High Blood Eosinophil and YKL-40 Levels, as Well as Low CXCL9 Levels, are Associated with Increased Readmission in Patients with Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

The Effect of Treatment Adherence on Health Status of Outpatients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Adherence to COPD treatment plays a crucial role in patient health outcomes. Understanding the correlation between treatment adherence and health status is vital for clinicians to develop effective disease management strategies. This study aimed to examine treatment adherence and its impact on the health status of COPD patients, specifically focusing on the effects of adhering to inhaled medications and breathing exercises. A cross-sectional study involving 420 outpatients diagnosed with COPD was conducted. The study encompassed administering questionnaires, observing patient breathing exercises, and measuring ventilatory function. Results showed that only 36.9% of participants adhered to treatment, with 44.7% following inhaler protocols and 36.9% regularly engaging in breathing exercises. The patients who were non-adherent exhibited a 0.3-fold increase in disease severity compared to the adherent group (p = .002). These findings suggest that consistent adherence to treatment, including inhaled medications and breathing exercises, may positively affect health status by reducing disease severity and airway obstruction in COPD patients. To address this, we recommend that home care clinicians implement a post-discharge assessment and intervention program. This program should focus on educating patients about the importance of treatment adherence and promoting behaviors that reinforce adherence to prescribed therapies.

A Pilot Study on Proteomic Predictors of Mortality in Stable COPD

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of global mortality. Despite clinical predictors (age, severity, comorbidities, etc.) being established, proteomics offers comprehensive biological profiling to obtain deeper insights into COPD pathophysiology and survival prognoses. This pilot study aimed to identify proteomic footprints that could be potentially useful in predicting mortality in stable COPD patients. Plasma samples from 40 patients were subjected to both blind (liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry) and hypothesis-driven (multiplex immunoassays) proteomic analyses supported by artificial intelligence (AI) before a 4-year clinical follow-up. Among the 34 patients whose survival status was confirmed (mean age 69 ± 9 years, 29.5% women, FEV1 42 ± 15.3% ref.), 32% were dead in the fourth year. The analysis identified 363 proteins/peptides, with 31 showing significant differences between the survivors and non-survivors. These proteins predominantly belonged to different aspects of the immune response (12 proteins), hemostasis (9), and proinflammatory cytokines (5). The predictive modeling achieved excellent accuracy for mortality (90%) but a weaker performance for days of survival (Q2 0.18), improving mildly with AI-mediated blind selection of proteins (accuracy of 95%, Q2 of 0.52). Further stratification by protein groups highlighted the predictive value for mortality of either hemostasis or pro-inflammatory markers alone (accuracies of 95 and 89%, respectively). Therefore, stable COPD patients' proteomic footprints can effectively forecast 4-year mortality, emphasizing the role of inflammatory, immune, and cardiovascular events. Future applications may enhance the prognostic precision and guide preventive interventions.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in asia: risk factors for readmission and readmission rate

BACKGROUND

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often require hospital readmission because of exacerbation of their condition. These frequent exacerbations reduce quality of life, work performance, and emotional health. However, few studies have investigated the risk factors for readmission and readmission rates in Asian patients with COPD. We conducted a systematic review to identify and understand the major risk factors for readmission in patients with COPD in Asia and the readmission rate.

METHOD

We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, and China Biomedical Literature Database from database inception to September 2023 to identify studies on the readmission rate and risk factors for COPD in Asian patients. Chinese search terms included "COPD," "chronic obstructive pulmonary disease," "risk factors," "recurrence," "readmission," and "acute exacerbation." English search terms included "chronic obstructive pulmonary disease," "COPD," "lung emphysema," "hospital admission," "patient readmission," and "readmission." We extracted first author, publication year, research area, sample size, sex, risk factors, and readmission rates. The included studies' quality was evaluated using the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality. Meta-synthesis was conducted on readmission rates and risk factors for readmission. Subgroups were formed by age, research area, sample size, and research type, and meta-regression analysis was conducted on the 30-day, 90-day, and 365-day readmission rates of patients to determine the source of heterogeneity. Finally, the results' robustness was evaluated using sensitivity analysis. Begg and Egger tests were used to evaluate publication bias.

