Global Mapping of Research Trends on Interventions to Improve Health-Related Quality of Life in Asthma Patients

Systematic mapping of DNAzymes research from 1995 to 2019

DNAzymes (catalytic DNA) have gained significant diagnostic and therapeutic applications with increasing research output over the years. Functional oligonucleotides are used as molecular recognition elements within biosensors for detection of analytes and viral infections such as SARS-CoV-2. DNAzymes are also applied for silencing and regulating cancer specific genes. However, there has not been any report on systematic analysis to track research status, reveal hotspots, and map knowledge in this field. Therefore, in the present study, research articles on DNAzymes from 1995 to 2019 were extracted from Web of Science (SCI-Expanded) after which, 1037 articles were imported into Rstudio (version 3.6.2) and analysed accordingly. The highest number of articles was published in 2019 (n = 138), while the least was in 1995 (n = 1). The articles were published across 216 journals by 2344 authors with 2337 multi-author and 7 single authors. The most prolific authors were Li Y (n = 47), Liu J (n = 46), Wang L (n = 33), Willner I (n = 33) and Zhang L (n = 33). The top three most productive countries were China (n = 2018), USA (n = 447) and Canada (n = 251). The most productive institutions were Hunan University, China (n = 141), University of Illinois, USA (n = 139) and Fuzhou University, China (n = 101). Despite the increasing interest in this field, international collaborations between institutions were very low which requires immediate attention to mitigate challenges such as limited funding, access to facilities, and existing knowledge gap.

Identifying the Causes Increasing the Risk of Non-Adherence in Adult Patients with Asthma: An Analysis Combining Patient Survey Data with German Claims Data

BACKGROUND

There exists a range of treatments in the management of asthma. Non-adherence to these medications has been identified as a factor negatively impacting the effects of treatment.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to identify the potential barriers to medication adherence among adult patients with asthma in Germany.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A multi-center observational study was conducted addressing adult patients with asthma who were prescribed regular maintenance medication between 2014 and 2016. Data were derived from physicians' documentation as well as claims data, which were linked to the above primary observational data, and patient survey data. Adherence barriers were assessed by the validated Adherence Barriers Questionnaire, both descriptively and in a logistic regression framework. Cluster analysis identified distinct patient groups with respect to the relevance of specific adherence barriers.

RESULTS

We included 524 patients with asthma (mean age 53.1 years, 74.6% female, 43.1% allergic asthma, 37.6% nonallergic, 19.3% mixed). Most of the participants reported to face at least three barriers (61.1%). Frequently reported barriers were the perception that medications are all harmful (53.6% of the participants), the burden of medication co-payment (44.1%), positive perception about current health status (39.9%), feeling of depression (30.9%), and the fear of side effects (27.5%). Four distinct patient clusters could be identified: cluster 1 with a low number of barriers (28.6% of participants), cluster 2 (11.6%) with a comparably high number of existing barriers, cluster 3 with high importance of depression as a barrier (27.3% of participants), and cluster 4 that was dominated by the perception that medications are all harmful (32.5% of participants).

CONCLUSIONS

Results of this study provide important insights for further development of adherence programs, which should focus on distinct patients' clusters that differ substantially in the relevance of specific adherence barriers.

Exploring quality of life and satisfaction with treatment in asthmatic patients receiving dry powder inhalers: a multinational survey

INTRODUCTION

The quality of life (QoL) and device needs have not been characterized in asthmatic patients treated via dry powder inhalers (DPIs). The aim of this study was to assess the impact of asthma on health-related QoL, device satisfaction, and preference in adult asthmatic patients using DPI devices, and to identify any DPI-associated unmet needs.

METHODS

An online survey was conducted between November and December 2019 on eligible patients from the Cint consumer panel across Europe. Newly designed, as well as validated questionnaires were used to collect data on QoL and inhaler satisfaction.

RESULTS

A total of 1063 asthmatic patient took part in the survey; 66% of the patients reported medium or high impact of asthma on the overall QoL. The majority of patients (61%) reported high level of satisfaction with their current device. The patients with medium-to-high impact of asthma on QoL were significantly less likely to be satisfied with their current device (55%) than those who reported low-to-medium impact of asthma on QoL (67%; p-value < 0.001). "Higher number of available doses," "usability," "clear dose counter," and "feedback on correct inhalation" were the attributes mostly requested from a new device. The demand for user-friendly devices that provide feedback on correct drug administration was identified as an unmet need.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE

In asthmatic patients with medium to high impact of asthma on the overall QoL, the satisfaction with the device is highly affected.

Anti-ST2 Nanoparticle Alleviates Lung Inflammation by Targeting ILC2s-CD4+T Response

Background

Asthma has been regarded as an inflammatory disease, and group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) are implicated in asthma pathogenesis. However, no strategy is available to block ILC2s function. Efficiency is also limited due to the use of systemic or subcutaneous routes of administration. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of nanoparticles targeting suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (ST2), which is the ILC2 receptor, to alleviate lung inflammation in the murine model of asthma.

Methods

The ultra-small SPIO nanoparticles were firstly synthesized, OVA-induced mice were administered by anti-ST2-conjugated nanoparticles. The inflammatory degree of the lung was investigated by H&E. The percentages of ILC2s and CD4⁺T cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue were determined by FACS. Th2-cytokine and OVA-IgE levels were detected by real-time PCR and ELISA, respectively.

Results

Treatment with anti-ST2-conjugated nanoparticles significantly alleviated airway inflammation, IL-33 and IL-13 levels and the percentage of CD4⁺T cells. The percentage of ILC2s was increased, whereas the levels of IL-13 and IL-5 expressed by ILC2s were reduced.

Conclusion

In the present study, we demonstrated that anti-ST2-conjugated nanoparticles can efficiently control lung inflammation in OVA-induced mice by reducing the ability of ILC2s to produce IL-5 and IL-13, thereby reducing CD4+T cells. Our study also demonstrated that the nanoparticle delivery system could improve the performance of anti-ST2, which may be used as a strategic tool to expand the current drug market.

Bibliometric Studies and Worldwide Research Trends on Global Health

Global health, conceived as a discipline, aims to train, research and respond to problems of a transboundary nature in order to improve health and health equity at the global level. The current worldwide situation is ruled by globalization, and therefore the concept of global health involves not only health-related issues but also those related to the environment and climate change. Therefore, in this Special Issue, the problems related to global health have been addressed from a bibliometric approach in four main areas: environmental issues, diseases, health, education and society.