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Feng-jia Chen,1,2,* Li-juan Du,1,2,* Zhimin Zeng,1,2,* Xin-yan Huang,1,2 Chang-yi Xu,1,2 Wei-ping Tan,1,2 Can-mao Xie,1,2 Yu-xia Liang,1,2 Yu-biao Guo1,2 1Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 2Institute of Pulmonary Diseases, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yu-biao Guo; Yu-xia Liang, Tel +86 20 8775 5766, Email guoyb@mail.sysu.edu.cn; liangyx69@mail.sysu.edu.cnPurpose: PTPRH inhibits EGFR activity directly in cancer patients and activated EGFR induces goblet cell hyperplasia and mucus hypersecretion in asthma. However, the function of PTPRH in asthma remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to access the association of PTPRH with asthma and its underlying mechanism.Patients and Methods: We examined the PTPRH level in asthma patients (n = 108) and healthy controls (n = 35), and analyzed the correlations between PTPRH and asthma-related indicators. Human bronchial epithelial cell (HBECs) transfected with PTPRH and asthma mouse model were set up to investigate the function of PTPRH.Results: The expression of PTPRH was significantly increased and correlated with pulmonary function parameters, including airway obstruction, and T-helper2 (Th2) associated markers in asthma patients. PTPRH increased in the house dust mite (HDM)-induced asthmatic mice, while Th2 airway inflammation and Muc5ac suppressed when treated with PTPRH. Accordingly, PTPRH expression was markedly increased in IL-13-stimulated HBECs but PTPRH over-expression suppressed MUC5AC. Moreover, HBECs transfected with over-expressed PTPRH inhibited the phosphorylation of EGFR, ERK1/2 and AKT, while induced against PTPRH in HBECs dephosphorylated of EGFR, ERK1/2 and AKT.Conclusion: PTPRH reduces MUC5AC secretion to alleviate airway obstruction in asthm

Feng-jia Chen,* Geng-peng Lin,* Xin-yan Huang, Yang-li Liu, Zhi-min Zeng, Yu-biao Guo Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yu-biao GuoDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Institute of Respiratory Diseases of Sun Yat-Sen University, No. 58 Zhongshan 2nd Road, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 20 8775 5766Email huxineikegyb@163.comBackground: Biotherapy for asthma may be useful in patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with asthma characteristics. Therefore, the evaluation and close monitoring of asthma characteristics in severe and extremely severe COPD can guide treatment decisions to improve prognosis.Methods: Stable patients suffering from COPD and having a forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1%) of ≤50% (GOLD 3–4) in the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University from December 2014 to June 2018 were retrospectively enrolled in this study and evaluated in terms of their asthma characteristics (blood eosinophil counts, fractional exhaled NO [FeNO] values, and reversibility).Results: A total of 178 patients with an average age of 65.62±9.28 years were enrolled in this study. A total of 85 patients had an improvement of ≥12% in FEV1%, and 61 of these patients had an absolute increase of >200 mL. Of 122 patients, 68 had blood eosinophil counts of ≥150 cells/μl, whereas 27 showed blood eosinophil counts ≥300 cells/μl. The blood eosinophil of ≥2% was found in 66/122 (54.10%) patients, whereas ≥3% was found in 51/122 (41.80%) patients. A total of 46 of 58 patients had an increased serum IgE level of ≥30 IU/mL, and 32 patients had an IgE of ≥100 IU/mL.

Feng-jia Chen,* Xin-yan Huang,* Yang-li Liu, Geng-peng Lin, Can-mao Xie Department of Respiratory Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) is an easy, sensitive, reproducible, and noninvasive marker of eosinophilic airway inflammation. Accordingly, FeNO is extensively used to diagnose and manage asthma. Patients with COPD who share some of the features of asthma have a condition called asthma–COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS). The feasibility of using FeNO to differentiate ACOS patients from asthma and COPD patients remains unclear. Methods: From February 2013 to May 2016, patients suspected with asthma and COPD through physician’s opinion were subjected to FeNO measurement, pulmonary function test (PFT), and bronchial hyperresponsiveness or bronchodilator test. Patients were divided into asthma alone group, COPD alone group, and ACOS group according to a clinical history, PFT values, and bronchial hyperresponsiveness or bronchodilator test. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were obtained to elucidate the clinical functions of FeNO in diagnosing ACOS. The optimal operating point was also determined. Results: A total of 689 patients were enrolled in this study: 500 had asthma, 132 had COPD, and 57 had ACOS. The FeNO value in patients with ACOS was 27 (21.5) parts per billion (ppb; median [interquartile range]), which was significantly higher than that in the COPD group (18 [11] ppb). The area under the ROC curve was estimated to be 0.783 for FeNO. Results also revealed an optimal cutoff value of >22.5 ppb FeNO for differentiating ACOS from COPD patients (sensitivity 70%, specificity 75%).Conclusion: FeNO measurement is an easy, noninvasive, and sensitive method for differentiating ACOS from COPD. This technique is a new perspective for the management of COPD patient