RESULTS

Meta-analysis of 44 studies, with 169,255 participants, indicated that risk factors for COPD readmission in Asia included: history of multiple hospital admissions, ≥ 3 comorbidities, male sex, ratio of eosinophils percentage ≥ 2%, body mass index < 18.5, smoking history, pulmonary heart disease comorbidity, COPD assessment test score > 20, nutritional disorder, Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte ratio > 7, and FEV1 < 50. The 30-, 90-, and 365-day readmission rates of patients were 19%, 31%, and 42%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with COPD in Asia generally have high readmission rates and different risk factors. To reduce healthcare, economic, and social burdens, interventions should address major risk factors, early prevention, and screening.

Gut microbiota was highly related to the immune status in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients

This study aimed to explore the profile of gut microbiota and immunological state in COPD patients. 80 fecal and blood samples were collected from 40 COPD patients and 40 healthy controls (HC) and analyzed with 16s-rRNA gene sequencing and immunofactor omics analysis to investigate the profile of gut microbiota and immunologic factors (IFs). The linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LefSe) was used to determine the biomarker's taxa. The random forest and LASSO regression analysis were executed to screen IFs and develop an IFscore model. The correlation between gut microbiota and IFs, along with the IFscore and the diversity of gut microbiota, was evaluated with the Spearman analysis. The α and β diversity showed that the composition and distribution of gut microbiota in the COPD group differed from that of the HC group. 7 differential taxa at the phylum level and 17 differential taxa at the genus level were found. LefSe analysis screened out 5 biomarker's taxa. 32 differential IFs (up-regulated 27 IFs and down-regulated 5 IFs) were identified between two groups, and 5 IFs (CCL3, CXCL9, CCL7, IL2, IL4) were used to construct an IFscore model. The Spearman analysis revealed that 29 IFs were highly related to 5 biomarker's taxa and enriched in 16 pathways. Furthermore, the relationship between the IFscore and gut microbiota diversity was very close. The gut microbiota and IFs profile in COPD patients differed from that in healthy individuals. Gut microbiota was highly related to the immune status in COPD patients.

The association between blood eosinophils and clinical outcome of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

Studies have shown an association between eosinophilia and clinical outcomes in acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). However, contradictory findings exist. Our study aims to systematically evaluate the association between elevated peripheral blood eosinophils and clinical outcome of patients with AECOPD.

METHODS

An electronic search was conducted for relevant studies published from database inception to February 28, 2023, on PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. The analysis covered studies on the correlation between EOS AECOPD and mortality, hospital stay duration, readmission and hospitalization rates, and invasive mechanical ventilation. Where applicable, relative risk (RR) and weighted mean difference (WMD) were extracted, pooled, and assessed using meta-analysis. Sensitivity analysis was performed to explore the source of heterogeneity.

RESULTS

Fifteen high-quality studies including 14 cohort studies and one case-control study were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with non-eosinophilic AECOPD patients, those with eosinophilic AECOPD had a lower risk of mortality (RR = 0.65, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 0.54, 0.77, P < 0.001), shorter length of hospital stay (WMD = -1.56, 95%CI -2.16, -0.96, P < 0.001), and higher readmission rate (RR = 1.07, 95%CI 1.01,1.13, P = 0.029). No difference was found concerning the rate of hospitalization and invasive mechanical ventilation between the two groups.

CONCLUSION

Individuals diagnosed with eosinophilic AECOPD had a reduced mortality rate, a truncated period of hospitalization, and an insubstantial increase in the probability of readmission relative to their non-eosinophilic AECOPD counterparts. The level of eosinophils in blood has been shown to serve as a potential predictive biomarker for AECOPD patients.

Predictors of Readmission, for Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) - A Systematic Review

Introduction

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third-leading cause of death globally and is responsible for over 3 million deaths annually. One of the factors contributing to the significant healthcare burden for these patients is readmission. The aim of this review is to describe significant predictors and prediction scores for all-cause and COPD-related readmission among patients with COPD.

