American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Jun 2017
Restoring CFTR Function Reduces Airway Bacteria and Inflammation in People With Cystic Fibrosis and Chronic Lung Infections.
Previous work indicates that ivacaftor improves cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) activity and lung function in people with cystic fibrosis and G551D-CFTR mutations but does not reduce density of bacteria or markers of inflammation in the airway. These findings raise the possibility that infection and inflammation may progress independently of CFTR activity once cystic fibrosis lung disease is established. ⋯ Ivacaftor caused marked reductions in sputum P. aeruginosa density and airway inflammation and produced modest improvements in radiographic lung disease in subjects with G551D-CFTR mutations. However, P. aeruginosa airway infection persisted. Thus, measures that control infection may be required to realize the full benefits of CFTR-targeting treatments.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Jun 2017
Mucosal Type 2 Innate Lymphoid Cells are a Key Component of the Allergic Response to Aeroallergen.
Newly characterized type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) display potent type 2 effector functionality; however, their contribution to allergic airways inflammation and asthma is poorly understood. Mucosal biopsy used to characterize the airway mucosa is invasive, poorly tolerated, and does not allow for sequential sampling. ⋯ The rapid recruitment of ILC2s to the upper airways of allergic patients with rhinitis, and their association with key type 2 mediators, highlights their likely important role in the early allergic response to aeroallergens in the airways. The novel methodology described herein enables the analysis of rare cell populations from noninvasive serial tissue sampling.