Functional Activity of Blood Neutrophils in Patients with Stable Course and Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

We performed a comparative study of the parameters of chemiluminescence of blood neutrophils in patients with different severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in its different periods. The maximum values of induced and spontaneous chemiluminescence were recorded at moderate severity of the disease during exacerbation. Low levels of chemiluminescence indicators were found in severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the stable phase. The values of the induction period of the chemiluminescent response in patients with moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were higher than in the control group. Correlations between the values of induced chemiluminescence of neutrophils and the respiration function parameter FEV1 were established, which may indicate the influence of multidirectional changes in the functional activity of systemic neutrophils on the development and worsening of airway obstruction in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients.

Cognitive Impairments in Patients with Bronchial Asthma.

The course of bronchial asthma can be accompanied by cognitive impairments. However, the relationship between cognitive dysfunction and asthma has not been fully revealed, nor has it been fully established what causes cognitive impairments in patients with asthma. There is an opinion that transient hypoxia and persistent systemic inflammation with insufficient control of bronchial asthma can be accompanied by neurotoxicity in relation to the hippocampus and indirectly lead to deterioration of cognitive functions. Comorbid conditions, such as obesity, allergic rhinitis, and depressive states can increase cognitive dysfunction in asthmatics. The review considers the pathophysiology of cognitive dysfunction in patients with bronchial asthma, as well as the impact of comorbid conditions on the cognitive status. This information will allow systematizing the available knowledge about the state of cognitive functions in asthma for timely detection and correction of their impairments and, ultimately, optimization of the management of these patients.

Comparative Study of the Levels of IL-1ß, IL-4, IL-8, TNFα, and IFNγ in Stable Course and Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease of Varying Severity.

In patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the levels of cytokines IL-1ß, IL-4, IL-8, TNFα, and IFNγ depended on the degree of bronchial obstruction and severity and period of the disease. The maximum levels of IL-4, IL-8, and TNFα were observed in severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease during exacerbation. The highest concentration of IL-1ß and IFNγ were recorded during activation of inflammation in patients with moderate bronchial obstruction. The revealed correlations between the tested cytokines and spirometry parameters make it possible to consider the levels of these proteins as quantitative markers of systemic inflammation progression.

Relationship of Nutritional Status and Spirometric Parameters in Children with Bronchial Asthma.

The potential mechanisms of bronchial asthma (BA) negative modification under the influence of obesity are currently being actively studied. However, at present, the effect of nutritional status on bronchial obstruction in children with BA cannot be considered established. In this regard, the purpose of this work was to study the relationship of spirometric parameters reflecting bronchial patency with nutritional status in children with asthma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study involved 54 patients with BA at the age of 8 to 17 years, 33 boys and 21 girls with different nutritional status. Assessment of nutritional status was carried out with the calculation of body mass index (BMI), relative body mass index (RBMI), and determination of body fat (% BF). Spirogram parameters were evaluated, including forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), FEV1/FVC ratio, maximum expiratory flow at the point of 25% loop flow-volume (MEF 25). RESULTS: Among the children examined, taking into account the BMI Z-score, 9.3% (5/54) had low body weight (group 1), 33% (18/54) had normal body weight (group 2), 31.5% (17/54) overweight (group 3), 25.9% (14/54) obesity (group 4). As the body weight increased, a statistically significant decrease in the FEV1/FVC ratio was observed, amounting to 84.6 [79.3; 90.0], 79.4 [76.6; 82.2], 74.6 [71.7; 77.5], 70.2 [67.0; 73.4]%, respectively, p=0.003; as well as a decrease in MEF 25 (% pred.), which amounted, respectively, to 95.6 [76.1; 115.2], 81.7 [71.4; 92.0], 56.3 [45.7; 66.9], and 48.4 [36.7; 60.1]%, p=0.003. A statistically significant negative relationship was found between indicators of nutritional status, including BMI, RBMI, % BF, and spirometry parameters reflecting bronchial patency, including FEV1/FVC ratio and MEF 25 (% pred.); all p<0.01. CONCLUSIONS: Overweight and obesity in children with BA, estimated both by calculated methods with determination of BMI and RBMI and direct determination of body fat content, are accompanied by a statistically significant decrease in bronchial patency.

Periostin as a Biomarker of Allergic Inflammation in Atopic Bronchial Asthma and Allergic Rhinitis (a Pilot Study).

