European journal of internal medicine
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Feb 2024
TSLP is localized in and released from human lung macrophages activated by T2-high and T2-low stimuli: relevance in asthma and COPD.
Macrophages are the predominant immune cells in the human lung and play a central role in airway inflammation, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), a pleiotropic cytokine mainly expressed by bronchial epithelial cells, plays a key role in asthma and COPD pathobiology. TSLP exists in two variants: the long form (lfTSLP) and a shorter TSLP isoform (sfTSLP). We aimed to localize TSLP in human lung macrophages (HLMs) and investigate the mechanisms of its release from these cells. We also evaluated the effects of the two variants of TSLP on the release of angiogenic factor from HLMs. ⋯ Our results highlight a novel immunologic circuit between HLMs and TSLP. Given the central role of macrophages in airway inflammation, this autocrine loop holds potential translational relevance in understanding innovative aspects of the pathobiology of asthma and chronic inflammatory lung disorders.
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Feb 2024
Primary Sjögren's syndrome in Italy: Real-world evidence of a rare disease through administrative healthcare data.
Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is a systemic autoimmune disease with significant impact on morbidity, mortality, and quality of life. This study aimed to evaluate epidemiology, healthcare needs and related costs of pSS patients from the Italian National Health Service perspective. ⋯ According to results of this population-based study, the prevalence of pSS in Italy appears to be consistent with the definition of rare disease. Patients with pSS have higher pharmacological, in-hospital and outpatient specialist care needs, leading to three-times higher overall cost for the INHS, compared to the general population.