Methods

A search was conducted in Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, from database inception to June 7, 2022. Studies were included if they reported on patients at least 40 years old with COPD, readmission data within 1 year, and predictors of readmission. Study quality was assessed. Significant predictors of readmission and the degree of significance, as noted by the p-value, were extracted for each study. This review was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022337035).

Results

In total, 242 articles reporting on 16,471,096 patients were included. There was a low risk of bias across the literature. Of these, 153 studies were observational, reporting on predictors; 57 studies were observational studies reporting on interventions; and 32 were randomized controlled trials of interventions. Sixty-four significant predictors for all-cause readmission and 23 for COPD-related readmission were reported across the literature. Significant predictors included 1) pre-admission patient characteristics, such as male sex, prior hospitalization, poor performance status, number and type of comorbidities, and use of long-term oxygen; 2) hospitalization details, such as length of stay, use of corticosteroids, and use of ventilatory support; 3) results of investigations, including anemia, lower FEV1, and higher eosinophil count; and 4) discharge characteristics, including use of home oxygen and discharge to long-term care or a skilled nursing facility.

Conclusion

The findings from this review may enable better predictive modeling and can be used by clinicians to better inform their clinical gestalt of readmission risk.

Serum YKL-40 Levels, Leukocyte Profiles, and Acute Exacerbations of Advanced COPD

Little information exists on YKL-40-a key protein in tissue remodeling-and complete blood count (CBC) parameters during acute exacerbations of advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This pilot exploratory study (August 2020-January 2021) investigated the connection between serum YKL-40 levels and CBC profile in sex- and age-matched individuals with severe COPD (GOLD stage III, n = 23, median age = 66 years, 65.21% males) and very severe COPD (GOLD stage IV, n = 24, median age = 66.5 years, 74.81% males). The measured parameters were serum YKL-40, absolute leukocyte count (ALLC), absolute neutrophil count (ANC), neutrophil percentage, absolute lymphocyte count (ALC), lymphocyte percentage, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), absolute eosinophil count (AEC), eosinophil percentage, absolute monocyte count (AMC), monocyte percentage, absolute basophil count (ABC), basophil percentage, hemoglobin levels, and hematocrit concentrations. No significant inter-group differences were observed. However, high YKL-40 subjects (n = 23)-as stratified via median YKL-40 (3934.5 pg/mL)-showed significantly increased neutrophil percentage and NLR but significantly lower lymphocyte-, eosinophil-, and basophil-related parameters compared to low YKL-40 patients (n = 24). These results reveal multidimensional, YKL-40-associated changes in leukocyte profile of patients with advanced COPD during acute exacerbations, with potential implications for personalized treatment.

Differences in the lipid metabolism profile and clinical characteristics between eosinophilic and non-eosinophilic acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Objective: In this study, we aimed to investigate the differences in serum lipid metabolite profiles and their relationship with clinical characteristics between patients with eosinophilic and non-eosinophilic AECOPD. Methods: A total of 71 AECOPD patients were enrolled. Eosinophilic AECOPD was defined as blood EOS% ≥ 2% (n = 23), while non-eosinophilic AECOPD, as blood EOS< 2% (n = 48). Clinical data were collected, and serum lipid metabolism profiles were detected by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The XCMS software package was used to pre-process the raw data, and then, lipid metabolite identification was achieved through a spectral match using LipidBlast library. Differences in lipid profiles and clinical features between eosinophilic and non-eosinophilic groups were analyzed by generalized linear regression. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) was applied to screen the most characteristic lipid markers for the eosinophilic phenotype. Results: Eosinophilic AECOPD patients had less hypercapnic respiratory failures, less ICU admissions, a shorter length of stay in the hospital, and a lower fibrinogen level. In the lipid metabolism profiles, 32 significantly different lipid metabolites were screened through a t-test adjusted by using FDR (FDR-adjusted p < 0.05 and VIP> 1). Nine differential lipid metabolites were found to be associated with the three clinical features, namely, hypercapnia respiratory failure, ICU admission, and fibrinogen in further integration analysis. The species of triacylglycerol (TAG), phosphatidylcholine (PC), lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), and diacylglyceryl trimethylhomoserine (DGTS) were high in these eosinophilic AECOPD. The LASSO was applied, and three lipid metabolites were retained, namely, LPC (16:0), TAG (17:0/17:2/17:2), and LPC (20:2). The logistic regression model was fitted using these three markers, and the area under the ROC curve of the model was 0.834 (95% CI: 0.740-0.929). Conclusion: Patients with eosinophilic AECOPD had a unique lipid metabolism status. Species of TAGs and LPCs were significantly increased in this phenotype and were associated with better clinical outcomes.

