies with larger sample sizes in correlation with functional outcomes at the cellular level should be undertaken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is known that inflammatory responses occur in the airways of patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis during respiratory exacerbations but the role of these cytokines is not clear in this condition. Herein we evaluated the levels of interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor a (TNF-a) in the serum and bronchoalveolar lavage among children with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on all children with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis who were admitted with respiratory exacerbation in the pediatric pulmonology ward of Masih Daneshvari Hospital, Tehran-Iran. All patients underwent fiberoptic bronchoscopy and spirometry before and after the bronchoscopy. IL-1ß, IL-8, and TNF-a levels were measured in the serum and bronchoalveolar lavage. Results: Patients included 10 (59%) female and 7 (41%) male subjects with mean age of 13.8 years (range, 5-18). Mean values for forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) were below the normal range before and after bronchoscopy. Mean value for FVC (from 55% to 63%, P= 0.01) and FEV1 (from 60% to 64%, P= 0.26) increased after bronchoscopy compared to before that. IL-1ß and IL-8 levels were increased and TNF-a level was decreased in the serum and bronchoalveolar lavage but no significant correlation was found between spirometry and these cytokines levels. Conclusion: Changes in inflammatory cytokines levels in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage during respiratory exacerbation in patients with noncystic fibrosis bronchiectasis have no significant correlation with spirometry and cannot be used in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) are categorized as granulocytic (G-MDSCs) and monocytic (M-MDSCs) and their expansion play a role in cancer progression. Recruitment to the cancer site depends upon the presence of a chemoattractant. We aimed to investigate the presence of MDSC subtypes and of interleukin-8 (CXCL-8) in the peripheral blood in lung cancer subtypes including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients. Materials and Methods: Peripheral blood samples of 26 NSCLC patients, 18 SCLC patients, and 8 healthy control donors (HDs) were harvested and the surface expression of CD14, CD15, CD11b, and HLA-DR on MDSCs was measured using flow cytometry. The level of serum CXCL8 was measured by the ELISA method. Results: The frequency of circulating M-MDSCs was significantly higher in patients with NSCLC than in SCLC and HDs. In contrast, there was no statistical difference concerning the frequency of circulating G-MDSCs between the three groups. The concentration of CXCL-8 was significantly higher in the NSCLC and SCLC patients than in HD control with no significant difference between NSCLC and SCLC groups. There was no correlation between serum CXCL8 and G-MDSC levels. Conclusion: Our data confirm a higher frequency of circulating M-MDSCs, but not G-MDSCs, in the blood of those suffering from NSCLC but not for SCLC cases. Measuring MDSC subtypes and serum chemotactic factors may have implications for the differential diagnosis of NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inflammatory mediators are an important component in the pathophysiology of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study aimed to assess the effects of reducing inflammatory mediators using hemoperfusion (HP) and continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) on the mortality of patients with COVID-19. Materials and Methods: Twelve patients with confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 were included. All patients had acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Patients were divided into three groups, namely, HP, CRRT and HP+CRRT. The primary outcome was mortality and the secondary outcomes were oxygenation and reduction in inflammatory mediators at the end of the study. Results: Patients were not different at baseline in demographics, inflammatory cytokine levels, and the level of acute phase reactants. Half of the patients (3 out of 6) in the HP+CRRT group survived along with the survival of one patient (1 out of 2) in the HP group. All four patients in the CRRT group died. Serum creatinine (SCr), Interleukin-1 (IL1), Interleukin-6 (IL6), Interleukin-8 (IL8), partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2), O2 saturation (O2 sat), and hemodynamic parameters improved over time in HP+CRRT and CRRT groups, but no significant difference was observed in the HP group (All Ps > 0.05). Conclusion: Combined HP and CRRT demonstrated the best result in terms of mortality, reduction of inflammatory mediators and oxygenation. Further investigations are needed to explore the role of HP+CRRT in COVID-19 patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by a novel form of the coronavirus that caused severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). SARS-CoV-2 raised in China and has broadcast to 261 countries globally. SARS-CoV-2 a member of β-coronavirus family and has an almost matching genome sequence to a bat coronavirus, pointing to the bat as the natural host before it was transmitted to humans. SARS-CoV-2 uses the same receptor, angiotensinconverting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as that used by SARS-CoV and principally infects the respiratory tract. The clinical symptoms of COVID-19 patients include fever, cough and fatigue whilst small populations of patients have gastrointestinal symptoms. The old people and people with underlying metabolic and cardiovascular diseases are more affected to infection and have worse outcomes. These may be associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and a cytokine storm. In this review, we discuss the pathogenesis and clinical characteristics of disease and the pharmacologic approaches that may control COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mast cells play a critical role in the pathogenesis of various immunological and non-immunological diseases. It is now accepted that culturing primary mast cells considered as a tool for investigation role of mast cells in diseases. Development of various animal primary mast cells and their function could be used for the translational studies in the pathogenesis of human diseases. The aim of the study was to develop simple and cost-efficient method for differentiation and culture of rat mast cells from bone marrow by using rat and mouse