The involvement of periostin in Th2-dependent allergic inflammation has been documented. However, the significance of periostin as a biomarker of local allergic inflammation in the nasal mucosa (NM) of patients with atopic bronchial asthma (BA) and allergic rhinitis (AR) is yet to be determined. The aim of the study was to determine the presence of periostin and evaluate its role as a non-invasive marker of allergic inflammation in the nasal secretions of children with atopic BA and AR. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 43 patients aged 4-17 years with atopic BA and AR, the NM was examined using nasal video-endoscopy and (if indicated) computed tomography; the amount of periostin in the nasal secretion was determined by the enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS: Exacerbation of AR was accompanied by a statistically significant increase in the level of periostin in the nasal secretion: up to 0.84 [0.06; 48.79] ng/mg, whereas in remission, that was 0.13 [0.00; 0.36] ng/mg; p=0.04. This value increased progressively as the severity of AR increased from 0.16 [0.00; 0.36] ng/mg in the mild course to 0.20 [0.00; 9.03] ng/mg in AR of moderate severity, and to 10.70 [0.56; 769.20] ng/mg in most severe cases; p=0.048. Hypertrophy or polyposis of the nasal and/or paranasal mucosa was detected in 34.9% (15/43) of the examined patients. The concentration of periostin in the nasal secretion was lower in children without NM hypertrophy: 0.18 [0.001; 4.30] ng/mg vs 0.78 [0.13; 162.10] ng/mg in patients with NM hypertrophy; the differences were close to statistically significant: p=0.051. The level of nasal periostin depended on the clinical form of hypertrophy in the sinonasal mucosa, reaching 0.17 [0.00; 0.32] ng/mg in children with polyposis hyperplasia of NM and 21.6 [10.70; 1516.80] ng/mg - with hypertrophy of the NM in the medial surface of the concha; p=0.02. CONCLUSION: Exacerbation and increased severity of AR in patients with atopic BA are accompanied by an increased level of periostin in the nasal secretion. This allows us to consider the level of nasal periostin as a biomarker of local allergic inflammation in the NM of patients with atopic BA combined with AR. Hypertrophic changes in the sinonasal mucosa are generally accompanied by an increased level of nasal periostin; specifically, this level significantly depends on the clinical form of mucous membrane hypertrophy and requires additional studies.

[Obesity and penile morphology: is there a relationship? (Experimental study)].

INTRODUCTION: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a condition characterized by the inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse. The prevalence of ED ranges from 6% to 64% depending on age. Obesity is one of the factors leading to ED, which is widespread in the world. Men with obesity are 30% more likely to develop ED compared with men with normal body weight. AIM: The aim was to identify morphological changes in the cavernous tissue of the penis of patients with obesity using the biological model of laboratory rats as an example. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In vivo modeling of diet-induced obesity was performed. A total of 22 laboratory sexually mature white rats weighing 140-160 g were included in the study. The animals were divided into two groups, the control group (n=10) and experimental group, which included rats with diet-induced obesity (n=12). After 12 weeks, the experiment was completed. All rats underwent: 1) calculation of the Lee index (body mass index in rats); 2) determination of blood glucose level; 3) determination of the level of total cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood; 4) sampling of the penis with fixation in 10% formalin; histological sections 6-8 m thick were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, and frozen sections were prepared with subsequent staining with Sudan 3 to identify adipose cells. RESULTS: In the experimental group, alimentary obesity developed. There were no differences in glucose and total cholesterol levels between two groups. However, a significant difference was found in the serum triglycerides level (1.24+/-0.05 mmol/L in the control group vs. 1.6+/-0.1 mmol/L in the experimental group). In the control group, the average number of adipocytes was 10+/-5 per sample; in the experimental group, their number increased by 3 times (p<0.01). In obese rats, there was an increase not only in the number of adipose cells, but also in their area compared with the control group (17.7+/-7.5 m and 12.9+/-5.3 m, respectively, p<0.01). CONCLUSION: In rats with alimentary obesity, deposition of adipose tissue is observed not only in the visceral and paratesticular regions, but also in the cavernous tissue of the penis, which can negatively affect erectile function.

Effect of Nasal Obstructive Disorders on Sinonasal Symptoms in Children with Different Levels of Bronchial Asthma Control.

Allergic rhinitis (AR) and allergic rhinosinusitis (ARS) are typical upper airway pathologies (UAP) in children with bronchial asthma (BA) frequently accompanied with nasal obstructive diseases (NOD). In order to establish the effect of NOD on correlations between nasal and synonasal symptoms with clinical assessments of asthma control, 82 children, 9.8 [8.9; 10.7] years old, with atopic BA were assessed using ACQ-5 for the BA control level, TNSS for nasal symptoms, and SNOT-20 for synonasal quality of life in combination with rhinovideoendoscopy for NOD. All patients had AR/ARS; in 76.3% (63/82) of children, UAP had a multimorbid character with the presence of NOD. Significant correlations were found between ACQ-5 and TNSS (R=0.40, p < 0.0001) and ACQ-5 and SNOT-20 (R=0.42, p < 0.0001). Correlations between TNSS/ACQ-5 and SNOT-20/ACQ-5 were higher in patients who do not have a combination of AR/ARS with NOD (R=0.67, p=0.0012; R=0.50, p=0.022, resp.) than in patients who have AR/ARS combined with NOD (R=0.30, p=0.015; R=0.26, p=0.04, resp.). Thus, the association of BA control level with the expression of nasal and synonasal symptoms is higher in children who do not have multimorbid UAP.