Readmission rate for acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The readmission rate following hospitalization for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations is extremely high and has become a common and challenging clinical problem. This study aimed to systematically summarize COPD readmission rates for acute exacerbations and their underlying risk factors.

METHODS

A comprehensive search was performed using PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science, published from database inception to April 2, 2022. Methodological quality was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). We used a random-effects model or a fixed-effects model to estimate the pooled COPD readmission rate for acute exacerbations and underlying risk factors.

RESULTS

A total of 46 studies were included, of which 24, 7, 17, 7, and 20 summarized the COPD readmission rates for acute exacerbations within 30, 60, 90, 180, and 365 days, respectively. The pooled 30-, 60-, 90-, 180-, and 365-day readmission rates were 11%, 17%, 17%, 30%, and 37%, respectively. The study design type, age stage, WHO region, and length of stay (LOS) were initially considered to be sources of heterogeneity. We also identified potential risk factors for COPD readmission, including male sex, number of hospitalizations in the previous year, LOS, and comorbidities such as heart failure, tumor or cancer, and diabetes, whereas obesity was a protective factor.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with COPD had a high readmission rate for acute exacerbations, and potential risk factors were identified. Therefore, we should propose clinical interventions and adjust or targeted the control of avoidable risk factors to prevent and reduce the negative impact of COPD readmission.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

PROSPERO, identifier CRD42022333581.

Predictive Value of the Baseline and Early Changes in Blood Eosinophils for Short-Term Mortality in Patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Background

Eosinophils play an essential role in the pathogenesis of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We aimed to assess the association between the baseline blood eosinophils, eosinophil changes during the first week in the intensive care unit (ICU) and short-term patient outcomes.

Methods

All patients meeting the Berlin definition of ARDS from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV database were retrospectively analyzed. We used logistic regression, Kaplan–Meier survival and random forest analysis to determine the association between the baseline eosinophils and short-term mortality. Then the trends in eosinophils over time were compared between the survivors and non-survivors using a generalized additive mixed model (GAMM), which is a common approach used for analysis of repeated measurement data. Area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the predictive value.

Results

A total of 1685 patients were included, and the 30-day mortality was 25.1%. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that patients with high baseline eosinophils (>0.3%) had lower 30-day mortality (p < 0.001). Random forest model selected the baseline eosinophils as an important factor associated with 30-day mortality. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified high baseline eosinophils as an independent factor for 30-day mortality (OR 0.743, 95% CI 0.568–0.970). The GAMM result showed that the levels of eosinophils were increased in both survival and non-survival groups, and the between-group differences increased over time, with an average of 0.154 daily after adjusting for confounders. The AUC of changes in eosinophils within the first week was significantly higher than that of baseline eosinophils.

Conclusion

There is a negative association between the baseline eosinophils and short-term mortality in ARDS patients, and the differences in eosinophils increased over time between the survivors and non-survivors. Higher increase in eosinophils is associated with decreased short-term mortality, and dynamic monitoring of eosinophils could better predict the survival of ARDS patients.

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Serum YKL-40 Levels Predict Endotypes and Associate with Postoperative Recurrence in Patients with Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps

Background

Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is a global health concern with high heterogeneity and rate of postoperative recidivation. YKL-40 is a pivotal pro-inflammatory mediator to promote Th2 immune response which is involved in many inflammatory diseases. This study aimed to investigate the predictive value of serum YKL-40 in CRSwNP endotypes and postoperative recurrence.