spleen supernatant. Materials and Methods: Bone marrow cells from 10 to15-weeks-old male rats was obtained and cultured for three weeks on cell culture medium. After that, purity of cells was approved by FC-RI and CD117 antibodies, toluidine blue and Immunohistochemistry (IHC). Results: After 3 weeks continuous culturing, high purity of cells was found. CD117, CD34 expression and tryptase were 80.1, 76.89 and 87.9%, respectively by rat splenic supernatant, whereas 85.4, 83.07 and 82.1%, respectively with mouse splenic supernatants. Besides, rat spleen supernatant developed 91.4% and mouse splenocyte supernatant developed 89.7% mast cells based on surface markers. Conclusion: The data presented in this study indicated equal maturation and differentiation of bone marrow derived rat mast cells by using both spleen supernatants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is the most common lethal autosomal recessive disease that affects many organs including, lung, pancreas and liver. Cystic fibrosis is a monogenic disease and occurs in the white Caucasians. Massive neutrophil granulocyte influx in the airways is one of the characteristics of CF. Extracellular Vesicles (EVs), microvesicles, and exosomes are vesicles released from cells into extracellular space of the body and are able to influence other cells by different methods. They have an important role in the intracellular communication by transferring information between donor and recipients cells. Granulocytes are known as the main source of microparticles in the CF patients. Microparticles derived from neutrophils are associated with the extensive neutrophil influx into airways and aggregation at the epithelial surface of the CF patient's respiratory tract. Exosomes are found in almost all body fluids, such as urine, sputum, Bronchoalveolar Lavage (BAL), milk, Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF), plasma and sputum. Examination of exosomes derived from CF patients may be helpful in the characterization of pathogenesis of disease in detail. In this mini review, we have summarized the role of microparticles and exosomes in pathogenesis of CF and finally discussed the feasibility of this particle in treatment approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite being a high burden disorder, the pathogenesis of severe refractory asthma (SRA) is poorly understood. There are some evidences for the involvement of members of the signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) family, including STAT3 and STAT5a. Our study aimed to evaluate the gene expression of STAT3 and STAT5a in asthma and SRA to establish if there is an association. Materials and Methods: Using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reactions (qRT-PCR), the transcript levels of STAT3 and STAT5a were evaluated in peripheral blood mononuclear lymphocytes (PBML) isolated from 13 patients with SRA, 14 with mild asthma, and 30 healthy volunteers. Results: There were no significant differences in STAT3 transcript levels between study groups. There was however a significant difference in STAT5a transcript levels between cases and controls (p-value=0.03). In comparison to healthy controls, the levels of STAT5a were notably lower in patients with mild asthma and significantly least in those with SRA. Conclusion: Our study found no appreciable association between STAT3 gene expression and either mild asthma or SRA. However, the STAT5a down regulation in asthmatics and especially SRA is a notable finding which denotes on association between STAT5a and different level of asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has emerged as a new marker of inflammation associated with the severity of several respiratory and cardiac diseases. Materials and Methods: We investigated whether the degree of systemic inflammation in sarcoidosis patients as measured by the NLR is associated with pulmonary hypertension (PH). Results: A NLR > 3.5 occurred with a significantly higher frequency in sarcoidosis patients with PH (50% vs. 24%, P=0.016) yielding a sensitivity of 50%, specificity of 78%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 41.9% and negative predictive value (NPV) of 81.4% and remained independently associated with PH in multivariate analysis (OR: 3.254, 95% CI: 1.094- 9.678, P=0.034). Conclusion: We conclude that level of inflammation in sarcoidosis patients may be associated with the development of PH. Owing to the relatively good specificity and NPV, NLR may be a good negative test, which is a simple, inexpensive and widely available in office-based setting to predict the risk of PH in sarcoidosis patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Several studies have shown that smoking, as a modifiable risk factor, can affect tuberculosis (TB) in different aspects such as enhancing development of TB infection, activation of latent TB and its related mortality. Since willingness to quit smoking is a critical stage, which may lead to quit attempts, being aware of smokers' intention to quit and the related predictors can provide considerable advantages. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, subjects were recruited via a multi-stage cluster sampling method. Sampling was performed during 2012-2014 among pulmonary TB (PTB) patients referred to health centers in Tehran implementing the directly observed treatment short course (DOTS) strategy and a TB referral center. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 22 and the factors influencing quit intention were assessed using bivariate regression and multiple logistic regression models. Results: In this study 1,127 newly diagnosed PTB patients were studied; from which 284 patients (22%) were current smokers. When diagnosed with TB, 59 (23.8%) smokers quit smoking. Among the remaining 189 (76.2%) patients who continued smoking, 52.4% had intention to quit. In the final multiple logistic regression model, living in urban areas (OR=8.81, P=0.003), having an office job (OR= 7.34, P=0.001), being single (OR=4.89, P=0.016) and a one unit increase in the motivation degree (OR=2.60, P<0.001) were found to increase the intention to quit smoking. Conclusion: The study found that PTB patients who continued smoking had remarkable intention to quit. Thus, it is recommended that smoking cessation interventions should be started at the time of TB diagnosis. Understanding the associated factors can guide the consultants to predict patients' intention to quit and select the most proper management to facilitate smoking cessation for each patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]