Methods

We recruited 80 primary CRSwNP, 40 recurrent CRSwNP patients and 40 healthy controls (HCs) in this study, and the serum and tissue specimens were collected. The middle turbinate mucosa tissue collected from patients undergoing septoplasty was used as control. Serum YKL-40 concentrations were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and tissue YKL-40 mRNA and protein levels were examined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC). The difference of YKL-40 expression was compared among different group. Multivariate analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were performed to evaluate the value of serum YKL-40 in discriminating eosinophilic CRSwNP (eCRSwNP) and predicting postoperative recurrence.

Results

The serum YKL-40 levels in CRSwNP patients were higher than HCs, especially in eCRSwNP patients (p < 0.05). The elevated YKL-40 levels positively correlated with blood eosinophil percentage, tissue eosinophil counts and percentages (p < 0.05). The serum YKL-40 levels in recurrent CRSwNP patients were markedly enhanced than primary CRSwNP patients (p < 0.05). The YKL-40 mRNA and protein levels were significantly elevated in CRSwNP patients compared to HCs, especially in eCRSwNP and recurrent CRSwNP group. Multivariate analysis and ROC curve exhibited that serum YKL-40 might be a promising indicator in distinguishing CRSwNP endotypes and predicting postoperative recurrence.

Conclusion

Our data suggested that YKL-40 might be unregulated in CRSwNP and associated with mucosal eosinophilia and recurrence. Serum YKL-40 appeared to a novel biomarker for predicting CRSwNP endotypes and postoperative recurrence of CRSwNP.

Association between YKL-40 and asthma: a systematic meta-analysis

PURPOSE

Many studies have shown that chitinase-3-like protein 1 (CHI3L1), also known as YKL-40, is associated with asthma. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the role of serum YKL-40 in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of asthma, severity grading, and determination of disease state.

METHODS

The PubMed, Ovid, and Cochrane databases were searched. A total of 17 articles involving 5696 subjects were included in this meta-analysis.

RESULTS

The results showed that the level of YKL-40 was significantly higher in asthmatic patients than in the normal group regardless of age and residential location, and increased with severity and acute exacerbation (p < 0.05). YKL-40 levels were significantly different between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, and also between asthma-COPD overlap syndrome (ACO) and asthma (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

YKL-40 may act as a potential serological marker for the diagnosis of asthma, assessment of severity, indicator of the disease state, and differential diagnosis of COPD, ACO, and asthma.

Blood eosinophil count-guided corticosteroid therapy and as a prognostic biomarker of exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by persistent respiratory symptoms and dyspnea, as well as an increase in the number of leukocytes in the airways, lungs, and pulmonary vessels. A 'One size fits all' approach to COPD patients with different clinical features may be considered outdated. The following are the two major objectives of this meta-analysis: the first is to determine if blood eosinophil counts (BEC) can serve as a prognostic biomarker of COPD outcomes, and the second is to determine which level of BEC is effective for inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) treatment.

METHODS

We searched articles published before 15 May 2021 in the following four electronic databases: Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and PubMed.

RESULTS

A total of 42 studies, comprising a sampling of 188,710 subjects, were summarized and compared in this meta-analysis. The rate ratio (RR) of exacerbations of COPD (ECOPD) between ICS and non-ICS treatment was statistically significant for the COPD patients with a baseline BEC ⩾ 2% or ⩾ 200 cells/μl, RR = 0.82 (0.73, 0.93) or 0.79 (0.70, 0.89) respectively, while the RR of ECOPD between ICS and non-ICS treatment was statistically insignificant for the COPD patients with baseline BEC < 2% or <200 cells/μl, RR = 0.97 (0.87, 1.08) or 0.97 (0.86, 1.08), suggested that ICS therapy was beneficial to the improvement of ECOPD in patients with a baseline BEC ⩾ 2% or BEC ⩾ 200 cells/μl.

CONCLUSION

Our research shows that a BEC ⩾ 200 cells/μl or ⩾2% is likely to become the cutoff value of ICS treatment for ECOPD. Moreover, we believe that the baseline BEC can be used as a biomarker for predicting ECOPD. The stability of BEC requires special attention.